Aa
53 yr old male, can't decide if I should treat
I am a 53 yr old male. I have just been diagnosed with Hep C. I have not had a biopsy but have had an ultrasound which showed a fairly normal liver, some light shadowing. I have been feeling fatigued for a year or so. I figure I was exposed 27 years ago. I am having a hard time deciding if I should start treatments or wait until some new drug options surface. I am a General Manager of a very busy Hotel, I a worried if I get sick from treatment I will lose my job and my healthcare. How much will the year of torture extend my life. I have lived with this disease 27 years with very little damage, 27 more years would make me 80. Really don't know what to do or think.I am really still trying to wrap my head around all this. I welcome all and any advice.
I totally agree with Hector.
Get the biopsy. Then you can make a more informed decision. Don't wait.
And please know that the year of torture is not necessarily the treatment route you have to take. The new drugs are cutting that time down to 3 months. Also no side effects to speak of. I know several people that are on trial with these new orals and continue to work at their jobs.
I myself am on an all oral Abbott study for 12 weeks. I expect to be cured of this disease by mid July.
Once you get more info about your status if you need to treat look into a trial.
Get the biopsy. Then you can make a more informed decision. Don't wait.
And please know that the year of torture is not necessarily the treatment route you have to take. The new drugs are cutting that time down to 3 months. Also no side effects to speak of. I know several people that are on trial with these new orals and continue to work at their jobs.
I myself am on an all oral Abbott study for 12 weeks. I expect to be cured of this disease by mid July.
Once you get more info about your status if you need to treat look into a trial.
Hi, there is great information above and I am still figuring all of this out so will only say that I am now in the 15th week of triple (geno type 1a) and I continue to feel really good and haven't missed any work except for appts. and days I take off. There were several really tough weeks but overall it has been okay. Each person reacts differently to the treatment and I have a lot of weeks left to go (treating for 48 weeks) so anything can change but so far so good. Yes, I do have sx but because of advice from this forum have stayed on top of all of them.
The incivik was no picnic but it wasn't as tough on me as it was on others. I have had this virus for many years as well and my liver was still in good shape and my AST/ALT was normal, however I knew that at my age (60) and because of the length of time I had this virus anything could change very quickly and I didn't want to wait until I had other health issues to begin addressing this.
I know you will weigh the options with your treating team and make the best decision for you but I just wanted to say that not everyone is leveled by this treatment. I have also turned my attention to taking better care of myself, eating better, continuing to walk (slowly of course), drinking plenty of water, getting more sleep and resting when I can't sleep.
I wish you the best!
The incivik was no picnic but it wasn't as tough on me as it was on others. I have had this virus for many years as well and my liver was still in good shape and my AST/ALT was normal, however I knew that at my age (60) and because of the length of time I had this virus anything could change very quickly and I didn't want to wait until I had other health issues to begin addressing this.
I know you will weigh the options with your treating team and make the best decision for you but I just wanted to say that not everyone is leveled by this treatment. I have also turned my attention to taking better care of myself, eating better, continuing to walk (slowly of course), drinking plenty of water, getting more sleep and resting when I can't sleep.
I wish you the best!
Everyone above has given you excellent information, all the people here are so kind and knowledgeable and they give a little of themselves every day to help others as they were helped. You will receive a lot of support here. I finished treating a little over a year ago and am now SVR.
It is really good that you are doing as much research as you can.
When I was diagnosed my blood work looked ok, slightly elevated liver enzymes, low platelets, it was assumed that I had plenty of time to treat.
Then the biopsy was done and it was found I had strands of collagen that were consistent with cirrhosis. Then it became an urgent matter as I was told if I did not get rid of the HCV I had 5 to 10 years before needing a transplant.
While it took me 30 years to get to cirrhosis, it was going to be a much shorter time til death.
You can also search on here, right next to where you posted your question you can search what ever you like and put the year in so you don't get old information.
Good luck to you
Dee
It is really good that you are doing as much research as you can.
When I was diagnosed my blood work looked ok, slightly elevated liver enzymes, low platelets, it was assumed that I had plenty of time to treat.
Then the biopsy was done and it was found I had strands of collagen that were consistent with cirrhosis. Then it became an urgent matter as I was told if I did not get rid of the HCV I had 5 to 10 years before needing a transplant.
While it took me 30 years to get to cirrhosis, it was going to be a much shorter time til death.
You can also search on here, right next to where you posted your question you can search what ever you like and put the year in so you don't get old information.
Good luck to you
Dee
My Blood work is back and my results are fabulous...I went from 1.7 million to 1.2, my iron is perfect, ferritin is perfect, % of saturation perfect,so I am pleased. I know this is not for everyone but it's working for me. I know these drug companies and the Dr. kick backs are what drive a lot the "urgency" of having treatment but I will go with the natural way. I wish you luck in what ever you chose to do. And of course we are all entitled to our views and opinions, that's just mine.....
Normally I would not feel the need to say this but, because of some of the above posts, I feel I need to state: Don't be misled into thinking that suddenly your Hepatitis C is going to disappear without the recommended and approved medical treatment. It won't. Also, do not be misled into thinking that natural herbs, aloe juice, proper diet, cleansings, etc. will cure Hep C. They won't. Obviously a person feels better if he/she eats properly and gets the right nutrition. Some herbs and supplements can help a person feel better. However, neither proper nutrition nor herbs and supplements nor cleansings will cure Hep C. If the goal is to get rid of the Hep C, then one needs to do the recommended and approved treatment, which is currently Interferon, Ribavirin, and a Protease Inhibitor for Genotype 1 and Interferon and Ribavirin for Type 2 and 3. There are new drugs in clinical trials which will be available at some point in the future.
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