Hepatitis C Post Treatment :: CRP (c-reactive Protein)
Oct 9, 2014
My sister in law, a very good doctor who has always given me sensible advice when I have asked, suggested I get my CRP checked. CRP is apparently a marker for inflammation in the body, although lupus and rheumatoid arthritis do not always trigger it.
I know I sound like a broken record, but I really think a lot of post-interferon syndrome can be explained by body-wide inflammation - chronic fatigue arises from an inflamed brain; psoriasis is inflamed skin; arthritis is inflamed joints; fibromyalgia is inflamed muscle tissue; vasculitis is inflamed blood vessels, etc.
Our immune systems were amped up by the drugs, and they never settled down again quite right. The drugs induce autoimmune disorders that can effect every system of our body.
If I eat bagels and cream cheese (I love bagels and cream cheese) for two or three days in a row, and throw in a pizza, all my inflammatory symptoms get worse, including depression and fatigue. My ankles swell. My psoriasis gets worse. My joints start aching worse. My fingers start trembling and twitching spastically. I had nothing like this before treatment.
So anyway, if anyone cares to follow this theory, it means eating a non-inflammatory diet - no pizza, no fast food, skip the sugar, read In Defense of Food. The more you want to live, the better you will eat. If anyone cares to follow this theory and is having their blood drawn anyway, be sure and get CRP checked. My sis-in-law says it's very inexpensive test. I'd love to hear of any correlation or thoughts on this subject.
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I'm looking for advice. My 60 year old father (who has had HCV for more than 10 years; previously treated with Interferon but bad side effects) finished his 12 week Sofosbuvir+Daclatasvir (considered same as Harvoni) treatment a month ago. Already first tests after 2 weeks showed virus was Undetected, but yesterday he received his most recent results and he has a relapse of the virus. He is genotype 1, fibroscan result 4 (close to final stage). He is based in Poland and I'm not sure if our doctors are fully informed of the new generation medications and HCV itself.
Is anyone able to give us any advice? We are pretty desperate and my dad is just so depressed as he thought he finally got rid of the virus (he got infected while on an operation in a public hospital) and now it is back...
Are there any specialists that you are aware of I could possibly get in contact with?
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Does anyone here relapse after harvoni treatment?
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So I've been having a lot of digestion issues, and finally went and got some blood-work done. What came back was that I had high levels of C-Reactive Protein....18 to be exact.
Now I know this indicates theres some sort of inflammation in my body, but I was also reading that birth control could increase the levels of CRP. I was just curious if it could really effect it THAT much. Normal levels are 0-4 and mine are 18...that just seems pretty high.
Im 20 years old and am currently taking ortho tri cyclen, and occasionally take vyvanse and ambien.
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my father is 66 years old, it has been found out through blood test (ANTI HCV) his cutoff value is 1.00 and patient value is 12.51. which further reveals reactive hepatitis. what do you suggest for him?
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I have what seems to be classic Balanitis. It seems to come and go. The glands of my penis look puffy and shiny when I am erect. This condition has been with me for about 5 years now and nobody seems to be able help me. One of the many doctors I have seen gave me a C-Reactive Protein test to test for infection in my body and nothing came up. Is this normal for Balanitis? Unfortunately I have to have an erection to show the puffiness of my penis glans and that is difficult when you're standing in front of a doctor.
Should balanitis show up in a C-Reactive protein test and how on earth can I get rid of this problem. I've used every anti fungal cream in the world as well as a myriad of other creams and nothing will cure it. It's starting to take a psychological effect on me. Please help.
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I am a fresh graduate and I was looking for a job then found one, I was hired and before I could start they wanted to get my medical result first. They told me I won't be able to get the job anymore since my result in HBsAg was reactive. In the medical it says "3516.26 S/CO; The Cut-Off value reported for this assay cannot be correlated to an end-point titer; rechecked and verified." Is my Hep B chronic? And can I still get a job even though I am now a carrier of this disease? I am really depressed now it's like I've wasted 4 years of studying
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I am a woman of 56 and have never been overweight and up to these eleven years ago enjoyed good health.
My first symptoms started eleven years ago whilst on holiday in France. My elbow and knee joints became difficult to move and painful, particularly when carrying shopping. A fortnight later on my return to England the pain had increased, my ankles had started to swell and I felt generally very unwell, not unlike an onset of influenza. My doctor thought it may have been an insect bite and prescribed a course of antibiotics which had no effect. He then tested me for Lyme's Disease and put me on a further two courses of antibiotics, none of which made any difference. The Lyme's Disease test was negative.
By this time, six weeks from the first symptoms I was almost bed-ridden. The joint pains were almost unbearable, I felt itchy all over and isolated little bumps that were extremely painful to touch appeared under my skin, two on my hand and one on my rib bone. After a couple of days they disappeared and I was left with bruises. Some of my knuckle and finger joints were swollen and started to become slightly deformed. I found that I was passing water about every 30 minutes and had pronounced anxieties, insomnia and depression....I had never suffered from depression before. I also started to experience heart flutters and eczema in my ears.
In desperation I began searching (pre-Google days) for clues in some home medical dictionaries. I came across gout and one of the recommendations for managing this affliction was to cut out all rich and fatty food. Although I knew I did not have gout I thought my problem may have been related, particularly with my swollen ankles which by then had turned a rather nasty brown colour. I decided to experiment and immediately cut out cheese, butter, mayonnaise, oils and fatty meats to achieve a very low fat diet.
Within two days I was feeling much better and over the course of the next month I continued with my experiment and found that within about 24 hours of starting on a higher fat diet again my symptoms would begin to return. Over the next four years and after spending a lot of money on private consultations with no diagnosis being given my doctor eventually referred me to the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath. The consultant diagnosed Poly-Reactive Arthritis. I told him about my very low fat diet (under 20 grams a day) which I had been trying. He said if that worked for me I should keep doing it. Subsequently I developed lactose intolerance. Symptoms from this appear two hours after eating any dairy but I have not found any known connection between this and Reactive Arthritis. I also developed problems in my lower back and X-Rays confirmed that this was caused by arthritis. I am unable to lift even fairly light weights and cannot operate a vacuum cleaner without getting severe back pains for a couple of days.
The diagnosis of Reactive Arthritis was six years ago and if I keep to my very low fat diet I am able to lead an almost normal life. However, I now find that in the past year I have had an increasing amount of urological problems such as cystitis and what were though to be bladder infections, although all the urine tests proved negative. I have also been investigated for possible kidney stones but again this has been negative although on one occasion there was blood in the sample. I have found out in the past few days through Google that symptoms like this are often associated with Reactive Arthritis and called Interstitial Cystitis.
Recently I found the web site for the Arthritis Research Campaign which has a very good information booklet on Reactive Arthritis and in an answer to my questions advised me that cutting down on fat can make a difference in most types of arthritis including inflammatory arthritis, particularly saturated fats which can increase pain and inflammation in the body.
They directed me to their information booklet Diet and Arthritis on their web site at www.arc.org.uk. In this publication they recommend concentrating on oils such as olive oil, walnut oil and oil from fatty fish. I thought I would again experiment and only eat the fats they recommended even though I felt sure that too many olives and olive oil dressing would cause a reaction. Twenty four hours after crossing my 20 gram threshold my symptoms reappeared then slowly subsided after I returned to my strict diet.
In all of my research I have not come across any suggestion for treatment of Reactive Arthritis by a low fat diet. I only know that it has worked for me so far.
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I am carrier of this virus (HbsAg) i just want to ask about the dosage if i am going to take this alinia.. how many tablets per day and how long should i take it... is it everyday? is it for 6 months before i go for another blood screening?
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I got Hep B Vaccinated during birth as my mum has Hep B. It went extremely fine until recently I was required to undergo for Hep B blood test by a GP and my test results showed that HBsAg is reactive, and anti-HB is non reactive (Count < 3.1). Therefore my GP referred me to a hepatologist and he was surprised too as I did not share any needles, etc etc plus I got vaccinated during birth. He said it might be a false positive therefore he sent me for many blood tests including DNA sequencing as well as ultrasound scan and I can only find out the results 2 weeks later. I am extremely worried. Anyone encountered this before?
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I'm a 35 year old woman and last year I was diagnosed with Post Streptococcal Reactive Arthritis. I also have ME/CFS which was diagnosed when I was 15 years old.
In July I had sore throat that lasted for 3 weeks and wasn't getting any better so I visited my GP. She thought it was a virus but did a swab anyway. Over the next few days I noticed weakness, pain and swelling in my hands and knees, worse on the right side of my body. The pain got so severe I could not stand or use my hands. I went back to the GP and was told my swab tested positive for strep. I was given a course of penicillin and told to take ibuprofen and co-codamol for the pain. I was also given omeprazole to protect my stomach as I had gastritis a few years ago.
The pain continued for 2 weeks, I had another course of antibiotics but it wasn't helping so I was admitted to hospital where I was diagnosed with Post Streptococcal Reactive Arthritis. I was given stronger antibiotics and painkillers and a steroid injection (kenalog) and discharged. I gradually improved over the next few weeks but then in October I got a chest infection and another throat infection. 3 weeks later the Reactive Arthritis flared up again.
I was referred to a rheumatologist who examined me and said there was nothing wrong with my joints. He did lots of blood tests but they all came back negative except for a borderline strep count. I was discharged back to my GP as the rheumatologist couldn't help me because my arthritis was caused by infections. He said I needed investigations to find out why I was getting so many strep infections. I went to see my GP but she said there is nothing they can do. She said there is nothing wrong with my immune system because my blood tests are normal.
I had another throat infection in January and another in March, both of which lead to reactive arthritis flare ups. I am very fed up of being ill and in pain all the time. The doctors don't seem to be taking me seriously at all and the only treatment I've been given is codeine and paracetamol for the pain.
I would very much appreciate any help or advice. Surely the medical profession can do more than just give me painkillers?
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I have been diagnosed with Hep B. I was admitted to hospital with exceptional readings (ALT >4,000, bilirubin 180, all pho 162, gamma get 417, AST >2,500). I've been given various drips and the numbers are coming down. ALT has now halved. In addition to the drips I was also put on Viread.
My physician was concerned how my immune system was attacking the liver and between all treatments, in three days the readings are coming down. My jaundice is going and my urine now looking paler (almost normal).
Given the symptoms indicate a severe acute response to infection, does this suggest my body will put up a good fight to rid itself of the virus. Also, is there a risk Viread could actually lead to my body not developing the antibodies? I've read the following study, which suggests Viread can be highly effective in treating severe acute Hep B and also assist (or at least not inhibit) the development of antibodies.
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I have just found out that my father who has finished his 12 weeks treatment (Sofosbuvir + Daclatasvir) about a month ago has had the virus relapse. It was undetectable in all previous tests, but the recent test showed it. I was wondering if anyone can point me to the right sources, perhaps specialists and experts we could contact as in Poland (where we live) there doesn't seem to be enough information. We are not sure what to do next... He has had this horrible virus for more than 10 years, we were so happy to have cured it! But refuse to lose hope and want to keep fighting!
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When I first began treatment with pegasys in january 2014, GGT was 60 (normal max is 35), ASAT 51 (normal max 35), ALAT 76 (normal 10-40), LDH/Bili/CK all within normal range. With pegasys, a few months later down the line, the values continued to go higher. At their highest, GGT 223, ASAT 116, ALAT 156, LDH 274, Bili/CK remained within normal range.
At the beginning of the treatment, Hep B ie/ml was 2400. Four months later, it became 2600. When I was shifted to tenofovir/Viread three or months after beginning treatment since pegasys wasn't solving the issue, the ASAT, ALAT, LDH came back down to normal levels quite fast. So I have been on viread ever since.
10 months after beginning treatment, Hep B ie/ml was down to 1800. In 2015, it was less than 150. Hep B Dna was undetected by May 2015. I get regular blood tests every three months since the start of the treatment.
Yesterday's blood test showed: ASAT 36 (normal max 35), ALAT 38 (normal 40, but having checked past blood tests, it seems in the last few months it has been gaining one or two points steadily so this is worrying me), LDH and Bili are normal. The bad news: Heb B DNA detected...and IE/ml was a whopping 3400!!!! More than when I started started treatment!
The first thing I was asked was whether I missed a dose of viread. Answer is no. However, I have had incidents where I did forget to take it on time, but it has never exceeded 5 hours (still, I know, it's a huge gap). Not a lot of times, but I find that I am beating myself over this now, as it may be the reason I am having a viral overload and maybe made the virus resistant to viread.
Since taking viread, I have experienced and continue to experience extreme muscle pain (I ended up in the hospital once when diclofenac failed me and I needed an extra morphine shot to get relief). I am continuously tired, some days it is a real struggle to move (feels like going through mud - heavy body, wanting to simply just crash on the floor). I have not had a pain free day in the last two years and worse, kidney stones! I am already prone to them, but I can't get over the suspicion that Viread has ensured I have a stone that needs to be taken out each year.
I've read that viread is one of the best treatment there is (hardly any side effects, probability of virus resistance low) so my latest blood test is worrying me no end. I am not due for another DNA test until 6 months later. I've also read that ASAT and ALAT values can increase and it's not necessarily liver related (I think my ongoing and increasing muscle pain is reflecting higher ASAT and ALAT values but who knows?!?).
My doctor says that as long as those values remain within normal range and not in the hundreds, it should be ok. But there is this unspoken thought that I am in deep trouble if the DNA continues to manifest and my liver enzyme values continue to increase. My liver scan in 2014 has me a point JUST before entering cirrhosis stage. I can't help but think I may have actually crossed that line already (the cassandra in me speaking) though I am assured that viread treatment tends to pull back the damage.
My question..Has anyone ever experienced a viral increase during the viread treatment, and if so, was it temporary, or was viread stopped? I am not sure how to read/interpret this ie/ml, but the fact that it has increased can't be good news at all.
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I am currently on Harvoni for my Hep C and I wanted to ask has anyone had the virus return or a unsuccessful treatment?
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I'm finishing up my last two weeks of treatment on Harvoni and wanted to know some feedback from people about there current health situation such as achievements of SVR,and side effects during or after treatment?
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Its been Since Tuesday PM since I finished my 12 weeks and I still feel like I am on it.
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I just received my first shipment of harvoni in the mail. My dr is starting me on a 12 week treatment plan. I was excited to hear about this new medicine that has little side effects and a high cure rate. But now that I actually have the medicine in my hands, I'm extremely nervous. If there is anyone out there that has tried harvoni can you please share your experience?
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I am not going to take herbs with my S/O treatment. I started treatment three days ago. Take both pills at the same time right after dinner - no side effects whatsoever or any unusual filling so far.
Let me know what is the reason to stay away completely from sun? Also if this is OK to take general vitamins and supplements during the S/O treatment?
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What's the difference between a trace of protein and 1+ protein? 2 separate tests - one was 1+ 2+ 3+ the other was trace 3++ etc.
A few weeks ago at my obs apt I had 1+ and ongoing since my last test strip. Well today at the regular docs I tested and it was a totally different dipstick which only read trace.
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A few weeks ago my bf noticed some bumps in his pubic area. He went to the dermatologist and was diagnosed with molluscum contagiosum, which is thankfully not that big of a deal! He got his treated with cryotherapy. Around this time I noticed a few bumps and because of the area they were in, went to an OBGYN for treatment so my bf and I don't keep spreading it to each other. The OB GYN agreed that they were also MC bumps and lightly scraped each one, then applied an acid treatment. That was a few days ago and while the bumps are mostly gone, the skin surrounding each one is dark and almost looks like a scab in color. Is this normal post acid treatment?
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