Cingles Info

Hey I have heard of SVR(sustained viral response) people doing very
good with minimal problems,once they lose their hepc baggage!~~~~~~TC

Contact:
Rachel Otto
Phone: 314.977.8018
ottorl@...
May 5, 2006
Stopping a Killer Disease in its Tracks: Free Hepatitis B Screenings Offered
Saturday
ST. LOUIS - Why are so many young people dying of a preventable disease?
Unlike hepatitis C, there's an effective vaccine for hepatitis B, and most
American women during pregnancy are screened for it and other diseases that can
pass from mother to child. But many young Chinese-American women, as well as
those hailing from Vietnam and parts of Africa - plus native American women who
lack healthcare - simply don't know about the vaccine.
"Hepatitis B kills people in their prime of their lives - in their 30s, 40s and
50s," says Adrian Di Bisceglie, M.D., a SLUCare hepatologist. "What makes it
even more devastating is that there are mild, non-specific symptoms -- or
sometimes no symptoms at all."
Di Bisceglie and other doctors will provide free hepatitis B screenings at the
2006 St. Louis Chinese & Asian Health Fair 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 6 at
Immanuel Lutheran Church, 8733 Olive Blvd.
Non-Asians are encouraged to undergo the free screenings, Di Bisceglie says,
because it's a disease that affects people of all races and ethnicities.
Other free screenings offered are blood pressure, vision, glaucoma, heart and
lung disease and lead poisoning in children. Sessions offered at the free event
include geriatric medicine, Asian medicine and acupuncture, heart disease and
risk factors and health insurance issues.
For more information, call the St. Louis Christian Chinese Community Service
Center at (314) 989-1220.
SLUCare is the physician practice of Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Doctors can be reached by calling (314) 977-4440 or 1 (866) 977-4440. More
information is available at www.slucare.edu
http://www.slu.edu/readstory/more/6895

Hepatitis C's Movement for Awareness New Letter
w/ new "March on DC" date for 2003
http://hcvets.com/forum_public/hma/disc.htm

52 clinic patients test positive for hepatitis exposure
2002-09-28
By Jim Killackey
The Oklahoman
NORMAN -- Fifty-two people treated at a Norman Regional Hospital pain clinic
have tested positive for the hepatitis C virus, administrator David Whitaker
said Friday.
The clinic is under investigation for reusing needles and syringes.
Whitaker said patients will receive free medical treatment from a panel of
"leading hepatitis experts in the nation." The physicians will come from
Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Of the 52 patients, "many may already have cleared the virus from their bodies
... through the natural functioning of their own immune system," Whitaker said.
At least half of the patients "will remain chronically infected" for years to
come, state epidemiologist Dr. Michael Crutcher said Friday. Most will need
further medical evaluations, he said.
In a statement released Friday, Norman Regional officials described the 52
patients as "showing evidence of exposure at some time to the hepatitis C
virus." Testing for the virus is being performed at the hospital and by
patients' own private physicians.
Crutcher said it can't be assumed that all 52 patients who tested positive for
hepatitis C, by producing antibodies to the disease, were infected at the
clinic. The disease can be in the body for years before a patient shows
symptoms, he said.
About 350 people were treated between Dec. 31, 2001, and Aug. 19 by
anesthesiologist Dr. Jerry W. Lewis and nurse anesthetist James C. Hill, who
assisted Lewis.
Hill told the state Health Department he reused needles and syringes on as many
as 25 patients a day while he was part of Lewis' pain-management team.
Hill told the Health Department he "discontinued this practice" after it was
reported to a hospital peer-review board.
In the pain-management procedures, Hill normally would deliver a short-lasting
anesthetic medication to sedate the patient through a heparin lock on a
patient's hand. Lewis then performed a "spinal block," a more extensive
pain-reducing technique.
It was from Hill's part in the process that hepatitis C could have been passed
from patient to patient with contaminated needles or syringes, according to the
Health Department.
Lewis and Hill also treated patients at Northwest Surgical Hospital, 9204 N May,
and the Oklahoma Center for Orthopedic and Multi-Speciality Surgery, 8100 S
Walker.
They are not now practicing at any of the three clinics.
Norman Regional Hospital's announcement Friday came as malpractice and
negligence lawsuits continue to be filed against the hospital, Lewis and Hill.
At least 11 people who have been told they tested positive have filed lawsuits,
and more lawsuits are anticipated, metro- area attorneys said Friday. One law
firm has filed a class-action lawsuit.
While Lewis has maintained he has done nothing wrong, Hill and his attorney have
been unavailable for comment despite numerous attempts to contact them.
Hepatitis C is the most serious of three hepatitis virus strains.
On Friday, Norman Regional Hospital officials announced a plan to provide
"state-of-the-art care at no cost."
The hospital also is offering to test people who received treatment from Lewis
and Hill at the two Oklahoma City clinics.
"Norman Regional Hospital's first priority is our patients. We want to make sure
that all patients with potential exposure to this virus are tested, notified of
the results and referred to further treatment if necessary," Whitaker said.
On Monday, the hospital will announce the composition of the panel of
specialists. Crutcher said Friday he won't be part of the panel but expects the
group to be made up of local gastrointestinal physicians and specialists in
liver functions.
http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=924419&pic=none&TP=getarticle

Nancy,
Not sure how to reply to this one! But hey, glad your getting that wonderful
since of humor back! LMAO..................Dana
Nancy wrote:IMHO....."Cure" = SVR = We have no freaking clue how long that can
be for
and it might not remain that way...and you're still gonna feel like shit a
lot...(at least that's what my "SVR +/- friends say)
But....that's just my opinion...and you know what those are like, right? :-)
Love,
Nancy

Dang John... you've got a good memory! It's the 4th.
Hope all is well with you!
Love,
Grace

Hi John,
Thanks for the support - I appreciate that.

HIV-Hep C combo 3x as deadly
Gus Cairns
www.guscairns.com
4 May, 2006
A study of people cared for under the US Veterans health system has concluded
that having both HIV and hepatitis C is three times more deadly than having
either infection alone.
The news is not all bad, however: another study found that a higher than
expected rate of spontaneous cure in people with chronic hepatitis C. And new
drugs to treat the infection producing increasingly promising results.
Dr Kyong Mi-Chang from the University of Pennsylvania did a study of 723
patients.
Approximately a third each of them had HIV and hep C, HIV alone, or hep C alone.
One good piece of news was that Dr Kyong did not detect a higher rate of
AIDS-related illness among coinfected people than in those with HIV alone.
However having both viruses was very detrimental to the health. People with hep
C alone were only 29% as likely to die over the three-year study as people with
both viruses, and people with HIV alone only 31% as likely.
One odd finding, which remains unexplained, was that white patients with HIV and
hepatitis C were twice as likely to die as black patients, and that their
average age at death was lower (46 versus 52).
About 15-30% of people who catch hepatitis C spontaneously clear the virus from
their bodies within the first few weeks of infection. But it was thought that
patients who fail to do this and get the chronic illness have it for life.
However a study of Alaskan natives - a population with a very high rate of
hepatitis C - found that another 8% spontaneously get rid of the virus during
the chronic phase of their illness - three times the rate previously estimated.
Research is underway to find out if there is something special about the genetic
makeup of Alaskans or whether the potential for spontaneous cure of hepatitis C
has been underestimated.
That still leaves a majority of people stuck with the virus, however, and the
recent conference of the European Association of the Study of the Liver (EASL)
in Vienna heard some promising results of new drugs for hep C that act in a
similar way to HIV drugs.
The new hep C drugs will not cure hep C in itself. They suppress the virus in
the same way that HIV drugs do but pegylated interferon (pegIFN) will still
probably need to be used with them to effect a cure.
However using the new drugs in combination with pegIFN may improve the current
cure rates, which for people with hep C and HIV stand at an unsatisfactory
25-45%.
The most interesting study was of a hep C protease inhibitor called VX-950.
Fourteen days of thrice-daily therapy with this drug in combination with pegIFN
was used as a 'kickstart' to therapy in a small trial of 8 patients with solo
hep C infection.
By the end of 14 days an average hep C viral load of 4.4 million had been
reduced to below 30 in six patients and below 10 in four.
The two drugs used together reduced the hepatitis C viral load by a factor of
300,000 and VX-950 used alone cut it by a factor of 10,000. In contrast using
pegIFN alone only cut viral load tenfold.
Interestingly 10 weeks after the patients stopped taking VX-950 the hep C viral
load in all eight patients was undetectable - so far, a 100% response rate.
Other kinds of hep C drugs are being developed, raising the possibility of hep C
combination antiviral therapy. One is valopicitabine, which inhibits another hep
C enzyme called polymerase.
In a study of 123 patients valopicitabine was used in a range of doses with
pegIFN either starting immediately or being brought in after the first week.
There was an unacceptable rate of side effects such as acute diarrhoea and
kidney problems with high doses of valopicitabine, and nearly a quarter of
patients taking 800mg dropped out of the study.
However the rate of side effects on the smallest dose (200mg) was much lower and
only 6% of patients dropped out. By 16 weeks into the study three-quarters of
patients had hep C viral loads lower than 600 and 62% lower than 20.
http://uk.gay.com/article/4624

LOL, Marcus, Teri referred me to you!!! ...................Dana
Teri Covert wrote:Hey Dana, A good person to talk to about this is Marcus, give
him a shout.
Love, Teri

Pam,
They are using the word Cure, is it cure or sustained? Do you know? Or how
long they waited after treatment to see if it came back.. And some took
Pegasys, without the Ribivarin, which seems to have the most side effects for
me. Curious about this? Is there more info somewhere else I can research. My
Silly GI has not even heard of Pegasys? ............Dana
PeachStatePam wrote:I had ALOT of trouble getting it to open too........ here
is what is says
for those that can't access it either :-)

Thanks Pam,
we finally get to have a local gig! ! !
i will be there for sure..... Long Beach oct 5th
hey! isn't that Gracies birthday? i know it's gotta be there
somewhere close ;-)
i'll get ya all an update on the concert.
love,
john

www.gogirlsmusicfest.com). Even if you can't make a gig, you can
forward this and/or "Print and Post" your cities flyer if you wish.
(That is the goal actually - to spread the word to others who are not
aware). Thanks!

Del,
Try a water pic, it will tighten your gums up. Bayla make sure he
gets a water pic.
Vickie (former dental assistant)

Nat'l Concert Tour for Hep C Awareness. (See www.gogirlsmusicfest.com). Even if
you can't make a gig, you can forward this and/or "Print and Post" your cities
flyer if you wish. (That is the goal actually - to spread the word to others
who are not aware). Thanks!
For Immediate Release!
"Get Hip To Hep C"
Saturday October 5 7pm-1am
@ DiPiazza's
Long Beach, CA
GoGirlsMusicFest.com and The American Liver Foundation are presenting "Get Hip
To Hep C," a series of concerts across the USA to raise awareness of Hepatitis
C.
Long Beach will host one of these concerts on October 5th at DiPiazza's. The
event starts at 7pm and will feature Wax Apples, Zoey's Trip, Tina Carson,
Boobie Trap, Shut Up Marie and Kelly's Lot, the National SpokesBand for The
American Liver Foundation. DiPiazza's is located at 5204 E. Los Altos Plaza Ave
in Long Beach, CA. Admission is $10 with proceeds benefiting the American Liver
Foundation.
Hepatitis C infects 1 in 50 American adults, is four times more prevalent than
HIV, and is the #1 reason for liver transplants in the U.S. Eighty-five percent
of those infected with Hepatitis C stay infected. Deaths from
the disease are projected to triple in the next 10-15 years. The American Liver
Foundation is in the forefront of hepatitis C Awareness.
GoGirlsMusic.com, the oldest online community of independent women artists, was
started in 1996 to promote women in music. The 3rd annual festival is dedicated
to hep C awareness because of the importance of getting the word out about this
disease.
For more information about the tour visit GoGirlsMusicFest.com
Los Angeles and Orange Countys
Media Contact
Judy Lynn or Kelly Z
GetHipToHepC@...
Or call (818)769-2701
~ 562-804-5625 ~
www.THEPRIMESPOT.com
"It's not a business, It's a Pleasure"
TPS = Talents ~ Products ~ Services = TPS
See KellysLot.com's "Get Hip to Hep C" Nat'l Tour in LB Oct 5!
Check out Second Saturday Artwalks in the EastVillageArtsDistrict.com!

MAN WHOEVER THIS MIKE DUDE IS HE IS A DICK BEYOND BELIEF, GUYS LIKE THAT YOU
JUST WANT TO WHOOP THAT ASS. DON'T EVEN HAVE TO WISH BAD UPON HIM APPERENTLY BAD
HAS ALREADY GOT HIM BY THE LITTLE BALLS HE HAS LEFT.........BOO FUCKING
HOOOOOOOO
MARSHA JO
PeachStatePam <figment@...
I don't know who this is...... and I haven't kept up at all with this
childishness...... this is the ONLY email digest I have seen in weeks........but
when someone wishes me an early painful death........someone who I have NEVER
interacted with or heard of at all or exhanged emails with.......you have my
permission to ban him. That is the rudest crappiest nastiest thing I have seen
on the internet in a long time. The whole lot of them can return to
hepatitiscsupportgroup (catchy name..... no support....... absentee owner and
moderator.......just the right place for them 700 members, 600 bouncing, and
no one talks but them) and here I NICELY answered a letter from one of them
that I thought was sincere..................
I have Hep Awareness Day in Florida on Thursday, In Atlanta on Sun and Monday,
running a non profit and FIVE live support groups............. I do NOT have
time or patience for childishness and idiocy........ please go and start your
OWN unmoderated group and talk about whatever you want! I have never banned
anyone but spammers before........ but this has just gone a bit too far!
The quote is "Pam hates me?" Who the hell are you? I don't even know you so
why would I have an opinion of you. A bit egotistical me thinks?
PEACE
P

Houston Conference Will Focus on Patients' Needs in Battling Hepatitis B and
C
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
HOUSTON (September 24, 2002)-Hepatitis magazine, a patient-oriented
magazine, will host its third annual conference Nov. 8-9, 2002 at the
Houston Marriott North at Greenspoint. Hepatitis Magazine Conference 2002,
sponsored by the American Liver Foundation, Texas Liver Coalition, Hepatitis
Support Association, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Schering-Plough and Inside
Houston magazine, has been developed to educate patients, family caregivers,
and (with continuing education hours offered) nurses, addiction counselors,
social workers and professional counselors.
"Our goal is to bring information to the hepatitis community-nurses,
patients, doctors, whoever needs it-because information is the key to making
informed decisions about a person's health care options," said Barbara
Veres, publisher of Hepatitis magazine.
Speakers for Hepatitis Magazine Conference 2002 will include speakers from
around the country-such as Houston's Dr. Joseph Galati of the Texas Liver
Institute and Alan Brownstein, CEO of the American Liver Foundation-and
around the world-such as Dr. Sandro Vento of the University of Verona in
Italy.
Topics covered at the conference will include Latest Hepatitis Treatments,
The Role of Exercise in Treatment, Antivirals and Mental Health, Health Care
Finances, Alternative Treatments, Side Effects Management, The Role of
Nutrition in Treatment, Living with Hepatitis C and Social Security Issues.
This will be the largest patient-oriented conference in the United States
this year dealing with this important disease.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates from
1996, there are about 4 million Americans with hepatitis C-the viral type
that poses the greatest health risk in this country-2.7 million of whom have
chronic hepatitis C. Those 2.7 million people each face a wide array of
health problems due to their disease. As their livers deteriorate over
time, hepatitis patients will feel a loss of energy, suffer from mental
health disorders, develop skin irritations, have their immune systems
attacked while their livers either develop cancer or careen down the road to
cirrhosis.
The best hope these people have is a drug combination-pegylated interferon
with ribavirin-so toxic that many cannot complete the one-year treatment due
to the debilitating side effects.
And that number-2.7 million chronically infected patients-is growing. When
the CDC made their estimates in 1996, they also estimated that there would
be 40,000 new cases each year, about 30,000 of which would become chronic
infections. By 2010, about 38,000 people will die each year from hepatitis
C. By comparison, 2001 estimates by the CDC show that there are roughly
470,000 people in the United States living with HIV/AIDS.
Hepatitis C is the No. 1 cause of liver transplants in the nation. One
recent report estimated that hepatitis C will cost the United States more
than $600 million each year in lost production and health care costs. In
fact, the average liver transplant alone costs upward of $250,000.
Registration includes two days of informative sessions, a full set of
conference materials, a tote bag, a T-shirt, Friday lunch and the Saturday
lunch banquet, refreshment breaks, and a one-year subscription to Hepatitis
magazine. The pre-registration fee is $95, and on-site registration is
$125.
"We try to make the conference affordable to anyone who wants to come-or
needs to come-and hear the latest in treatments, alternative care and
healthy living for the liver," Veres said.
Hepatitis magazine was introduced in August 1999 by Houston-based Quality
Publishing, Inc., as a bimonthly publication and has a paid and controlled
circulation of 20,000 per issue, with a bonus distribution of 5,000-10,000
each issue.
For more information about the conference or to request a complimentary
copy of the magazine, contact editorial assistant Fran Houle at (281)
272-2744 ext. 133, e-mail info@..., or write to Hepatitis
Magazine, 523 N. Sam Houston Parkway East, Suite 300, Houston, Texas 77060.
---------
Fran Houle
Editorial Assistant
Hepatitis Magazine
523 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. East, Suite 300
Houston, TX 77060
Ph:(281) 272-2744 x133
Fax:(281) 847-5440

Greenwell, 56, toured with Jefferson Airplane
By Carmina Danini
San Antonio Express-News
Web Posted : 09/19/2002 12:00 AM
Patrick Henry Greenwell, an advance man for Jefferson Airplane, one of the
most famous rock bands to emerge from San Francisco in the 1960s, died at
home Monday of liver failure. The 56-year-old San Antonio native suffered
from Hepatitis C and a weak heart, a family friend said.
A self-taught singer and musician, Greenwell was best known for composing
the title song for "The Great American Cowboy," a documentary feature made
for Walt Disney that won an Oscar in 1974.
After he graduated from Lee High School in 1964, Greenwell made his way to
San Francisco, center of the counter-culture movement.
Greenwell hooked up with a group of musicians that later become known as
Jefferson Airplane. The band, with Paul Kantner and Grace Slick, exploded on
the music scene in 1965, and when it made its first major
tour in 1967, Greenwell went along.
"Because he loved music and electronics and understood both very well, he
was a good technical guy," said his brother, Michael Joseph Greenwell of San
Antonio.
The Airplane later evolved into Jefferson Starship and Starship.
Though he crisscrossed the country, Greenwell did not, so far as his family
can tell, make it to upstate New York for the 1969 Woodstock Festival,
billed as the greatest rock concert ever.
The Jefferson Airplane appeared at the concert, along with the Who, Jimi
Hendrix, Santana, the Grateful Dead, Joe Cocker and Blood, Sweat & Tears.
"I think he would have told us if he had been there," Michael Greenwell
said. "He did talk a lot about the hippie movement and how wild it was. He
had a lot of fun."
Greenwell also toured with other pre-eminent rock bands of the era,
including the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Johnny Winter and the late Stevie
Ray Vaughn.
"He liked working with Jerry Garcia" of the Grateful Dead, said Greenwell's
son, Clayton. "My dad said he was the nicest guy."
Much of the memorabilia the San Antonian collected on tours and from
musicians he worked with was stolen when someone broke into his house in the
1990s. Other collectibles disappeared in a flood.
Other survivors include his wife of 24 years, Mary Delight Martin
Greenwell, and daughter, Chelsea Marie Greenwell, both of San Antonio; and a
sister, Molly Fairchild of St. Louis.
He will be cremated, and a memorial service is to be held at 10 a.m. Friday
at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church, 1710 Clower.
cdanini@...
09/19/2002

*In a nutshell* this says that Pegasys (Roche) has a 56% sustained response
rate and PegIntron (Schering) has a 44% (for those of you that don't like
long articles ;-)

I had ALOT of trouble getting it to open too........ here is what is says
for those that can't access it either :-)

Few Regret Disclosing HIV Status
By Michael Smith, MedPage Today Staff Writer
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
May 04, 2006
Review
COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 4 - While HIV-positive men usually agonize over whether to
disclose their status, most who do don't regret it in the long run, a study has
revealed.
In a study of 76 gay men, a majority had no regrets about anyone to whom they
had told or who had learned second-hand about their status, according to
Julianne Serovich, Ph.D., of Ohio State University here.
And even among those who harbored some regrets, the rate was "remarkably low,"
Dr. Serovich and colleagues reported in the April issue of AIDS Prevention and
Education.
The findings will be useful for physicians and counselors who work with
HIV-positive patients, Dr. Serovich said. "We can tell HIV-positive men that
others in their position rarely regret the fact that other people know their
status," she said.
The study participants were recruited from those in an AIDS Clinical Trials
Unit. To be eligible, at least one member of the participant's social or sexual
network had to be aware of his HIV status, Dr. Serovich and colleagues reported.
They were interviewed about their social networks -- including friends, family
members, colleagues and acquaintances -- once a year (in 1998, 1999 and 2000)
and asked to fill out questionnaires every six months.
In the last stage of the study, participants were asked which members of their
social networks knew of their HIV status, whether they learned of it first-hand
or heard second-hand, and whether the participant regretted that the person
knew. On average, the men had a social network of 22 people, with a range from
seven to 67. At the end of the study, 80% of the network members were aware of
the participants' serostatus, and 70% had been told directly by the participant,
Dr. Serovich and colleagues found.
Overall, the study found, 63% of the men had no regrets that any of the members
of their social network knew of their HIV status. Also, 75% of the participants
had fewer than 7% "regret experiences" - they were unhappy that some (but not
all) members of their networks knew.
In other words, Dr. Serovich and colleagues said, in a typical network of 22
people, 18 would know the participant's HIV status and the participant would be
unhappy about no more than one.
The highest incidence of regret, the researchers found, was 37.5% -- a
participant had a social network of 17 people, of whom 16 knew his status. But
he had only told 10 and the other six learned second-hand, to his chagrin.
Overall, there were 1,397 social-network members who were aware of the
participants' HIV status, but the participants regretted only 58 of those cases,
or 4.2%, the researchers found.
The most angst came from having family members, work-mates, and casual sex
partners know, the researchers found. Specifically:
a.. Compared with having a friend know, participants were more than four times
as likely to regret having disclosed their status to a family member. The odds
ratio was 4.04, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 1.77 to 9.2.
b.. Compared to friends, participants were nearly than four times as likely to
regret having disclosed their status to a work-mate. The odds ratio was 3.73,
with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 1.17 to 11.92.
c.. Again compared to friends, participants were more than three times as
likely to regret having disclosed their status to a casual sex partner. The odds
ratio was 3.16, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 1.32 to 7.56.
"I was very surprised at how little regret we found, because you see the angst
in HIV-positive men who deliberate very carefully on whether or not to tell
people," Dr. Serovich said.
She and colleagues noted that the study involved mainly white men from a small
mid-Western urban center, and might not generalize to all men with HIV.
The study is one of the first of its kind, Dr. Serovich said. The only similar
study, published in 2003, focused on how women felt after disclosing their HIV
status to their young children.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/HIVAIDS/dh/3233

It's time we all wrote our Congressmen/women! At the present time(correct me, if
I'm wrong) there is no RESOLUTIONS/BILLS in any committee/sub-committee anywhere
in Congress having to do with HCV in anyway! This is an election year, some of
them are looking to be re-elected.......Let's tell them!
Social Security to declare HCV as a presumed disability. This will include
acknowledgment of extra hepatic manifestation of this disease. Education and
Acknowledgment from the medical profession (both military and civilian) for the
extra hepatic manifestations associated with HCV.
Service Connection for all Veterans with HCV; to include in-service connection
for military personnel that test positive during enlistment and dependents.
Notification by the Department of Defense to all veterans subjected to
experimental testing to include inoculations with immune serum globulin.
WRITE YOUR OWN CONGRESSMAN/WOMAN AT:
http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm
http://www.house.gov/house/memberWWW.html
CONCERNING THE STATUS OF THE LAST(H.R. 639) & ONLY RESOLUTION/BILL IN CONGRESS
TO DATE DEALING IN ANY WAY WITH HEPATITIS C & VETERANS:
Dear Jim Dowling:
I verified through the conference call of the VA's National HCV Community
Advisory Board that at the present time there is no legislation before Congress
having to do with HCV & Vets. When I was in DC on June 23rd for the National HCV
March on DC. I had a conversation with one of our VSO's that just happens to
work for the VA, and is up to date on all having to do with Vets with HCV. He,
first informed me that H.R. 639(a bill that many of us have been advocating the
passage in various forms for some time now) and any other resolutions, bills, or
whatever has been shelved or killed. Which means we are somewhat back at square
one! In is necessary that all Organizations(Veterans & HCV/Liver) form an UNITED
FRONT on this issue, so as to avoid this happening again. In the conference
call, July 24, 2002, of the VA National HCV Community Advisory Board with Dr.
Lawrence Deyton, Chief Consultant, Public Health Strategic Health Care Group,
Dept. of the VA and his staff; One of the statements made by Dr. Deyton, that
the members of this Board are the "Official Community Advisory Board" to the VA
and that we would continue to meet in person and/or have conference phone calls.
Another topic of discussion was that there are various Veterans Advisory
Boards(of sorts) for HCV among the various National & International
Hepatitis/Liver & Veterans' Organizations that should include these members. Dr.
Deyton & his staff, while be asked to serve in some capacity as advisors to many
of these boards, can not dictate to them who should sit as members; he did say
it certainly would make sense that the members of the "Official Community
Advisory Board to the VA" sit on these other boards! I as other members of the
Board have expressed during the call and since, that this would be a step in the
right direction help to alleviate some misinformation and would then also make a
stronger alliance so that resolutions/bills that concern all with HCV in one way
or another might not get shelved or completely dropped! Norm Seiff , VA
National HCV Community Advisory Board
Dear Norm Seiff:
It is sad news to tell that Bill HR 639 which was the Hep C bill has been sent
to subcommittees and is all but lost unless we start making some racket, this
will be it for hep c bills . I think we need to write to our congresspersons and
let them know that new bills must be introduced and passed so as to stop this
disease from progressing any further. they have no time for us it seems and I
say we must make them understand the seriousness of this in terms of lives that
will be lost if we do not get the medicine to eradicate this disease . I firmly
believe that they can do more than what they have shown , but then again it
boils down to Money and who is going to get Paid for this . It makes me sick
when I think of the greed of the pharmacy companies and lobbyist who have had a
stranglehold on us over this disease . I would like to see mass mailings to
congressmen and pharmacy companies and lots of exposure of our plight to get
treatment that has less side effects and more positive results. For too long the
government has known about our situation and has left us hung out to dry. in the
hopes that we all would be gone and that nothing further need be done . well
when to going gets tough , the tough get going in that we survived the war and
did for our country and now its time to take time to make sure that the veterans
that our now serving understand what a Grateful Nation has done in our behalf
and ask the question is this the kind of treatment we will receive upon our
release from Active duty? I urge all to write to the congress and let them know
just how in just this is and what it shows in terms of caring for the Veterans
after they have laid down their lives in defense of this Nation. Patrick F.
Werner, VA National Hepatitis C Community Advisory Board
SOCIAL SECURITY:
I appeared for a hearing before a judge in federal court last month. My goodness
was she a nasty one. I had representation by an attorney and she was so focused
on , " My doctor had seen me without charging me, as I have no insurance." She
demanded more info from the doctor, more narratives. I am so sick now. I can
hardly get out of the bed. I am so discouraged that this country looks at all of
us as a damnable Social Security number. To her, I didn't even appear human,
What is wrong with this country? You work years, catch the dragon(HCV) in the
medical field on the job, and your children watch you getting worse each day.
This fight is so hard! It is beating me down. I apologize for venting, but not
even my husband wants to hear it anymore. I feel so alone. I am so weak, I am so
tired of fighting with everyone. I just want to live, is there so much wrong
with that. I come from a long line of military personnel that has fought for
this country since the Civil war. We still don't take care of our own and this
really saddens me. May you all be blessed with a fairer fight than I have been
given. Please hold tight the love, light and laughter in your life.
Peace Dawn White Hawk
FACTS:
5,126,344 Americans with HCV
http://www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html
40% Have no clue how they were infected
http://hcvets.com/nidddk40%_9_2002/unknowsource.htm
75% of people with HCV are genotype 1's
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/dcdc/pdf/Hepatitis%20C%20Strategic%20Plan%20-%202001.pd\
f
Riverside County Ca. 133 people test positive each Month
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/dcdc/pdf/Hepatitis C Strategic Plan - 2001.pdf
CA- African American women 222% higher infection rate than Nation
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#women
NY 20% Higher rate than Nation
Studies determines Hepatitis C Risk Not Limited to Injection Drug Users
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#Not
Boston- HCV soars 300% in the last four years
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#BOSTON
FDA Cannot Guarantee Reused/Reprocessed "Single Use" Medical Devices
http://hcvets.com/news_letter/reports/reused_medical_devices.htm
Ear/Nose/Throat scope transmit HCV
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#contaminated
Surgeons transmit HCV
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#
Surgeon HCV DNA found on toothbrushes
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#Toothbrushes
HCV by Sexually Transmitted Diseases
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#women
Almost one in ten parents cannot donate blood to their children
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#Parents
Medicaid pays for Viagra and not Peg Interferon
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#Viagra
Most Americans with HCV Are Veterans.
http://hcvets.com/index.html
Most people do not think they
need to be tested.
5,177 transplantable donor livers available.
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#information
17,438 patients on waiting lists.
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#information
437,500 expected to develop cirrhosis or cancer NOW, 100,000 already have.
http://hcvets.com/index.html
337,500 will be veterans
http://hcvets.com/index.html
VA doctors being punished for treating Vets
http://www.hcvets.com/vabs/dr_cecil.htm
Medicines that do not work for most.
http://hcvets.com/facts_documentation.htm#Racial
New transmission methods discovered yearly
Record numbers of people will die because of the
Government miss-management of veterans treatment,
Little funding and the failure to research this disease as a whole!
PLEASE HELP US CHANGE
Norm Seiff, normseiff@...
Veterans Organizations Coordinator, HEPATITIS C/LIVER Orgs. Coordinator,
Associations/Unions Coordinator for the Hepatitis C Movement for Awareness at:
http://hcvets.com/forum_public/hma/disc.htm ; as well as, An Active Member of
the Veterans' Administration National Hepatitis C Community Advisory Board, An
Active Member of the Vietnam Veterans of America, An Active Member of the
Italian American War Veterans, An HCV Support Group Coordinator & until recently
a Volunteer Celebrity & Sponsor Recruiter for the Illinois Chapter of the
American Liver Foundation, A Former Program Director of the Disabled Veterans
Association of Illinois.

Advocates slam 'racist' drug trial
Schering-Plough defends hepatitis C test exclusion
Thursday, March 30, 2006
BY GEORGE E. JORDAN
Star-Ledger Staff
Two patient advocacy groups yesterday accused Schering-Plough of racial
discrimination for excluding African-Americans from a clinical trial of its new
hepatitis C treatment.
They claim African-Americans, classified as "hard to treat" because they
do not respond well to traditional hepatitis treatment regimens, were excluded
so the clinical trial would generate high success rates.
"The bottom line is that African-Americans have been left out of this
study to make the drug look good," said Judith Dillard of the Community HIV/AIDS
Mobiliza tion Project, or CHAMP, who de cried "the racist exclusion."
The Kenilworth-based company said its new treatment is for patients who do
not respond to the standard combination therapy of interferon and ribavirin.
"It doesn't make any sense," said Bob Consalvo, a Schering- Plough
spokesman, of the advocacy groups' criticism.
He said there were scientific reasons for excluding African- Americans
from the Phase II clinical trial currently under way. That trial involves 300
patents worldwide to establish dosage ranges for the new protease inhibitor,
code named SCH 503034. He said African-Americans would be included in another
branch of the Phase II trail, which involves testing high dosages.
African-Americans, who make up a significant portion of the nonresponders,
are an important part of the $3 billion hepatitis market. About 4 million
Americans have been infected with hepatitis C, which is spread by contact with
blood. It can be transmitted to babies at birth and by drug addicts sharing
hypodermic needles.
For reasons researchers do not fully understand, a statistically
significant percentage of African-Americans do not respond to traditional
hepatitis C treatments. Further complicating the matter is that
African-Americans who contract hepatitis C tend to have other health
complications.
Brian Klein of the Hepatitis C Action & Advocacy Coalition said advocates
held a March 16 conference call with Schering-Plough officials, including
Clifford Brass, a top researcher.
"Schering-Plough has offered no valid safety reason for the ex clusion,"
Klein said in a statement. "It is clear to us that Schering-Plough chose to ex
clude an entire racial group from the study to achieve the best effi cacy
results possible on the road to marketing the drug."
Consalvo, who participated in the conference call, said Scher ing-Plough
scientists were concerned about the public perception of excluding
African-Americans from the Phase II dosing trials.
"It was something, at first blush, that causes concern," he said. "We
absolutely had the same concern."
After consultation with peer review boards and other hepatitis
researchers, he said, the drug maker concluded it was "more prudent and
scientific valid" to limit African-American participation until Phase III.
That's when the range of dosages established in Phase II of the clinical trial
can be tested to determine which is most efficacious treatment for the full
range of patient groups.
In a statement, Dillard, who is black, dismissed Schering- Plough's
explanation, and the addition of African-Americans to a high-dose test group.
"People of African descent are allowed into the trial as long as they are
not African-Americans," she said. "My community needs equal access to early
research so we can find treatments that work for us, not just a few token people
brought in later for the high dose arm to try to cover up this racist
exclusion."
George E. Jordan may be reached at gjordan@... or (973)
392-1801.
http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/index.ssf?/base/business-0/1143701802297030.xm\
l&coll=1

I just want to thank everyone for helping me through all of the pain of
leting go of Linda.
I wanted to share some of the things we talked about the day before.
She had a great night a few nights ago with her oldest son. They made pop
corn and had watched tv in boxers and t-shirts !
Then on the day she went to court she prayed thanking God for all his
blessings in her life and to give her a sign that she is doing what he wanted
her to do finally. Then she talked to John and she said she felt this
unbelievable warmth and feeling of peace and happiness come over her like she
never has felt before. And if God took her right now she was alright with it
because she knew the happiness that only people wish to get and most never do.
I feel her around me and I talk to her as I do believe she is a angel and
will always be with each and everyone of us.
I am getting stronger each day and will be back to my old self sooon !!!!
Thank you all again,
Love LISA

Government Proposing Cuts in Many Medicare Payments
By ROBERT PEAR
ASHINGTON, Sept. 21 - The Bush administration is proposing deep reductions in
Medicare payments for a wide range of drugs and medical devices used to treat
people who are elderly or disabled.
The proposed cuts are part of a new system of paying hospitals for outpatient
services. With advances in medical technology, hospitals report explosive growth
in the number and kinds of procedures that can be performed in outpatient
clinics, without the need for an overnight stay. Outpatient care accounts for
nearly half the revenue at some hospitals.
The cuts would affect many drugs, devices and high-technology procedures,
including cancer drugs and cardiac defibrillators like the one implanted in the
chest of Vice President Dick Cheney to prevent an irregular heartbeat.
Medicare would also pay less for blood products given to people who receive
transfusions but do not need overnight hospitalization. The Medicare payment for
a unit of red blood cells - about a pint - would be cut 39 percent, to $83 next
year, from $137 this year.
Federal health officials said Medicare had been overcharged for many outpatient
services. But patients have joined health care providers in protesting the
proposed cuts, saying that at the new prices hospitals will be unable to provide
treatment to patients who need it.
"We were shocked when we saw the payment rates," said Christopher T. Mancill,
director of reimbursement policy at the American Red Cross.
The payment for inserting a battery-operated pacemaker and defibrillator would
be cut 59 percent, to $12,102, from $29,360.
Doctors and patients' advocates expressed concern that hospitals would stop
providing services on which they consistently lose money. This could make it
more difficult for Medicare patients to obtain life-saving drugs, devices and
treatments.
The government itself, in a preamble to the proposed rules, acknowledges that
many of the proposed payments are "far lower" than the 2002 amounts, and it says
these cuts are "of concern to us because of the potential impact on access to
care." But it contends that the new rates accurately reflect hospital costs.
The Medicare payment for a breast biopsy would be cut 27.5 percent, to $290 from
$400. For injection of cisplatin, a commonly used cancer drug, the payment would
be reduced 43 percent, to $24 from $42.
For Remicade, a drug given intravenously to people with rheumatoid arthritis,
the payment would be cut 39 percent, to $38.50 from $63. For Avonex, an
injectable, genetically engineered drug used by people with multiple sclerosis,
the payment would be reduced 36 percent, to $144 from $225.
Hospitals would get 67 percent less for implanting an infusion pump, used to
deliver medication for severe intractable pain. The payment would be cut to
$1,346 from $4,079.
Dr. Edward L. Braud of Springfield, Ill., president of the Association of
Community Cancer Centers, whose members treat more than half the nation's cancer
patients, said: "Hospitals will not be able to continue providing chemotherapy
at the proposed rates. Patients will have less access to care."
The new rates illustrate the problems the government has in setting payments for
an industry in which goods and services are continually changing because of new
technology.
Thomas A. Ault, an expert on Medicare who worked at the Department of Health and
Human Services from 1984 to 1997, said: "The new outpatient rates are pretty
messed up. The relationship between what Medicare pays and what a service will
cost varies erratically."
After considering public comments on the proposal, the government will issue
final rules setting payment rates, effective Jan. 1.
Medicare received more than 110 million claims last year for hospital outpatient
services, including chest X-rays, breast cancer surgery and emergency room
visits for heart attacks and broken bones.
Under Medicare, a hospital normally receives a fixed amount of money, set in
advance, for each outpatient service. Similar services are grouped together in
more than 500 categories. The government sets a standard payment for each
category and pays the same amount for each service in that group.
Teaching hospitals, which pioneer the use of new technology, said the proposed
cuts would hit them particularly hard. "Our biggest concern is the underpayment
for new technology, especially cancer therapy drugs," said William D. Petasnick,
president of Froedtert Hospital, affiliated with the Medical College of
Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
Mark W. Skinner, a former president of the National Hemophilia Foundation, said
hospitals could not afford to provide proper care at the new rates.
For the blood-clotting factor most widely used by people with hemophilia, the
payment would be cut 54 percent, to 52 cents a unit from $1.12. This would
reduce to $1,300, from $2,800, the payment for a typical infusion provided to a
hemophiliac in a hospital outpatient department.
The formulas used by Medicare to pay doctors, hospitals and other health care
providers are set by statute and regulations and are notoriously complex. The
Bush administration said the new system of paying for hospital outpatient
services was "arguably the most complex and difficult in the history of the
Medicare program."
Federal officials said the outpatient rates for 2003 were the first ones based
on actual data from claims submitted by hospitals under the new payment system.
In the past, the government often relied on data supplied by drug and device
manufacturers. The government said the new numbers were more accurate, but
health care lobbyists disagreed.
Stephen J. Ubl, executive vice president of the Advanced Medical Technology
Association, which represents more than 1,000 companies, said: "Hospitals tend
to underreport the costs of high-tech items, and the government compounds the
problem by reducing charges for all items by a standard percentage. Hospitals
mark up aspirin and bandages more than a $20,000 defibrillator, so when you
apply a uniform reduction, it's biased against high-tech, high-cost items."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/22/politics/22DRUG.html?ex=1033820355&ei=1&en=faf\
dd31767a7c35d

HEALTH: 'Don't panic over hepatitis'
CITY residents are being urged not to panic after claims were made that
thousands of people could die from the liver infection hepatitis C.
Fears were raised when it was reported that a man from Friday Bridge, near
Wisbech, had contracted the potentially-fatal infection from a blood transfusion
given to him at Peterborough District Hospital.
Stuart Oliver (47) died of cancer and chronic liver disease in January last
year. Weeks before his death, doctors discovered he also had hepatitis C (HCV)
and said he had contracted the disease from the transfusion, given to him in
1987 following a car crash.
It was reported that thousands of other patients who had had transfusions before
1991, when routine screening was introduced, could also be infected.
An investigation in 1995, ordered by the Chief Medical Officer, failed to
identify everyone infected by the "bad blood".
The National Blood Service says only 0.5 per cent of the UK's population
currently has the disease, which is transmitted through contact with infected
blood.
Ruth Greenaway, spokeswoman for NBS, said: "It is clear that blood transfusion
has been responsible for a very small proportion of HCV infections in the
population. Experts have calculated that the total number of HCV infections in
England is 250,000, or 0.5 per cent of the population."
She added: "People infected by blood transfusion before 1991 probably numbered
several thousand.
"Almost two thirds of them would have died of their underlying illness which
made the blood transfusion necessary, or of incidental causes, before the HCV
review in 1995.
"The National Blood Service has always advised that any person who received a
blood transfusion before 1991, and who is concerned, should ask their GP for a
test."
She explained that the chances of contracting hepatitis C from an infected blood
transfusion were less than one in 10 million.
Jason Hill, spokesman for Petebrough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
said: "The trust never received any instruction from the Regional Transfusion
Centre, which co-ordinated the look-back exercise, to check its records against
blood products that would have been relevant to the deceased. There is no
evidence whatsoever to suggest that the trust failed to comply with the chief
medical officer's guidance."
.In December 2004, the NHS launched a helpline and website, alerting people who
received blood before 1991 that they could be at risk. Anyone with concerns
should call 0800 451 451, or visit www.hepc.nhs.uk
28 January 2006
http://www.peterboroughnow.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=845&ArticleID=13314\
52

http://forums.about.com/hepatitiscen1/chat

I can send Pam a letter....maybe I should send my essay that I did?
**hugs**
Alfie
******
Alfie Wace
678-234-0832
http://www.atlantabluesky.com
(simply the best music anywhere on the planet!)
"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience,
but spiritual beings having a human experience."
"We must be the change we want to see in the world." -Gandhi
"We ARE the world!" - Various Artists
"...as you did for one of the least of these my brethren, you
did it for me" Matt 25: 31-40

Hey Pam!
Thanks for your inspiration (as always!). I wonder what kind of silver your
friend was using. I understand that there are several different kinds.
I met a wonderful person today! I've decided to treat this dragon
holistically and was looking for a place that offered an ionic cleanse. I
was referred to a nutritionist who offered that service and what a
delightful surprise she is! Not only is she a Nutritionist and does Ionic
Body Balancing, but she is a Massage Therapist and an Aromatherapist. She is
a former R.N. who has turned holistic. This lady does it all!
Interestingly enough, what she saw from the ionic cleanse was an
accumulation of yeast (from my intestines) that she said is known as
Candida. When an accumulation of this yeast is present, it causes your body
to crave exactly the things I love: pasta, cheese and chocolate (or sugar
in any form). The more of these foods you eat, the more your body craves
(and OH BOY, does my body crave pasta and chocolate!!!). When these things
react with the yeast in your system, your body naturally creates...guess
what??? Alcohol!!! So even though I am not ingesting alcohol, my body is
manufacturing it. YIKES!!!
I am on a fasting program, and then we are going to do a Candida cleanse
consisting of all organic foods. I figure if I can survive tx, I can pretty
much survive anything so....here we go!!!
Again, thanks for your email and always for your loving support!
**hugs**
Alfie
******
Alfie Wace
678-234-0832
http://www.atlantabluesky.com
(simply the best music anywhere on the planet!)
"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience,
but spiritual beings having a human experience."
"We must be the change we want to see in the world." -Gandhi
"We ARE the world!" - Various Artists
"...as you did for one of the least of these my brethren, you
did it for me" Matt 25: 31-40

Dear Pam that link takes me right there...thank you veeerrry much see ya Michael

Just talked to the Captain and she asked me to post to all...She had a great
time at Laura's Sunday nite...Laura is now Officially proclaimed "a Hoot"
(FYI...A VERY honorable status down here in Bubbaland, Hon :-) ...She got
to a Natl. Park in East Luzianna rather late last nite. Slept well and woke
refreshed this a.m....til the park rangers came by and told everyone that
the park was being closed down due to the weather. So, after checking
weather.com for her, considering the bands of rain heading in that way, it
was decided that she is staying away from the gulf coast, foregoing her
stopover in Houston and just heading straight on to Waco...inland and
northwest.
That's all for now folks.
Love,
Nancy

WE REALLY DO NEED TO GET OUT THERE AND EDUCATE EDUCATE EDUCATE!!

Pam why cant I get to the club home page? I have tried over and over have I been
expelled? now it doesnt come up at all, perplexed in moofie land

Miami Herald
Posted on Sun, Sep. 22, 2002
With 80,000 awaiting transplants, doctors consider idea amid debate
BY JOHN DORSCHNER
jdorschner@...
Michael Ritchie, 45, has spent two months ''hooked to a lot of machines'' in
a Jackson Memorial Hospital bed, waiting for a new heart. ''I have faith in
the Lord,'' he says, ``and I have faith in my doctors.'' The problem is that
no one has faith that enough people will donate their organs to keep people
like Ritchie alive. The shortage of available organs is so severe that some
experts are proposing a radical solution: paying for organs -- giving money
to the relatives of the recently deceased. The hope is that the move would
help the 80,000 people waiting for transplants. That's up from 20,000 in
1990. Last year, 6,238 Americans died while on the transplant waiting list,
and many more became so sick that they were removed from the list before
they died.
At present, paying anything for organs is illegal, and many transplant
surgeons think payment is morally wrong. But as the waiting list has
lengthened, a growing segment of the medical establishment is willing to at
least explore the idea. This summer, delegates of the American Medical
Association voted to support a study to see whether payments would ease the
shortage. Several bills in Congress propose changing the 1984 law that
forbids payments for organs. ''The organ shortage we are experiencing is not
mandated by nature,'' writes David L. Kaserman, an economist at Auburn
University and the recipient of two kidney transplants. ``Rather, it is the
outcome of a myopic public policy.''
UNMET NEED
While many disagree with him, the United Network for Organ Sharing, which
keeps the waiting list for transplants, says it is an ``undeniable fact that
the current system, despite 30 years of experience based on altruistic
donation, has yet to meet this need.'' Kaserman wants to know what is
un-American about paying for a heart the way one would pay for a car. If
there is a shortage of cars, you give an incentive to manufacturers to
produce more by raising the price. ''I don't tell a surgeon how to
operate,'' says Kaserman, who this summer co-authored a book, The U.S. Organ
Procurement System: A Prescription for Reform. ``I don't know why a doctor
would tell an economist what's right. A shortage is by definition an
economic demand that's not being met -- a difference between supply and
demand.'' Kaserman's book, published by the conservative American Enterprise
Institute, has a two-tiered proposal. The more radical would be a pure
free-market system, in which families could auction organs to the highest
bidder and brokers could then resell them to whoever paid the most --
similar to the black-market system that now operates quietly around the
world.
''The medical community is still very much opposed to that,'' Kaserman says.
It's also opposed to paying live donors for a kidney. The implications of a
poor person endangering his health for a few thousand dollars are too
distasteful. What is gaining support is Kaserman's second proposal: paying a
small fee to the family, with the organs then going to one of the several
dozen nonprofit procurement organizations around the United States. The
nonprofits are tied to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which would
continue to maintain the waiting list based on medical criteria, not wealth
or fame.
Others think it's not that simple. ''The downside is it opens the process to
undue influence, if not downright
corruption,'' says Ken Goodman, director of the bioethics program at the
University of Miami.
Selling organs to the highest bidder could lead to the rich living by buying
up all the available kidneys, livers, hearts and lungs while others die. It
could also lead to the poor being persuaded to risk their health by parting
with a kidney or a slice of their liver -- the two organs that live donors
can part with. ''I can see the slippery slope,'' says Sister Kathleenjoy
Cooper, 61, of St. Raphaela's convent in North Miami-Dade. She has been
waiting for a kidney for four years, but she is opposed to buying organs.
``I don't want the United States doing what they're already doing in other
countries. ''That could lead to the poor being exploited for their bodies.
Or it could lead to that murky line about being brain-dead'' -- speeding a
declaration of death in order to harvest organs.
THIRD WORLD SALES
In fact, in poor countries around the world, including Iraq and India, sales
of organs are already occurring -- generally by poor men willing to give up
a kidney for as little as $1,000. Kidneys are the main black-market organ
because they are needed by more than half the people on the waiting list,
and because most patients don't trust the quality of organs taken from
cadavers.
The shortage exists because transplants have become much safer -- and
therefore possible for more people -- since the first successful transplant
in 1954.
Much of the success is due to improved drugs that stop the body from
rejecting another person's organ. More than 85 percent of patients now
survive the first year. For kidney and pancreas patients, it's 95 percent.
Last year, 24,000 transplants were performed in the United States, and while
the number waiting for transplants has increased 400 percent since 1990,
donations from cadavers have increased only 32 percent, according to the
United Network for Organ Sharing.
The problem is that only 1 percent of the dead are potential donors. Those
whose bodies have wasted away slowly with disease can't be used. Surgeons
need people who die suddenly, as in an accident, and have healthy organs. It
used to be that cadaveric donors had to be younger than 50. Then the limit
was raised to 55, and finally removed. ''There's no cutoff in age,'' says
Andreas Tzakis, director of liver and gastrointestinal transplants for the
University of Miami. ``We've used the liver of an 87-year-old.''
MULTIPLE BENEFITS
Theoretically, a single body could save up to seven lives -- two kidneys,
two lungs, one heart, one pancreas, one liver -- but the practical maximum
is three or four.
That makes organ donating a huge gift, and for years, the medical community
has tried to drive that point home while urging people to put ''organ
donor'' on their driver's license and explain their decision to relatives.
Still, only two out of five eligible cadavers are used as donors.
''Americans don't want to think about dying,'' says Anne Paschke,
spokeswoman for the organ sharing network, ``so they don't think in advance
about donating.'' ''It's not against the tenets of the major religions,''
says Goodman, the bioethicist. ``But a lot of family members think of it as
yucky.'' Kaserman thinks money would help focus families' attitudes. ''I've
been
preaching this sermon for 10 years now. . . . When I first started writing,
the medical community was extremely opposed.'' But as the number of deaths
of people on the waiting list has grown -- it's now 17 a day -- the medical
community has become more receptive.
`MENU OF OPTIONS'
Offering money doesn't have to be crass, Kaserman says. 'You should do this
in a sensitive way, with a menu of options. You say, `You are giving the
gift of life. . . . As an additional inducement, we can make a contribution
of $500 or $1,000 to your favorite charity, or help with funeral expenses,
or as a cash payment.' So they can make a contribution or take a vacation.''
The crucial issue is how big the payment should be. Kaserman thinks it
doesn't need to be astronomical. He believes that families will be willing
to donate for as little as $1,000, based on a poll he did of Auburn
students. That's not much of a survey, he acknowledges, and that's why he
supports better surveys.
That's precisely the American Medical Association's position. Leonard Morse,
a Massachusetts physician who chairs the AMA ethics council, says the group
supports a limited study, involving only cadaveric donors, offering
incentives of ''moderate value,'' such as partial payment of funeral
expenses. The board of the organ sharing network also favors such a study
examining the usefulness of ''small amounts paid directly to a funeral home,
or a token thank you,'' Paschke says.
So far, no group has launched a pilot project, at least partly because it
might first have to seek a federal waiver from the 1984 law.
`IMPLIED CONSENT'
An alternative to payment is the ''implied consent'' system of several
European countries, including Spain. Doctors there assume that a patient is
willing to have his organs donated unless he is carrying a card that says he
does not want to be a donor. Most U.S. experts doubt that such an attitude
would work in this country. ''Americans have a suspicious nature about
authorizing a government to do that,'' says Tzakis, the Miami surgeon.
``It's just a blank check.'' Goodman, the bioethicist, would rather spend
the money on education than funeral expenses. ``If a family thinks it's
yucky to remove organs and desecrate a loved one, are you going to surrender
the loved one for a few shekels? I think we're better off educating people
about what a valuable
gift they're giving.'' Meanwhile, the waiting list grows.
Bruce Modlin, 49, a former bar owner who lives in Weston, has been waiting
for a liver for four years. ''It's an emotional roller coaster,'' he says.
He has no opinion about how organs are obtained. He just knows he needs a
liver. ``I'm getting progressively worse.''

Hospitals Seek Deeper Drug Discounts for Poor
Fri Sep 20, 5:36 PM ET
By Karen Pallarito
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A coalition of hospitals serving the nation's poor
and uninsured is pressing for legislation to allow negotiation of deeper
discounts on inpatient pharmaceuticals.
The coalition represents about 150 high-Medicaid hospitals that buy outpatient
drugs through a federal program that entitles them to the same discounted rates
that Medicaid enjoys.
Those discounts don't extend to inpatient drugs and, what's more, the law
prevents the hospitals from bargaining with drugmakers for better prices.
"We're not asking for a mandatory extension of the discounts . We're just asking
for an opportunity to negotiate," Ted Slafsky, the coalition's director, told
Reuters Health. He estimates that each hospital in the coalition could save $2
million a year, on average, assuming that each secures an additional 20%
discount.
The nation's "safety net" hospitals pay an average of 20% to 25% more for
medications given to hospitalized patients than for outpatient drugs dispensed
through pharmacies and free clinics, according to the Public Hospital Pharmacy
Coalition, which represents hospitals in the 340B drug discount program.
The 340B program gets its name from section of the Public Health Service Act
that established the Medicaid drug rebate program. The law is designed to ensure
that Medicaid agencies pay no more for a drug than a pharmaceutical
manufacturer's "best price."
In 1992, Congress exempted certain governmental purchasers and payers from the
"best price" formula. High-Medicaid hospitals, community health centers and
others may buy drugs at discounted rates without establishing a new best price
that drugmakers would have to extend to the entire Medicaid market.
But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services interprets the provision as
applying only to outpatient drugs, Slafsky said.
"Manufacturers have said to our hospitals, 'We'd be willing to give you a better
price, but only if you're able to get an exemption from the Medicaid best
price,"' he said.
Slafsky said 340B hospitals account for such a tiny fraction of the total
pharmaceutical market--just 0.1%--that being able to negotiate with drugmakers
should not affect Medicaid's best price.
Enactment of a legislative fix to clarify the law would mark the culmination of
a long-fought battle by hospitals that serve a disproportionate share of the
nation's Medicaid and low-income patients.
The coalition is working Senate-side with champions of its cause, including Sen.
Jay Rockefeller, D-WV, to remove the legislative barrier to realizing lower
inpatient drug prices. It hopes that such a measure could be passed this year,
perhaps as part of a provider "giveback" bill.
Wendy Morigi, Rockefeller's spokeswoman, said the senator supports the
coalition's effort to change the law. "It's important to public hospitals,
particularly hospitals in his state," she said. "It's also important to
consumers."

University of Kansas School of Nursing
Signs and Symptoms of Liver Failure
Liver failure disrupts most of the body's functions. Listed below are the
major disorders caused by liver failure.
General:
...Weakness
...Anorexia
...Weight loss
...Abdominal discomfort
Hematologic:
...Bruising
...Epistaxis
...Petechiae
...Thrombocytopenia
...Anemia
...Decreased fibrinogen activity
Cardiovascular:
...Flushed skin
...Hypo- or hypertension
...Dysrhythmias
...Bounding pulses
...Spider angiomata
Respiratory:
...Pleural effusion
...Hypoxia
...Decreased lung expansion
Fluids & Electrolytes:
...Ascites
...Hypokalemia
...Hypocalcemia
...Hypomagnesemia
...Dilutional hyponatremia
...Hyperammonemia
Gastrointestinal:
...Rectal varices
...Esophageal varices
...Fetor hepaticus
...Clay-colored stools
Dermatologic:
...Jaundice
...Palmar erythema
...Pruritus (itching)
...Vascular spiders
Renal:
...Decreased renal perfusion
...Brown urine
...Decreased renal output
...Increased urine bilirubin and urobilinogen
Endocrine:
...Gynecomastia
...Female escutcheon
...Testicular atrophy
Neurologic:
...Personality changes
...Disorientation
...Sensory alterations
...Asterixis
...Peripheral nerve degeneration
...Coma
...Kernicterus (in neonates)
Laboratory values:
...Elevated AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, PT, PTT
...Increased or decreased BUN
...Decreased platelets, serum albumin & protein
Immunologic:
...Increased susceptibility to infections
...Decreased WBC phagocytic activity
http://www2.kumc.edu/instruction/nursing/n420/unit10/S&S%20liverf%20ail.htm

<PRE
trials on "new" meds? At this point, I think I would like to be the lab rat
for something new. lol I think I might try contacting them. Thanks for
the info. :) John

Just a quick note to let you know your pic didnt come through , are you adding
it as an attachment thanks barb
ostra17@... wrote:[Unable to display image] John O

Roche's ribavirin Copegus available in all EU Countries within months
Hepatitis C drug completes Mutual Recognition Procedure in the European Union
Roche announced today that it had received confirmation that the Mutual
Recognition Procedure has been completed for its proprietary ribavirin, Copegus.
This important milestone means that all EU member states have agreed to approve
Copegus for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C in combination with interferon
alfa-2a (Roferon A) or peginterferon alfa-2a (40 KD) (Pegasys).
"Today's approval of our stand-alone application means that we have satisfied
all European Union member states of the safety and efficacy of the Copegus/
Pegasys combination treatment in patients infected with the hepatitis C virus ,"
said William M. Burns, head of the pharmaceutical division at Roche, adding that
"this paves the way for the commercial availability of Copegus in all EU
countries within one to three months. This is very important news as combination
therapies are now standard for the treatment of hepatitis C."
The Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board, as the EU Reference Member State, first
approved Copegus on April 9th which started this two-step approval process.
National approvals will follow swiftly as Copegus is now an approved drug.
Copegus is manufactured by Roche as a light pink, oval shaped, film-coated
tablet containing 200 mg of ribavirin.
Copegus is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with chronic hepatitis
C who have not previously been treated, including patients with fibrosis or
compensated cirrhosis. It is also indicated for the treatment of adult patients
who have responded to interferon alpha monotherapy but have since relapsed.
Copegus is always prescribed as a combination regimen with interferon alfa-2a
(Roferon A) or peginterferon alfa-2a (40 KD) (Pegasys).
About Pegasys
Pegasys, a new generation hepatitis C therapy that is different by design,
provides significant benefit over conventional interferon therapy in patients
infected with HCV of all genotypes. The benefits of Pegasys are derived from its
new generation large 40 kilodalton branched-chain polyethylene glycol (PEG)
construction, which allows for true seven-day viral suppression and is
preferentially distributed to the liver, the primary site of infection. Pegasys
is administered once weekly in an easy-to-use pre-filled syringe with a fixed
180 mcg starting dose for all patient types.
Pegasys has now been approved in 47 countries, including the European Union. In
the EU, it is indicated for the treatment of histologically proven chronic
hepatitis C in adult patients, including patients with early stage cirrhosis. It
is approved both as a combination therapy with ribavirin and as monotherapy. In
the United States, Pegasys in combination with Copegus was granted a priority
review by the FDA and its approval is anticipated later this year.
About Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a serious blood-born viral infection that attacks the liver, and
in many patients it leads to liver disease, cirrhosis and cancer. It is the
leading cause of liver transplantation. Only identified in 1989, the HCV virus
has infected more than 170 million people world-wide, making it more common than
the HIV virus.
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading
research-orientated healthcare groups. The company's two core businesses in
pharmaceuticals and diagnostics provide innovative products and services, that
address prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, thus enhancing people's
health and quality of life. The two core businesses achieved a turnover of 13,1
billion Swiss Francs in the 1st half of 2002 and employed about 57'000 employees
worldwide.
Roche is committed to the viral hepatitis disease area, having introduced
Roferon-A for hepatitis C, followed by Pegasys in hepatitis C, with studies
currently being conducted on its efficacy in hepatitis B. Roche also
manufactures The COBAS AMPLICORä HCV Test, v2.0 and the AMPLICOR HCV MONITORä
Test, v2.0 - two tests used to detect the presence of, and quantify, HCV RNA in
a person's blood. Roche's commitment to hepatitis has been further reinforced by
the in-licensing of Levovirin, an alternative antiviral. Levovirin will be
studied with the objective of demonstrating superior tolerability over the
current standard, ribavirin.
All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are legally protected.
Your IR contacts:
Dr. Karl Mahler Dr. Mathias Dick Dianne Young
Tel: +41 (61) 687 85 03 Tel: +41 (61) 688 80 27 Tel: +41 (61) 688 93 56
email: karl.mahler@... email: mathias.dick@... email:
dianne.young@...
US investors please contact:
Richard Simpson
Tel: +41 (61) 688 48 66
email: richard.simpson@...
With best regards,
Your Roche Investor Relations Team
F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd
Investor Relations
Grenzacherstrasse 68 / Postfach
4070 Basel
http://ir.roche.com/
email: investor.relations@...
phone: ++41 61 688 88 80
fax: ++41 61 691 00 14

Hi Grace,
I am John. Glad to hear your tx is going well. :)

[Unable to display image] John O

Hi there TC - it's good to hear from you.
I've left almost all the lists I belonged to with the exception of a
very few. It just got to be too much with my work schedule of late.
Yes - still on tx and can't really complain. Did shot #16 last night
and doing quite well, I'm happy to report. Still managing the sides
without any additional meds. I am taking milk thistle, vit e,
selenium and a multi vitamin without iron. Got my 12 week PCR back -
non detectable. That made me very happy!
I did have a tough stretch there from week 5-7 or so where I had to
miss a shot and several days of the Riba as my body was adjusting
(fighting) the Peg Combo. I've pretty much adjusted and shifted my
focus to almost everything but the virus and the combo. My blood
work looks good - all numbers are in range - or very close to it and
I feel pretty darned good most of the time. I consider myself
extremely lucky (or maybe stubborn?) especially with all the
possibilities/unknowns with tx.
I've been working in excess of 40 hours a week and getting ready to
hit the road for about a month for work. I'm rolling out some new
software in all our offices and will be training the users over the
next several weeks. I'm leaving for So. Cal tomorrow then to Denver
and then off to New York. This will be my first attempt at extensive
travel on tx - so wish me luck :)
Thanks for asking TC - I appreciate that.
Take care - I hope all is going well in your life!
Love,
Grace

Hi there Pam,
Sorry to hear about your long day (and Mr. Figment), but am glad to
hear you're getting some tests done to see where you are at. I have
heard of tox testing for nicotine for possible transplant
recipients. I guess with so few parts to give out and the demand so
high - they don't mess around with it any more!
Wanted to let you know that there is a man in my local Liver support
group that is 2 years post transplant of liver and kidney (same donor
which I understand helps tremendously). He was in very rough shape
and near death when he finally got his new 'parts' and last night he
said he felt like 2 and half million bucks. He looks good too! He's
writing a book about the whole experience. He's extremely positive
and very funny. If you like - I could try to get an email address on
him and send it along to you.
I'm leaving on Sunday for a week for work - so I can work on it when
I get back.
Let me know.
Take care my friend.
Love,
Grace

I didn't have time to write alot of emails. Well today I went for
my initial lung/liver transplant evaluation at Emory. They are
saying it is a doable thing so I guess I have some really heavy
decisions to make. It turned out to be a really long day for me. I
left the house at noon thirty (in the middle of my night LOL) and
didn't get back until 7pm. They took ELEVEN tubes of blood from
me....... I have given 5 or 6 before but never 11!!!........and they
are retesting me for everything from Hep A, B, and C, to HIV, to
Alpha 1 Antitrypsin again, another PCR, CMV, CBC, LFT's, PTT, Iron
series, alcohol, drugs, nicotene, etc etc etc......... so many that I
can't even remember them......... did anyone else already know that
you can test for nicotene in the urine?? I never knew that before.
Good thing I didn't lie to them LOL but I will need to be smoke
free for a minimum of six months. The somewhat good news is that
people who receive multiple organ transplants get pushed up on the
list a little faster (as he said the bad news is that i would need
more than one organ).......... anyway, I still have LOTS of questions
and am not sure how these things work if you only have Medicare as I
know the antirejection drugs cost big $$ and Medicare of course
doesn't have any drug coverage.........but I half imagined myself all
successfully transplanted and back at WORK and spending MY money any
way I wanted ROFLOL and actually HAVING money to spend :-)
Anyway, it was a LONG day!! I am really tired but wanted to let
everyone know what I had found out......... does anyone KNOW anyone
that has had a double transplant?? I didn't even get a chance to ask
him if they do it all at the same time....... or lungs first and then
liver........... or just what the mechanics involved would
be........... actually I left with more questions than I had going in
there LOL Next time they will be ALL written down........ anyway,
today was the Hep doc and they are supposed to call me in the next
few weeks for an appt. with the LUNG doc and surgeon and with the
LIVER surgeon. Guess I am going to be going back and forth to Emory
alot. Since it is an hour away I am not looking forward to it but I
suppose I will get this done too :-) Anyway, hope everyone is
doing well....... just wanted to pop on and explain why I haven't
been sending many info posts or chatty posts. I have been a little
sidetracked with all of this. Tomorrow I take Mr. Figment back to
the vet for his repeat labs to see if the Procrit has done him any
good. He just looks like he is wasting away in front of my eyes the
way that Ms. Widdy did :-( It makes me very sad. Not sure if I
can even handle this but I guess we handle what we have to!! Take
care of yourselves and if anyone knows a *double transplantee* (is
that the word?!?!? ROFLOL) please put me in touch with him/her.
Thanks everyone!! TTYL

Hi everyone! Sorry for the cross posting to a few of the lists but I didn't
have time to write alot of emails. Well today I went for my initial lung/liver
transplant evaluation at Emory. They are saying it is a doable thing so I
guess I have some really heavy decisions to make. It turned out to be a really
long day for me. I left the house at noon thirty (in the middle of my night
LOL) and didn't get back until 7pm. They took ELEVEN tubes of blood from
me....... I have given 5 or 6 before but never 11!!!........and they are
retesting me for everything from Hep A, B, and C, to HIV, to Alpha 1 Antitrypsin
again, another PCR, CMV, CBC, LFT's, PTT, Iron series, alcohol, drugs, nicotene,
etc etc etc......... so many that I can't even remember them......... did anyone
else already know that you can test for nicotene in the urine?? I never knew
that before. Good thing I didn't lie to them LOL but I will need to be smoke
free for a minimum of six months. The somewhat good news is that people who
receive multiple organ transplants get pushed up on the list a little faster (as
he said the bad news is that i would need more than one organ).......... anyway,
I still have LOTS of questions and am not sure how these things work if you only
have Medicare as I know the antirejection drugs cost big $$ and Medicare of
course doesn't have any drug coverage.........but I half imagined myself all
successfully transplanted and back at WORK and spending MY money any way I
wanted ROFLOL and actually HAVING money to spend :-) Anyway, it was a
LONG day!! I am really tired but wanted to let everyone know what I had found
out......... does anyone KNOW anyone that has had a double transplant?? I
didn't even get a chance to ask him if they do it all at the same time....... or
lungs first and then liver........... or just what the mechanics involved would
be........... actually I left with more questions than I had going in there
LOL Next time they will be ALL written down........ anyway, today was the Hep
doc and they are supposed to call me in the next few weeks for an appt. with the
LUNG doc and surgeon and with the LIVER surgeon. Guess I am going to be going
back and forth to Emory alot. Since it is an hour away I am not looking forward
to it but I suppose I will get this done too :-) Anyway, hope everyone is
doing well....... just wanted to pop on and explain why I haven't been sending
many info posts or chatty posts. I have been a little sidetracked with all of
this. Tomorrow I take Mr. Figment back to the vet for his repeat labs to see
if the Procrit has done him any good. He just looks like he is wasting away in
front of my eyes the way that Ms. Widdy did :-( It makes me very sad. Not
sure if I can even handle this but I guess we handle what we have to!! Take
care of yourselves and if anyone knows a *double transplantee* (is that the
word?!?!? ROFLOL) please put me in touch with him/her. Thanks everyone!!
TTYL
Peace and Love,
Pam
Dogs come when they're called. Cats take a message and get back to you. -- Missy
Dizick

Hi Pam,
Sounds very encouraging for you. My thoughts and prayers are with you
there. The glass is half full. :) John O

Dear Pam,every time I try to go to the club home stuff it wont come up, is it my
PC or the site? Love...Michael

This is a new program I just ran across (Thank you Chris :-)
New Program from Schering.
Schering has a new program called, "Moving Foreward." It is for those
considering treatment. This is in addition to, "Be in Charge," and
"Committment to Care," which are still active.
The phone # for "Moving Foreward" is 1-866-444-3004.

Pam,
Is this for people considering treatment for the FOURTH time and more afraid of
treatment than just letting the HepC take over??? LOL Dana
PeachStatePam wrote:This is a new program I just ran across (Thank you Chris
:-)
New Program from Schering.
Schering has a new program called, "Moving Foreward." It is for those
considering treatment. This is in addition to, "Be in Charge," and
"Committment to Care," which are still active.
The phone # for "Moving Foreward" is 1-866-444-3004.

I finally got into group chat, but cannot stay in it. I think it pulls to much
memory for my hard drive. It keeps knocking me off. Well, I could say the same
about the user! LOL.................Dana
ostra17@... wrote:If any of you would care to join me in a "chat"(sounds
like having tea-lol), email me and I will meet you. Nancy, Dana--we talk to
each other enough in
messages......there has got to be a time when we are all
online............anyway, the joke is upcoming soon. :)
your new heppy friend,
John

This is a new link I ran across tonight. Brand new site and it appears to
have some good ideas for alternative type therapies. You might want to
check it out!
http://www.essentialhelpforhepc.com

http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/712
To access the article, click on this Web address, or cut and paste it into a
browser window.

NOOOOOOO :-( Don't tell me that inflation has gotten to chicken
feed TOO LoL Never been willing to pay the price!
John

the.........damn...what was that? Oh the "Indigent Harley Hepper,
Gun, Machettee......... Oh damn, I forgot the whole thing!
But "Indigent" I think was the important word in that whole thing!!
LOL

Go here and half way down the page click on (Download Combo Surival
Guide)~~~~~~~~TC
http://www.hepcesn.net/news.htm

I am checking in because, Lord knows you guys don't here from me enough! I am
still here with you, but my mind has gone to it's little hiding place for a
little bit. I am sure that it will be back with you soon, and the normal, okay,
not so normal place it usually is. Love to
All!............................Dana

My Sympathy and Condolences to John, Linda, there families, the lives Linda
touched and the ones she had not had the chance to! Though I do not really know
you, a loss of any kind is great, and a loss to something that hits home with
all of us seems to be a larger impact. Contemplating what to say or even how to
reply, (I do not handle death well), I was lucky to of run across this in my
inbox. And so true it is and so hard it is to remember to have the right frame
of mindt. I wanted to share this with everyone in there time of need, sadness,
frustration, pain or even just because.
Dana
Perspectives...
Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last
night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and was rushing home to
cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments
with her children.
Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who
can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing
his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans
for next semester.
Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot
every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can
only imagine in our worst nightmares.
Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the
store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment,
knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be
the last year that they go shopping together.
Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the
greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold
dear. Open our hearts not just to those who are close to us but to all humanity.
Let us be slow to judgment and quick to forgiveness; with patience, empathy, and
love.
AMEN!

Dear Sweet Lisa,
I can only imagine how hard the past few days have been for you and I am SO
glad that you two were able to work things thru and get back to the
closeness I know you shared before it was too late. You are so very right!
(As was that beautiful post of TC's yesterday)...
I was fortunate enough to have this concept slap me upside the head 10 years
ago after the ONE time I was in too much hurry to get to a company Christmas
party to hug and kiss my kids and tell them I love them...which we AlWAYS
do...and then woke up in ICU. The very first thing I thought...and the very
first thing my baby (who is a wonderful 17 yo now) said when I got home a
week later..."I didn't kiss my babies goodbye before I left". Kind of
thing that makes you reevaluate and get your priorities straight REAL quick.
SO...let me take this (rare...serious) occasion to say to you all...I Love
you "My Family" You are all precious to me...you truly have saved my
life...and given me reason to keep on going when all became black in my
world...on more than occasion this past year. Please know this from the
bottom of my heart..."IF" any of us should not be here tomorrow (I'll see
you in the next dimension :-)
I love you,
Nancy

PHYSICAL FINDINGS SUGGESTIVE OF CIRRHOSIS
A liver biopsy is the only definitive test that actually indicates whether
or not you have cirrhosis [irreversible scaring of the liver]. So, what
exactly is your doctor looking for when he/she does a physical exam? Are
there actually some physical clues that suggest that you have cirrhosis? The
answer to this question is yes.
The following is a list of 19 clues that indicate that you may already have
cirrhosis. These are listed alphabetically by their common medical name. It
is important to remember that, although helpful, each of these physical
manifestations do not indicate the actual cause of one's liver disease, and,
in fact, are not specific only to liver disease. They can be due to other
disorders as well.
1] ASCITES
An accumulation of excess fluid in the abdomen. Causes abdominal distention.
Can be treated with a low sodium diet, and the use of diuretics, i.e. water
pills.
2] ASTERIXIS
An uncontrollable flapping of the hands that becomes noticeable when
patients stretch out their arms, palms out, as if stopping traffic.
3] CAPUT MEDUSA
Enlarged blood vessels that snake out from the belly button in a patient
with ascites.
4] DUPUYTREN'S CONTRACTURE
A puckering of the palms that prevents people from totally straightening out
their hand. Usually associated with alcoholic liver disease.
5] EDEMA
Fluid accumulation in the legs, especially the ankles. Usually associated
with ascites.
6] ENCEPHALOPATHY
An altered mental status leading to coma. Can be treated with animal protein
restriction and a poorly absorbed sugar called Lactulose.
7] FETOR HEPATICUS
A particularly foul "dead mouse" smell found on the breath. Frequently
precedes coma.
8] GYNECOMASTIA
Enlarged, tender breasts in men. Commonly associated with alcoholic
cirrhosis, but may also be due to Aldactone, a drug used to control
ascites..
9] HAIR LOSS
Hair becomes sparce in men from the face, chest and pubis, and under the
arms in women.
10] JAUNDICE
A yellow discoloration of the skin due to an elevated bilirubin level.
11] MUSCLE WASTING
Loss of muscle mass, seen in end-stage cirrhosis when the liver can no
longer manufacture proteins.
12] PALMAR ERYTHEMA
Bright red coloring of the palms, particularly at the base of the thumb and
little finger. May be due to excess estrogen.
13] PAPER MONEY SKIN
Numerous small blood vessels that resemble the silk threads in a U.S. dollar
bill. Commonly cover the upper body.
14] PAROTID GLAND ENLARGEMENT
Enlargement of a gland on the face located under the ear. Causes an unusual
appearance of the protrusion of the earlobes straight out from the jaw.
15] SCLERAL ICTERUS
Yellow discoloration of the whites of the eyes [sclera], due to an elevated
bilirubin level.
16] SPIDER ANGIOMATA
Enlarged blood vessels that resemble little spiders. Usually found on the
upper chest,back, face, and arms. Turn white when their center is touched
[blanches]. More common in alcoholic cirrhosis.
17] SPONTANEOUS BACTERIAL PERITONITIS
Fever, and abdominal pain in a patient with ascites.
18] TERRY'S NAILS
The normal pinkish color of the nails turns completely white, with the
disappearance of the half-moon circles at the base of the nails.
19] UMBILICAL HERNIA
Protrusion of the belly button [umbilicus], in a patient with massive
ascites.
copyright © 2000 Melissa Palmer, MD

Hi Pam & All!!
Hope everyone is doing just great!!!!
Me? Well Ive got Good News and Ive got Great News!! ONLY 1 Shot to
go! This coming Friday eve is #48, plus the 6 days of Riba after, and
Thats IT!!! I year of TX! I Made it!! WOW!!
OK Now for the GREAT NEWS!! HEE HEE!! They ran my end of TX PCR last
week (2 weeks early!) and I am STLL UNDETECTABLE!! HOORAY!! Which is
why I'm writing now. In fact this time they ran a much more sensitve
QUAL PCR, which is the lowest Ive had yet, and it was NEGATIVE! This
Qual PCR sensitivity was <100copies/ml or approx <50iu/ml. Needless
to say I am Geeked!
As you recall, I was one of the first ones to get on Peg & Riba when
first available publicly last Fall. I took the Max Dosing of Peg &
Riba and made it! Hope this will encourage those out there, that this
is Do-Able!! Be it Peg or Pegasys & Riba!!!
Ive been spending the majority of my on-lne time at a site comprised
mostly of current and previous treaters, but I always have to come
back and give a "Shout Out" to all my other fellow Heppers! Except
almost everyone is on ALL of the Same Singles Sites Here Now!! HEE
HEE!! We're a Crazee Bunch!!!
Hope this finds you and all well!! Heres to EVERYONES SUCCESS!!!
Marcus