Today is the day for blood test

[ohgreat]

Well, Today is the day that I am finally going in for my blood test to check my viral load.  About 2 1/2 months ago I tested positive for the HCV antibody.  I realise I have a chance my body fought it off naturally but I'm not pending hope on that.  My doctor's nurse said that they would switch me to the doctor who handles most of the HCV patients and that the test is mailed out to a laboratory for testing.

I'm really nervous and I don't know what to expect.  I have been alone for months as my girlfriend is in a treatment center.  I am so scared about what I feel under my breastbone in the area that the liver extends under it.  Not having anyone else to feel it or being able to feel her in that area has filled me with a lot of anxiety.  Days and nights of googling 'liver, mass' 'liver, stiff' and 'liver, lump' hasnt helped.

Hopefully that tough mass is just my liver stiffining up from HCV?  I am not sure if any of you with advanced liver complications can feel the same thing on yourself or not.  Hopefully I will be able to have my Dr. look at it when they call me in for the test results.  I am not sure what to expect.  I just have a lot of anxiety.

[llakey2]

my husband has hep c with cirhossis stage 4 he also hae to let me es asthma, copd, and he been sleeping alot he will be talking to yoou then all the sudden he' s  a sleep' I just wait and wonder when or if he will go into a coma. His legs are swelled and the seem stiff when he sleeps as if theres a pillow proping them up. Why he is very hard to wake up at times.

[ohgreat]

Thanks Dyce, Del Raye and NYGirl.

That was easy.  Just a 2 minute visit to get blood drawn.  Reminds me of the late great Mitch Hedberg and his joke about dont go to his doctor, Dr Acula, he just bites your neck and sucks on your blood.

thanks for all the support and such.  I never thought that I would get so much comfort from a cream and peach colored forum.

I hope this tension under my chest doesnt mean anything like portal hypertension..there i go again with the anxiety.

[NYgirl]

It's going to take about ten days for your results to come back so try and relax or you WILL make yourself sick!  It's just a simple blood taking tonight...nothing is going to happen or be told....so take a deep breath and just try and relax.

Most of treatment is nothing but a giant waiting game...I hope you don't need to get used to it but anybody in here can tell you, in time you'll learn the anxiety doesn't pay off at all and we sort of get used to it in some manner.

GOOD LUCK

[dyce]

Hi there, I can relate to your problem with the anxiety. The unknown is what always got to me the most in this life, no matter what the problem may be. It will take a week or so for the thr results to come back , so try to hold on to your hat there and I'm sure you'll be fine. Be sure to post us on the results , there are a lot of good people here and you'll get a lot of good support.

[miss moneypenny]

hi,

Sorry to hear you are feeling anxious. I think most with hep C will agree that it is not the virus that will do you in, but the worrying and waiting!!!!! I have found the waiting extremely stressful, but you just get used to it, and hopefully you may not even need to do that.

I am not sure what you mean about feeling something in your liver area, but I get a sensation of something being stuck under my ribs - which I keep trying to explain to my nurse but she just laughs!! - and my biopsy showed minimal damage, aand mild inflammation, so whatever you are feeling is not necessarily indicative of anything serious. Also, I seem to notice the discomfort more when I am.....WAITING AND WORRYING!!  ;)

xx

[amommy]

Hope you are holding up ok!  Like the others have said, the waiting is the worst.  I will also tell you that I found my "sx" to be FAR worse because of the stress of not having any answers.  As soon as the test results started rolling in, it was much easier to handle.  I hope your blood test went well.  We are here for you during the wait!

[Dale_Ray]

I know the anxiety can be overwhelming when dealing with ones health. It's good that you are finally getting the blood work done. It's even better you are being transferred over to a doctor who specializes. My doctors first move when I was confirmed was a liver biopsy to measure the condition of my liver. Know that you're in our thougths. Dale