Hepatitis C Support Group
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral disease which can cause liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood. Many people with HCV infection have no symptoms and are unaware of the need to seek treatment. Hepatitis C infects an estimated 150-200 million people worldwide.
"Coenzyme Q10, also known as ubiquinone, ubidecarenone, coenzyme Q, and abbreviated at times to CoQ10 /ko kju tn/, CoQ, or Q10 is a 1,4-benzoquinone, where Q refers to the quinone chemical group, and 10 refers to the number of isoprenyl chemical subunits in its tail.
This oil-soluble, vitamin-like substance is present in most eukaryotic cells, primarily in the mitochondria. It is a component of the electron transport chain and participates in aerobic cellular respiration, generating energy in the form of ATP. Ninety-five percent of the human bodys energy is generated this way.
** Therefore, those organs with the highest energy requirementssuch as the heart, liver and kidneyhave the highest CoQ10 concentrations.**
There are three redox states of CoQ10: fully oxidized (ubiquinone), semiquinone (ubisemiquinone), and fully reduced (ubiquinol). The capacity of this molecule to exist in a completely oxidized form and a completely reduced form enables it to perform its functions in the electron transport chain and as an antioxidant respectively."
"Decreased mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid and increased oxidative damage in chronic hepatitis C"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3460336/
"Occult hepatitis C virus elicits mitochondrial oxidative stress in lymphocytes and triggers PI3-kinase-mediated DNA damage response."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21893189/
Since most SVR patients (aprox. 85-90% according to various studies) continue to carry occult form virus (for up to 8 years post-tx by the latest I've read) that last link may carry a clue to some people's post-tx problems"
I used to take that supplement, COQ12, when I first began experiencing increased health problems, around age 44 yrs~ I stopped taking ALL my supplements during my 28 wk Triple "treat":) , as per orders from my Doctor. The reason being that my Alt and Ast were ten times more elevated then they should have been.
Since obtaining SVR last Valentines Day
This oil-soluble, vitamin-like substance is present in most eukaryotic cells, primarily in the mitochondria. It is a component of the electron transport chain and participates in aerobic cellular respiration, generating energy in the form of ATP. Ninety-five percent of the human bodys energy is generated this way.
** Therefore, those organs with the highest energy requirementssuch as the heart, liver and kidneyhave the highest CoQ10 concentrations.**
There are three redox states of CoQ10: fully oxidized (ubiquinone), semiquinone (ubisemiquinone), and fully reduced (ubiquinol). The capacity of this molecule to exist in a completely oxidized form and a completely reduced form enables it to perform its functions in the electron transport chain and as an antioxidant respectively."
"Decreased mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid and increased oxidative damage in chronic hepatitis C"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3460336/
"Occult hepatitis C virus elicits mitochondrial oxidative stress in lymphocytes and triggers PI3-kinase-mediated DNA damage response."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21893189/
Since most SVR patients (aprox. 85-90% according to various studies) continue to carry occult form virus (for up to 8 years post-tx by the latest I've read) that last link may carry a clue to some people's post-tx problems"
I used to take that supplement, COQ12, when I first began experiencing increased health problems, around age 44 yrs~ I stopped taking ALL my supplements during my 28 wk Triple "treat":) , as per orders from my Doctor. The reason being that my Alt and Ast were ten times more elevated then they should have been.
Since obtaining SVR last Valentines Day
I dug out my first HCV doc's notes yesterday (I'm seeing a new hepatologist next week - have to FLY to Phoenix out of VEGAS to get there - ridiculous). Anyway, he had me stop ALL supplements back then - 2002/03. It's in writing. He told me to get what I need from FOOD - imagine that. I think I'm talking way too many supplements, and let's face it, our livers have to process this stuff (and I still have active, chronic HCV). I was an iron-storer, so it was a no brainer not to take that - but also he told me no Vit C since it binds iron in the liver. BTW - just got lab results today from a week ago - platelets 133, other stuff not too bad - not great but okay. BUT my AFP was 28 - eek. It increased 10 points since last March.
It is totally expected that you would be confused, hah, considering my frame of mind when I posted :)
I think it is a good idea for us to stay away from supplements for now, ya know? Just my gut instinct (or should I say "liver instinct?"
I just did my "Yrly Physical" and still need to go do the labs, but I had my Dr look thru my chart to see what my platelets had been, in the past. I thought perhaps I had always had lower than normal platelets, maybe? (some peeps are born with a mild form of ITP that causes this)
But no, that wasn't the case. Back in 2007, my platelets were at 180, not lower than normal, but lower then my Hubs, and my BFF, who have 250 and 350 respectively.
They went to 150(000) in 2010 and by 2011 they were down to 120(000)..yikes. From 4~20 wks of my Tx, the platelets were hanging out at 90(000) and then I didn't have anymore labs for 8 more weeks and by that time the platelets were at 66(000) so I was frightened that the Tx had pushed me over into compensated cirrhosis.
Thankfully no, it didn't, as my 6 months post tx labs had my platelets at 150(000) again, so I was greatly relieved. But that was 8 months ago that I had those labs, so it will be interesting to see what the platelets are at now.
Hey, I dont think I ever had the AFP test, but I'll look at my labs. Is yr "28", the ten pont rise, still in the normal column, or "out of range"?
I do remember having this alpha-macro test done, andmine was higher than normal, which also ponts toward Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I never went back and had those labs done, as it was a "Fibro-Sure Test" given to me by the Clinical Trial Dr, and was a fancier test then I would get at my regular PCPs.
I kind of dont want to fish for anything else wrong with me, ya know??
I remember when I first got that FibroSure test that had me at cirrhotic (a score of 77) I wnet into apanic and started in on this no meat, tons of Milk-thistle regime...and it turned my poop light colored, Ithought I had gone into full-blown ESLD, and I felt tlike total crap too, it was too weird.
Well...like you said, you have had yr Hep C forty years, and you didn't start to bomb when youwent into menopause (as I did) so there is no reason to believe that your Hep C is going to change it's slow moving course.
I'm glad you are monitoring yrself carefully, and that you didn't mindlessly jump into the Triple Treat. Most of us have Post Interferon Syndrome, and some feel worse than before they Treated, and some got pushed from compensated to decompensated~~~~
THANK YOU for changing your avie. Whew - that was just tooooooooooo much. :)