What can the doctors do to treat my RA when Hep B has been reactivited?
I'm very scared about the liver issues but waiting on my Liver number s to go down (and they are olny going up) while I'm taking Entecavir. Will my numbers eventually go down?
Hi,
. I am sorry you are dealing with Hep B and RA at the same time. Have you discussed this with your doctor? I can't give you any medical advice, for your safety and honestly, I don't know enough to even say whether or not your liver numbers will go down. And, since some of the meds used to treat RA symptoms can affect the liver, it may be tricky to find a treatment that you can continue when your liver numbers are elevated.
I hope you are able to get some definitive answers and some possible treatment options!
Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.Thank you. I have a Rheumatologist and a Liver doctor at this time. They are treating me for the Hep and said that it may take a while for the numbers to turn around.. All of this happened when I began taking Cimzia and Methotrexate combo. I guess I was hoping to hear of some agic drug and cure all to make this end well. They even talked about Autoimmune Hepatitis where the body attacks the Liver. That was frightening to say the least. They gave me some type of injection that has been working to ease pain for the last week and a half. Hope I can continue to get them. I'm just praying that I can get through this. , thank you for sharing this information. I'm not too proud to admit that I do not know very much about the situation you are in. I feel I have learned some new (to me), important information from reading your comments. I *have* heard of autoimmune hepatitis and I do hope you avoid developing that condition -- you're dealing with enough already!
It sounds like you have a good medical team working with you to get things under control and I am glad the injection has brought you some easing in the pain.
Hang in there and I promise, if I ever learn of a magic pill that fixes one's liver (or better yet, a full cure for RA!), I will shout it from the rooftops and share it here until every member knows about it. We can keep hoping, right?
I am sending you all the strength and endurance vibes to weather this season of your life.
Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.
Thank you Erin. It’s touching to have someone say such kind words. I’m a fighter so I will keep fighting until I don’t need to.
, you are quite welcome! The people I have met in this community are some of the toughest people I have ever known. You can do this (even on those days when you feel like you most certainly can't do this).
Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member.
Hey Tamara I just want to add after thirty years of RA and cancer caused by the RA (they think) I certainly know what it’s like to fight the numbers and when you are in the thick of things it always feels like it’s never going to get better, at least for me, and then I get those thoughts like “what if I have to live like this forever?” Well, I’m happy to say that, at least in my case, that has never happened, it always seems to come back to normal, or “normal,” at least. Hanging in there is the toughest part of this illness, and sometimes you have to hang in for a while but as Erin said just remember you are not alone!! Keep on keepin’ on, DPM
Thank you Daniel. I sure appreciate the support!
