What do my levels mean to me?

[yaakov]

I am new to this, so sorry for the newbie question.  My blood results are:
HCV RNA QUANTITATIVE REAL T [H] 11,400,000 IU/ML   <50
HCV RNA QUANTITATIVE REAL T [H] 7.06 LOG  IU/ML  <1.70
AST  127
ALT  307

What does all this mean?

[mzbhavn]

I need some help & info. I will try to make this as brief as possible! Back in Sept. I got a "unexplained" miserable rash/hives it never went away & went from moderate to severe moving to all parts of my body. Several Dr.s could not explain it & after lots of tests they said there was no cause so I had to live with it. I got VERY ill a few weeks ago & ended up in the hospital with symtoms of Hep A. All of my liver functions were WAY high & my gallbladder is having problems to. They tested for Hep A, B, C all negative so sent me to a specialist who thinks it could be autoimmune hepititis or maybe a rare liver problem, the tests won't all be back for a week. Here is the strange thing while I was very ill the rash went away (first time since Sept) I still itched & had burning skin which they said was common with liver problems but now I am feeling a bit better I noticed today that the rash is coming back & my skin is burning!! Has  anyone experienced this?

[gr8faith]

Thanks for the info about the anti-fungals. Wish I had known about this magic mouth back when my kids were small, they were always getting mouth things, this could of helped a lot.

[LvdByGod!]

viral loads are strange things. they go up and down but the most important thing for you is to get the biopsy and the genotype and get yourself ready for the treatment.

if your damage is 2 or more then be sure to start tx soon...but,if your liver is not damaged that badly perhaps you can wait on treatment but i wouldn't cause the virus is actively killing the liver and it will only get worse and the chances of killing it when it gets worse are less.

as genedog said it is possible to kill that thing before it causes more damage. so go for it with all your might! and we will be here for you for support!

sandi

[genedog]

11 million me 2 iam clear now so you can bet it

[Califia]

You are positive for Hepatitis-C and your viral load is in the high range.   Now what does that VL mean?   If you decide to do HCV treatment,  a high viral count is a negative factor going in.  Outside of treatment, however, this number doesn't really signify much.   At this point the ALT and AST elevations are more telling, and sadly they indicate you have  an active inflammatory process in your liver.  Rev's description of it as "hot"  is absolutely exact.    So what to do next?  Liver biopsy.  If your doctor doesn't recommend biopsy as the next step, then waste no time in moving on to a more competent professional.    

A biopsy will help indicate the degree of damage to the liver, as chronic viral inflammation over time can cause scarring and hardening.   You will also need to know your viral genotype, so it would be nice if someone has bothered to save the blood that was just tested for viral RNA.

I'm sorry you have to deal with this devastating reality.  A diagnosis like this turns your life upside down and we all know what you must be feeling.  But you're among friends here and we can help you through this.  You're not alone.

[layla]

I also was given an anti fungal meds on tx. It was the only thing that worked on my rash. It was a faily mild dose in a cream with cortisone so I don't imagine the doc would give it to me if there was great risk involved. Glad to hear your getting some relief. LL

[chellski]

my doctor has been prescribing "majic mouthwash" for my
kids for years.  one daughter gets ulcers.  However, if you talk to any pharmacist, every doc's combo for "MM" is different.
some use lydocaine for pain - it numbs the mouth for quite a while.  the benedryl helps stop the progression of ulcers.  my
doc never included an anti-fungal in their script for "MM".  It
was mostly for a comfort level for my daughter and to get rid of any other ulcers.  Also - hers comes in cherry and grape.  just swallow & spit but mucho relief.

[honey1616]

Hi,,,Glad you found your way to the forum.  Bookmark this forum because you will receive great information from the people here.  There is many that are going through treatment or have been through it.  Do you know your genotype?  Geno 1 is the most popular and tougher type to treat with a 48 week or longer treatment  but lots of people are having success.  Geno 2 and 3's are easier to treat and the treatment is only 6 months.  There is a geno 4 that is like 1 but not sure on that one.  Viral loads over 5 mil are considered high range and yes,,,that is one point against you if you load is high.  There is so many other factors though that you take into consideration such as liver biopsy,,age,,,weight,,,female or male?  My viral load was 8.5 million so I was also right up there and still clear after my treatment.  Welcome to the Board!

[bzzracer]

I have read with interest all the posts regarding fungal medication and here's my 2 cents worth. Nystatin is prescribed to treat and to prevent fungal infections in the mouth. Because fungal spores breed in the mouth, I ingested Nystatin 4x daily, 1 tsp ea, for 4 months post transplant. Six months post I developed a cold sore (CMV pos) and was instructed to take my Nystatin along with Acyclovir, as prescribed, for 2 months until clear.

I don't believe the liver surgeons at both UCLA and UCSF med centers would be telling me to keep a bottle handy, refill as necessary, and take as prescribed when directed to if Nystatin was considered harmful to my liver. In Calif, these are the liver experts, period.

As far as your mouthwash concoction goes, its strange. Why all the other ****? Why not just get Nystatin by itself if your test results indicated fungal infection? Its not nasty tasting, in fact it tastes like vanilla/banana, well sorta.

[layla]

I'm sorry to hear you have dx with HCV. It's so overwehlming at first but educating yourself will help you deal with it and make good decision for yourself. Folk here are pretty informed on this disease and you can get info and support here just about anytime, though it's a little slow on weekends. So welcome to this forum. I agree you need more test results. I also recommend seeing an actual hepatologist if it is possible. This is a liver disease specialist and will be the most up to date in HCV treatments. It often takes awhile to get a first appointment but this disease is slow moving and that gives you the time. If there is not one available and you have to see a GI doc makes sure to question him on how many HCV patients he treats and how agressive he is with fighting the disease. You will also want to know how he would deal with side affects from the treatment. Some doc treat them and some lower or stop treatments. The latter you don't want. Once again welcome to the forum. LL

[yaakov]

I haven't had one.  Just got the results.  I 've been told I have Hep c, but not much else..  Do these numbers mean it is more than just elevated?

[gr8faith]

Sorry to jump in here, today my doc gave me an rx for Magic Mouth Wash: a prescription medication which is a mixture of Benadryl, Maalox, Nystatin, and lidocaine. You swish it around your mouth without swallowing it. It numbs the mouth for about a half hour. Taste nasty but seems to work real well for my mouth sores.  
Here's my question, this has an anti-fungal in it and there was recently discussion here about avoiding anti-fungals... do you think this could be a problem?