Thank you Jill and Matt ~ I was hoping to have my VL results today but my NP is on vacation this week. Hmmmpphh! Ok, pout over!
I need to remember that patience is a virtue and I better get used to waiting as he plans on having me do labs at EOT and every 4 weeks after till I come in at SVR12. This drug is such a miracle it seems and I am feeling so much better than I have in years and look forward to many more years of life!!!
Peace out~Robin
Matt Chris said
Jul 27, 2015
Hey Robin
Your ALT & AST drops indicate the Meds are working well in your body. It won't be long until you read the "Not Detected" in your lab test report.
matt
Cinnamon Girl said
Jul 27, 2015
Hi Robin,
Those liver enzyme levels are fantastic, and just what we`d expect to see when the treatment is working well!
You have good reason to be happy about that, let us know when you get your viral load results!
Redbird29 said
Jul 27, 2015
Thank you Tig!!
I am feeling a bit better now! My glucose was pretty good for me - previously fasting was at 128 and with this one 104. I did have a small cup of black coffee that morning which will lower it a bit but not much I don't think so that is good!
And thank you for the excerpt! If MCHC is related to anemia I can live with a bit of that! I mostly wanted a bit of reassurance. This has been so long in coming that I micro analyze everything to see if it is working. And I was tickled pink to see my AST/ALT so low! Gives me hope for my VL test results.
Onward we go and the train is picking up speed!!!
Peace out~Robin
Tig said
Jul 27, 2015
Hi Robin,
Your AST and ALT are excellent! The glucose isn't a concern at 104 (imo), some of these Hep drugs cause some fluctuation. If your test wasn't done fasting, then it's not an accurate result anyway. The A1C is a glucose monitoring test that can be done non fasting at anytime during the day. With a big drop in your LFT's, you'll see a huge drop in your viral load, perhaps even undetected, it's happened several times already. Don't be alarmed if it is still detected, often we see a detectable viral load many weeks into treatment. Many doctors won't even do a viral load until the end of treatment or even EOT +12. The chance that you won't go undetected during treatment are almost nil.
The values of your MCH and Albumin/Globulin ratio are something your doctor can explain to you better. While on treatment you're going to see these fluctuate, it happens to many of us on treatment. Your liver's condition greatly impacts these values, especially when this disease is present. Some other medications, your level of hydration and general health all impact these numbers. I wouldn't worry about it. We often see some anemia develop during treatment and that will affect various levels. Rest assured, if your doctor see's something that is alarming, you're going to hear about. In the meantime, don't read too much into these minor fluctuations. The MCH value you mentioned is within normal limits on the lab value scale I referenced and your AGR is just under low normal. So do your best to not stress over it.
Here's an excerpt from Medical Health Tests on MCH:
What does MCHC stand for?
MCHC stands for mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration. It denotes the amount of hemoglobin in a specific volume of 'packed' red corpuscles or cells. This ratio is mentioned along with other details of a blood count in a standard blood report. MCHC denotes how much hemoglobin is present in 100 ml unit of red corpuscles. Normal ranges are from 32% to 35%. An MCHC blood test (also known as an MCH test) is conducted to test a person for anemia. If there is a low count, it indicates anemia. However, further tests are needed to be carried out before coming to any conclusion about the cause and type of anemia. http://www.medicalhealthtests.com/blood-tests/mch-blood-test.html
Redbird29 said
Jul 27, 2015
Sorry for the all caps in the subject line too!!!!
Redbird29 said
Jul 27, 2015
Hi Everyone!
Took my four week tx labs last week and got partial news today by accessing the hospitals patient portal.
Good news ~ after 4 weeks on Harvoni my AST 16 and my ALT 26 which is a good drop from where I started!!! Won't have VL results till next week though when I see my doctor. Also my glucose level was 104!!!
My questions are concerning low Albumin/Globulin ratio of 1.0 and a low Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration of 32.5. ~ does anyone know what these mean?
My last labs were in Jan the day after I had a complete hysterectomy so the values there are all over the place and I have nothing I can access to compare them with.
Thank you Jill and Matt ~ I was hoping to have my VL results today but my NP is on vacation this week. Hmmmpphh!
Ok, pout over!
I need to remember that patience is a virtue and I better get used to waiting as he plans on having me do labs at EOT and every 4 weeks after till I come in at SVR12.
This drug is such a miracle it seems and I am feeling so much better than I have in years and look forward to many more years of life!!!
Peace out~Robin
Hey Robin
Your ALT & AST drops indicate the Meds are working well in your body. It won't be long until you read the "Not Detected" in your lab test report.
matt
Hi Robin,
Those liver enzyme levels are fantastic, and just what we`d expect to see when the treatment is working well!
You have good reason to be happy about that, let us know when you get your viral load results!
Thank you Tig!!
I am feeling a bit better now! My glucose was pretty good for me - previously fasting was at 128 and with this one 104. I did have a small cup of black coffee that morning which will lower it a bit but not much I don't think so that is good!
And thank you for the excerpt! If MCHC is related to anemia I can live with a bit of that! I mostly wanted a bit of reassurance. This has been so long in coming that I micro analyze everything to see if it is working. And I was tickled pink to see my AST/ALT so low! Gives me hope for my VL test results.
Onward we go and the train is picking up speed!!!
Peace out~Robin
Hi Robin,
Your AST and ALT are excellent! The glucose isn't a concern at 104 (imo), some of these Hep drugs cause some fluctuation. If your test wasn't done fasting, then it's not an accurate result anyway. The A1C is a glucose monitoring test that can be done non fasting at anytime during the day. With a big drop in your LFT's, you'll see a huge drop in your viral load, perhaps even undetected, it's happened several times already. Don't be alarmed if it is still detected, often we see a detectable viral load many weeks into treatment. Many doctors won't even do a viral load until the end of treatment or even EOT +12. The chance that you won't go undetected during treatment are almost nil.
The values of your MCH and Albumin/Globulin ratio are something your doctor can explain to you better. While on treatment you're going to see these fluctuate, it happens to many of us on treatment. Your liver's condition greatly impacts these values, especially when this disease is present. Some other medications, your level of hydration and general health all impact these numbers. I wouldn't worry about it. We often see some anemia develop during treatment and that will affect various levels. Rest assured, if your doctor see's something that is alarming, you're going to hear about. In the meantime, don't read too much into these minor fluctuations. The MCH value you mentioned is within normal limits on the lab value scale I referenced and your AGR is just under low normal. So do your best to not stress over it.
Here's an excerpt from Medical Health Tests on MCH:
What does MCHC stand for?
MCHC stands for mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration. It denotes the amount of hemoglobin in a specific volume of 'packed' red corpuscles or cells. This ratio is mentioned along with other details of a blood count in a standard blood report. MCHC denotes how much hemoglobin is present in 100 ml unit of red corpuscles. Normal ranges are from 32% to 35%. An MCHC blood test (also known as an MCH test) is conducted to test a person for anemia. If there is a low count, it indicates anemia. However, further tests are needed to be carried out before coming to any conclusion about the cause and type of anemia. http://www.medicalhealthtests.com/blood-tests/mch-blood-test.html
Sorry for the all caps in the subject line too!!!!
Hi Everyone!
Took my four week tx labs last week and got partial news today by accessing the hospitals patient portal.
Good news ~ after 4 weeks on Harvoni my AST 16 and my ALT 26 which is a good drop from where I started!!!
Won't have VL results till next week though when I see my doctor. Also my glucose level was 104!!!
My questions are concerning low Albumin/Globulin ratio of 1.0 and a low Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration of 32.5. ~ does anyone know what these mean?
My last labs were in Jan the day after I had a complete hysterectomy so the values there are all over the place and I have nothing I can access to compare them with.
Anyone who can help so I don't stress?
Thanks and peace out ~ robin