And OH will you LOVE seeing your NEW ALT and AST numbers. Those blew me AWAY at week 4! And they remain perfect and normal now, almost 7 months since tx ended. This IS a cure - a healing - a new life.

Blessings to you, AAL - you deserve All Good Things.

p.s. If you can find a place that has the FibroSCAN, the new and improved one, with well trained techs to operate it, that's what you want! They are few and far between, but maybe you can find out from your doc where one is. I went to Phoenix last month for mine - showed barely F1, and it IS reliable - I was late F3 before tx! Fibroscan is known as an "elasticity" test and to me and my doc is way more accurate than a biopsy since it measures your entire liver not just one teensy slice of tissue. As you prob. know I had one bx that showed Stage 3+ and another one only several months later, different location in my liver, that showed Stage 1. That's when labs and ultrasounds have to come into play to try to get a decent assessment. With the FibroSCAN the labs and ultrasounds simply BACK UP the data from a biopsy. Biopsies are not necessary anymore IF you can get a FibroScan. Used to be the FScan wasn't accurate in middle stages, but it is now. The only issue is FINDING a place that has the equipment - it's a lot cheaper than a bx, so insurance "likes" it more.

My Fibroscan pegged me as advanced cirrhotic, get the last will and testament ready! My actual Bx results were early stage cirrhosis.
Big difference when you are down to the wire.
Interesting comment about "well trained techs" CM :)

Oh yes my Bx was done a year after the Fibroscan

Yep, Kramer, THAT is the key to the accuracy of the FibroScan - that the tech knows what she/he is doing. It's a lot more complex than an ultrasound. The data is there because of how the scan was administered. But actually, I don't think anything but an autopsy can be 100% accurate - lol. So ... if we know we have HCV, we just try our darnedest to get the new tx and get rid of it.

This is a good thread because I just had my second annual (well, I had one in 2011, but not again until last year, 2013) liver ultrasound with doppler this morning. So, I am not sure when I will get the results. I forgot how long it took last year. How long have you guys had to wait for results?

I had a student and a pro today, so I think it took longer, but I asked questions too so. I had them show me the gallstones that I found out I had last year. I have at least 2, with some sludge I believe. One of them is around 2cm and another is like 1.5cm - it's all guesstimation of course.

The other thing that can be compared to last year's ultrasound is my kidney(s). They said last year that I have a dilated kidney(s)? Still not sure if that means much. But, at least they can view both years together to see if anything has changed.

My blood work from Oct '13 put my AST and ALT at the border/upper end of the normal range, but still within. So, I hope that is still the same though I have not been retested. Should I?

Leo, my doc always does a liver panel every 3 mo that includes ALT/AST.

AAL, I certainly hope it doesn't have to do with my having medicaid......ugh. I suppose I could tell them to do it more often, though they have not classified my liver condition because they said my old ultrasound and my blood work numbers are good.

I suppose I can call my hep doc and ask her to send a blood work order, or can I ask my primary for that?