There where the problems lies now for me here in liberia there is no good medical care and healthcare providers avialible only a Ghanian hospital called Jemale that foreign Doctors. To see one of them that 120USD equivent in our currency (23,400 LD) excluding the tests and medications.The HBv DNA and viral load test cost 400 USD that is (78,000LD)
It’s not possible for me to aford that money here.
Im finish
There is a very high rate of this virus here in some part of Africa exprecially Liberia due to lack of good knowledge and good medical monitoring.
Please i need you all here the most for advice. I still continue to feel pain this time around my ribs and is like not inside my stomach.
I feel pain over my ribs even when im touching or rebbing my hand on it. One rib just after the breast and my back.
Is the same pain you experincing. Please tell me how your own can be?
I am very sorry if i am going agaisnt the rules that govrn this community. I will highly appreciate anyone who will help me fianncially
I will highly appreciate it if anyone here know someone knowledgeable that could really tell me my exact problems.
Again im sorry if i hurt anyone or rules
I love you all and your comments
Firstly, open and honest dialogue from patients is the reason why this forum exists. We encourage this kind of communication. I am very sorry for your difficulties.
Secondly, you are not finished! Please do not give up!
It is clear that it will be very difficult for you to get access to a HBV DNA test. So without this information, we know at least that you have an ongoing HBV infection (of unknown severity) accompanied by pain which is consistent with liver inflammation.
While it would preferable to understand if something else was causing these symptoms, you should accept to start antiviral therapy if you can get a physician to review your case and provide you with a prescription. These medications are quite safe.
Thank you for sharing your story, it is a common one and indeed one of the important areas that are being discussed (though maybe not enough) in the field: what should we do when the tests are not accessible, but the drugs are.
There is some discussion as to whether other tests (such as ALT and HBeAg) are sufficient in these cases or not.
I can start the treatment for six months and see if these symtoms will stop? Although i was positive for H. Pylori, will taking this drugs not cause it worse?
For my treatment,the doctor precrib the lamivudine combine with tenoforvir. It is good to take these drugs combined?
hello my friend. I read your comments and would like to know what your pain is like.
I also feel a pain in the right hypochondrium that feels like a burning sensation. this pain extends to the ribs and back.
I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy which showed that everything was in order. Even so, my doctor is not convinced that this pain is caused by the inflammatory process of hepatitis B.
on Friday (finally!) I will do a liver biopsy and. Depending on the result, I will start my treatment.
If you have a prescription for tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), you do not need to take lamivudine as well. When used alone, TDF is very effective from controlling HBV infection. Lamivudine is an older generation of medication that the viral infection becomes resistant to in ~30% of patients. It is no longer the accepted first line medication for the treatment of HBV infection. These first line medications are entecavir (ETV) and TDF. Resistance to these later generation medications is rare.
These medications are not known to impact H. Pylori.
It like not at a specific area on my body. It is right under my breast bornes. Close to the breast on the right hand side toword my back. Sometime i feel it like veins over my rib bornes . Someone was thinking that my pain was from cuase of stomach acids so i started taking maalox syrups an H2 blocker. But it persist or continue instead of improving. It worries my this time that this pain is cause from my HBV but it again confusing. The pain is not blw the belly and the breast born. There is not hardness in my belly. Before, i was feeling little pain and dark urine the frist time i when for the test. The doctor advice not to take any treatment after the screening but to drink moore water, eat plenty vegetables, that was done but by that time i was not having much knowledge about this virus.
Now i am not having dark urine, no yellowness of eyes. My problem is PAIN.
This can’t be from H.Pylori because i have taken all ɖhe prescribed treatment for H.pylori.
I can’t go back to the first hospital because too expensive.
The next hospital i when thus time round prescribed treatment but the said Lamivudine tablets combined with tenoforvir.
Lamividine $20USD for one button
Tenoforvir $15 USD
I wanted to comfirm this to another hospital here that can.do trratment for FREE if they found out that yoy need it. They PA order for test called CBC,creatinine,ALT and AST. $110USD. I left because what i was having was little. They encourage me to go back if i have it and after these tests are run, they will determine if im qualify for treatment which they will be administering for FREE.
I hope i will be there soon.
Thanks all for your concerns and love shown. I love you all tooo
As far as I can tell, maalox syrups and H2 blockers only address the acid part of the issue, but do not affect the actual underlying cause (the bacteria) and injury (the ulcer). If you do think it is stomach ulcers, it is best to get the appropriate diagnosis from your doctor and get the effective treatment for the condition.
Re: the Liberia National Hepatitis Foundation: you are right that they don’t seem to have an active website, but I think they do have a facebook group.
good morning! the result of my liver biopsy was concluded to be compatible with secondary chronicity
of hepatitis B infection, little liver damage (METAVIR A1F1).
As for the removal procedure, I received anesthesia and didn’t see or feel anything. It was very quick and I received a needle puncture below the rib to remove the 4 fragments.
My only doubt is whether Agent D would be detectable in this biopsy. Or do I still need to take a blood test for HDC?
The biopsy will not necessarily show whether you have HDV, unless very specialised tests are used. Instead, the best way to determine this is to get the blood test (anti-HDV immunoglobulin G test and, if positive, confirmation through a HDV RNA test).
I would like to share the results of my latest exams:
HBV DNA
31.07.2023
784.61 IU/mL
2,89 Log/mL
06.01.2024
20.586,92 IU/mL
4,31 Log/mL
22.03.2024
6.368,03 IU/mL
3,80 Log/mL
The result of my liver biopsy, as I said previously, was mild inflammation and fibrosis. A1F1. She also showed that I have signs of steatosis with the finding of balloon-shaped mallory-denk bodies.
My ferritin is a little above average. 300~400. Transferrin saturation is normal. In this regard, another finding of homozygosity in h63d is added.
I would like to know if this fluctuation in HBV DNA is normal in this short period of time. Could this fluctuation be due to my type of virus? hbeag negative (mutant virus)
And I would also like to know if the negative HDV igg result already eliminates the possibility of having the D virus? I’m still waiting for the IGM result. Or should I also take the HDV DNA test?
An important detail is that I still do not use any medication at the moment
Hello @NAS,
Welcome to the community. Your surface antigen quantitative is greater than 100 which is not bad given that some patients have it in the 10,000 and above. This also shows that you do have hepatitis B because your number is greater than or equal to 2.0. The test for hepatitis C shows that you do not have immunity/protection against hepatitis C. Nothing to worry about that. Most people will have that results. I hope this is helpful. Bansah1
Hi @La.sciamachie,
Great question. True, your test shows a fluctuation in your HBV DNA. Its been up by much since 31/07/2023. Since you are not on any treatment, my guess will be that this fluctuation could be flare ups or inflammation caused by the virus. Have you had a conversation with your provider about this and maybe possibly starting treatment? There might be a possibility of damage being done to your liver due to these fluctuations. With the HDV sometimes providers will check once in a while if your results have been negative consistently in the past. I hope this is helpful. Bansah1
Note: Thomas and other will share their perspective(s) soon.
Hi @Nas,
Your story is not different at all. Most HBV patients share same or similar stories. Your experience is very common if you will believe it. Some of us also found out accidentally.
About treatment, it will depend on your HBV DNA (Viral load), ALT and AST. If they are high consistently, then you might be considered a candidate for treatment.
Yes, the virus can stay dormant for decades without showing any symptoms. I first found out about my status 10 years ago when I was trying to find what was causing my chronic fatigue. I was in my early 30,s. Without that screening, I probably wouldn’t have found out. That is why we advice people to get tested. Because while one doesn’t show any symptoms, their liver might not be so lucky.
Yes, fluctuations have been reported in these phases of HBV infection. If your ALTs are above upper limit normal, you would be considered for treatment under current guidelines.
HDV IgG and IgM negativity is a very good sign that you have not been exposed to HDV and therefore the HDV RNA test would very likely be negative too.
here in liberia there is no good medical care and healthcare providers avialible only a Ghanian hospital called Jemale that foreign Doctors. To see one of them that 120USD equivent in our currency (23,400 LD) excluding the tests and medications.The HBv DNA and viral load test cost 400 USD that is (78,000LD)
