Thursday, July 21, 2005

Biopsy Results & Ramifications

Cathy & I snuck a peek at her biopsy results at Kaiser while I got my blood test the other day, and then she got a call from the physcian yesterday confirming what we saw.

Cathy's Condition
Basically, Cathy has the Hepatitis C virus but it has caused very little scarring of the liver. There is some swelling on her liver, but it is mild. The concerns over a possibly fatty liver are minimal; Cathy will remain on a no-fat diet with limited protein (meat, cheese), but she is quite happy as a vegetarian so it is no burden..

In medical terms, Cathy has stage 1 fibrosis (range is stage 0 to 4), grade 1~2.

Some Ramifications
  • First, even if treatment completely fails to cure her, Cathy should still be able to live little out her regularly scheduled lifespan.
  • Second, Cathy had previously decided to pursue treatment if the Hep C was in the earlier stages, so she'll be getting shots of Pegasys and Copegas every week.
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  • Third, in order to take interferon, Kaiser Permamente requires women to have two forms of birth control. So that means Cathy is going to have to go back on the pill, and I'll be getting my vasectomy done. I recall Derrick's experience, so I'm planning a long weekend for that. I will begin by askign KP to check if I'm already sterile; odd, but at this point I would consider that a blessing!
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So that should catch everybody up. Cathy is still getting tired easily, and the interferon is supposed to counteract that, so she is looking forward to starting treatment. You continued prayers in that regard are eagerly sought. Thank you!

1 comment:

  1. Being able to live out a "regularly scheduled lifespan" is always good to hear. :o) (Lee, your terminology never fails to make me smile. Thanks, friend!) I'm glad to hear Cathy's condition is not too severe. I like her and am glad she's gonna stick around longer. ;o) Good luck with the V-word. We'll continue to uphold you both in prayer.

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