Having stage 4 liver disease impacts negatively the odds of curing your hepatitis C with any form of treatment.
In trial with incivek showed a 60% or higher chance of curing with cirrhosis the old SOC didn't come that close for you without cirrhosis
Hi Hector
Always thankful for your knowledge but going through triple therapy well now being off of incivek and undetectable and having to still finish with two drugs that are tolerable and feeling hopeful. Every time I read one of your post and the negativity of having cirrhosis which most of us on here do and will still have when treatment is over whether we SVR or Relapse, I get depressed. Can't you give us some positive feedback that maybe our liver and life quality will improve and not that we will be straddled with this the awful damage this disease has done to us. I guess I'm just feeling depressed wishing just one day to read or hear all positive things
You say you had a biopsy recently and the fibrosis score was Stage 1 and your platelets count is about 100,000? (You are not on treatment now correct)?
What does your doctor say is causing your enlarged spleen and your low platelet count?
Here are some common causes of an enlarged spleen: Do you have any of these conditions?
Infections -
Viral infections, such as mononucleosis
Parasitic infections, such as toxoplasmosis
Bacterial infections, such as endocarditis (an infection of your heart's valves)
Cancer -
Leukemia, a cancer in which white blood cells displace normal blood cells
Lymphoma, a cancer of lymph tissue, such as Hodgkin's disease
Other causes of an enlarged spleen include: -
Inflammatory diseases such as sarcoidosis and rheumatoid arthritis
Portal hypertension
Trauma, such as an injury during contact sports
Cancer that has spread (metastasized) to the spleen
A cyst, a noncancerous fluid-filled sac
A large abscess, a pus-filled cavity usually caused by a bacterial infection
Infiltrative diseases such as Gaucher's disease, amyloidosis, or glycogen storage diseases
This doctor is a specialist? A gastroenterologist or hepatologist?
It doesn't add up to me. But if you have a doctor who is experienced and is knowledgeable about diagnosing and treating patients with hepatitis C. He/she has your medical history and test results in front of them, so I would follow their advice.
Good luck to you.
Hector
Yes I had a bio. and ultrasound of liver bio showed stage 1 ultrasound showed no damage blood plaites are down to 100.
Hi welcome.
There are a number of misunderstanding of your medical condition in your post. Hopefully I can clear a few things up.
An enlarged spleen is not caused by HCV directly. It is caused by advanced liver disease (stage 4 cirrhosis) which is caused by the hepatitis C virus.
Triple therapy is designed to cure you of the active virus that is continuing to damage your liver.
The proper term for the veins that surround the GI track are called "varices".
“WHAT ARE ESOPHAGEAL VARICES?
Varices are expanded blood vessels that develop most commonly in the esophagus and stomach. In people with cirrhosis, varices develop when blood flow through the liver is obstructed (blocked) by scarring, increasing the pressure inside the portal vein, which carries blood from the intestines to the liver; this condition is called portal hypertension.
Portal hypertension leads to an increase in the blood pressure inside the veins in the lower esophagus and stomach. These veins were not designed for the higher pressure, and thus they begin to expand, resulting in varices. Once varices develop, they can remain stable, increase in size, or decrease in size (if the liver disease improves).”
There is no relationship between an enlarged spleen (splenomegaly) and fever, legs hurting or anything else. The most common affect of having an enlarged spleen is that it lowers platelet count. What is your platelet count? Platelets are used by the body to clot blood when you bleed.
Why does en enlarged spleen affect the platelet count?
“Lower Platelet Count
Blood flows from the spleen..... through the portal vein.... then through the liver. Scar tissue in the liver (cirrhosis) can interfere with that blood flow...... causing pressure to build up in the portal vein (portal hypertension), and the spleen to enlarge (splenomegaly). As the spleen enlarges, it traps platelets. (The amount of platelets in the bloodstream is reduced. The spleen is busy trapping them.) So usually--- people with cirrhosis end up having a problem with portal hypertension and an enlarged spleen, and a reduced platelet count in the bloodstream. As time goes by, the liver may try to repair itself by growing new cells. IF (IF) there is alot of scar tissue already present--- the new cells grow between scar tissue (and result in abnormal nodules). (The nodules and scar tissue can further interfere with blood flow through the liver.) :-( So over time-- people with advanced cirrhosis can end up having a problem with more and more abnormal nodules and scar tissue forming..... which interferes even more with blood flow through the liver.....which makes the spleen continue to enlarge....and the platelet count continue to drop.
And now the most import point. The Doctor is performing tests to see if you have varices and if so how enlarged are they. He/she has noticed an enlarged spleen. You probably had an ultrasound or CT scan done to diagnose an enlarged spleen. These are all complications of advanced liver disease. Cirrhosis of the liver. Did you have a biopsy? What was the result? Stage 1,2,3,4? Cirrhosis means the liver is scared and instead of a smooth nutmeg colored surface has many nodules throughout its structure. Having stage 4 liver disease impacts negatively the odds of curing your hepatitis C with any form of treatment. Although you still may be able to cure yourself of the virus.
You should educate yourself about your health condition and talk to your doctor so you understand why he/she is performing various tests, what the results mean and what the future may be like for you. Cirrhosis is a life-threatening illness. It is good to have an understanding of the decisions you make with your treatment and other choices you will need to make regarding your health.
Good luck to you.
Hector
I am sure hector one of our more experienced members will chime in at some point. Have you had a biopsy? Are your platelets low. Do you have water building up in your legs and abdominal cavity? Do they suspect you are cirrhotic?
-Dave