Re: from - liver disease

[Guest guest]

,

I am so sorry to hear about your bad news. However, I am thankful they

found it so you can be treated and get better! I have autoimmune hepatitis,

which people sometimes confuse as hepatitis C. For those who don't know,

the term 'hepatitis' simply means inflamed liver. Autoimmune hepatitis is

caused by the same gene that can cause any other autoimmune disease such as

lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. The treatment for autoimmune hepatitis is

steriods and Imuran (an immunosuppressant - chemo drug). Within 2 1/2 weeks

of going on steriods I felt soooooo much better and my liver enzymes were

near normal after being as much as 25 times the normal limit. Most people

do not know that the main signs of liver disease are debilitating fatigue

and itching. Most people also do not know that a liver that is not

functioning properly affects almost everything in the body. Even if the Hep

C didn't cause your pancreas problems, you can be sure it's not helping the

pancreas!

Personally, I think everyone should be tested for Hep C because it can

remain silent for many, many years. I was tested for Hep C when my liver

enzymes first became elevated and then when they did the liver biopsy and

diagnosed me with autoimmune hepatitis, I was tested again for Hep C, as

well as Hep A and B. I've now had immunizations for Hep A and B because

having a liver that is already damaged would make getting Hep A or B pretty

dangerous for me. You may want to ask your doctors about getting the

immunizations for Hep A and B, especially if you ever go out of the country.

I couldn't get the immunizations until they lowered my prednisone down to

almost nothing because the prednisone suppressed my immune system to the

point that the immunizations probably wouldn't have built any antibodies

against Hep A or B.

Have the doctors said anything about doing a liver biopsy? I don't think

they always do one with Hep C, but a liver biopsy is the only way to know

for sure how much damage has been done to your liver. Have your liver

enzymes been extremely elevated? If not, you can probably rest assured that

the Hep C has not caused life threatening damage at this point. when they

did my liver biopsy, the autoimmune hepatitis had already caused stage 3

fibrosis or beginning stage 4 cirrhosis (depending on which doctor reads the

biopsy report). Liver damage is graded on a scale of 0 to 4 with 0 being no

damage and 4 being cirrhosis. However, even with mild cirrhosis, you can

usually live a normal lifespan as long as the damage to the liver is stopped

and doesn't continue to progress beyond mild cirrhosis.

When I was first diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, someone recommended

that I buy a book written by Dr. Palmer. the name of the book is

" Dr. Palmer's Guide to Hepatitis & Liver Disease " . She also has a

website http://liverdisease.com/, but the book is more in-depth. I just

looked at the website and there is a new version of her book updated as of

2004. I think the book was about $14 when I bought it. It was worth ten

times that amount. I learned so much about the liver and why liver disease

makes you feel so crappy and tired. I would highly recommend that you

consider ordering it.

Take care and let us know how you are doing.

W

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[Guest guest]

,

A liver doc is a hepatologist - a gastroenterologist who specializes in

liver disease. If you need surgery or a transplant, it would be a

hepatobiliary surgeon. My previous GI did my liver biopsy. I was under

general anesthesia because he did an ERCP to remove a stent on the same day.

take care,

W