fisherman
12-07-2002, 03:17 PM
I am 45 with a wife and two kids. Been married for 13 years .A few years ago i went to the doctor complaning of joint pain . They sent me home with artritis med. no help about two years ago i change doctors and have blood work done. They called me a few days later and said everything was fine, a few days later I get a call from the health dept. Telling me I have hep b. I called my doctor and was told,we told you everything is fine. When ask why the health dept told me of a problem they then said oh you have a problem. never have i been told what to eat what not to eat . They tell me im a life long carrier, dad died of cirosis,mom was a carrier. they say im just not contagous , my wife our kids are completely clean and have taken the vacines. are the vacines 100 persent effective? no follow up testing has been done on them . any info would be greatly helpfull as i do not know what to expect ,but have read somewhere i will probly die of cirosis
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meanjeanl2002
12-08-2002, 10:50 AM
Hi Fisherman, I think there's a cure for both HEP A and B. You should be able to research HEP B on the net to find out more about it. I wish I could give you a more answers, but all my searching is on HEP C...Sorry...maybe someone else can help you...but I really don't think you have to worry about dying from HEP B, if I don't have to worry about dying from HEP C(and there's no cure for HEP C) Good Luck...
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Jeanie
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Jeanie
thanbey
12-08-2002, 11:38 AM
Sean is probably the most knowledgeable guy on this board with regard to hepatitis B.
As I understand it, being a carrier does not mean you will progress to liver disease.
But, stay away from alcohol and smoking, pay attention to being healthy (a heart-smart diet is liver healthy, too) exercise, keep your weight in line and you should be just fine.
I urge you to check with your own physician. There is no rush to do this, but it would be wise.
The part that is tricky is whether you are contagious. I don't think so, but again, this is something you should check with a doctor who knows much more than I do.
I have a dynamite brochure on this that explains the liver and its function. It just came in the mail and it is about hepatitis B. It is also a great educational tool (with pictures of the liver and explainations of cirhosis and stuff) on the liver and its function for anyone who is interested in that.
If you want one, the brochure itself is free with a minimum $15.00 donation. I'm not selling anything, nor trying to hawk any product. This is just a really nice tool to learn about the liver and about hepatitis B.
If you want one, go to the website below my name, click on the netwook for good and make a donation. Be sure to put "brochures" on the designation line. I'll get it out to you before the end of the year. Sooner if I don't get flooded for them (I only have a few, anyway)
I hope this helps,
thanbey www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
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www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
preapproved by moderator1
As I understand it, being a carrier does not mean you will progress to liver disease.
But, stay away from alcohol and smoking, pay attention to being healthy (a heart-smart diet is liver healthy, too) exercise, keep your weight in line and you should be just fine.
I urge you to check with your own physician. There is no rush to do this, but it would be wise.
The part that is tricky is whether you are contagious. I don't think so, but again, this is something you should check with a doctor who knows much more than I do.
I have a dynamite brochure on this that explains the liver and its function. It just came in the mail and it is about hepatitis B. It is also a great educational tool (with pictures of the liver and explainations of cirhosis and stuff) on the liver and its function for anyone who is interested in that.
If you want one, the brochure itself is free with a minimum $15.00 donation. I'm not selling anything, nor trying to hawk any product. This is just a really nice tool to learn about the liver and about hepatitis B.
If you want one, go to the website below my name, click on the netwook for good and make a donation. Be sure to put "brochures" on the designation line. I'll get it out to you before the end of the year. Sooner if I don't get flooded for them (I only have a few, anyway)
I hope this helps,
thanbey www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
------------------
www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
preapproved by moderator1
LOST1
12-09-2002, 12:54 PM
Hey Fisherman-
First like the name and welcome to the board, hope to hear more from you, you say your dad passed away from chirosis, and your mom was a carrier, did they both have Hep B?
CARRIER- that sounds like a nasty word does'nt it.
When you get the Hep A or Hep B [HAV - HBV ]vaccine, you become a carrier of sorts, your will have the HBV ANTI-bodie virus in your system, that will fight the virus.
My wife has the HCV anti-body in her system, we beleive that contacted the virus though blood transfusions, her body fought it and created the anti-body which she now has in her system,and carry all her life, it is that anti-bodie that all of us with HCV want, that would be the cure for HCV.
be well-
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--Get Outdoors-Enjoy Life----Neil
First like the name and welcome to the board, hope to hear more from you, you say your dad passed away from chirosis, and your mom was a carrier, did they both have Hep B?
CARRIER- that sounds like a nasty word does'nt it.
When you get the Hep A or Hep B [HAV - HBV ]vaccine, you become a carrier of sorts, your will have the HBV ANTI-bodie virus in your system, that will fight the virus.
My wife has the HCV anti-body in her system, we beleive that contacted the virus though blood transfusions, her body fought it and created the anti-body which she now has in her system,and carry all her life, it is that anti-bodie that all of us with HCV want, that would be the cure for HCV.
be well-
------------------
--Get Outdoors-Enjoy Life----Neil
thanbey
12-09-2002, 03:29 PM
Dear Neil,
There is new technology these days that measures a positive/negative result for HCV.
This is called a Qualitative PCR (Roche). If this is not the test your wife had done, then I strongly urge her to take another of the newer tests, just to be sure that she is antibody positive only.
Many patients tested with old technology are found to be positive after a test with the new technology.
Somebody who is antibody positive but negative by PCR is well advised to stay away from alcohol as alcohol can induce viral load increase and/or activate the virus if it is flying under the PCR radar, as it were.
I hope this helps,
thanbey
www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
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www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
preapproved by moderator1
There is new technology these days that measures a positive/negative result for HCV.
This is called a Qualitative PCR (Roche). If this is not the test your wife had done, then I strongly urge her to take another of the newer tests, just to be sure that she is antibody positive only.
Many patients tested with old technology are found to be positive after a test with the new technology.
Somebody who is antibody positive but negative by PCR is well advised to stay away from alcohol as alcohol can induce viral load increase and/or activate the virus if it is flying under the PCR radar, as it were.
I hope this helps,
thanbey
www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
------------------
www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
preapproved by moderator1
LOST1
12-09-2002, 04:38 PM
Thanbey-
Yes we had both done, If I remember this correctly the QUANITIVE PCR test will not accuratly assay the HCV virus below at best 400 copies/ml or IU/ml, but the Qualitative will pick up the virus at as low as 200 copies/ml or Iu/ml of blood.
Therefore some people that have had the older Quanitive PCR test and and were below 400 copies/ml may think they were undected, but with the qualitative test they would prove to be still positive.
Yes we had both done, If I remember this correctly the QUANITIVE PCR test will not accuratly assay the HCV virus below at best 400 copies/ml or IU/ml, but the Qualitative will pick up the virus at as low as 200 copies/ml or Iu/ml of blood.
Therefore some people that have had the older Quanitive PCR test and and were below 400 copies/ml may think they were undected, but with the qualitative test they would prove to be still positive.
thanbey
12-09-2002, 06:36 PM
Th new test I describe is a test that is accurate. The level goes to 10 IU/ml. The results are either "positive" or "negative." No number is given. The new technology is a TMA technology. The doctor may know it by that name. The clinical trials were done in Vancouver, I believe.
This is much lower than the tests previously.
I hope this helps,
thanbey
www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
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www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
preapproved by moderator1
This is much lower than the tests previously.
I hope this helps,
thanbey
www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
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www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
preapproved by moderator1
Wes1212
12-09-2002, 06:41 PM
i think i know the answer to this question already, but here goes:
how do they know how accurate the qualitative test is without a quantitative analysis, and why doesn't one test serve both purposes?
(my guess is cost)
[This message has been edited by Wes1212 (edited 12-09-2002).]
how do they know how accurate the qualitative test is without a quantitative analysis, and why doesn't one test serve both purposes?
(my guess is cost)
[This message has been edited by Wes1212 (edited 12-09-2002).]
thanbey
12-09-2002, 08:21 PM
habit and ignorance.
At twelve weeks of treatment a quantitiative will tell you whether a two log drop in numbers has occured.
Beyond that point, a qualitative is the ticket. I don't think many community docs know this or know the differences in the tests and when to use which one.
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www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
preapproved by moderator1
At twelve weeks of treatment a quantitiative will tell you whether a two log drop in numbers has occured.
Beyond that point, a qualitative is the ticket. I don't think many community docs know this or know the differences in the tests and when to use which one.
------------------
www.hcop.org (http://www.hcop.org)
preapproved by moderator1
LOST1
12-10-2002, 11:26 AM
Howdy-
This TMA which means Transcription Mediated Amplifacation , is going to be outstanding in the HCV world, from what I read it makes the present PCR tests usless, I am not yet sure if we [my wife and I] tested under this new TMA.
The method most commonly used in the North America to detect HCV in the plasma of HCV-infected patients is the RT-PCR (Roche's Cobas Amplicor HCV), approved in July 2001 by the FDA. However, there is another method for qualitative testing of HCV RNA that is also used: transcription mediated amplification (TMA).
My research found that the articles I was reading stated that TMA was not yet FDA-approved,these articles may be not up to date though, this assay is used by laboratories at institutions in the USA such as Stanford University Medical Center, New England Medical Center, New York State Dept. of Health, and Kaiser Permanente.
TMA, an isothermal, autocatalytic target amplification method, which is beyond what I need to know, but is a tool that can identify infection earlier, identify clearance of virus earlier, and better identify respsonders vs. non-responders
IT measures to 10 IU/ml , with the TMA they will know the day you came in contact with HCV, -well almost,but some day, it is good to see all the new research going into the field of HCV.
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--Get Outdoors-Enjoy Life----Neil
This TMA which means Transcription Mediated Amplifacation , is going to be outstanding in the HCV world, from what I read it makes the present PCR tests usless, I am not yet sure if we [my wife and I] tested under this new TMA.
The method most commonly used in the North America to detect HCV in the plasma of HCV-infected patients is the RT-PCR (Roche's Cobas Amplicor HCV), approved in July 2001 by the FDA. However, there is another method for qualitative testing of HCV RNA that is also used: transcription mediated amplification (TMA).
My research found that the articles I was reading stated that TMA was not yet FDA-approved,these articles may be not up to date though, this assay is used by laboratories at institutions in the USA such as Stanford University Medical Center, New England Medical Center, New York State Dept. of Health, and Kaiser Permanente.
TMA, an isothermal, autocatalytic target amplification method, which is beyond what I need to know, but is a tool that can identify infection earlier, identify clearance of virus earlier, and better identify respsonders vs. non-responders
IT measures to 10 IU/ml , with the TMA they will know the day you came in contact with HCV, -well almost,but some day, it is good to see all the new research going into the field of HCV.
------------------
--Get Outdoors-Enjoy Life----Neil