ALT/AST normal questions

[Trish77]

I have decided to go ahead with treatment in January and my tx is covered to 80%.  I applied for coverage for the remaining 20% to our federal drug plan here and their response is that because my ALT/AST is normal, no treatment is required.

Subsequent reading tells me that some people have normal ALT/AST and yet can have progressed stages of liver damage and high viral load....and that the reverse has also been found, that you can have elevated levels of ALT/AST and yet have none to minimal liver damage.

If you have been / are either of these scenarios, can you weigh in please?  And also, can you weigh in on whether what I've stated is true or false?

First of all, I want to be sure I have my facts right.  Second of all, I'll likely proceed with tx regardless but it's going to be tight.  Third of all, my GI is really, really upset with their position as it's from their "medical expert".  He's written them a really nasty note as he has to include his treatment recommendation along with my application and their expertise trumps his apparently.  

What I'm MOSTLY concerned about ... is that if they're only basing it on ALT/AST levels and this is their expert, there are others who will also be applying who don't have any coverage at all or worse coverage than me who will be turned away for this.  I don't want to let this slide and I want to make sure of my facts before I decide what I want to do about this, both for myself and others with HCV as a whole.

Any info you can share that clarifies the picture here will be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

Trish

[scratchinghead]

I envy your job. Sounds exciting and real.

[pigeonca]

In defense of Catholics, there are many Catholic liberals, especially among immigrant groups in big cities.  In the East, Irish, Eastern European and Italian people are often union members and therefore vote Democratic.  In the Southwest, Latinos, who are largely Catholic, are primarily liberal.  So I don't think religion necessarily coincides with political beliefs.

I do agree with you that our country is so polarized it should maybe split in two.  After the 2004 election, there was a cartoon in the L.A. Times showing the borders if the blue states joined Canada, and the middle remained as the United States.  It sort of made sense, in that the Canadian outlook more closely matches that of liberal Americans.  Then we'd get our socialized medicine, and you guys can pay as you go.

[Lady Lauri]

--------we should really trade animal stories, and I don't mean the current political debates, on both sides! lol..........

  yes, we should :}
Sure we both have some d*m good ones there.
                                    
P.S. You want a dog we just flew over from PR with the horses to save it ?? NEEDS a home! LOL

                                                                                                   LL

[Lady Lauri]

Gauf......Of course I forgive you, I am a Catholic.

Scratchin.......Man, those Catholics, they can sin all day then confess on the weekend. sheez

LMAO...sorry, but true often. Man are you opening a can of worms to a religous debate!!

You guys make my LMAO!
                                                                   LL

[scratchinghead]

Man, those Catholics, they can sin all day then confess on the weekend. sheez

I grew up in Brazil and Italy and Panama and I would choose Catholic if I had to choose a cult.

The Catholics allowed their slaves to practice any religion they wanted as long as they worked hard all day. The Protestants believed the slaves should be Protestant day and night.
So . . . . .the Catholic settled new world countries are rich in polythymic musical culture because the slaves brought their voodoo and drumming with them (Read: Carabean, Brazil) . . . .and you'll never guess the one city in the USA that was Catholic settled . . . . . . . ready? . . . . .New Orleans! . . . . . .and that is where Jazz came from. And now you know the rest of the story.

I'd have to say a lot of countries would still be sitting around a fire getting pimples on their butts if it wasn't for missionaries. I guess there are 2 sides to that coin, no? Ask a Hawaiian haahahaha

[gauf]

Of course I forgive you, I am a Catholic.