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Liver Ultrasound

Study Result
Impression
Dilation of the common bile duct measuring up to 7.9 mm without intrahepatic biliary dilation. Etiology for this is unclear. No obstructing stone or other abnormality is seen. Please correlate with biliary indices. Further imaging can be performed as clinically indicated.


Electronically signed by: Anshu Duggal, MD
Date: 01/10/2020
Time: 10:01
Narrative
EXAMINATION:
US ABDOMEN LIMITED

CLINICAL HISTORY:
Chronic HCV, r/o liver cirrhosis; Chronic viral hepatitis C

TECHNIQUE:
Limited ultrasound of the right upper quadrant of the abdomen (including pancreas, liver, gallbladder, common bile duct, and spleen) was performed.

COMPARISON:
None.

FINDINGS:
Liver: Slightly increased in size, measuring 15.9 cm. Homogeneous echotexture. No focal hepatic lesions.

Gallbladder: No calculi, wall thickening, or pericholecystic fluid. No sonographic Murphy's sign.

Biliary system: The common measures 7.9 mm. No intrahepatic ductal dilatation.

Spleen: Normal in size and echotexture, measuring 10.8 cm.

Miscellaneous: No upper abdominal ascites.

I’m assuming this is ok news? I’m unsure of what the common bile duct is... and homogeneous echotexture. Will be able to speak with my doctor this week hopefully!

I had a test the other day and I have an appointment on Tuesday with Anne my nurse who you spoke to a couple of weeks ago. Ill get her to provide me with all results dating back to pre treatment as well as the one I had the other day then get them up here on the forum. Out of interest and for my own education what category on the tests do I look at? Interested if anyone has an opinion on the fingers issue as well.

ciao

g

Hi G,

I do know from personal experience how hard it is to wait for results but today you are taking the last of your medication - so congratulations on this milestone. I used to view the waiting for results as part of the whole treatment regime. It didn't mean that I wasn't impatient and a bit anxious but I tried to put it into the bigger picture of the cure.

Hep C messes with our mental and emotional selves as much as our physical health. No need to apologise on its' behalf! It's a rollercoaster G but I hope this next bit is a smoother ride for you.

Coral

Hi all.

Tomorrow is the last day of the anti viral meds you so kindly gifted to me.

Please excuse my previous post as it now (reading it back to myself) seems like a frustrated and negative rant and I don't blame the lack of reply!

Wish me luck as I enter the three month wait. I will let you all know the result when it comes so that you know where we got with the treatment.

Looking forward to regaining my sanity soon cos its been a trip down many paths!

Hope your New Year is going well so far.

Again, thank you all for being there for me, especially Dr James! You have the patience of a saint to have been able to deal with me even on a good day.

Respect

g

Hi Cher,

Thanks for sharing this part of your journey.

Best Wishes

James

Hi Cherr,

It sounds as if things are going really well and you are experiencing a few of the usual mild side effects from the treatment. Looking forward to your next test results but it all sounds great so far.

Like you I found that drinking lots of water, eating well and exercising helped along the way.

Cheers
Coral

I am not a doctor but I do know that it takes a few years after treatment for the liver to heal. The majority of cases the longer one is infected with hep c, the more liver damage, which means longer in healing the liver after getting rid of the virus. You had hep c for 35 years, I am 34, its decades of stress on liver. Its a miracle that you are alive. Imagine how many times worst you would have felt right now if you did not clear the virus. It could have easily meant death. That goes for all of us with hep c. I have had hep c for 10 years, got the generic harvoni through fixhepc, and I am almost one month into treatment as I text this. May god bless you and as months go buy you will get better little by little. By the fact that the virus is out of the picture is a win win.

Sounds good Cherr, the fact that you haven't felt this good since you were a kid after 2-3 weeks of treatment is a very good sign that everything is going according to plan. With any luck, your next viral load will be undetected

I am on 20th day of harvoni. I feel very good. I haven't felt this good since I was a kid. I am 34. This is strange to me that I am shocked. As far as negative side effects; on my first 2 weeks I did have some headaches. So far I haven't had them. But I am drinking more water than ever before and it seems that the headaches have gone away. Out of these times I got headaches, two were bad enough that I had to take ibuprofen. But I haven't since then. My appetite is normal. The first 2 weeks I had a little bit of insomnia, now as of right now, which I am in my 3rd week of harvoni, I am sleeping good. I feel fatigued alittle bit but honestly its not as it was the first 2 weeks of harvoni. It is very small now. I feel so good that I am exercising. I have always exercised. But I did stop for 6 months until I started taking harvoni. In 2 more weeks I will do the hep c viral load test. I have no doubt that my viral loads have gone down.

Hello joy2world,

1a is the commonest genotype and 2-3 million is the average viral load...

Yes viral load fluctuates a bit.

Quick update!

Just had genotyping blood work come in, and prothrombin time labs. Results are as follows:

Genotype 1a

Viral load went down from 3 mill to 2.2 mill... I’m assuming it fluctuates.

Prothrombin Time
Your Value
9.7 sec
Standard Range
9.0 - 12.5 sec

INR
Your Value
0.9
Standard Range
0.8 - 1.2

Have liver ultrasound scheduled on January 10th and am praying and hoping for the green light for treatment after that.

Hi Dr. James, a liver Elastography showed corresponding metavir fibrosis score: F2 + some F3. I am Genotype 1a. Platelets were 207, AST 28 in 2019 but as high as 64 in 2016 and ALT was 50 before starting treatment and was ALT was 122 in 2016. I've likely had the virus for 20-30 years. I have not missed a dose I'm currently starting week 7 of the 12 Epclusa week course. I read that the HCV RNA levels detected <15 were the lowest on the scale and I'm not sure what the Quantitative log <1.18 means. Thanks for the honest info though it's disheartening that I'm in a 20% group still detected, I'm hopeful the next test in Feb will show undetected.

Hi Sherif and welcome

That is a low reading part way through treatment- I did 24 weeks, I wasn't undetected until 18 weeks on treatment, I still cleared, it is not at all unusual to get your result of . Looks to me, patient not doctor, like you are on track really well.
Taking your meds with some food? Keeping hydrated and feeling ok?

thought I should share this. I watched a YouTube video of a person who is on harvoni treatment for hep c. She said that she had heard of how important it is to get a new personal hygiene stuff, sometime during the first weeks of starting treatment for hep c. For example a toothbrush, razor, and nail clipper. It make sense because hep c is a virus that can live outside the body for weeks and if one uses one of those things; if it has hep c on it ,especially a toothbrush; you can technically get reinfected. Ofcouse, I believe this is has a very small change of happening but its better to be safe then sorry. But it can happen, especially if the virus is undetectable due to the medicine. For some people it can be undetected a few weeks after starting treatment. I wonder if doctor's have taking this risk into account. Especially for those who did not clear the virus after treatment. Has anyone heard of this before? I am only 14 days on Harvoni and threw away my toothbrush, nail clipper, and razor.

Hello Cher1985,

The average viral load is 2 to 3 million so it’s not particularly high.

The actual number really has no impact on anything.

Best wishes

James