I got my blood tests back today. In two m onths my VL went from 1.6 mil to 3.5 mil. My dr., who is kind and respectful of alternative medicine while not believing it works, strongly urged me to do treatment. If he were belligerant or fear-mongering, I could more easily ignore him, but he seems to really care. And I feel I'm at the end of the alternative road. I eat so well and do so many things, and it just hasn't worked for me. The idea of treatment is scary and odious, but it seems to be my only option at the moment. I'm so sad and scared but I can't deny the numbers -- they've just kept getting worse, esp. over the last two years (maybe it's an estrogen thing. I'm 48). He also said that my low LFT aren't good news (they went up but not much and hover between 45-70); that when you've had HCV a long time and the liver scars, those numbers are low. Major bummer.
Also ask the lab to recheck the results, they will do that if asked, for free.
Also, how do you feel, and exactly what are you doing for Alternative treatments with revici? or??
also have you considered just letting go of all these expensive alternative treatments and just taking milk thistle and a few other supps and relaxing? That is what I finally did and I can feel myself getting better. I can also feel that stress and upset and anger make it temporarily worse, but I'm learning so much right now, and paying attention to Abraham and learning my triggers and my viral load has gone up and down and up and down on alternative treatments and on stress. Recently when I've gotten stressed out and upset, when I get over it I imagine the virus which may have multiplied while I was stressed, is now being suddenly attacked full force by the immune system and wiped out. And it's weird, it actually seems to be that way, I start to feel better and stronger after each recovery.
I'm dealing with so many lessons here and I'm certainly getting older myself. 11 years older than you. I didn't find out about the viral load until I was 53 and at time I was very very sick. I felt that Tx would kill me, and looking back, I think they would have pulled me off it if I'd tried, and now I'd have rogue mutations resistant to treatment. I'm kind of glad I don't.
If a really good treatment came along I would consider doing it. It took me 18 months to regain health after finding out I was infected. That lasted for over a year, then the stresses of life started giving me symptoms again. They seem to come and go depending on how I feel. I'm learning to appreciate the lessons and appreciation is helping me to feel better.
Question: have you had a liver biopsy or ultrasound, so you actually know if your liver is scarred or not? If you haven't, I think that would be important. Maybe your LFT's are low because the things you are doing are protecting it. So even though the virus more than doubled, maybe that's because of what you're doing....what treatments have you been doing exactly?
I really don't think any alternative treatments will eradicate the virus, all they do is help your body cope.
Whatever decision you make, you will have my support!
I don't know what the other numbers are -- he read me those over the phone. I'll pick up a copy and know more. I got a script for a liver ultrasound because the Revici lady wanted it, but then i heard it doesn't s how anything, so I gave up trying to get it approved. Now it turns out I don't need preapproval, but I figured why disturb my energy field if it doesn't show anything. Does it?
I'm taking Rev ici supplements, milk thistle,and licorice root. I'd been feeling awful on the second Revici protocol, too tired to do much. Then she told me to add back the b12 shots w/the immune support and I feel fine. At the gym, walking the dog two hours a day.
I am thinking that conventional treatment is the way to go, and here's why. Every time I've tried to talk myself into it in the past , I felt awful -- scared, angry, victimy, thinking "they" were trying to ply with poison for the sake of profit. So often since finding out I have Hep C I've been scared, angry,d epressed. So last night I prayed to be guided to the right decision. And I felt (and still do) so peaceful. I called to make an apt. with a liver dr. (the one who ran my bloods is just a GP). Instead of feeling "How can I put that crap into my body when I've worked so hard to keep it healthy and clean?" I'm taking in something my husband said, "Maybe all the stuff you've been doing made you strong enough to do this treatment." And I do feel that, whereas I used to feel that if I did treatment, it would fail, and i'd be left with a weaker body and a stronger virus. I don't feel that now. I know it will suck, but then hopefully I'll be done and can live a long healthy life. I know I love feeling peaceful instead of angst-filled. And I know taht treatment was never the right decision before -- no matter how scared I was not to do it, I was more scared to do it. But now I'm not feeling fear. Sadness, definitely, but that's ok. I may feel differently after I meet iwth the liver guy, but for now, I'm ok.
I know the fear that goes with those numbers. My heart goes out to you.. i too still fear the unknown.
God promised he would never allow us to go through more then we can handle. I think he is right there waiting to bring you over it when it gets too unbearable. You are such a lovely likable young lady with soo much to live for. There is no one cure for everyone.
I pray God will comfort and put his big arms around you and guide you to the right decision.
You also have my support whatever decision you make. Friends always. Huggs
as far as the ultrasound, what I've heard is that it gives a better overall picture of the liver, where as the biopsy only reveals a tiny spot. A good Dr will look at the whole liver with ultrasound before choosing a place to biopsy, that's my belief. Then there is also Fibrosure. it tests the liver using several of the labs in an equation.
I fully support your decision, Brigid, whatever you choose to do, and I mean that!