Hi Caraline, I’m 29 got diagnosed August of last year when I went to do my vaccination and it has left a bitter taste in my mouth. I don’t feel the same about life anymore. I now live each day counting my days. I had some recent test done and everything seems normal however I’m scared for the future knowing that they’re no cure yet and I’m not sure when we could get one. My social life has been badly affected. But people like you give me hope. Thank you for sharing your story with us.One question please: Is it possible to live that long with the virus without any liver damage?
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Hi @Acool,
Here is a different way to look at it, my guess is you got infected through birth and have survived for 29 years when you didn’t know you had this virus. Why must you lose hope now that you are aware and there is more you can do to protect yourself? Yes, it is possible that someone can live long with a manageable HBV without developing liver damage.
As mentioned, we are stigmatizing ourselves because we are assuming and worried about what others might be thinking or saying, when that might not be the case. I know it can feel scary, but you do not have to live the rest of your life in fear over something you can not even see. Please, live your life. Do not let this diagnosis control your life. Be the boss of your life and live it as best as you can.
A question, what do you do when you own a vehicle, a house, a bike, or something valuable? You take care of it by maintaining it right, so it can last a long time and you can pass it on to your children or grandchildren. Think of your body as that property, why don’t you want to maintain it so it lasts longer as well? Just think about it. You only got one body, take care of it. Best, Bansah1
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Hi Bansah it’s always nice to hear from you and thank you for your kind words always.
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Hi @Acool,
You are welcome. I don’t want it to sound like I have my stuff figured out or I am this perfect person. That is not the case at all. I have my struggles too. But I am an optimist and believe that having a positive attitude is a great tool to have in life. It can get you through so much. Two or three people might see something and be troubled by it, but I will see it and smile. It is a matter of perspective. I don’t want to think that I am perfect or have all the answers to all the problems in the world. I just try to see the glass as half full and try to find something positive in a negative situation.
I appreciate your kind words. Take things one day at a time. We shall overcome it all one day. We must remain hopeful, for as long as we have life it is possible. Thanks, Bansah1
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I’m not sure what they were. High. I followed doctors recommendations that my viral load had gone above the recommended levels. It would have been the recommended universal viral load.
I’m glad I’m on treatment because it reassured me I was doing everything possible.
I hope I’ve been helpful.
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Hello @Acool
I think I am living proof that you can live without your liver getting damaged.
I get blood tests and ultrasounds every six months, which is recommended.
Also don’t drink alcohol or smoke-boring….
Not really, I’ve learnt a lot about myself without these vices.
Eat a healthy diet, no takeaways or moderation, exercise. Watch the stress levels. Basically what we all should be doing to maintain our bodies.
Yes there is no cure but there’s no cure for asthma or diabetes etc.
I’m thankful for this group which have helped me during my roller coaster of emotions every time I get an unusual result from my tests.
I’ve gotten to the point of throwing up my arms and going, whatever is your will God. I don’t want to waste my time, life, on negative emotions.
Explore our resources, keep posting any questions and enjoy living. 
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Hi everyone,
My name is Denis, I’m 42 years old and I’ve been just recently diagnosed with chronic hep B after doing some blood tests. I wasn’t feeling very well for a few weeks and did several blood tests and my ALT and AST were quite high as 232 and 76 respectively. Ag HBS came back positive as well so I visited an infections doctor and he recommended additional tests for hep b markers and viral load ADN VHB which was close to 22 million UI/ml or 7.33 log. He prescribed entecavir 0.5 mg daily which I started taking a few days ago. At the same time he told me get FIBROMAX tests done and the results came yesterday as F2 so moderate fibrosis but the ActiTest shows A3 which I understand is severe necroinflammatory activity and this concerns me a lot.
I’m trying to stay positive about the whole situation but it’s quite difficult 
I sent the doctor the results from yesterday and waiting to see what’s next.
I also did an abdominal ultrasound a week ago and the doctor there said they don’t see anything wrong with my liver so I’m also confused that FIBROMAX shows F2 and A3. I’ll probably have to do a fibroscan as well but waiting on the doctor response first.
Any thoughts on my results? Is it that bad that A3 and could be because of my very high viral load? Any chance to recover and get it better now that I started antiviral treatment?
I live in Romania and here it appears they only prescribe entecavir by default so not sure if tenefovir was a better option for my case.
The doctor says the infection seems very old so maybe I had it all my life as recently found some of my close relatives I lived with have the virus as well and this news first didn’t alarm me but then I started investigations because I was also not feeling very well.
Thank you for taking time to read my message and for creating this great community! I read some of the posts and I feel there is hope
Denis
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Hi @Milosh252,
Welcome to the community. I empathize with you; such a diagnosis can be hard initially to digest. Please, I want you to know that you are not alone. With that high viral load, it is expected to have some inflammation, if not a lot. Fibroscan measures liver stiffness, while ActiTest measures inflammation, which is why you see a discrepancy between those two results. It is good that you started treatment, and Entecavir is just as good as Tenofovir. It will take some time for the viral load, ALT, and AST to come down. Don’t get frustrated if you don’t see it happen quickly. It will come down with time. Best, and keep us posted. Bansah1
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Hi @Bansah1,
Thank you so much for your answer! So this severe inflammation is somehow expected with my high viral load 
I want to clarify I didn’t have a fibroscan yet but a regular abdominal ultrasonography and the doctor didn’t see anything concerning with my liver but then when doing the Fibromax blood test it came as F2 so moderate fibrosis. Is it possible nothing would be visible in the liver ultrasonography and actually have moderate fibrosis? That’s where I’m a bit confused.
The doctor also told me to take Liv52 but this was before the viral load was ready and prescribing entecavir. Forgot to ask him if I should continue taking Liv52. Any idea if it’s recommended to continue taking Liv52 together with entecavir or shouldn’t matter?
Thank you lots! 
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Hi @Milosh252,
Yes, it’s possible. Hepatitis literally means the inflammation of the liver; therefore if someone does have active viral replication leading to higher viral loads, then it’s possible for them to have some level of liver inflammation.
I think everyone with viral hepatitis has some level of fibrosis between F1 and F2. At least now that you know you can take care of your liver. If you drink, smoke or engage in any behavior that might put extra pressure on the liver you will need to cut it out or limit it. It’s possible that ultrasound might not capture everything that is why doctors rely on other techniques such as fibroscan, ActiTest, etc in addition to the ultrasound to make decisions.
Liv52 is a normal supplement such as vitamin D or B12. They have no direct effect on HBV but people take it for liver health. I don’t see why you can’t continue taking it. It will be best asking your doctor about this as they might have reasons why they asked you to take it.
Take it easy, one step at a time. It can be overwhelming sometimes. Best, Bansah1
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Thank you for your kind words! Really helps knowing there’s such a nice supportive community here that is always ready to offer their support.
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Hi @Bansah1 ,
Just wanted to give an update as today I had a fibroscan done and the score was F0 to F1 mild scarring so a bit different than the Fibromax blood tests that indicated F2 moderate fibrosis.
I’m happy I had this done (my doctor didn’t recommend as he was ok with just the fibromax test, it was my initiative and did some online research and made an appointment) and I also found a great hepatologist doctor that agreed for me to become “oficially” his patient and start monitoring me closely for the future. Until today I saw a different doctor that was a nice person but felt like I had to do all my research and suggest him different things to investigate instead coming from his side
Wanted to share these good news and express again my gratitude for this amazing community! It really helped me navigate more easily during the past several days
Have a great day!
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Hi @ Milosh252,
Thank you for providing us with this update. I am glad to hear that the fibroscan results was better than that of fibromax blood test. I am also happy that you found a hepatologist with experience treating HBV as your provider from this point forward.
One thing I have learned is that we are not just patients but we must advocate for ourselves as well. It can be difficult to do this at times due to the power dynamics between a provider and a patient. That’s is why finding a provider that trusts, respects, listens to you, willing to work with you, is proactive, and recognizes you as a team member can make a huge difference. At least in my case this was huge for me.
I know you are in safe hands but keep us posted on your journey.
I am glad you find the community helpful. That’s why @ThomasTu created it and the rest of us are honored in supporting others going through this journey. Best, Bansah1
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In my country Uganda, the guidelines for starting treatment is 20000. If you talk of 2000, am then worried that heading to my grave soon coz no hospital in uganda will allow you to get medication for this virus before clocking 20000 viral load.
Kindly thanks for your response. However I have a concern, you talked about before too much damage being caused.
- What test can be done to rate the level of damage caused on the lever. Is it the viral load test, fibroscan, ultrasound or LFT ??
- Why can’t I be put on medication with 380 viral load to avoid feature damage on my liver?
- Does pain in my stomach and right ribs portray a damage already caused to the liver?
Hi @Opa,
To check for liver damage, aside from blood work, ultrasound, or other types of imaging, FibroScan is used. Ultrasound, once a year at least, is recommended.
With such a low viral load, normal liver function test, and imaging, treatment is not recommended. Unless you have liver fibrosis, an abnormal liver function, imaging, or a family history of liver cancer, then treatment can be considered even with such a low viral load.
Pain in the stomach and right ribs, as has been mentioned, can be caused by other health issues. Such symptoms are not limited only to hepatitis B, especially given your low viral load of 380. In this case, it will be important to investigate further, as it might be something else going on and not necessarily hepatitis B.
You can continue to discuss all this with your doctor. I hope this helps. Bansah1
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This is not true. Multiple studies have shown that the current antiviral treatments available do reduce the risk of HCC. Unfortunately, it sounds like @Jigar2808 ‘s father started antivirals fairly late in the course of his disease, and in that case, a lot of the damage to the liver may have already been done.
Also, the current treatments that are available have shown very little risk of resistance, especially TDF and TAF. Also I am personally optimistic that we will see a functional cure within 5-10 years. There are currently something like 30 drugs in the pipeline – I feel like something has to come out of that.
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