A viral load of 237k is not very high compared to most.

I address this question to the group.

How common is it for someone to have cirrhosis and such a low viral
load?

I hate to say this, but the surgery will probably boot him out of the study.
Does the doctor want to do surgery, or a biopsy of whatever is on his vocal
cords?  I don't think tx precludes any type of surgery; emergencies happen
all the time.

The potential complications provided by HCV antiviral therapy include lowered
immunity to infection (WBC suppression due to IFN) and impaired clotting
ability (platelet suppression also due to IFN) with anemia thrown in
(hemolytic due to Ribavirin as well as RBC production suppression from the
IFN).

I'd say get the immediate problem resolved before hopping on the therapy
express. Hopefully what hubby's doc is seeing is a benign cyst, but if there's
more to it you don't want the complication of therapy meds in the way.

As your hubby's condition demonstrates, viral loads are pretty much irrelevant
wrt disease progression. On the up side, a low viral load such as your
husband's is a plus when calculating the odds of treatment success...

Cheers - and good luck.

/greyhackles

On Apr 13, 6:38 pm, DarlinD...@webtv.net (DarlinDebo Dreamweaver)
wrote:

NO surgery during treatment.

Ask your physician I agree with the responses by readers. By now I am
sure you have come to a conclusion.

Simple dental procedures are discouraged. The lowered WBC (white bllod
cell count) immunity can and do KILL. A hospital environment has what
is called Hospital Acquired Infections. One cannot and should not go
for ANY surgery while on treatment. We are on what is called severe
chemotherapy that must be closely watched. Adding another wrench into
it...well..no respecting Dr would attempt such a thing unless it were
life or death.  We, as one's on treatment, and with a very subdued
immunity due to the Interferon treatment and Ribasphere, are under
strange and mysterious chemical treatments which leave our bodies with
little or no fighting ability toward infection of any kind. Consider
yourselves "Boys in Plastic Bubbles". The very entrance into a
hospital endangers one to dangerous germs that a healthy person needs
their white blood cells to fight, let alone one with little body
defenses. This would be an experiment at least for you doctor and all.

I had surgery last year, on the treatment, after about 27 weeks.  Different
surgery (hemorrhoids), but I picked up an infection and had to go into the
hospital for about 4 days.  They killed me with antibiotics to get rid of
the infection, but the bottom line was I was off the treatment for about 8
days.  My last qualitative blood test had been 0, at 25 weeks, but when I
had my next test at 31 weeks, the virus had returned.  My doctor insisted
that being off the treatment during my surgery wasn't a factor, but I've
always had my doubts.  Anyway, I had to stop the treatment because the virus
had returned.  My advice to your husband is to try to stay on the treatment
as much as possible during the time of surgery and recovery period.  And
good luck.