Hi Babson, welcome to the hepbcommunity.org! So glad you found us. I echo what Thomas just wrote. But want to add a stronger word of caution against trying alternative remedies like camel urine and “black seeds” (not sure what this refers to). Please know that there are many unethical people out trying to make a quick dollar on people like us who are eager to “cure” ourselves of hep b. As Thomas already wrote (and he’s a highly trained scientist with a PhD who specialized in researching hepatitis B), there are no approved herbal remedies to cure hep b … and many alternative treatments out there are fake medicine and could actually do worse damage.
The best thing you can do is to find a knowledgeable health care provider who truly understands hep b and how to monitor your liver health for maximum health and longevity. And keep asking questions on this forum to benefit from the collective wisdom of everyone participating. Always, Joan
Do not play with your medication because you can become resistant to the drugs. There are only a few drugs that will stop the virus damaging your liver. I have been on medication for years and read other’s stories. There is no side effects with this medication. Please go back to doctor. Your liver could be getting worse.
Can you please describe a little more you situation ? From your message I understand that initially you diagnosed with HEP B and after some months the virus couldn’t be detected any more? I am right ? And after one year some symptoms started again ?
My doctor says to me that the liver desnt make pain, it is more bowel pain. Personally i have a pain in my belly at the right side more than 2 week now.
P.
Does anybody know if the pain at the right side of the belly is a common symptom for Hepatitis ? In my case this pain is quite aggressive and doesn’t go away . If I run or push myself it is getting bigger , i understand that there must be some inflammation .
From the bibliography and from what my Doctor says it is rare to have pain at this early stage and generally to chronic Hep B. The truth is that this pain has started to affect me physiologically anymore, it insist 1 month now.
As somebody mentioned in the forum even the Specialists doctors they don’t know well this disease and how to advise the patient .
Hi @Panos, from your previous messages, it looks like you had a potential exposure 2 months ago. This is about the time that symptoms start showing up and abdominal pain can be one of them. I would be inclined to get a liver function test and/or ultrasound for it to confirm it really is liver inflammation.
You may also look at different causes as well. For example, I understand this is a stressful time for you and this can also lead to digestion and stomach problems. This is not to say “it is all in your head”; these are real symptoms if they are interfering with your life. It is worth getting these other options checked out, not just assuming it is due directly to the Hep B.
I have already met 2 expert hepatologist and they both tried to lead my way of thinking to this direction you mentioned, that there may be also some other reasons I have this pain. What irritates me is that they don’t know how to advise a patient who has HEP B, it is like they don’t know what are the symptoms and what the patient has to expect.
Personally I feel strongly that all of my symptoms are related to Hepatitis and yes I still have light problems in my stomach and bowel and I feel a little dizzy. I know that it may be a little early for these first two months I am facing HEP B, but it is really difficult to control the mind.
What I wanted to know from other people in this Forum who have acute or chronic Hypatitis for many years, is the way the symptoms are progressing in time . They have constant pain and symptoms ? or symptoms that are coming and going or maybe no symptoms at all ? Because I think the most important from now-on is the quality of life, a life with continuous pain in the liver is hard.
Finally, I am not sure if the exercises I am doing now really helps me. Walking and very light running is ok . If I make stretching exercises or If I play a few minutes basketball the pain increase really a lot at the end of the day.
P.
I myself have chronic Hep B and I do not feel any symptoms from the infection at all. I want to reassure you that people with chronic hep B are not in chronic pain at all. Most of us are able to live completely normal lives.
If it is an acute infection, you may feel some aching in the abdomen while your body fights the virus, but this is temporary and will pass. There are other patients that have flu-like symptoms or nausea, or other symptoms: we all fight and feel disease differently. This might be why your doctors seem like they can’t tell you what exactly to expect; it’s because they are not sure either because everyone is different.
If it hurts when you’re exercising (not a good type of hurt from a good workout), it’s better to scale back and listen to your body during this time. Be kind to yourself while you’re going through this tough time and let your body heal.
@MarkDouglas is a infectious disease physician and has seen a lot of Hep B cases (acute and chronic). Perhaps he can provide some experiences of patients in your situation.
Thank you Tomas for your advises
The most important in this Forum is that we have somebody to talk , experianced people like you .
I will appreciate if Mark Douglas has something to inform me.
I checked already the advises he gave in another member with acute HEP.
P.
Hello everyone
I’m Jane, from Nigeria. I’m a medical doctor
I remember being diagnosed with hepatitis B when I was a child, can’t remember my age but I remember my mum praying over my head then and making me special dishes. I didn’t know i’ld live with it my whole life till about 15years ago I decided to retest and found I’m a chronic hepatitis b carrier. I’ve been on my medication (tenofovir) ever since. I can’t talk about my condition with my colleagues because I’ve seen how most of them treat those with Hepatitis b. I’m grateful for this platform because I get to express myself without holding back. I keep praying to God for a cure because it’s not easy taking drugs everyday.
I’m a scientist actively working on HBV cure development. There is a world-wide, extremely vigorous scientific effort to develop curative therapies for HBV patients. Many thousands of scientists spanning the globe are attacking the virus from every angle we can think of. For example, my lab has collaborators spread from Moscow Russia all the way to Shandong P.R. China. Really good progress is being made, and the research community is optimistic that major improvements to HBV therapies will arrive. It is impossible to predict the pace of scientific advances, but my personal opinion is that the next generation of therapies will start becoming available in a few years and curative combinations will be identified within a decade. That is lightning fast for drug development, but I really am optimistic!
John, thank you for your optimism!! As someone living with hep b, it is very gratifying to know that you as one of the leaders in the HBV research world believes that a cure - albeit a “functional cure” - will be available probably in the next 5-10 years. Although we would all love to know that we could have a complete cure (no cccDNA), I would still accept not having to take daily medications and knowing that my risk of liver cancer was significantly reduced. As we learned with Covid-19, when the U.S. government prioritizes a disease and throws billions of dollars at addressing it, then miracles do happen. Really wish we could hep b to attract the same kind of urgency and funding!! The Hepatitis B Foundation has been working on this for 30 years, but it’s an uphill battle with limited resources and champions. Therefore, your optimism is greatly needed!! Thanks again, Joan
HBsAg Screen: Confirmed “positive abnormal” from the blood bank results.
Hep B Core Ab, Igm: Negative
Hep B Surf Ab Quant: <3.1. (Low).
Hep B Core Ab, Tot: Positive Abnormal (reference range: negative)
I have not yet been advised to take medications. I see my gastroenterologist in June as a precautionary measure and for “peace of mind” (recent colonoscopy was fine) and I visit my primary next week. My primary noted that my past 2 years of blood work have been normal, including liver enzymes and tests for cancers and diabetes because I WAS obese 3 years ago.
Now I have new results, updates, and some questions.
New test results: HBV DNA RealTime Abbott
Hep B Quantitation: 320 IU/mL HBV log10: 2.505 log10 IU/mL
Are these numbers a positive sign? hopeful? concerning? dangerous?
Do these numbers help me to understand how long I have had the virus (e.g., 3 months, 1 year, 10 years, 25 years, since birth)? I am 52 and was diagnosed March 2021 by a blood bank donation.
Do these numbers help me to understand if I can transmit the virus?
Do these numbers provide any hope of one day being in that miraculous group where the infection can “spontaneously clear itself from the body” (FAQs about Hep B by Immunization Action Coalition, St. Paul, MN).
As a side note, for the past 2 years prior to diagnosis, I have been eating more healthy, exercising regularly, losing weight, and doing more mindful breathing exercises. I’ve never been a smoker nor do I consume “hard” alcohol and I might have a glass of sweet wine once every few months. But…
I have a history of high blood pressure (as do family) and I take medication for cholesterol and potassium. My grandfather died of prostate cancer and grandmother died, I believe, from liver cancer. I am not sure of all the illnesses my parents had before they died.
As always, thank you for patience, listening, and sharing.
Hello everyone ,
I’m Kevin , 25yr old
I was diagnosed wit hbv in 2019 when i donated blood. I rushed to a heptalogist and was advised to wait for 6 months and repeat tests. I still tested positive after 6 months.
My LFTs have been normal even though i have a viral load of 29000 IU/ml. and HbeAg negative.
The doctor did not recommend any treatment and has asked to monitor and do test every 6-8 months.
how long before i need to start antivirals or any treatment?
Welcome Kevin to the Hep B Survivors Group! You are fortunate to know early at 25 years. I just found out at 52 this past March after donating blood. Part of me wishes I never gave the blood. But that would have been endangering my own life and the life of others, so I am glad to know this information now. I am just really at a loss for how I got it which is enormously stressful and that stress is causing other problems of course (mostly in the belly and mental exhaustion).
This Forum has been incredibly helpful and I am very grateful for Thomas, Joan, others, and the Hep B Foundation.
I encourage you to stay engaged in this forum. I use this forum along with medical visits to put everything in context for my own mental health.
Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your story. You’re doing the right thing by having a specialist and maintaining monitoring.
More information is probably required to find out if you’re going to need treatment or not. This should include a fibroscan and/or an ultrasound to see if you have past liver damage. This and the long term trends of your lab results go into making the decisions on whether to start treatment.
There are also other things to consider like if you’re going to be willing/able to take a pill a day from now on (or until a cure is discovered). This is a discussion between you and your specialist.
I am Christian, one of the many Hepa B - stricken adults. I currently live in Southeast Asia and have been living with the virus for almost two decades already (just turned 25 years old this May).
I just want to share here my experience recently regarding one of the biggest restrictions my illness imposed upon me. Also hoping if I can seek any advice to anyone here in the community that may have the similar experience on the below and overcame it (or found a way around it).
So I got a job opportunity to work abroad, specifically in Malta (Europe) in the field of audit. This comes as a rare opportunity since many firms and companies are wary to hire expats instead of locally, so I took it. Unfortunately, on the last step of the hiring process, I got denied by my local clinic here in my country a medical clearance due to the illness, saying that Europe does not allow hepa-b carriers to work there (How true is this?). They advised me to seek a waiver from my employer (in Malta) stating that they still employ me despite the illness. Unfortunately again, they denied me a waiver and just wished me luck on my future endeavors. I was heartbroken as I have spent relatively large funds of my savings and time and effort but to no avail. I understand that they (employer in Malta) may be wary of any health risks regarding my illness, but on my case, it is not as easily communicable versus COVID-19. And I also take maintenance and taking care of my health as well to lessen or minimize the effects of my illness.
I am on the course of accepting the above situation, but I am still holding on to my dream of working abroad, as my family is not that well-off and I wanted to provide more to them, and my salary here in my own country is not enough. If anyone here has the same experience and overcame this, I would really appreciate your advice on this matter.
Thank you everyone, and hoping that we can be cured of this virus in the future.
Christian