where I live would be the infectious disease clinic at a hospital nearby, its run by a University. Some of my pain and the Hep C came at the same time, when I was in an accident, I was then sent to the hospital via ambulance and had surgeries that required the blood transfusion. My diagnosis of fibromyalgia came long after that because I returned to work and was injured on the job, for over 3 years I suffered with the pain trying to have someone do an MRI, finally I found a doctor who ordered one and then found the nerve damage in my back, but the people who diagnosed me with the fibromyalgia said that I could have gotten it because of the injuries to my neck and back went untreated for so long, if I had simple PT, and a doctor would have listened I might not have the fibro. Just thinking! Wow, I didn't realize that you couldn't tell anything about your liver without having a biopsy, I always been told I'm fine and my liver is great because of the panels. But then again I haven't really had a good Doctor for a real long time. I have had to switch so many times due to personality conflicts or a trust issue. For instance a Dr. giving me a drug that is going to have severe interactions with my other meds. Right now my trust level with most Dr,'s is Nil, Null and Void. Thanks for the comment I will check into the information that you gave me about the viral load, stages and grades. I do try to keep up with my health issues due to my distrust of Dr's. Now that poses another question or I should say more questions, what are genotypes? What might be a normal level or is there a normal level, and what do the stages mean? Which stage exactly is dead? I've been jaundiced in the past years also, but when they took my panels the Dr. told me everything is fine.
I don't think you need the infectious disease clinic... you need to go to somebody who deals mostly with hep c. All of your symptoms could be related to hep c, and if you go to a doctor that really knows about this stuff, he will listen to you!
It's kind of hard to tell where the feeling of being run over by a mack truck comes from, I have fibromyalgia, also a sleep disorder, hep c and a host of otther ailments. I know that I have no energy, I feel like I constantly need sleep or to just sit down, it's hard to even get up and do anything. walking to the corner store will suck any energy that I've had out of me, walking the dog a few paces makes me want to go in and lie down. I can't find a doctor who is listening to me about the symptoms that I have. This has been going on for years. I think I need a referral to the infectious disease clinic here. None of the meds that I have tried for the pain seem to do anything for years to shake this feeling. Even though they used to cover the pain up. I've always felt run down.
Please go to a hepatologist or at least a GI doctor if there are no hep doctors near you. Other doctors know only what they were taught in med school, and considering that they didn't even know what hep c was until the late 1980s... there is a lot of ignorance out there. They can't tell how much damage there is by liver panels. I had them every year since 2001 because of another liver issue, and they were all normal until this past January, and now I have found out that I have had hep c since 1984, and I'm at grade 2 fibrosis, stage 2 inflammation... and this liver panel was only a little elevated. You need a biopsy and they need to check your viral load. Hep C is called the "silent Killer" because there aren't a lot of obvious symptoms that stand out saying..."hey! your liver is being destroyed!"
As to your pain... that is one of the symptoms that falls under "flu like symptoms". You know how you ache all over when you first catch the flu? That's what they are talking about.
Please get checked by a qualified doctor.
Yes the biopsy is the only way to know for sure and to what extent you have any damage. If you don't have any damage, there are some great meds in the pipeline which will give you amazing chances of clearing the virus.
Do you know what genotype you are? if you are type 2 or 3 you have a great chance of clearing the virus for good with 24 weeks of interferon and ribaviran.
I don't know about the pain. A lot of people never experience any symptoms for until their liver, skin or other organ are damaged. Fatigue seems to be fairly common though. Everyone is different of course. You have to educate yourself about the disease and be your own advocate which sometimes means "gently" insisting on what you need, or finding a different doctor.
I have seen several specialists for Hep C over the years, none of them thought a biopsy was unnecessary. The biopsy is not a big deal or painful, especially if you have a ct guided biopsy so they know where the needle is going. the procedure once you are prepped takes about 10-30 seconds, sometimes they take two small pieces. Complications are not unheard of but very unccomon, especially with a CT guided biopsy.
It's not uncommon to feel pressing on the right side from your liver being swollen,for me this is uncomfortable but not really painful. Good luck-Dave
I have Hep C and my doctor told me that by my liver tests that my Hep C is almost unrecognizable, what he meant by that I don't know, but he said I did not need to do a Hep C treatment ie; interferon. I have not been to see a contagious disease specialist, it has made changes when I've taken Tylenol, I have not had a doctor as of yet that has told me that I need a liver biopsy. Maybe I am seeing the wrong doctors?
Can you please explain what you mean by your hep is almost unrecognizable.....unfortunately, either you have hep or you don't. Have you had a liver biopsy - that is the only way to tell really what is going on and how much liver damage that you have sustainned in the past 20 years. Viral load doesn't really mean too much if that is what you are referring to as being 'low' perhaps?