Alcohol issue

[juz gal]

Hi everyone, i'm a girl live in indonesia had hcv positive for about 7 years, been doing tx for almost 6 months,only 2 shots more to go, genotype 3 with high viral load and undetectable at week 16. I used to consume alcohol in quite a lot amount every once a week, but i haven't had since my tx begins...does anyone know is it allow to drink alcohol when you're off the treatment and juz waiting for the 6 months svr???does anyone still drink alcohol after treatment???for information my doctor said it is safe to consume alcohol 1 glass of wine weekly even you're on tx but not more than 1 glass....anyone still drinking????

[shastri20032003]

I am from Indonesia too and am on wk 15 of 24,my genotype is 10a=3,undetectable at wk 4,pretx vitral load 1,070,000

Before I respond to your question,I am curious about one thing. If you are undetectable only at week 16,why are you doing tx only for a little more than 6 months? You should be doing tx for one year(48 wks)
If you are undetectable at week 4 for geno 3 then its ok to do tx for only 6 months

Regarding the alcohol issue....I think you better remove alcohol from your mind for a long time and if possible...forever. I think you are already aware that in your condition having alcohol is like adding petrol to the fire. Stay away from alcohol..you need to decide..you love your liver more or alcohol

I was a heavy drinker for 6 years and I stopped overnight on being diagnosed with hep c..its been 10 months now and now I have forgotten how to spell alcohol!

Selamat Malam

[missy60051]

I reasently was told that from my new Dr. (heptatoligist).  It was a little hard to swallow.  I was hoping after this nightmare that I could at least once in awhile live it up again.  I'm now faced with the point he made to me.  When women consume a bottle of wine , men drank only half.  He preceded to tell me of a pt. of his which was only 36 was UND but loved the wine and it killed her.  He tells me your wine or your life.  WOW!  A lot to think about.

Missy

[shastri20032003]

the craving and the desire for alcohol for most of us who were heavy drinkers is always going to be there...there is no denying this fact

Yes...all of us would like to go back to the days when we used to live it up but the reality says a different story and we have to learn to accept it and pretend that there is no such thing as alcohol in this world ...in fact most of my friends drink and if you want to socialise in todays world you need to have a glass in your hand..but at what consequences?
Your new hep was absolutely right
Take care

[geterdone]

Welcome! good to hear from all.
jasper

[cruelworld]

good to see you back in action. i liked you new song, but i loved hepmax prison.
i actually was karaoke singing it the other night, but some of the verses didnt match my karaoke version so ive got to work on it. are you still pretty crushed down or are you bouncing back yet?

[Catll]

No alcohol while on treatment.
Alcohol will/might interfere with Pegasys/Pegintron. …

[ladybug52]

I haven't even asked my dr, I know it can hurt my liver.  Some dr's are ok with a glass of red wine as limited amounts can help lower cholesterol, help prevent coronary heart disease, and contains antioxidants.
That said, there are other ways to lower cholesterol, and get antioxidants  in your body.
The trouble with drinking, as with all addictive substances, is the difficulty for some people to limit their intake.
Personally, I think it's a personal decision, and you have to weigh the risks. I had a dr tell me to "drink carefully", before I started tx! He was the original dr who ordered the biopsy and got me started on tx. I have since moved on to a PA who is totally against it.
Good luck, hope you have a  long and healthy life.
Bug

[ladybug52]

I posted some of the results of this link above to Shastri regarding alcohol and hep c:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2003/niaaa-26.htm
Very interesting as I was beginning to believe small amounts would be ok.
Bug

[R Glass]

I asked my Dr. if, my Biopsy results turn out well (having biopsy tomorrow) and I reach SVR at end of treatment (Oct.-March), can I have my life back? His response was yes and no. He reminded me of the facts. I almost died of pneumonia about 6 years ago, I had a heart attack 5 years ago, now I am diagnosed with hepc (2b), and I am almost 50 years old. He said if all goes well and I choose to drink moderately and “can control it”, I should be ok. If I cannot control it, “if the virus does not kill me, something else will”. I respect him for not telling me a lot of B.S. to convince me not to drink but laying out the facts and leaving the ball in my court. I will make my decision after all of the results are in. Try moderation or not at all. I know this does not sit well with some people but, I have one life and it is mine to live out as I see fit.

[ladybug52]

It is a personal choice, and I change my mind back and forth. Right now, it's con, but I may go pro for limited amounts in the future.

[ladywhy]

Hi there,
Just popped in to say hello. I had a relaxing day. My mother is going back to Ireland in August with my brother and I was searching the net for rentals and such...it was fun....(vicarious,though) I found this great place for them and it was pretty exciting. Oh to dream....who knows, maybe next year. All of my aunts and uncles, cousins and whatnot are there. I really love the countryside. My mother keeps asking when am I coming to NY? She just doesn't get that I'm just not up to it. I wish she would come see me. Who knows maybe I will be up to it next weekend. It is only a 3 hour drive. How are you doing today? It must be nice to have your granddaughter for a little while (I say "little", considering she's teething!) We keep missing each other. Tomorrow is the 12 wk labs...so if you would say a prayer specifically for a 2 log drop, you know I'd appreciate it. Thanks & Hugs to you.
Yvonne