Hepatitis B

[RickG16]

There's been a few threads on this but most of them are now closed from what I can see...

 

 

I was diagnosed with this in mid March, I know it's acute (for now) as was all clear in November. Would appreciate the opinion with knowledge of or experience of the virus...

 

The symptoms have really confused me. I went through the classic dark urine and headaches with little bit of ab pain for a couple of weeks or so. They subsided completely for nearly a week, but now the ab pain has come back strong in the last few days.

 

I'm wondering if this means my immune system has failed to fight off the disease and it is now chronic? It seems weird that a symptom would go away and then come back - anyone else experience this?

 

I am trying to eat well and have not drunk a drop of alcohol since the test, have smoked maybe 10 cigarettes in total (only when I really wanted one) but have tried to cut them out completely. Also worth mentioning I have taken a few tramadol for the pain, but once they wore off it came back.

 

Any thoughts appreciated..

 

Cheers

[tonray]

You need to have your liver monitored on an ongoing basis if you are not already doing this. 

[lemonjelly]

Apparently it lasts for 1-3 months.... maybe need some time 

[RickG16]

4 minutes ago, tonray said:

You need to have your liver monitored on an ongoing basis if you are not already doing this. 

 

Had a blood test a week after testing positive, doctor said the numbers were high but nothing out of the ordinary for acute hepatits b.

 

He just told me to live normally, not drink alcohol and come back in a few months for another Hep B test. The ab pain is noticeable but not concerning enough for me to to back to the hospital. It just seems weird that everything went away, and now this comes back.

[RickG16]

2 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

Apparently it lasts for 1-3 months.... maybe need some time 

1-6 max I think... yeah I am trying to ride it out, but thought I was nearly OK and then the ab pain comes back.

[Jingthing]

I had it 40 years ago so my info is dated.

An acute case.

Yes, I recall liver screening and basically had to rest a lot for months.

I can't imagine doing active work in the condition I recall. 

There was no treatment. Still isn't?

As far as your symptoms, obviously discuss this with your doctor when you get the liver screenings.

 

My blood was used (among many others) to help develop the Hep B vaccine. Doesn't help you, but there is a vaccine. 

Edited April 27, 2017 by Jingthing

[tonray]

8 minutes ago, RickG16 said:

 

Had a blood test a week after testing positive, doctor said the numbers were high but nothing out of the ordinary for acute hepatits b.

 

He just told me to live normally, not drink alcohol and come back in a few months for another Hep B test. The ab pain is noticeable but not concerning enough for me to to back to the hospital. It just seems weird that everything went away, and now this comes back.

Also if you are taking any prescription meds that stress the liver (ex statins) extra caution is warranted.

[RickG16]

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

I had it 40 years ago so my info is dated.

An acute case.

Yes, I recall liver screening and basically had to rest a lot for months.

I can't imagine doing active work in the condition I recall. 

There was no treatment. Still isn't?

My blood was used (among many others) to make the Hep B vaccine. Doesn't help you, but there is a vaccine. 

Yup, still no treatment.

 

Doctor says exercise is still OK, so although I haven't been pumping weights, still doing running and other fitness, but not as much as normal. If I was going to the gym I would be starving, and risk eating more protein than ideal with this condition. 

 

Done a lot of reading up on the subject, but still scared that the ab pain has come back! Maybe I'll just have to keep fingers crossed and wait. 

[RickG16]

6 minutes ago, tonray said:

Also if you are taking any prescription meds that stress the liver ex statins) extra caution is warranted.

As it happens, I had very mild pneumonia around the time I tested positive. The doc took me off ibruprofen and gave me tramadol instead as less potentially damaging to liver. Not had that many of them though.

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, RickG16 said:

Yup, still no treatment.

 

Doctor says exercise is still OK, so although I haven't been pumping weights, still doing running and other fitness, but not as much as normal. If I was going to the gym I would be starving, and risk eating more protein than ideal with this condition. 

 

Done a lot of reading up on the subject, but still scared that the ab pain has come back! Maybe I'll just have to keep fingers crossed and wait. 

OK, that you're doing exercise surprises me. I recall feeling I had been hit by a truck. 

[oldcarguy]

What is the latest vaccine for Hep B ?   how many shots ?

 

and cost in BKK ?

 

thanks

[scubascuba3]

How did you catch it? I'm having my final HepA&B booster next month, means you're protected for life.

[Sheryl]

I'm having a little trouble following your timeline because you say  you got this in March and "all was clear" by November, but then it seems that you say the symptoms continued until 1 week ago, then stopped, and now the abdominal pain is back, in which case it could not have been "clear" by last November.

 

Or do you mean you were diagnosed with this in March of this year? And the November you refer to was prior to getting ill? (In which case, what tests were done and why? A routine physical will not rule out chronic Hep

 

If you became ill in March 2016 and tests showed you had cleared the antigen in November 2016 and you are now having abdominal pain, there is no getting around the need to see your doctor again and have a new set of blood tests and possibly abdominal ultrasound.

 

If you became ill in March of this year,  Hep B can take months to resolve and the clinical course is highly variable. Nonethless, the fact that the abdominal pain returned a week after the jaundice cleared is reason enough to see the doctor again and have another set of lab tests (which should be done periodically throughout the illness anyhow). Occasionally in Hep B a fulminant form develops and this can occur fairly suddenly, so any sign of getting worse merits quick attention.

 

So either way - a trip to the doctor is in order.

[RickG16]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I'm having a little trouble following your timeline because you say  you got this in March and "all was clear" by November, but then it seems that you say the symptoms continued until 1 week ago, then stopped, and now the abdominal pain is back, in which case it could not have been "clear" by last November.

 

Or do you mean you were diagnosed with this in March of this year? And the November you refer to was prior to getting ill? (In which case, what tests were done and why? A routine physical will not rule out chronic Hep

 

If you became ill in March 2016 and tests showed you had cleared the antigen in November 2016 and you are now having abdominal pain, there is no getting around the need to see your doctor again and have a new set of blood tests and possibly abdominal ultrasound.

 

If you became ill in March of this year,  Hep B can take months to resolve and the clinical course is highly variable. Nonethless, the fact that the abdominal pain returned a week after the jaundice cleared is reason enough to see the doctor again and have another set of lab tests (which should be done periodically throughout the illness anyhow). Occasionally in Hep B a fulminant form develops and this can occur fairly suddenly, so any sign of getting worse merits quick attention.

 

So either way - a trip to the doctor is in order.

My bad - apologies for confusion.

 

I tested positive in March of this year. I was negative when tested for everything in Nov last year. Meaning they know its not a condition I have had for my whole life.

 

Any thoughts on the ab pain etc welcome 

[RickG16]

10 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

How did you catch it? I'm having my final HepA&B booster next month, means you're protected for life.

Sounds like you made a good choice.

 

I've always used a condom was an instance in which there was blood involved, guessing it must have been then. It's 100 times more catchable than HIV apparently. 

[Sheryl]

10 hours ago, RickG16 said:

My bad - apologies for confusion.

 

I tested positive in March of this year. I was negative when tested for everything in Nov last year. Meaning they know its not a condition I have had for my whole life.

 

Any thoughts on the ab pain etc welcome 

 

There is no such thing as being tested for "everything", the entire range of available tests don't cover all possible diseases, and no physical check up included even all the available tests.  Do you know for certain  that you were tested for hep B antigen and antibody in November?

 

Re tha bdomoinal pain, see my reply above: " the fact that the abdominal pain returned a week after the jaundice cleared is reason enough to see the doctor again and have another set of lab tests (which should be done periodically throughout the illness anyhow). Occasionally in Hep B a fulminant form develops and this can occur fairly suddenly, so any sign of getting worse merits quick attention. "

 

 

[RickG16]

16 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

There is no such thing as being tested for "everything", the entire range of available tests don't cover all possible diseases, and no physical check up included even all the available tests.  Do you know for certain  that you were tested for hep B antigen and antibody in November?

 

Re tha bdomoinal pain, see my reply above: " the fact that the abdominal pain returned a week after the jaundice cleared is reason enough to see the doctor again and have another set of lab tests (which should be done periodically throughout the illness anyhow). Occasionally in Hep B a fulminant form develops and this can occur fairly suddenly, so any sign of getting worse merits quick attention. "

 

 

 

By everything I mean standard HiV, HBV, sexual infection tests, I then had a blood test to check levels in my liver after this.

 

Re: ab pain, I have had no signs of jaundice, just a gap in the symptoms, then the liver pain back. Been advised it is a normal symptom and if it does't get any worse to just wait until it's time for another HBV test.

 

Feel free to fact check / correct away!