Alcohol and SVR

[BlueSkies]

Hello all.  I used to be a regular on this forum about 4 years ago.  I was type 3a and have had a SVR since.
My question is this:
I went out with my daughter on her 21st BD and had too much to drink.  Way too much.  Way, way too much.  I was pretty hung over for a few days and my BP went up.  I went to my family doc and he wanted to test my liver enzymes.  He said alcohol could bring back my Hep C.  
I am now awaiting the results and am, quite frankly, scared to death.
Anyone know anything about this?
To all my old friends, hello....hope all of you are doing well.  To the newbies....stay close to this forum.  It was my lifesaver during TX.
Peace
Blueskies

[mikesimon]

Cured? Maybe we really are.

"...Results: The median duration of follow-up was 4.0 (0-10) years.
Serum HCV-RNA remained undetectable in all patients. The mean HCV
antibody OD were 93 ± 19 and 45 ± 21 before therapy and in the last
available serum sample respectively (P = 0.001). There was a marked
decrease in the HCV antibodies directed against the NS3, NS4 and NS5
proteins (P = 0.001), while the core protein titre remained strongly
positive. The 23 control patients were followed for a median of 5
(2-14) years. The mean HCV antibody OD were 65 ± 14 and 64 ± 19 in the
first and the last measurements, respectively (NS), and HCV antibody
titres for structural and non-structural proteins remained unchanged.
Conclusion: This long-term study evaluating 157 patients demonstrated
that SVR assessed by TMA is durable, and HCV antibodies were markedly
decreased (mainly those directed against the non-structural proteins),
emphasizing an absence of ongoing infection. These results strongly
suggest that HCV infection cured in patients who achieve an SVR."

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/706006?src=mp&spon=3&uac=39980BG

[BlueSkies]

Read up on this....
and yes, you are right....I am a crazy person!  heehee...my old online friends knew that!

TX stops the virus from replicating...doesn't completely eradicate it from the liver tissue, although it gets it's butt kicked with TX.
  
I am sure there are more educated folks on here, so I will let them explain, but I do know this is true.

Doing 72 weeks of tx must have been hard, but think of it this way....for that period of time your liver got a much needed rest from the havoc that the active virus was waging on it.  And some of the non-scarred liver tissue healed.  That is what makes sense to me.  But....it's easy for me to say.  I only did 24 weeks of tx.  I have to take my hat off to you there.

Be well, my friend
Peace
Blueskies

[nygirl7]

"Actually, when you achieve SVR, the virus is still in your liver...hiding...dormant....just in kind of a remission..."

I do not believe this is necessarily true but if you believe it is...what the hell are you doing drinking anything you crazy person?  That's sort of like playing russian roulette but making sure there is a bullet in each chamber!

The fact is that there is much unknown about occult virus, personally I don't believe it is necessarily hiding out waiting to come back or anything (although certainly it can) but I'm hoping that once it's gone it's gone or what would be the sense of just having done 72 weeks of treatment?  I wouldn't have bothered and that's the truth.

[BlueSkies]

oops...forgot...I have had a PCR done every year since I cleared.  The last one I had was last October and was clear.  I AM due for another one next month anyway.  

Peace
Blueskies

[BlueSkies]

Actually, when you achieve SVR, the virus is still in your liver...hiding...dormant....just in kind of a remission...knocked way down by the TX.  I am sure that even if my Hep C isn't fired up again, drinking really taxed my liver.  I have quit drinking totally now.
And Jim is right.  Having Hep C can really damage your liver and to ad alcohol to that is insanity.  My biopsy wasn't that great.  So, I should know better than to drink.  There are so many things we ingest that are processed via the liver (foods, drinks, and many, many medications)and as a fellow Hepper, I should know to be kind to my liver.
I haven't heard anything yet, but I will let you all know...but in the meantime, I am wishing all of those pre-tx, on tx, and post-tx much good luck.

Peace
Blueskies

[jmjm530]

Just so there's no misunderstanding, there can be worse consequences to your health from heavy drinking than relapsing back to Hepatitis C. In general, people don't die from Hepatitis C, but you can die by abusing your liver. Since this doesn't sound like the first time, maybe you should make a concerted effort to stop alcohol completely.'

-- Jim

[nygirl7]

Honestly I can't see how if you don't HAVE something you could get it back.  Think about it and it makes no sense at all.

I wouldn't really let him go through the trouble of a pcr unless I knew my insurance company would cover it and my enzymes were REALLY elevated. When was your last PCR?  4 years is a very long time to relapse but I guess it could happpen but it would be separate completely from having anything to do with alcohol.

Good luck.

[BlueSkies]

Thanks for your comments.  My doc is hard on me for being such a bad girl in the past that he always jumps to bad conclusions.  I told him point blank that raised enzymes would not necessarily mean I had jump started the virus again.....but....he point blank told me that if my enzymes were elevated, I WOULD get a viral load test...no ifs, ands, or buts....and yes...I have been tested every year since I stopped TX...always has come back negative.  And I stopped TX March '03.  So....just not a good idea to drink heavily anyway.  My poor liver.  
Thanks again.
Peace
Blueskies

[jmjm530]

Just want to add to those unfamiliar, that testing your liver enzymes isn't the same as testing to see if the virus came back. Only a positive result on a viral load test would indicate the virus is back but it won't be back, again assuming you were truly SVR.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

No, it won't "bring back your Hep C", assuming you were truly viral negative let's say one year after stopping treatment. That said, it could harm your liver and possibly raise your enzymes temporarily although I doubt if much permanent harm could come from one episode but I really don't know what "way,way too much" is or what the condition of your liver is. My doc told me I could drink up to two drinks at a time, in a single day. Beyond that it could tax my liver beyond what he would want. Anyway, that's my doc and my liver. Hopefully, you will learn from the experience. My suggestion is if it's hard to control alcohol consumption, maybe not best to drink at all.

-- Jim