Hi puallyHBV
I am happy to read your concerns and questions
Remember my surgery was in November last year and took 6hours in the theater because I bled alot according to my surgeon. I stayed in the ICU for 4 days and one day in HDU. As the the volume that was reseted I can’t give it accurately but the tumor was Large as it occupied section six and seven of the liver.
Was the experience painful?. Honestly, it was extremely painful! For the months of December and January I lay on the floor with my mattress. I couldn’t walk straight, my Tummy was and is still numb. I developed burning sensation on my thumbs and both pointing fingers… horrible. I had no appetite.
Right now, I am ok. The last time I had an ultrasound, there was a cyst of 22ml volume on the surgical site. My doc told me it will clear on its own. I am due for another ultrasound on June. I experience some slight pain where surgery was done. I haven’t meet my doc to know why.
Hope I have answered nearly all your concerns. Be free to chat and ask me anything. Also know that if another hepatectomy is necessary I will still go for.
Kinoti
Hi listowel
Thanks my brother. Let’s me pray God will keep me long to encourage others.
Kinoti
Hi @john
I find you have introduced in your writing an abbreviation strage to me HBIG. What does it mean please.
Kinoti
Hi @Kinoti,
I remember that you were going to have surgery but wow, that was about 6 months ago. It didn’t seem like it was so long ago, but my memory isn’t always the best. What a journey you have been on. I am glad that you made it through without much complication.
Converting centimeters to inches (we use imperial measurements for the most part in the U.S.) your resection was around 4 inches. When I read it as inches, that is quite large. When you get labs (ultrasounds and whatnot) do they check how much of the resection has grown back? After 6 months you could have grown a good portion back.
I am no stranger to pain but I can only imagine what you have gone through and the fortitude it took you to make it through the months of recovery.
It’s quite possible that other members have had to deal with HCC and possibly resection, but regardless, you are definitely a pioneer of sharing such an experience with us. I hope you have a good support system. Please tell me you had family or people to help you through this. Sleeping on a mattress on the floor couldn’t have been the most comfortable thing, especially having the surgery and having to get up and down from the floor and put pressure on the surgical area.
Thanks for answering my questions as this situation and process could always be in mine or other members futures. Hopefully not, but it’s only practical that a small percentage of us will have to deal with such extremes like resection or transplant someday.
Peace be with you,
-Paul
Yes, I will connect you by giving you his number. Give me some time.
Kinoti
Hepatitis B Immunoglobin = HBIG. It is antibodies purified from people who have either cleared HBV, or more likely, had a really good response to the vaccine. It “passively transfers” (ie, provides through injection) anti-HBsAg antibodies. It has been used for many years and can be really useful in situations like trying to block infection of a transplanted liver. It is likely to be supplanted relatively soon by either Bulevirtide (Hepcludex, Mycludex B) which is an injectable HBV entry blocker that has the same biological effect, or by a number of anti-HBsAg monoclonal antibodies that are being developed.
John.
Hi @john.tavis,
Would HBIG not be useful in a resection? Is it only helpful with transplant? If not, could you explain why. Also, since HBIG comes from people within what I assume is a small subset, is HBIG rare to get a hold of, maybe even more so than a liver for transplant? Would Bulevirtide not require antibodies from people and be more accessible once approved?
Sorry if these questions seem ignorant.
-Paul
Hi @john Tavis.
I always appreciate your contribution in this community. Thanks alot for sparing your humble time to address my issues.
Kinoti
Hi @puallyHBV
I stay around 120km away from my family. My wife works and stays 50km away from me and only comes over the weekend. I stay with my three children and a house help. My youngest child being two years old. However, during my sickness, my wife was allowed by her boss to stay with me. She was almost near me at home and hospital. She helped me as I moved from one place to the other. There was a lot of pressure on my tummy that pulled me down continuously. I had discovered the best way to relieve it was warm water massage.
Kinoti
Hi @johnpaul-ezekiel
I have talked to my surgeon Dr. Karan Rohit Kumar Gadhi about connecting the two of you through phone conversation. He is of the view that he only does phone conversation with his old patient because he already understands their situation. But if you want to book hospital appointment with him, please let us know. He is the best Doctor that I have met. He’s a specialist in general surgery, specialist in gastroenterology and sub specialist in hepatobilialy surgery.
Kinoti.
Please help me book appointment with him
Hi Paul,
I am not clinician, so I cannot discuss the nuances of clinical treatment very well. The following is just my impression from my understanding of virology.
As to resection: HBIG would certainly help reduce infection of newly divided cells, but there would still be HBV floating in the blood in most people undergoing HBV-driven resection, so treatment would need to be continuous to protect the new liver cells. My impression is that HBIG is expensive (maybe a clinician can chime in?), so it may not be easy to maintain treatment indefinitely. Regardless, HBIG would have very little effect on the majority of the liver that is already infected.
As to Bulevirtide: You are correct, this drug is functionally a substitute for anti-HBsAg antibodies with respect to blocking infection of new cells. This drug is given as an injection, but they are working on an oral formulation. I don’t know how far those efforts have progressed.
John.
Hi @john.tavis,
Thank you for your responses, even when it’s not in your exact lane. I appreciate that you take the time to share what you do know.
-Paul
Hi John Paul
Please call Aga Khan hospital on this number and book surgical clinic with Dr. Karan Gadhi_+2540711092111.You will certainly be booked on Fridays or Thursdays. Wish you all the best.
Kinoti
Hi Jane
I’m Eriq… I’m in Nigeria and I just tested to hep b last month, I’ve been confused and depressed since then, can you please connect me to a few liver specialists in Nigeria?
Hi @Eriq,
You might find these threads to be useful:
- Hepatitis B in Nigeria: discussion thread,
- Advocacy or help for people with Hep B in Nigeria
- Support Group For Nigerians
Thomas
Hi Eriq
I’m really sorry to hear about your diagnosis.
If you’re in Lagos, LUTH is one place to access liver specialists but if you’d prefer a private consultation which can be expensive I can get you a number. You can also send me your contact details to chat with you privately if that’s ok.
Hi @Janefrancis
Please I’m still kindly waiting for you to contact me via WhatsApp, a lot I’d love to ask and learn from you including things I can eat and things I can’t
Thanks Kinoti for sharing this experience
I pray you heal and can be able to do your work.