new to site - chronic hep B - worried

I have had hep b chronic stage from 2012, as well as other health issues, for along time it has been like a bad dream, i am dealing with it, theres a chance i have goten my hep b from a earlyer apindix operation in that same year, i was told i have it,via a blood test my doc ordered,Forgive,,,but one of my concerns is will i be able to have sex again? I am greatly concerned about infecting someone else,i guess something i have to deal with,,,is any others that have this going thur same issues,i know we have bigger fish to fry, over sex, but it is a concern, most recent blood testing for viral load my doctor ordered was 9.8 million, and only 6 to 8 mos ago it was only 12,000,i am on pills baraclude ,it is not working to well, thx

Post Edited By Moderator (MamaLama) : 4/22/2014 3:54:43 PM (GMT-6)

Hello and thank you for reply, yes i understand there is a vac. for hepb,i was not told that by any doctor to get one, I was a bit naive about hep,until i was told i have it, from a blood test 5 to 6 mos. after the removal of my apindix, in may 5th of 2012. Theres a chance i even got it from the hospital, im trying to get ssdi,since i have other medical issues also, and in the records all the alt/ast, ect were normal,a blood test was even taken in the ER room before the operation, and that blood work was normal as well, then 5 to 6 mos, down the rode im told i have it,, And it was acute, my body did not get rid of it in the 6 mos, or so, time window, so now im a chronic/carrier,and the viral load in my blood has been going up, even with the antiviral meds( Baraclude)One of my doctors( an NP) is resarching it and consulting with a group of Hepatologist to see what other meds or to raise what i am taking now, my normal GI liver speclist is not to pro active on this, and i had no bioseys, i have had 2 ultrasounds,and tons of bloodworks, that has showed enlarged and fatty liver, my most recent blood work my NP. ordered for viral count showed 9.8 million, 3 mos,before the it was 4.6 million, and before that it was 12,000, so the meds have now is not doing job.

Dear devasted,i take baraclude on empty stomach, however it seems to not have been doing its job,as per doctors ordered blood test,my viral load has gotten very high according to him,9.8 million,I have been on baraclude almost 2 years, I do see a specialist for the hep b,,, for 2 years, however he seems not to be doing much, just montioring it,even though last visit he said if it stays at the 4.6 viral load it was at that time, or shoots up, he will up the meds,,or change them,and they ae making my appt, so far between now a days,,6 to 8 months between them, and i try to conntact,muti times no reply, sent fax to his clinic, showing the high viral load,no reply!

My GP, well hes a NP. has took it about him self to consult with a group of hepotogist, for a proper med to combat viral load,no answer yet on his findings,,,i do aggre on having specialist for this,,,but for some reason i am unable to get thur to his clinic, or a reply even,,, my GP has tried as well,to no avail,

Thank you mama, my ins. is limited now,, med cal/alameda alliance,,,since im in livermore ca,,45 mi east of san fran, and right now its only covered if refered by PCP. My PCP is only nurse practationer, but he seems to be more pro active on my case, lol,then my specalist is at this point, hes consulting with group of hepotology out of CO.I have not yet heard from him,outside of wanting my med records from the liver clinic im going to,so im sure it will take awhile,he is in my home town, so its easy enough to see him.

PS, Hep B is transmitted like Hep C, it is blood born, but more easy to transmit sexually than Hep C.

HOWEVER, hear is my history: I have been intimate partners with Mike for over 40 years and have not contracted his Hep C.

We did not use condoms, but we did take great care with personal contact...didn't share straws, glasses, toothbrushes, soap, shavers, washclothes. I have medical gloves I use to help him with bleeding injuries. . We kiss and are intimate in every way.

Ok, now I'll be still.

ML

Hi bikeguy.
Welcome to the forum. My mother has Hepatitis B. She most likely got it when she was a little girl being vaccinated in her country. In those years, unfortunately, they used one needle to vaccinate multiple children. She was under the care of an amazing GI doctor who specialized in liver disease. At the same time she was listed at a transplant center, who followed her every 3-6 months. For many years she was stable and had a low meld score.However slowly her liver became more and more cirrohitic (spelled wrong). Her GI doctor gave her different medications that actually put the Hepatitis B into a " dormant" state however, by that time the damage to the liver from the Hepatitis B was already done. Her GI dr along w the transplant team would scan my mother twice a year by either MRI or CT scan with contrast... And in between scans she would have an ultrasound. Then, it was discovered that my mother had HCC ( hepatocellular carcinoma)...her Meld score jumped up due to exception points. Last year, my mother was blessed with a donor liver. It has been a very bumpy road, some days good other days a challenge, but we are extremely thankful.
Make sure that you advocate for yourself... Ask for frequent blood tests and frequent scans. I don't think you can get vaccinated for Hep B once you have the virus, but ask your doctor. Good luck and please let me know if you have any questions. I am trying to put my baby to sleep now so therefore I am not able to type to much, but I will log back on later this evening.

Post Edited (Worried daughter2) : 4/22/2014 7:27:29 PM (GMT-6)

Sorry to hear you are going through this, and the meds are not working. I find it odd that your viral load is increasing while on meds. My viral loads has spiked up to 18,000,000 (which is something like 110 million copies) when it started at 276,000 when first detected. It wasn't supposed to replicate but it did for some reason. At first, it looked like I was just a healthy carrier of the virus and that my body had it at some point and cleared it, but turns out I am active.

At this point, I too, am a chronic Hep B carrier. I somehow contracted it last year (I suspect July at my dentist's office) and it never went away. While I'm thankful for my GP and GI for finding it on the blood tests, I'm a little upset they didn't take a proactive approach on it and send me to a Hep specialist. I can't even begin to tell you the symptoms I had with this... they aren't normal Hep B symptoms but I know it's what is causing all my issues.

I ended up going to a Hep specialist myself, without my doctor's consent and knowledge (GI swore I'd clear this in a year, I felt like a year was too long). I was fortunate enough to find one literally 5 minutes from my house on the Hep B org site http://www.hepb.org under the liver specialists directory. He actually has me on a clinical trial, and I start taking the meds TOMORROW (both nervous and excited for this). It's basically Viread (aka Tenofovir) but a new form of it that reduces the side effects. I'm actually hoping I get NO side effects heh

I suggest you check the site out and see if you can find one closer to you as well. I doesn't hurt for those opinions. Best of luck to you!