NO CANCER

[Vannh9]

Finally got the call today that I don't have cancer. The Doctor did say there are a couple of veins that are opened...not sure what that means, but he said it isn't liver related so we are good. I will get a copy of it tomorrow. he also said that my liver looked good which is awesome news. I have to say I am pretty baffled by this disease. They believe I have had Hep c for over 35 years. Elevated liver enzymes for at least 5 years and every thing looks good??

I am thrilled and grateful, but curious, are  there others out there that have a similar experience???? How reliable is a cat scan for liver damage?

I have my biopsy scheduled for Sept. 12th....I guess that is what tells the whole story??

Thanks all!!

Vann

[Vannh9]

Thanks guys!! I so appreciate all the feedback and support.

I should have viral load results this week and I will of course be posting once I get them.

Thanks Guys,

Vann

[copyman]

congrats! always good to hear you dont have the big C. good luck with your biopsy

[belle19]

great news about no cancer!!  i've had hepc for about 35 years.  never had any symptons.  found out on a routine blood panel.  i had elevated liver enzymes.  my vl was 350,000.  i had a liver biopsy shortly thereafter with an ultrasound to see where to insert the needle.  it came back stage 2 with mild inflammation.  i am now in a clinical trial as i am uninsured.  i'm receiving excellent care with one of the top liver specialists here in san diego.  let us know your results when you find out.  good luck on your new adventure.
p.s. i'm in my 8th week and the sx aren't as bad as i thought they'd be.  just tired and a little down at times.  take care of yourself.  belle

[diesel1959]

Good news for you no cancer! My experience from cat scan was not as favorable, they found scaring and then did biopsy which showed my levels were @285mill. I decided to put off treatment for about 6 months and now I am finishing 72 week of Pegasus and Ribofibran with great results no virus detected! The good news is for you is that you did not show scaring of Liver and hopefully they will find that your levels are low. Stay positive it helps!

[Vannh9]

Karen

I am doing the biopsy in the side. I don't know about the x-ray part, but I sure hope they are using something to be able to tell where to put the needle:-)

Eureka- Thanks and I will keep all of you guys posted....reading and learning from you all has really helped!!

Thanks!!

Vann

[eureka254]

Sometimes it seems like so much testing and so many questions with hep c, but it's great news from your ultrasound!  Hector pretty much sums it up -- your biopsy will give you vital information about that health of your liver that ultrasound often cannot.  

The progress of chronic hep is unpredictable; what happens to one person in 35 years of infection is often very different from another. There are indeed quite a number of folks with infection durations longer than that who have little damage. Hopefully your biopsy will give you good news as well.  Good luck moving forward! ~eureka

[crossroadsec]

Happy that you got good news! Keep us posted on the biopsy. Are they doing the needle Xray guided one? :) Karen

[Vannh9]

Thank you all for the kind comments!!

Hector- I will definitely post results and thank you for the overview. What you said makes total sense to me.

Keith- I am so glad I pushed for a biopsy!! Thanks!

Will and Dee- thanks as well and to all of you guys thanks for being here and for your support!

Vann

[willbb]

No cancer is always great news! As Hector has already mentioned the biopsy will tell the story about how much fibrosis there is  and yes this  virus can act in mysterious ways..One person is infected for 10 to 15 years and can have(albeit rarely ) advanced liver disease and others  can go 35 40 years even more sometimes with very little damage.

Hoping you are the latter....

Good luck
Will

[Dee1956]

Congratulations on your great news!
Great to hear
Dee

[hrsepwrguy]

Great news about not having cancer. I am not sure how precise a ct scan is at determining liver damage, I think it will pick up on major problems like cancer or cirrosis but I don't think is a very good tool as far as gauging fibrosis. I am only saying this because the first GI I went to after being diagnosed looked at a ct scan I had a month earlier, my bloodwork and told me my liver was fine, I requested a biopsy anyway and it revealed late stage 3 bridging fibrosis. This is just my expirience. Hopefully the biopsy will be more good news for you as it will let you know for sure.

Keith

[HectorSF]

Vann, great news that you don't have cancer!!!

If you were given a CT scan with contrast the results are reliable assuming you had the procedure performed properly and and experienced pathologist interrupted the results. This type of test should be done by the liver center at a transplant center for the most reliable results.
"Looked good" means that no HCC lesions were found. It does not mean that you don't have liver disease. A CT scan is not used to diagnose the degree of liver damage it is used to find liver tumors, bleeding from the liver, and some liver diseases. You need to have a liver biopsy to determine how damaged you liver is after 35 years.

Post your CT results so we can see what they found.

Good luck with your biopsy! Let us know what you find out.
Hector