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.
Docs says everything looks ok re: CBC... but several things are flagged on my 5/9/14 lab results:
MVHC 30.9 L (Within range on April 11)
MCV - 101.7 fL H (101.7 H on April 11)
RDW 16.6% H (15.4 H on April 11)
Red Blood Cell count 3.71 L (3.78 L on April 11)
Are these numbers anything you'd be concerned about if you be me, and going through side effects? It's not that I don't trust my doctor, just double checking other's real life experiences with TX meds. My side effects which have tough on me, seem to be pretty much blown off by doc since I am in the home stretch, as in it's not for much longer.. I mean I KNOW I shouldn't complain as I am getting these easier meds, and tx could be so much worse. But still, it's not been a cake walk either.
I was also told I DO have "mild cirrhosis" as well as fibrosis. Not "possible cirrhosis" as the nurse told me. What is mild cirrhosis anyway?
I am truly confused as to how sick I really am.
My next follow up is in 6 weeks. That will be enough time for treatment to end, and VL tests to come back.
Anyway, any thoughts on flags on CBC?
MVHC 30.9 L (Within range on April 11)
MCV - 101.7 fL H (101.7 H on April 11)
RDW 16.6% H (15.4 H on April 11)
Red Blood Cell count 3.71 L (3.78 L on April 11)
Are these numbers anything you'd be concerned about if you be me, and going through side effects? It's not that I don't trust my doctor, just double checking other's real life experiences with TX meds. My side effects which have tough on me, seem to be pretty much blown off by doc since I am in the home stretch, as in it's not for much longer.. I mean I KNOW I shouldn't complain as I am getting these easier meds, and tx could be so much worse. But still, it's not been a cake walk either.
I was also told I DO have "mild cirrhosis" as well as fibrosis. Not "possible cirrhosis" as the nurse told me. What is mild cirrhosis anyway?
I am truly confused as to how sick I really am.
My next follow up is in 6 weeks. That will be enough time for treatment to end, and VL tests to come back.
Anyway, any thoughts on flags on CBC?
Here are the classifications of liver fibrosis
http://www.viread.com/hcp/pdf/ISHAK_STAGING_SCALE.pdf
Chronic hepatitis - grading / staging
Reviewers: Komal Arora, M.D. (see Reviewers page)
Revised: 28 April 2012, last major update April 2012
Copyright: (c) 2004-2012, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
General
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Diagnosis should include etiology and grading/staging based on most severe degree of portal or lobular injury (Scheuer, J Hepatol 1991;13:372)
Sample diagnosis: Chronic hepatitis B with mild piecemeal necrosis (grade 2) and periportal fibrosis (stage 2)
Grade: degree of inflammation, piecemeal or bridging necrosis
Grade 0: no / minimal inflammation
Grade 1: portal inflammation or lobular inflammation without necrosis
Grade 2: mild periportal inflammation and piecemeal necrosis or focal hepatocellular necrosis
Grade 3: moderate periportal inflammation and piecemeal necrosis or severe focal cell damage
Grade 4: severe periportal inflammation and piecemeal necrosis or bridging necrosis
Stage: degree of fibrosis
Stage 0: no fibrosis
Stage 1: enlarged fibrotic portal tracts
Stage 2: periportal fibrosis or portal to portal septa, without architectural distortion
Stage 3: bridging fibrosis with architectural distortion, no obvious cirrhosis
Stage 4: cirrhosis (probable or definite)
Does this sound accurate? If so, what in the hell do I have? Do they even know?
A result being flagd only means it did not fit perfectly in the "normal" box.
with hcv, it is normal for us to have things like mcv out of range. Being on tx, it is also noramal to be out of "normal" range
Your flagged labs are not critical values, they are only a little outside the box which is expected.
Its fristrating, i know, to feel like you are not getting answers, but in my experience & education I can assure you - you are in an OK place
How we feel is another matter. We can feel terrible when our normal lab changes slightly. It isn't of medical concern & no intervention is necessary
Keep going!
Bunches of us have cirrhosis with no symptoms.
If yoou are not bleeding out of your mouth, ears, nose, rectum; if your belly isn't blown up with ascites, you are compensating very well
WTH is "mild" cirrhosis anyway?? Maybe mild (grade 1, stage 1 or 2) fibrosis, but not "mild" cirrhosis. Cirrohsis is cirrhosis... I thought.
I think I am losing my mind. So frustrated.
Your 2nd post says HEP B grade 2 stage 2 that is NOT cirrhosis
It can take a decade to go from one stage to another and as I said even with cirrhosis one can go on just fine for many many years.
To be a young person with cirrhosis would be terrible but as older adults, even with scarred livers,we can live long enough to die from something else besides liver failure. lol
Just live a liver healthy life and get your Hep A and B shots
your's says Hep B gr 2 stage 2
This other thing - how much liver damage - has me bothered and I feel like I am being talked around to in circles. I just want to know a straight single answer, and I'll be happy to have that information, and then deal with it.
When I asked doc to clarify that today, he said I have "mild cirrhosis" and that "with curing this HCV and living a healthy lifestyle, losing weight, not drinking, you will be fine."
Neither one is a stage and grade.
Then there are various grade of cirrhosis
I am going to take a leap and say the nurse must have read the 0-1, 1-2 results as grades for cirrhosis, not fibrosis.
Clear as mud... :-(