Hold the fava beans and chianti, I still need my liver

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

In a couple of threads here and here I have mentioned my liver biopsy and possible treatment for chronic Hepatitis B.

I got the results today, and …

we are going to wait a bit longer. My liver is as good as it can be for someone who has had Hep-B for decades - a bit inflamed, some mild scarring, but nothing to be concerned about. My last set of bloods, while showing an increasing viral load also showed decreased liver enzymes (lower is better), so my liver function has improved over the year.

So, I get a few months of monitoring before we decide to start antivirals. If my liver enzymes go back up, I’ll get a call and start the treatment. But I am hoping that as I lose a bit more weight (21kg so far this year) and get fitter (about to run a 10km charity run) that I will boost my immune system and not need to start the drugs until later in life - once you start, you probably won’t stop and will need to change regularly as the virus gets resistant.

So I’m pretty happy, and was cleared by the doc to drink a bit in moderation (I’ve been on the wagon for a while). And there really is half a bottle of Chianti on the kitchen bench :wink:

Thanks for all the good thoughts people have expressed - they have been appreciated.

Si

2

That’s good news!

3

Congrats! Stage I or II fibrosis on biopsy?

Good for you that you can avoid antivirals for now. They can do wonders, but once started they can never be stopped with complete assurance of safety, as the viral rebound can be wicked nasty.

YMMV, and you should listen to your own doctor, but frankly I advise all my patients that they’re better off abstaining completely from alcohol. IMHO it’s too much like throwing some gasoline on a smouldering fire.

4

If it’s neither here nor there, why start up again? Seems like things have been going swimmingly for your liver, so why change anything? :slight_smile:

5

Pretty sure it was Stage I.

That certainly is an option, given that I didn’t give up much - a glass of wine or cider on a saturday evening is pretty much all I ever drank.

I’ll certainly be not drinking far more than drinking.

Delaying starting the antivirals is a real good thing from my point of view. The longer I can put it off, the better.

Si

6

You are going to do a 10km run and you aren’t fit enough? Are you sure?

7

Pretty sure. I want to do a short course triathlon next, then maybe a 10mile run, someone at church wants to cycle the South Downs way in a day (100 miles of footpath/bridleway with hills), Mount Snowdon beckons and so on.

I feel better, I look better, I perform better (you know what I mean) and I’ll probably live longer. And that runners high is so good.

You can tell that I am having a mid-life crisis, can’t you. At least I’ve avoided young women, fast cars and motorbikes. The best I can hope for is a new guitar and a rock-n-roll band (if thats ok with my wife) :wink:

Si