new to hep c

[shmikis]

I havent been feeling well for a month now and had all tests done CBC, etc. and my doctor said my liver enzymes were high at 151 , the high normal range was 99. He recommended a test for hepatitis. He called me today and said I was positive for hepatitis c. He said for me to contact my primary doctor to get referral for internisr.

I feel like I have brain fog and tiredness, shoulder and neck aches, .

Anyone know the next step . Should I be worried.?

[Alwaysme]

My sweety said he can't believe I forgot to mention the terrible night sweats!!! Those really are bad!!

[Alwaysme]

Sadly there are symptoms that can go with Hep. C, although they are usely mistaken for other problems. Thank goodness for my symptoms/signs for being stage 3 , I would hate to think if it would of went undetected...I thought all i was experiencing was due to all I had done in my past!

[Alwaysme]

I get tired really faster than used to , and I guess there is the feeling you know when something isn't right with your body!

[lalapple]

i agree with Bill and others. first you have to figure out if you tested + for the antibodies or viral load pcr?  testing + for the antibodies does not determine whether you have hcv or not.  get a simple PCR viral load test for hepatitis c from your family doctor to find out if you're + or not.  

also, hepatitis c is infamous as the silent disease, symptoms don't usually show up until later stages.  fatigue, malaise, and brain fog are usually the side effects people get from the medications used to treat hepatitis c.  i don't think they are symptoms of hepatitis c.  

check out hcvadvocate.org

[shmikis]

any fatigue or malaise?

[Alwaysme]

Actually it was the Dr. who thought I should get tested for such, mind you I had tested neg. for years and then suddenly it showed up and I an at stage 3.

[Alwaysme]

Constant forgetfulness, terrible itching, to the point I scratch and leave bruises, And my joints,knees mostly hurt so bad sometimes.

[shmikis]

what symptoms did you have

[Alwaysme]

Good luck on the testing!!
I just found out I had Hep C this past christmas.  Dr. decided to test me because of the signs/symptoms I was displaying. It was a relief to know that I had not just become brain dead , as I can't remember the simplest of words, and I have this constant itching all over, the worst of symptoms for me would be the terrible joint pain I have been having. I have already had all the blood work and the liver bio, showing that I am stage 3, and go back to Dr. this coming Tue. , I am really hoping that I will get on treatment ASAP!! As for the depression they have alreadt started treating mine..Now I am just nervous about starting the whole treatment, just want to get it started and over with.

[shmikis]

what symptoms did you have when you realized you had it?

I went to primary doctor today and got blood drawn for the RNA , I guess to see if I really have the virus,he said sometimes they are false positive, the first antibody test , he said,
but this should take about 10 days to find out if I have it. I hat to wait , because of the way I feel, I am still hoping a sinus infection is clearing up and hopefully Im not more depressed, because having somr=ething like this will not be fun.

[Bill1954]

Yes; I have not had Hep C since august ’08. The term we use for cure is ‘SVR’ or sustained viral response. Once the meds are completed (assuming the patient has become undetectable for virus), and a period of six months passes without viral reoccurrence, they are considered SVR, or cured.

Read through the Janis website I linked above, and bookmark this site as well as Janis. If you come back tomorrow, there’ll probably be more thoughts posted here.

Many HCV patients complain of ‘brain fog’; this may or may not be related to Hep C. Go to the specialist appointment, and be sure to list all your questions for him in advance. If you drink alcohol, best to stop until this is all cleared up; booze and HCV don’t mix well together. Also list all your current medications, and be sure to discuss these with the doc; some meds aren’t good for patients with liver disease either.

Best to you—

Bill

[shmikis]

Have you been cured already?

I used to have depression and had stress at work and feel aches and pains, I was going to check with my psych. to see if I should increase my dose on Paxil , because I feel
like i am in a fog . i have no trouble sleeping, I feel better outside in the sunlight , but when I go indoors or my room at work, I feel worse,

Im just hoping this isnt hep c , if it is, and you start treatment , how long does it take to
start feeling better.

Thanks,

Mick

[Bill1954]

I had to take care of some business; I’m surprised that this forum is so quiet tonight; it’s usually very active.

Yes, I have had Hep C (HCV). I was diagnosed in 2004 after a long bout of fatigue; I most likely contracted it in ‘73 or ’74, and finally found out what was going on. I had elevated liver enzymes since the mid 80’s, but drank beer heavily; so the high enzymes were to be expected from the alcohol. I had no idea until 2004 I had HCV though.

You may or may not have already had the HCV RNA test; this test is the definitive test for the disease. If this result is positive, you will want the genotype testing; as I mentioned before, this is important. A liver biopsy is typically ordered as well, to assess fibrosis (scarring) of the liver. If there is significant scarring, treatment will be offered, most likely.

Treatment consists of two drugs currently; an injectable interferon and an oral drug, ribavirin. Depending on genotype, treatment will last from six to eighteen months; an is effective 40-90% of the time. It is comparable to cancer chemotherapy in terms of side effects. Some of these are depression, anxiety, hair and weight loss, issues with red and white cell damage, etc. It can be challenging at times; however, I’d do it again in a minute to get rid of the HCV.

For a good read, take a look at the following site:

http://janis7hepc.com/

start by opening ‘newly diagnosed’ near the top of the page, or by clicking on ‘other HCV information’ located in the right hand margin.

Continue to read and ask questions here; there are a lot of members here that will help you trough the treatment maze.

Be sure to request copies of all labs and procedures from your doctors; most of us start a file to keep track of all this; it’ll come in handy later on.

Best to you, and come back tomorrow; you’ll have other thoughts by then.

Be well—

Bill

[hegs]

wish i could give my immune system to all these people with hep c :(

[shmikis]

Thanks for your response. Do you have hep c?
You mean there is another test for more to see if virus is present.

I just presumed this test meant I already have it.
Is there a possibility I might not have a strain

I dont know anything about this and treatment, I am just beginning to read
about it on the internet

My ALT says 157 and AST says 66 both over the range and labeled high on the CBC

[Bill1954]

It sounds as though you’ve tested positive for the Hep C (HCV) antibodies; further testing will be required to verify if active virus is present. This will probably be the ‘HCV RNA’ test; the results will take about 10 working days to turn around in the lab. It sounds as if you probably have something going on though, with the elevated liver enzymes as high as they are. Until you receive the results from the RNA test, you have not been formally diagnosed with HCV.

If the results of the RNA test are positive, you will want to know what ‘genotype’ you are. This is the ‘strain’ of Hep C, and will help determine the length of treatment required as well as the efficacy of treatment. How much do you know about this disease and treatment?

Bill