Hi I had hep c for 37 before I was cured 3 years ago. I was diagnosed with cirrhosis 7 years before I was curedof hep c. I now have had cirrhosis for 10.5 years. I haven’t ever had any liver pain but I do have some edema and a small amount of ascities. I was found to have grade 3 esophageal varicies on my 3rd upper endoscopy which required banding. But other than that I haven’t had much in the way of symptoms of cirrhosis and am considered to be compensated.
The liver itself has no pain receptor nerves but every internal organ has a membrane surrounding it which does have pain receptor nerves. In cirrhosis the liver can swell and this can cause pressure against the membrane surrounding the liver this can cause some pain sensations.
As you have cirrhosis you should be under the care of a hepatologist associated with a liver transplant center. Are you seeing this type of doctor?
Have you treated your hep c to eridicate the virus with one of the new medicines approved by the FDA? There have been many new medicines approved beginning in 2014. Treating and curing your hep c will prevent further progression of liver damage. Some people may even see some improvement in the condition of their livers.
You said “I have hep C and cirrhosis more than 20 years.”. Do you mean have had both Hepatitis c and liver cirrhosis for 20 years? Or hep c for 20 years and cirrhosis for less time?
How were you diagnosed with cirrhosis? I was diagnosed as fibrosis score (F4) with a liver biopsy in January 2008.
Have you had any symptoms of cirrhosis like ascities, esophageal varicies or hepatic encephalopathy? Are you having abdominal ultrasounds and blood testing for AFP every 6 months to monitor for early indication of HCC ( liver cancer)? Have you had any upper endoscopies? Do you know your MELD score? Are you on the liver transplant list?
Anyway best of luck to you let me know if you have any questions.
The first of the new medicines became available in the US late in 2013. Many more have been approved since then. A person who is a treatment failure with cirrhosis is harder to cure than someone who does not have cirrhosis and has never been treated before.
That does not me he has no chance of cure. I was treated with the old treatments with shots of interferon and ribavirin pills three different times but I had no response to treatment. Then I developed cirrhosis. Seven years after I was diagnosed with cirrhosis I treated with two of the new medicines but I relapsed. Two months after I failed treatment Harvoni was approved. I took Harvoni and ribavirin together for 24 weeks. This is more time than the standard treatment but my doctor wanted to be more aggressive with treatment because of my treatment history.
This treatment worked even though I had failed 4 previous treatments, even though I have cirrhosis I was still cured.
Now three years later I still have cirrhosis but my doctor does not expect me toget any worse and over time I may see some improvements.
It sounds like his liver disease is not very advanced. Do you know how low his plateletcount is? Mine was 85 before I treated and has risen to 110 after I wascured. People with hep c always have elevated ALT and AST. Having elevated liver enzymes means something is bothering the liver but not how much damage has happened or is happening. Everyone I know of that has been cured including me have had their liver enzymes return to normal. The only lab test I have now that is not normal is my platelet count which is low because of liver damage.
Most herbal treatments do little to nothing to help the liver. Some can be harmful to a liver with significant liver damage and cirrhosis. He should make sure his doctor says the herbals he is taking are safe for someone with liver disease.
Until he can cure his hep c he needs to eat a healthy well balanced diet and make sure he is getting enough protien. He should try to get exercise as tolerated. He needs to see his doctor appointments, get whatever tests his doctor recommends and be immunized against Hepatitis A and B.
If he can cure his hep c he may be able to live a normal life span with cirrhosis. It depends on how much liver damage he has before he is cured.
Gilead, Harvoni manufacturer, has a program to provide the meds to needy patients. Go on the website and look for Patient Assistance Program. It’s a breeze compared to previous combos. I tried 3 previously which were miserable and failed.