Advocate, thank you so much. You have been very, very helpful.
Yes, there are several other tests and vaccinations that your doctor will need to do. First, a genotyping test, which is another blood test, unless he/she has already done that but hasn't given you the results yet. Second, an HIV test, to make sure that you are not co-infected with HIV, which would cause extra burden on your liver. Then some vaccinations: Hep A, Hep B, to make sure that you don't get either of these as they would cause extra burden on your liver. Then your doctor may also recommend an ultrasound or a CT scan of your liver, so that he/she can see how your liver looks in terms of screening for liver cancer, etc. He/she may also recommend a colonoscopy to screen for polyps, diverticulitis, and/or colon cancer as well. He/she will probably recommend a liver biopsy to see what stage of liver damage you may have. This is a relatively easy, low risk, and painless procedure, so don't panic. After all of these results are in, then your doctor can talk with you about treatment options based on your genotype, the state of your liver, and any other health problems you may or may not have.
Just want to make sure you know that there is a process to evaluating Hep C and the liver before making decisions about treatment. In my husband's case, this process took about 4-6 weeks after his diagnosis of Hep C.
Let us know what your doctor recommends.
Advocate1955
I thought it was fast as well...they told me 5-7 business days
Sorry to hear that,you got the results very fast,most labs will give the results of test these types of tests at the very least a weak.
I had the test on the 14th. Sorry, didn't mean to say that.
Thank you all for explaining this to me. I really did think it had something to do with the health of the liver.
The one thing that really concerned me was that I received a blood transfusion in 1980. I know it probably is impossible to really know how I got this, just figured that was it.
Is there any more tests you all recommend I get before I see the hepatologist? A genotype? You all are very comforting, thank you for that.
Kellie
Yesterday you said you just had the test yesterday. Where did these results come from?
"Hep C SerPI QN PCR 2260000 IU/mL "
This means your Hep C viral load is 2,260,000
The other number is represented in log form
They mean the same thing.
Do not get freaked out. The number sounds high, but get too concerned about it. Viral load numbers change daily. My viral load was 14,400,000 and many on the forum had 20, 30, 40 million as their viral loads.
The viral load becomes more important when you do treatment. Viral loads will be drawn frequently and will be used to gauge how well you are responding to treatment.
The triple medication treatment having good results in terms of curing people, not 100%, but very good results.
I did 48 weeks of treatment and I have been undetectable since week 8. I have been finished with treatment for almost 12 weeks and I feel great.
Hang in there. Ask questions. Learn as much as you can about Hep C. Come to the forum for support and information.
Best of luck.
you are experiencing a quantifiable hepatitis c viral load. mine was about the same, and i treated. the viral load test is used to confirm the presence of the virus and for determining treatment success. it is not used to evaluate the health of the liver. i finished about 12 weeks ago. the virus was undetected during treatment. hope it stays that way.
eric
I'm sorry there are many man of us who were not lucky either. But the good news is that your viral load of 2mil + doesn't matter. The new drugs are doing wonders. Now you should get a biopsy and see if you have time to wait to see if the next class of drugs works out or if you need to start treatment asap.
again, sorry but be grateful there is a cure...you have to fight for it but there is one! You'll get lucky this time :)