Aa
72 weeks rock!
I got my 13 weeks post tx viral load result back today. I am - brace yourselves - U N D E T E C T A B L E!!! Yes! I am so happy! More than 95% chance of a cure according to dr. Dieterich.
I did feel this coming as my liver enzyme values have been excellent both 6 and 12 weeks post tx. I had normal liver enzymes in the upper normal range all those years before tx (diagnosed in 1995), so I did some research to be able to evaluate my post tx liver enzyme results. This is what I came up with:
Women with a BMI less than 25 should have ALT levels below 19.2 units/L.
Men with a BMI less than 25 should have ALT levels below 30 units/L.
My ALT is now 10.8! The only time I have ever been below 19 before without tx was when I was pregnant (and they say your liver enzymes normalize then).
I have also read that if the AST/ALT ratio is less than 1 (that is AST is lower than ALT) - it indicates chronic liver disease, such as HCV.
If the AST/ALT ratio is greater than 2 (that is AST is more than twice ALT) - it indicates alcohol induced liver disease or chronic liver disease once cirrhosis is established.
It was more difficult to find what the normal AST/ALT ratio should be, but I did find one place where it said 1.5. My ratio is now 1.55!
Well, you can all see, that I am still making HCV into a math problem. Hope you bear with me and join me in celebration! Thank you all for your support! It truly has been invaluable. You all carried me through each of my 504 days of tx!
Za
I did feel this coming as my liver enzyme values have been excellent both 6 and 12 weeks post tx. I had normal liver enzymes in the upper normal range all those years before tx (diagnosed in 1995), so I did some research to be able to evaluate my post tx liver enzyme results. This is what I came up with:
Women with a BMI less than 25 should have ALT levels below 19.2 units/L.
Men with a BMI less than 25 should have ALT levels below 30 units/L.
My ALT is now 10.8! The only time I have ever been below 19 before without tx was when I was pregnant (and they say your liver enzymes normalize then).
I have also read that if the AST/ALT ratio is less than 1 (that is AST is lower than ALT) - it indicates chronic liver disease, such as HCV.
If the AST/ALT ratio is greater than 2 (that is AST is more than twice ALT) - it indicates alcohol induced liver disease or chronic liver disease once cirrhosis is established.
It was more difficult to find what the normal AST/ALT ratio should be, but I did find one place where it said 1.5. My ratio is now 1.55!
Well, you can all see, that I am still making HCV into a math problem. Hope you bear with me and join me in celebration! Thank you all for your support! It truly has been invaluable. You all carried me through each of my 504 days of tx!
Za
Congratulations!!!!!!! Good luck to you.
I think you can stop worrying about AST/ALT ratios. I don't think there is much to that once your enzymes are in the normal range. My AST is always higher than my ALT - ALT is 12 - 16 and my AST is 18 - 21 and it has been like this since SVR in 2004 and I get a lot of labs - really, a lot of labs!
Stay well,
Mike
I think you can stop worrying about AST/ALT ratios. I don't think there is much to that once your enzymes are in the normal range. My AST is always higher than my ALT - ALT is 12 - 16 and my AST is 18 - 21 and it has been like this since SVR in 2004 and I get a lot of labs - really, a lot of labs!
Stay well,
Mike
I'm so happy for you. Dreams DO come true. 504 days, what an ordeal, but worth it in the long run.
I hope you will stay around and keep doing the math for all us brain-fogged, math challenged folks.
I raise my glass (of rootbeer) to your excellent health and long life.
jd
I hope you will stay around and keep doing the math for all us brain-fogged, math challenged folks.
I raise my glass (of rootbeer) to your excellent health and long life.
jd
18 divided by 12 is 1.5. Just like I said: normal AST/ALT ratio! I am not worrying, I am predicting!
Thank you, jd, I so liked your dream! And I love rootbeer, but we have none in Sweden!
Hotcha hotcha hotcha as my card playing mom used to say.
72 weeks DOES rock - not for the faint of heart but for us tough cookies (HA do you remember all the whining involved, I sure do when it was me) but God it's worth it!
I am SO glad it worked for you.
EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
72 weeks DOES rock - not for the faint of heart but for us tough cookies (HA do you remember all the whining involved, I sure do when it was me) but God it's worth it!
I am SO glad it worked for you.
EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The best news!! Congratulations!
Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Celebrate
Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Celebrate
I haven't seen recent articles on the ratio as a marker but in the old days an AST/ALT >1 was thought to be an indicator of cirrhosis. That was my understanding anyway.
"It has been suggested that the presence of cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection may be predicted based on an AST/ALT ratio > or = 1. This study was designed to determine if the presence of cirrhosis can be predicted in patients with chronic HCV infection by such a ratio."
Reedy DW, Loo AT, Levine RA.
Department of Medicine, State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse, USA.
This article from 1999 says the ratio in HCV patients isn't very reliable.
That's what I thought you were talking about. Sorry about that.
Mike
"It has been suggested that the presence of cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection may be predicted based on an AST/ALT ratio > or = 1. This study was designed to determine if the presence of cirrhosis can be predicted in patients with chronic HCV infection by such a ratio."
Reedy DW, Loo AT, Levine RA.
Department of Medicine, State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse, USA.
This article from 1999 says the ratio in HCV patients isn't very reliable.
That's what I thought you were talking about. Sorry about that.
Mike
Love those numbers however you put them together.
You made my day.
72 rules.
Ha ha - you almost dose reduced or quite early over that thyroid, and look at you now!
Wonderful!
frijole
You made my day.
72 rules.
Ha ha - you almost dose reduced or quite early over that thyroid, and look at you now!
Wonderful!
frijole
Rock and Roll, Zazza! And thanks for setting the stage for the rest of us. I’m winding up treatment soon myself, so this is music to my ears. Nothing but the best to you, warrior princess—
Bill
Bill
Yes, you are correct, ast/alt ratio is not a predictable indicator of cirrhosis in HCV patients. That's why we need to have a biopsy done. What I was doing was to try to find any signs of tx success since I was not allowed a 4 weeks post PCR.
I found that greater ALT than AST indicates present chronic liver disease, and this was the case with my liver enzymes all those years before tx although I was all the time in so called "normal" range. Post tx my ratio had turned around and now AST was 1.5 times greater than ALT, which I saw as a very good indicator of not having chronic liver disease anymore, especially since both AST and ALT (especially ALT) had dropped considerably.
Apparently, this "upper normal range" for ALT of 45 units/L is only for women with a BMI above 25. And to think that they used this as an argument for me to not treat for many years, that my liver enzymes were normal. I now know they were not.
So people out there, don't believe your doctors when they tell you your liver enzymes are okay because they are within normal range. It might just not be true.
I am so happy I was offered a chance to treat for only 24 weeks because of my low viral load and high probability of becoming an RVR. I would never have opted for treatment otherwise. It turned out I was a slow responder and had to do 72 weeks. But who cares, it is looking good now!
I found that greater ALT than AST indicates present chronic liver disease, and this was the case with my liver enzymes all those years before tx although I was all the time in so called "normal" range. Post tx my ratio had turned around and now AST was 1.5 times greater than ALT, which I saw as a very good indicator of not having chronic liver disease anymore, especially since both AST and ALT (especially ALT) had dropped considerably.
Apparently, this "upper normal range" for ALT of 45 units/L is only for women with a BMI above 25. And to think that they used this as an argument for me to not treat for many years, that my liver enzymes were normal. I now know they were not.
So people out there, don't believe your doctors when they tell you your liver enzymes are okay because they are within normal range. It might just not be true.
I am so happy I was offered a chance to treat for only 24 weeks because of my low viral load and high probability of becoming an RVR. I would never have opted for treatment otherwise. It turned out I was a slow responder and had to do 72 weeks. But who cares, it is looking good now!
AWESOME NEWS! I am so happy! Absolutely fantastic news! SMiling from ear to ear! At my dear friends and heroes!
Rock on!
Deb
Rock on!
Deb
Hi Zazza,
I have not been on the forum much since I stopped tx, but peek in once in awhile and was thrilled to hear your good news. You deserve it !
All the best...GingerB.
I have not been on the forum much since I stopped tx, but peek in once in awhile and was thrilled to hear your good news. You deserve it !
All the best...GingerB.
I love you all! I so appreciate each and every one of your wellwishes. It feels like I have a relationship to each of you. It is strange with a forum like this on internet. You get a sense of people and they become important to you.
I think not until you reach that point of being post tx and all is looking good for you, do you (at least I) understand how much it means when people congratulate you and wish you well.
Thank you all for being there in both times of hardship and of joy!
I think not until you reach that point of being post tx and all is looking good for you, do you (at least I) understand how much it means when people congratulate you and wish you well.
Thank you all for being there in both times of hardship and of joy!
"If there ever was a biggest test, this one will show me
of what I am made"
cheers to all who fight the epic war and
kill the black dragon.
zaz, you did it in one round!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAA HHAAAAAAAAAAA
lets go have a beer!!!!!!!!!!!
of what I am made"
cheers to all who fight the epic war and
kill the black dragon.
zaz, you did it in one round!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAA HHAAAAAAAAAAA
lets go have a beer!!!!!!!!!!!
Heeey,
There it was just a-walking down the street
Singing do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do
Snapping its UND fingers and shuffling its feet
Singing do wah diddy...
It feels good, feels good
It feels fine, feels fine
It looked good, It looked fine
And I knew I was’ent wasting my time
Wo-o-o-o-o-o, oh yeah
Before I knew it UND was walking next to me /
Singing... do wah diddy diddy diddy dum diddy do
Holdin' my hand just as natural as can be /
Singing... do wah diddy diddy diddy dum diddy do
We walked on, walked on
Down the road, down the road
We walked on down the road, just a little, a little more
And before I knew it, it was 72 weeks Wo-o-o-o-o-o, yeah
Now I’m Feeling better, even better than before singing…
I knew UND had been standing next to me,
Standing there just as happy as can be singing… do wah diddy
diddy dum diddy do
Now we're together nearly every single day / Singing...
We're so happy and that how we're gonna stay / Singing...
Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do…
So now I’m singing, singing this song to you because 72 weeks is very hard, very hard to do and here is a little, a little do wah diddy
diddy got er done to you… Congrats! and on your pcr too...
jasper
There it was just a-walking down the street
Singing do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do
Snapping its UND fingers and shuffling its feet
Singing do wah diddy...
It feels good, feels good
It feels fine, feels fine
It looked good, It looked fine
And I knew I was’ent wasting my time
Wo-o-o-o-o-o, oh yeah
Before I knew it UND was walking next to me /
Singing... do wah diddy diddy diddy dum diddy do
Holdin' my hand just as natural as can be /
Singing... do wah diddy diddy diddy dum diddy do
We walked on, walked on
Down the road, down the road
We walked on down the road, just a little, a little more
And before I knew it, it was 72 weeks Wo-o-o-o-o-o, yeah
Now I’m Feeling better, even better than before singing…
I knew UND had been standing next to me,
Standing there just as happy as can be singing… do wah diddy
diddy dum diddy do
Now we're together nearly every single day / Singing...
We're so happy and that how we're gonna stay / Singing...
Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do…
So now I’m singing, singing this song to you because 72 weeks is very hard, very hard to do and here is a little, a little do wah diddy
diddy got er done to you… Congrats! and on your pcr too...
jasper
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