Hi, Im Aeon (not my real name) M28 Ive been diagnosed with Acute HepB 2 weeks ago and in recovery after 4 days of staying in the hospital. Im still jaundiced and this is putting a lot of stress on me. I hope I get better soon.
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Hi @Aeon96,
Welcome to the community and sorry to meet you under this circumstance. I wish you a speedy recovery. Please, allow your body to heal and reduce the stress if possible. You will get through this, it takes time for your body/immune system to regain control as it is overwhelmed with viral replication. Please keep us posted on your recovery. Bansah1
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Hi everyone, my name is Elisabeth, and I’m from Indonesia. I was diagnosed with hepatitis B in 2009, shortly after a series of comprehensive blood tests. I began treatment right away, starting with Entecavir. Within the first two years, my viral load became undetectable, but later, the virus reappeared at higher levels. As my husband and I were planning to start a family, my doctor switched me to Tenofovir, as it is safe for pregnant mother. Since then, my HBV DNA has remained undetectable, my liver function has been normal, and I’ve stayed healthy.
When my son was born, he received both the HBIG shot and the hepatitis B vaccine right after birth. Today, he is hepatitis B free, and so is my husband. After fifteen years of treatment and care, I’m considered functionally cured. What once felt like a death sentence turned out to be a journey of resilience and empowerment. I’ve learned that with consistent medication, a clean diet, and an active lifestyle, I’ve completed marathons and even a couple of Half Ironman, you can live a long, healthy, and joyful life.
Most importantly, this journey taught me that hepatitis B does not spread through casual contact. You can live openly, connect with others, and still be your healthiest self.
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Dear @Aeon96 and @0r394n0, thank you so much for sharing your stories and welcome to the forum. I hope you’re going OK. Please keep us up to date about how you’re going on your journey.
Thomas
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Hello and welcome, thank you for creating this community, it truly has helped me understand the scale of hep b,
about myself im a 33 year old male from the MENA region, i did bloodwork’s last week with the usual std checks and noticed i haven’t checked for Hep b since last april, and as you might expect it came back positive, here are my results:
ALT 32 U/L
AST 24 U/L
ALP 84 U/L
Total serum Bilirubin 1.3 mg/dl
Direct Bilirubin 0.186 mg/dl
Indirect Bilirubin 1.11 mg/dl
HBsAg 15.41 COI ( >1 = Positive)
the last check up i did for hep b was in april last year and it came back negative, so #1 i have no idea when i contacted it, because i only had two sexual partners during that period and both tested back as negative and are vaccinated, #2 i’d like to believe i am in the acute phase and im part of the 90%-95% of individuals who reach a ‘functional’ cure.
i have told my close family and friends and people who i interact with, for some reason everyone is vaccinated except myself, and i received the usual stigmatizing response as anyone but i will deal with that later.
i went to my doctor to do more tests and i did an ultra sound for the liver, which came back to be have mild enlargement CC measured at 16.9 cm , normal outline & texture, normal Parenchymal echogenicity , hepato-renal index at 0.99, no fatty liver changes, no focal lesion, portal vein is of normal diameter
and did a pcr test to measure viral load for Hep b&c incase for cross infection (my std panel showed negative, HIV, and HCV)
i browsed the forum and got plenty of answers (thank you all) but would still want to learn more, assuming (hoping) im in the acute phase:
#1 is the 90%-95% ‘functional cure’ thing real? because my doctor said there was no such thing as acute/chronic hep b, all hep b is chronic and you have to medicate it for the rest of your life, because from what i read after the 6 month markup (which i still don’t know the exposure date) i was hoping i would get rid of the virus and only do 3 months check ups to see if i need an intervention
#2 in terms of lifestyle changes, i already don’t drink much and cut that out completely, reducing my smoking and with the current plan i should cut out cigarettes in a week, my diet is now whole grains, chicken and fish all cooked without oil in a pressure cooker, green juices, turmeric, ginger, my main concern is with working out, my doctor advised that i cut out the gym completely aside from cardio, i have some muscles and i don’t mind cutting back a bit but not entirely, is it true i can’t workout any longer
#3 i take supplements in terms of multivitamins, b complex, d3-k2, magnesium, pro biotics, omega 3-6-9, milk thistle, and now the doctor advised i take another ‘forte’ milk thistle supplement, i cut out protein powder and creatine, is that ok or are protein powder and creatine not harmful for the liver?
#4 as i said i do not know the exposure date and im not sure if im the first or final stages of the hopefully ‘acute’ phase, i haven’t experienced major side effects aside from fatigue, but i already have a cold so i hope it’s that, but i want to do anything possible to avoid or prevent jaundice, as i can’t cope with the stigma of it, are there any ways to help with that?
#5 i am currently taking ozempic, 0.5 every two weeks, i know it doesn’t work on the liver, but i just want to be safe, my concern for cutting it out, is that im afraid i will have blood sugar spikes that will affect recovery, is that reasonable?
#6 in terms of antivirals, i know they do not work on the acute phase (again i don’t know if im in this phase) but is it possible to take just to help even a little bit?
#7 in terms of future tests, i see people posted to do tests every 3 months, and at the same time seeing fluctuations in liver functions happen over the course of a week, is it reasonable to keep doing the tests every week or two weeks?
thank you for going through this reply, this community truly is a godsend : )
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Hi @Daylen,
Welcome to the forum. Apologies for being a bit slow with the response, I have been travelling and dealing with some personal issues. Thank you for sharing your story and kind words about our community. I’ll try to answer your questions as best as I can:
There is definitely acute infections that are distinct from chronic infections. Indeed, as you mention correctly, ~90% of people exposed to hep B as adults end up clearing the infection within 6 months.
I am not aware of any data showing that working out is bad for your health or clearing hep B. Indeed, I (and many others on the forum with hepatitis B) work out regularly with no issue.
This has been mentioned in other parts of the forum (e.g., Working out, daily protein intake and HepB and Lifestyle changes, nutrition, and supplements for hep b - #17 by NeptuneJ). Essentially there’s no good data that it will help, and supplements in general are not regulated (so there’s no telling what’s actually in them).
The best approach is to maintain monitoring as mentioned by your health professional (even better, someone with more experience with hepatitis B management).
I am not aware of any studies around ozempic and hepatitis B, so I don’t think this is knowable at the moment.
There is data showing that antiviral treatments doesn’t help clearance during an acute infection, though they would be recommended if your ALTs were spiking.
This is something you would have to discuss with your health professional.
Hope this helps,
Thomas
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