Cirrhosis Stage F3 Hep C

This topic has 13 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 5 years ago by Dr James.

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26 October 2019 at 10:23 pm #29520
JerryD
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@jerryd
My doctor told me I have stage F3 cirrhosis of the liver after my 1st viral load ever. I start Epclusa in just a few days but am still very worried ever since she told me about the damage to my liver. I am grateful to have a cure but this cirrhosis still worries me. Will my liver get better after my treatment? Will it continue to get worse? Will the progression of my liver damage slow down or can it stop? My doctor did not seem to be able to answer my questions but I will be taking an image of my liver for her in a few weeks. Can anyone help me with these questions? I sure look forward to feeling better and hope this all works. Thanks.
26 October 2019 at 10:30 pm #29521
JerryD
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@jerryd
I forgot to mention, I am Gen type 1. Thanks.
27 October 2019 at 3:58 am #29522
Mar
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- Guardian Angel
@mar
Welcome to the forum Jerry, and congratulations on starting your treatment journey soon. I’m not a doctor, but some patients who had Cirrhosis on this forum said that once the virus was eradicated, the liver finally got a chance to start healing itself. Please see this forum thread in which patients who were in your shoes (like the Hepatitis C activists Hazel and Sven) describe how their Cirrhosis was pretty much gone after being cured. So not only does the damage to the liver stop after successful treatment, the level of Cirrhosis can decrease as well.

Making the world a better place – one patient at a time.
27 October 2019 at 11:56 pm #29523
JerryD
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@jerryd
Thank You, Mar. I read some of the threads and they are encouraging. I start my meds Wednesday and looking forward to good results. Its good to have a place to talk with people who have been on this journey. My doctor after telling me I am stage F3 did tell me not to worry they would get me fixed up. I will trust in the process. Never google stage 3 or 4 cirrhosis without checking with a site like this. It will scare you silly. I should have known better. Thank’s everyone for being so welcoming.
29 October 2019 at 12:00 am #29525
Hazel
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@hazel
Hi Jerry,
Welcome, like Mar says, I was one of the lucky ones, I had end stage cirrhosis, got treatment here and it has melted away completely. This is not common but improvement is very common- and I was F4 for 15 years, so at F3 you still have plenty of time to rebuild your liver.

You will see the general advice on lots of posts- take the meds at same time every day, with food, and drink plenty of water while on treatment. I have seen 1000’s recover now, always nice to see someone about to start treatment/kill the virus. I felt way better, pretty much straight away, in a few days, but I was getting sick so the inflammation going down made a big difference, fast. For some people the improvement is more gradual.

Please check in every week or so, love to hear how you are doing.

Genotype 3 30 years, 2x treatment interferon/ribavirin non responder. Cirrhosis 17 years. Fibroscan, decompensating, 40 down to 22 by 29/3/16- now down to 6.5, normal, no cirrhosis. Started Buyers Club Sof/Dac 14 Nov 15. SVR 12 29/0716
29 October 2019 at 5:36 am #29530
Dr James
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@fixhepc
Hi Jerry,

Will my liver get better after my treatment?

Yes, we expect your liver to improve

Will it continue to get worse?

No, treatment stops things getting worse and allows your body to start healing

Will the progression of my liver damage slow down or can it stop?

Provided we get you cured your liver damage will stop completely.

Patients vary in how much their liver’s improve but it is not at all unusual to see people move from F4 down through F3, F2 and even get to F1

The single biggest take home about treatment is in this graph:

1/4 the chance of any event, 1/3 the chance of dying, 1/5 the chance of HCC (liver cancer) and 1/10 the chance of liver failure all look like worthwhile benefits to me…

YMMV
4 November 2019 at 1:26 am #29540
JerryD
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@jerryd
Thank You, Dr.James,

That sure makes me feel better. I started the meds last Wednesday night and have not noticed any side effects. I am thankful to have this opportunity.
4 November 2019 at 1:30 am #29541
JerryD
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@jerryd
Thank You, I feel much better as I am learning more and more as I go.
5 November 2019 at 1:59 am #29542
coral
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@coral
Hi Jerry,

I can see you are about a week into your treatment. Some of us had side effects (especially the delightful insomnia thing) and a lot of people had minimal or none. I wish you the latter over the next weeks but either way it will all be worth it when you have vanquished the virus.

Wishing you well. Drinks lots of water, eat well, a bit of exercise and take every single pill……

Coral
9 December 2019 at 4:04 pm #29599
JerryD
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@jerryd
Thank you.
11 December 2019 at 3:49 am #29606
Dr James
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@fixhepc
Hi Jerry,

You must be about 1/2 way through by now. How is it all going?

YMMV
18 December 2019 at 5:25 am #29626
JerryD
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@jerryd
I want to tell everyone that my first viral load after medication treatment came back undetectable. I am so happy to finally be getting rid of this nasty disease. Thank God for the people who found this cure and worked so hard for so many years. So many lives are now being saved and we are very fortunate to be still be alive while we finally have a cure. I cannot express my gratitude enough for the kindness people show in this forum. Thank you.
18 December 2019 at 5:33 am #29627
JerryD
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@jerryd
My first viral load after 30 days came back undetectable. I am very happy and thank you for your help. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I took an ultra sound on my liver and they said it was better than expected. Liver is pink but does have some scarring. My doctor told me she would explain more at my next appt with her. I am very grateful for the kindness in this forum. Thank you for remember me. I have about 5 more weeks of medication. I feel so fortunate to be alive because professionals worked so hard for a cure. Thank you everyone.
18 December 2019 at 2:05 pm #29628
Dr James
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@fixhepc
Thanks for the update JerryD

How do you feel compared to pre treatment?

YMMV
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