Long time no hear. We were mssing an update from you for a long time now. Nice you dropped in. I remember your trials and tribulations well. It was a rough riba ride for you for a while. Been wondering how you and your dear doggy were making out.
DO let us know what you have been up to and how life has been treating you post-riba and post-HCV otherwise. I assumed you must be doing quite well and busy, off back to normal life again (ha - whatever IS normal life anyway!)
Hey, can you confirm for me - you say "F3" ... does that mean you have been having fibroscans (all along) from pre-treatment to post-treatment, right up until now .... and you have been F3 by fibroscan all along, with no fluctuations up or down?? (How current is this F3 level, and what test does you doc use to give you that Fscore of F3)? Sorry to hear you have a slow to resolve enlargemnt of liver and spleen. It might be helpful to post your actual U/S, CAT results, and/or any of your other blood labs that show anything out of norm.
You did not say what your AFP levels were!! Is this the first and only AFP you have had done? Nothing to compare to?
Re: Alpha-feto-proteins. It is merely one small tool, just a small part of a necessary larger arsenal of tools at their disposal to use. Hepatically speaking, imaging (U/S's and CAT's) have far more reliabilty (are far more telling) than an AFP can be.
AFP's are also used for other purposes, other reasons/conditions. In your case, yes I am sure it is just a standard part and parcel of them following you well, post-HCV treatment..
They did pre-treatment AFP's on me, then post-treatment as well, and still do (along with U/S's). I only had the most minor elevation prior to HCV treatment. They can range from 0 to be up in the hundreds. Depending on your lab, (what their ref. range is) they will then repeat them periodically if it shows over 8 or 10 (my lab). A lot of docs do not rely on AFP's as markers as they find imaging is better information. So, that is good, if you have been getting alternating U/S's and CAT's every 6 months, and they have found only some persisting enlargement in your liver and spleen, then, they have seen no lesions or tumours, or they would have called you back for futher imaging.
A person without HCV could have an elevated ALT, someone with HCC could have a completely normal AFP. Following someone, over time, with many AFP's "might" guide the docs a bit more, for instance, if there should there be a sudden consistant high spike from the norm. But regular imaging could be far more reliable, when you are keeping an early eye out for HCC (throwing in AFP's all the time, along with all the other regular "following" imaging and bloods, does no harm either, and should be part of following, in my book).
Sorry about the nausea and RUQ discomfort. Other than those things, how have your been feeling and doing? Have you been having any dietary/digestive issues, how are your bowels and gallbladder? - appear normal on imaging? How's your diet, and weight? Any stomache or gut troubles. Just some thoughts.
Glad to see you posting again. C.
Observer said
Jul 19, 2017
Hi Scott,
I had AFP tests done, after I finished treatment, they were ever so slightly elevated, just a few points I think. They monitored it through blood tests and when it went up a titch more, I had to get a CTscan which showed a small closed tumour.
I had it ablated (microwaved) and have had a few follow up CT scans that showed it is still gone/dryed up/whatever.... not a problem anymore (except all the followup scans).
I did notice a pain in my liver area was gone after the ablation, oddly enough, I only really became aware of the pain after it was gone.
So yes, it is a blood test to detect liver cancer, but if they already found no lesions in your latest cat scan, I'm not sure why they are doing it now. Let us know how things go for you.
Alison
Scott18927 said
Jul 18, 2017
Hello Everyone! I have not logged in for over a year. I just want to say thanks for the support during the meds. Quick update, I am still undetectable, YAY.
I still have a lot of nausea in the morning and pain in my right upper quadrant which sucks. I was only F3 with some scarring.
So, I have to do an Ultrasound and a CT scan every year but alternated. So, I just had the CT scan, and 6 months ago, I had ultra sound, 6 months from now, I will have another ultrasound and 1 year from now, I will have another CT scan.
CT scan came out okay. They said the same as last year. Liver is enlarged. Spleen is enlarged. There are no obvious Lesions or Tumors.
The blood test they ran was called an AFP. The person drawing blood had no clue what that was. My PCP didn't even order it. The Nurse that I called to get results had to google it. I googled it also. It is similar to PSA which give you a cursor for prostate cancer, but the AFP does it for Liver Cancer.
Since no one knows at the VA, I am curious to learn more. I can google it again, so I don't want articles. I want to know others that have had this and if it is accurate, etc.
Thanks. Oh, Hi everyone, I will read through some posts to see how all is doing. Thanks.
Hey Scott,
Long time no hear. We were mssing an update from you for a long time now. Nice you dropped in. I remember your trials and tribulations well. It was a rough riba ride for you for a while. Been wondering how you and your dear doggy were making out.
DO let us know what you have been up to and how life has been treating you post-riba and post-HCV otherwise. I assumed you must be doing quite well and busy, off back to normal life again (ha - whatever IS normal life anyway!)
Hey, can you confirm for me - you say "F3" ... does that mean you have been having fibroscans (all along) from pre-treatment to post-treatment, right up until now .... and you have been F3 by fibroscan all along, with no fluctuations up or down?? (How current is this F3 level, and what test does you doc use to give you that Fscore of F3)? Sorry to hear you have a slow to resolve enlargemnt of liver and spleen. It might be helpful to post your actual U/S, CAT results, and/or any of your other blood labs that show anything out of norm.
You did not say what your AFP levels were!! Is this the first and only AFP you have had done? Nothing to compare to?
Re: Alpha-feto-proteins. It is merely one small tool, just a small part of a necessary larger arsenal of tools at their disposal to use. Hepatically speaking, imaging (U/S's and CAT's) have far more reliabilty (are far more telling) than an AFP can be.
AFP's are also used for other purposes, other reasons/conditions. In your case, yes I am sure it is just a standard part and parcel of them following you well, post-HCV treatment..
They did pre-treatment AFP's on me, then post-treatment as well, and still do (along with U/S's). I only had the most minor elevation prior to HCV treatment. They can range from 0 to be up in the hundreds. Depending on your lab, (what their ref. range is) they will then repeat them periodically if it shows over 8 or 10 (my lab). A lot of docs do not rely on AFP's as markers as they find imaging is better information. So, that is good, if you have been getting alternating U/S's and CAT's every 6 months, and they have found only some persisting enlargement in your liver and spleen, then, they have seen no lesions or tumours, or they would have called you back for futher imaging.
A person without HCV could have an elevated ALT, someone with HCC could have a completely normal AFP. Following someone, over time, with many AFP's "might" guide the docs a bit more, for instance, if there should there be a sudden consistant high spike from the norm. But regular imaging could be far more reliable, when you are keeping an early eye out for HCC (throwing in AFP's all the time, along with all the other regular "following" imaging and bloods, does no harm either, and should be part of following, in my book).
Sorry about the nausea and RUQ discomfort. Other than those things, how have your been feeling and doing? Have you been having any dietary/digestive issues, how are your bowels and gallbladder? - appear normal on imaging? How's your diet, and weight? Any stomache or gut troubles. Just some thoughts.
Glad to see you posting again. C.
Hi Scott,
I had AFP tests done, after I finished treatment, they were ever so slightly elevated, just a few points I think. They monitored it through blood tests and when it went up a titch more, I had to get a CTscan which showed a small closed tumour.
I had it ablated (microwaved) and have had a few follow up CT scans that showed it is still gone/dryed up/whatever.... not a problem anymore (except all the followup scans).
I did notice a pain in my liver area was gone after the ablation, oddly enough, I only really became aware of the pain after it was gone.
So yes, it is a blood test to detect liver cancer, but if they already found no lesions in your latest cat scan, I'm not sure why they are doing it now. Let us know how things go for you.
Alison
Hello Everyone! I have not logged in for over a year. I just want to say thanks for the support during the meds. Quick update, I am still undetectable, YAY.
I still have a lot of nausea in the morning and pain in my right upper quadrant which sucks. I was only F3 with some scarring.
So, I have to do an Ultrasound and a CT scan every year but alternated. So, I just had the CT scan, and 6 months ago, I had ultra sound, 6 months from now, I will have another ultrasound and 1 year from now, I will have another CT scan.
CT scan came out okay. They said the same as last year. Liver is enlarged. Spleen is enlarged. There are no obvious Lesions or Tumors.
The blood test they ran was called an AFP. The person drawing blood had no clue what that was. My PCP didn't even order it. The Nurse that I called to get results had to google it. I googled it also. It is similar to PSA which give you a cursor for prostate cancer, but the AFP does it for Liver Cancer.
Since no one knows at the VA, I am curious to learn more. I can google it again, so I don't want articles. I want to know others that have had this and if it is accurate, etc.
Thanks. Oh, Hi everyone, I will read through some posts to see how all is doing. Thanks.