Please help me to understand what's happening to me and what's n
.appening to me? I'm so very much lost and confused. So very much sick with so many things going wrong I'm frightened of neglect due to my lack of knowledge.
Although its been since February when I was diagnosed with Chronic Hepatitis C Quantitation 2,689,608 placing me at a high 2x the risk. And 90 plus ALT / 85 plus ATS I have yet to see a G.I and haven't been scheduled to do so until the second of June. Will or anyone help me or direct me to where or who I can turn to for any assistance. I've grown so very ill that I can no longer work and only barely function in daily routines.
Thank you and my Best Regards!!!
Richard
Written by
Ricco
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This is a publication from the British Liver Trust which gives a lot of information about Hepatitis C. It will help you to be able to ask questions when you see the Doctor and to understand what she says:
Hepatitis C is a serious disease, but there are now new treatments which can be amazingly successful, so you have every reason to be optimistic that you will be cured.
There is a lot of information available online, not all of it is to be trusted, so do look for official medical sites and major charitable organisation. This seems to be a good site in the US but there are many available.
Thank you for post, and we understand the concerns you have. It is important for you to follow up with your GI physician. An option is to call the physician office you have an appointment with to explain to them your new or increased symptoms. They may be able to schedule you for a sooner appointment or at the very least be put on a waiting list for a sooner appointment. They may also have another GI physician in the office who has availability before June, please contact the HFI at 1-800-891-0707 so we can assist you further.
Here is a basic overview on Hepatitis C.
OVERVIEW
There are six major types or strains of hepatitis C referred to as genotypes. The most common genotype in the United States is genotype 1. Other major genotypes are 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Most patients have only one strain of the virus. Patients diagnosed with hepatitis C can have a blood test to determine the genotype of the virus causing their infection. Hepatitis C is a slowly progressing liver disease, usually without symptoms, that may take 20 to 30 years to cause serious liver damage. About 30% of infected individuals will clear the virus within six months and liver injury resolves completely. In the remaining 70%, the infection becomes chronic and although the liver is damaged many do not feel sick from the disease. Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) develops in about 10%-20% of people with chronic infection and liver cancer can develop in 1% to 5% of chronically infected patients over a period of 20 to 30 years. Cirrhosis or bridging fibrosis is almost always present before the onset of
liver cancer. The liver disease due to hepatitis C advances more rapidly when drinking alcohol on a regular basis and when the individual is coinfected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or HIV. HCV-associated chronic liver disease is the most frequent indication for liver transplantation among adults.
SYMPTOMS
Most people who are newly infected or chronically infected with HCV do not have symptoms of liver disease. If they do have symptoms, they are often very mild, non-specific, and intermittent. These may be flu-like symptoms including fatigue, poor appetite, nausea, muscle and joint pains, or a mild discomfort in the area of the liver.
DIAGNOSIS
Early diagnosis is important so you can be checked for liver disease, get treatment if indicated, learn how to protect your liver from further harm, and learn how you can prevent spreading HCV to others.
•The incubation period for HCV infection varies from 2 to 26 weeks (an average of 45 days).
•A specific blood test that detects antibodies to the virus does not differentiate between a past infection and a current infection. For diagnosis of acute or chronic HCV infection, a specific blood test for HCV is required. Follow up tests should be done to confirm HCV infection status and the presence of biochemical markers of liver injury (serum aminotransferases).
•Because blood tests checking for hepatitis C infection are not a part of a routine physical exam, you should ask your doctor for a hepatitis C test if you have a risk factor or were born between 1945 and 1965 or the years just before or after this time period.
TREATMENT
Combination therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin had been the standard of care until May 2011, when triple therapy adding either telaprevir (Incivek) or boceprevir (Victrelis) to the combination of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin was FDA-approved for the treatment of genotype 1, chronic hepatitis C.
Additionally, here are some phone numbers and websites that can be helpful with locating resources, support groups, financial assistance, etc.
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