Hi everyone was wondering if anyone that had successfully cleared Hep C went on to develop varacies!
I achieved svr on Harvoni 3 years ago..before treatment I had stage 4 fibrosis and low platelet count around 70 to 80 mark..since svr I continued to have low platelet count but blood were normal..I recently had an upper endoscopy that showed stage 1 varacies that were not there before treatment..was wondering if anyone else post Hep c treatment has developed varacies.
The varices will be due to you having stage 4 fibrosis a.k.a. cirrhosis rather than the Hep C treatment. Varices occur due to portal hypertension often a side effect of cirrhosis - when blood isn't able to channel quickly through the liver due to scarring it then backs up or diverts into smaller blood vessels which were never designed to carry the increased volume and they start to bulge. These bulges are varices.
Thanks Ayrshirek I understand the whole portal hypertension thing but thought that varacies after treatment shouldn't appear!
From what I read... online studies showed chances of developing varicies are very low post treatment!..just weird especially as liver function tests are normal apart from platelet count and Alkaline phosphate!
It can get better with diet and exercise and varicies can resolve by it's own but depends on how do u take care of your liver post treatment
The thing is though despite treatment you still have Stage 4 fibrosis which is cirrhosis. Even with treatment this doesn't go away, yes your liver shouldn't get worse as it is no longer being attacked by the virus but you can still have the side effects of cirrhosis one being portal hypertension.
Yes your right Ayrshirek I did get a little info online that said exactly that!
I'm hoping as time goes on things will gradually improve and the varacies will disappear in time as they are only grade 1
Maybe I was just a little too optimistic that after 3 years plus things would have been nearly back to normal..but Thankfully I got treated in time before it progressed any further.
Sadly cirrhosis doesn't go away but looking after yourself and your liver going forward will certainly keep you as healthy as possible. You also need to be having 6 monthly scans to keep an eye on your liver to see if there are any changes.
Best wishes, Katie
Hi there.i had HepC from nineteen to a year ago at 49 and was also treated with Harvoni but the varacies are because of a build up of hypertension caused by a damaged liver although caused by your hepC has nothing to do wether you’ve been treated for the virus.ive had a bleed before and after being treated as the damage was already done
Thanks for your reply Popel I'm starting to realise that clearance ofHep C isn't a cure for cirrhosis but at least it can possibly start to slowly improve over time and the varacies might disappear!
I go for routine checks every 6mths a scan and bloods which so far have improved significantly..it's just a low platelet count that seems to be taken it's time to pick up
Although I was rather shocked st finding out about these varacies as I never had them before..but they are only grade 1 so not going to cause any bleeding issues..hopefully they will go as things gradually improve .
Hi. I had same thing happen, successful treatment for Hep C, but diagnosed with cirrhosis, picked up mild varices on last six month check-up. Unfortunately, once the damage is done, cirrhosis is progressive, and incurable without a transplant. But I am hopeful that could change at any moment 😉 as no doubt you've been told, the liver is the only organ that can regenerate! So there is hope after all. Frustrating that it's right on the edge of attainment. 🙁
Otherwise, it has been a difficult adjustment, both mentally and physically. I am so tired most days, after very little effort l need a nap. And it's not just, l feel a little bit out of sorts. I am exhausted 😴 and will practically pass out as soon as I sit down. I have been slowly adjusting to this new reality.
Hi Bootandall I know exactly how you feel!
For the past 6mths I have been feeling absolutely exhausted all the time and struggle with not bring able to sleep plus joint and muscle pain all the time makes it all feel so much worse! Constant bruising all over my arms and legs that just seem to appear from nowhere!
My thyroid was destroyed on Interferon a few yrs before my Harvoni treatment so maybe that doesn't help being on Thyroxine.
Yes it hasn't actually been all I expected after svr but st least it killed off the virus and put a stop to progression to end stage liver damage
I'm thankful for the treatment and hope things over time will get better.
Hi there as you’ll know doubt know it depends on how damaged the liver is.and if the cause of the cirrhosis is eliminated and there isn’t much damage the liver.and as you’ve mentioned it can repair itself.The thirty years I had with hepC I didn’t notice any significant difference with only a slight jaundice at the very beginning and after being diagnosed then told it had cleared six months later.I thought nothing more of it till I was diagnosed later on again.but the damage was done and enough damage to need a TP.although I use to suffer horrendous cramps but stupidly never went to my GP.paul
I was also told that as a woman I was unlikely to progress to any significant liver damage,as apparently women with Hep C don't usually go on to develop cirrhosis!
despite the fact after most likely having it for 30yrs myself from my husband who got vaccinated as a young man in Egypt for Bulharsia which is a snail parasite found in the rural areas of rivers in Egypt! They used the same needles and contaminated the whole region with Hep C.
Obviously he never knew he carried this virus when we got married..to cut a long story short he developed liver cancer later on of which we soon discovered was from Hep C and went on to have 3 liver transplants!..hes been absolutely fine for the last few yrs!
I discovered I had it after being tested but was told not to worry as my blood test were almost always normal! After a few yrs I was told to have a biopsy just to make sure all is well only to find out after all these so called normal bloods that I had stage 4 fibrosis!
Then all the Interferon route that killed off my Thyroid and left me 2 stone lighter with half my hair gone and a face 20yrs older didn't even work!
Now at the stage of svr after Harvoni 3yrs ago ..I am so happy to have it gone but still feel awful.. plus getting after 3yrs told i now have varacies..hopefully they don't progress as bloods are normal apart from platelet count and Alkaline phosphate!
What a journey this has been!
I take my hat off to everyone that has been through liver disease and came out the other end as it's not easy especially when two people have had the same virus together!
But what can i say ... hopefully the journey has ended as 4 members of my husbands family all died at under 50 from this virus before they found the cure.
Hi there.like most on here your another Who’s ben on a journey.you and your husband . I believe all these tribulations are here to test us and it only adds to the spice of life.well that’s how I look at it anyway.everyone is different but I’m generally quite an optimistic person.my dilemma is that my partner who I’ve been with for twenty five years gets angry with me for mentioning to her that she needs to get tested herself for hepC.i believe she’d rather not know yet she’s only forty six.up until a year ago she drunk also on a nightly basis but stopped twelve months ago.so if I’m honest I’m quite shocked that she hasn’t developed any liver problems herself .maybe i go on at her to much but I’m only worried and wouldn’t want her to go through what I’ve been through and yet she’s been with me all the way through.ive just read your previous post to her and she’s saying she’ll get tested then.so take care and wish you well.paul
Hi Popal I would advice anyone who has a wife or partner to get tested only if it's just for peace of mind as you never really know until years later when symptoms start to show!
I most likely caught it from my husband who at the time didn't know himself..most likely through using his razors that somtimes I did!
They say it's difficult to catch sexually..most likely blood to blood!
Still I got all my 4 children tested to be on the safe side as I was breast feeding all my 4 kids and most likely had it at that point!.
Was very lucky I never passed it on to them !
Anyway def try to get her to get tested as she can go on and get it treated with almost a 99% cure now they can eradicate it!
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