Believe it or not folks

[johnisme]

More people die with HCV then from HCV

People should not decide to tx. or not tx. by what people say on these forums.

Tx. is not doable for all people.

people should not use "guilt trips" like do it for your kids to get people to tx. There are people worse off from tx. that do have kids.

There are people that don't come here anymore because they either couldn't handle the tx. or the tx. did not work. Not just because their out enjoying life.

You should read other forums too. You might find the % of people not clearing a little different then here.

Lung cancer will kill you faster then HCV (BTW i also smoke)

People become obsessed with HCV. so when you become svr are you really "cured"?

Enjoy life, stay well, but remember we will all die some day.

[Snookmiester]

Boy, just when I thought I had met a few of the most ignorant people the internet had to offer,
ALONG comes a post like this!!!

If you've been to other forums, then you know how many have died from HCV, while seeking out support. Then you know how many have gone through esophegal bleeding, ESLD, Cancer, Ascities, transplants, etc..
Man, keep your bullshit to yourself!!

[johnisme]

I did not post that to offend or **** anybody off. I spent a hour today with a doctor strolling through the halls of a large teaching hospital. I saw a lot of people that would gladly trade places with me. And btw im stage 4/4 grade 3/4...

Your name calling shows me just how smart you are.

Stay well

[beamishboy]

i am "obsessed" w/ treatment cuz it's what i'm doin right now...When i'm makin luv,i'm pretty focused on that!When i eat you might catch me talkin,remarkin,obsessing on my food,meal,the people i am sharing same with..When i work i enjoy total concentation on the task at hand-to do otherwise could be dangerous&certainly unfair to those employing my very particular skill
I decided to pursue treatment after seeking the educated opinions of 3 Heptologists,...My biopsy was analyzed by 2 ;my bloodwork is ongoing;viral loads have been determined 3 times...I waited 16 months after my GP told me about my status to make up my mind to treat..In the interim i took all the usual vit&supplements-my viral load went up by18,ooo,ooo!
This is my favorite site because it positively reinforces my OWN decision..Previously i have spent literally 100's of hours on line& in librarys,also talked in person&via telephone to other hep-c carriers..
Now is not the time to question my treatment"options" hell,i'm doin it& i need support!!!!! Don't question my decision once i'm out the gate!--hindsights 20/20 or as grandma useta say,& i guess I Do know(thks gram)--" if wishs were horses then beggars would ride&if horse turds were biscuits we eat til we died"---
  All that said,i am rationalizing a decision made for me,your decision must be your own...And if you or anyone cannot tolerate treatment,i am so sorry& i hope i never share that particular experience with you,tho lord knows it could happen..These drugs are sooo NASTY!!!--Soon ,hopefully we will have much better options!!!  I will celebrate that day with you--Peace&good luck

[jmjm530]

All good points.

BTW I don't think John is saying not to treat -- in fact I believe he's starting combo tx very soon. But what John is saying is to weigh your options carefully and go into treatment with eyes wide open.

Very good point about visiting other discussion groups to get different perspectives on treatment. While others will disagree, I still find MH somewhat biased toward treatment. Nothing wrong with that, just something for folks to factor in when trying to make a decision.

So John, when you starting ?

-- Jim

[johnisme]

Where did i say you should not treat? or for that matter that nobody should treat.

Snook, which of my statements were not true?

[Fisheress]

Lets change the start of this thread and make it a good one.

Just got my 12 week PCR results.  It only took 2 days!  Had it done on Friday and results today!

I'M UNDECTABLE!  WOOHOO!  I just knew it was working for me!  Yes, I do still have a long way to go and knowing I am negative yes will make it harder.  I will survive though!  The test the clinic does is a 10 IU or below which is wonderful! My HGB is 12.9 and last result was 13.9, so it's gone down just a little since the start of tx.

Was out Chrismas shopping when my coordinator called.  Actually I was in the store, checked out, my best friend was calling and I answered outside the store with a BIG WOOHOO!  I was busting at the seams!

So don't let the above post get you down, ignore IGNORANT PEOPLE!

I hope everyone else that is waiting on their 12 PCR results have undectecable results also.

Good luck to all!

A happy Fisheress! :)   :)  :)

[johnisme]

Was suppose to start this week, but wanting to make sure me and my doc. are on the same wave link sense i will be in a trial study. And no im not saying people should not treat. But i don't think they should because somebody says they should. Nor do i think people should not treat because somebody says not to.

Hope your still doing ok

[jmjm530]

All the best going forward. I also held up my "start date" a few weeks getting my ducks in a row. Fill us in on your tx/trial details if and when you want.

-- Jim

[FlGuy]

Congrats.  The ND at 12 makes a lot of the stuff you've gone thru almost worthwhile.  I know how you feel. I think you'll find that future TX weeks get a little easier (at least attitude-wise)knowing you cleared a significant hurdle. Stay focused.
Nice Christmas gift for you.  I remember the smile I had when I got the same news.

[johnisme]

Congrats Fisheress, What a nice gift for you to put under that Christmas tree.

Stay well.....John

[beamishboy]

Fish--Congratulations&very good segue-you Rock!!
John-as i said befor-Goodluck,it's a tuff decision,hopefully tougher than treatment side effects will be for you..I do wish you all the best..
Jim-As always a calm voice of reason,i just shot-up 'bout an hour ago &it went right to my head--anything but dwellin on the cumin small s shitstorm..As for pro-treat bias,its what I want right Now--no 2nd guessing,just clouds my decision,i need to focus on continueing to the end.....That said,certainly we can only learn more frm questioning status quo...Seems to happen alot with this group-thats what i love about you guys--You are On It!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fisheress]

John, sorry, did not mean to be judgemental after reading your post.  After reading on, I wish all the luck in the world to you as I am also in a clinical study and would not have done it any other way.  They are very observant to everything going on with me and you can count on getting the best treatment out there.  I am a 1A, 46 year old female.  I am focused and will stay that way.  No one steered me one way or the other to tx, it was soley my decision.

I only hope you can do the same thing and tx agrees with you as it is "doable" in my book so far.  I also pray you have the worlds greatest coordinators on your team.  Mine are WONDERFUL!  I can call them on their personal cell phones with any silly little question I have anytime of the day or night and they pay attention and let me know I am not being a pest.

Like I said, GOOD LUCK to you and I wish you ALL THE BEST!  Keep us posted.

Fisheress

[strator]

wooooooooooooooooooooonderfuuuuuuuuuuul! Hit that dragon while he's down! THank you-my day just keeps gettin better. Stay well!!
Don

[jaroman]

My warmest congrats!  So happy for you!

[Drugs Sucks]

Well said !!
Doing Tx Isn't for all because of the seriuosness of the side effect, I have meet a few people in town that have gone through it and don't make it through the Tx, because of the side effect, they say it made them real sick.. so they stop..
Myself i am Glad that i am not that way, I do get the head aches and body ache, nausea,and can't sleep at night and have to take sleeping pills but it all bearable..  As for working NO Way it make me start feeling bad..



Guilty Trip?? LOL.. Not Me!!!!  Can't chang anything from the past, just got to except it!!! I know I will die someday!!
Not on Tx for anyone or my kids or grand kids,
except for myself!!!

I have read other post, your Very right, clearing different,

I have emphazima and i still smoke and i KNOW i will die from that even if i Quite now, I have post yesterday that my mom died of lung cancer and cirrous of the liver but the cancer what killed her, not the liver cirrous and she lived 7 yr after she found out..  

There NO Cured for anything but to put in remission, Tx is just a short cure or a long cure depends of ONE'S future !!! Same with Cemo..

I was Born to Live to Learn, Now Learnning to Live..

All Have A Great Holiday !!!

[jmjm530]

That's one of the dilemmas of stating your opinions on any of these discussion groups. On one hand you want to support the decisions people have made, but on the other hand you want to give out the best information/advice as you see it.

I remember when DD started posting with his occult virus obsession :) Initally, I didn't take to well to those posts because I felt they were undermining my motivation to treat and to SVR. Later, I realized that all information is good and now I not only read but welcome DD's posts although I don't necessarily agree with some of his conclusions.

Beamish, in the end no one can undermine anyone's motivation but the person themself. Or if they can, then something is not right. To make a mishmash of Nietzsche -- if knowledge doesn't kill us, it will make us stronger -- and hopefully kill the virus. Hope the sides are kind to you tonight.

Fisheress, Congratulations on being non-detectible. What better can you ask for. Great news

-- Jim

[cougareyes]

Good Luck to you buddy, we've talked on this subject before; I wish all could accept this is a forum of opinions and our perceptions of our own experiences. It's amazing how many people can blame HCV on everything yet can't see the dangers of combo tx.
Not only the dangers of interferon and ribravin but all the sx management drugs alot take during tx. Not only have I read internet reports of the dangers of procrit, I saw a tv ad the other day that made the statement "the use of procrit could increase the risk of strokes in some patients".
You've got to choose your poison, I'm in week 23/48 of tx and I'm anti-tx. Misery loves company so beware of un-warranted pro-tx advice. There is a time for tx, but most shouldn't take the risk with these current meds. Just one man's thoughts....Peace

[johnisme]

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, and what a boring world this would be if everybody agreed with everybody. I like reading everyone point of view. And it doesn't bother me if someone doesn't agree with me. He** my wife doesn't agree with alot of what i say.

I've read and reread my post and still don't see where it makes me ignorant or my post ignorant.

OH WELL, again thanks chev and you stay well.

[honey11]

I do hear that so much and in fact my own dr stated it "More people will die with HCV then from HCV".  However there is too many in my opinion that are too sick or on liver transplants or even at end stage.  Those people aren't the ones here or at other forums typing...Most of the ones that I have seen at forums are indeed thinking of treating,,,treating,,,through treating or still doing the watch and see.  You are right,,,tx is not doable for everyone and lots have lasting side effects after completing.  We have to continue to fight to beat it,,,and not pretend that it will go away on its own or we will die of something else in our old age because I bet you a million to one if there was enough studies completed on people with HCV,,,that died,,, in the end,,,,,the virus did play a part in it whether its liver,kidney or anything to do with immune system...


Way to go Fisheress,,,best Christmas gift you could have received!!

[derail]

congrats on the good results keep your needle straight and before you know it you'll be done tx
yes it is hell but worth it
johnisme  good luck on the onset of tx


and what was said, what is said about treating or not; It is a personal decision, one to be made with a great deal of considerations and info to those who do treat, the path is fraught with many perils but the svr was worth it for me
daryl

[Fisheress]

Thank you all for your congrats!!!  What a great place this is and I am in a great place right now!  I just only wish the best for everyone. Chevy, my sis is so cool, you remind me of her.  She told me when the holidays are here and WHEN I NORMALLY am in the kitchen doing my cooking and drinking my wine, to go thru all the motionS, open a bottle of sparkling cider, pour it in the wine glass and go thru all the motion as if I was having a glass of wine!  And ya know what?  At thanksgiving thats excatly what I did, AND IT WORKED!

Trust me she can come up with some great ideas..........if it's stuck, use WD-40....if it won't stick, use duct tape.  Shes' something else!  I loved her wine idea!

[Chriskid]

Here’s one for the treat side, just got my week 8 results.

10/3 VL Base-- 780k
11/11 VL—15k
12/1 VL—5k
Geno 1a, infected +-30yrs

I’m sick and I’m tired and I feel like poop.  It's a struggle to get any kind of exercise in.  Doc just denied me Procrit again, I think he’s trying to see just how tough I am.  And I don’t have to be doing this, bx 1, 1.  If I hadn’t achieved a 2 log drop by Jan 4 I would have quit and waited.  But that’s been done.

The fatigue that led me to pull the trigger on this before I started tx had me more worried than I am right now.  It’s possible I might not make it till the end but it won’t be without a fight.  I want this pretty bad.

I’m off to the Caribbean sailing for a week and hopefully I won’t come back my medical transport.  I wish everyone the perspective and subjective intelligence to make their own best decisions.  And the peace to find comfort in that decision.

[litecloud]

Hello everyone: Some of you I remember from when I first came here about a year or more ago, Chevygal, Cuteus, I see you guys are still around. I also remember Indi are you still around?
I stopped coming to this forum because I was in denial, I just thought, that maybe it would go away, mmmmm I guess not !!!
I have waited all this time to be treated, I found out in march of 2003 that I was Hep C positive, if any of you remember me I was the girl that worked at a veterinarian hospital and got stabbed with a contaminated needle with human blood instead of animal blood.
I have been agonizing on wether to treat or not, when I use to come here, some of the things said about the meds did scare me, I can not say that they scared me off from treatment, because god gave us a will to decide. I decided to hold off. Things have gotten worse, I wake up aching in pain maybe fibromyalgia. I have now developed high blood pressure. Today I went to a different doctor, since I did not like my last one, he would not vaccinate me for HEP B. The doctor I saw today started the vaccination process. He pulled blood and hopefully start treatment after the holidays.
So you will see me here again. DOES  ANYONE  REMEMBER ME !!!

[Snookmiester]

Well for clarification, I am not a tx supporter myself..Tx is NOT for everyone.. Many around the forums will remember my comments on supplements, alternative tx's, and other approaches. But for most, tx is NOT an option. Being 26 at the time, and diagnosed with stage 3 fibrosis, I had no option. My first attempt was blotched, and I lasted a LOOONG 7 days before being ORDERED off all meds! I know the risks, the consequences, as do MOST who tx... Yet we look at the REWARD, the possible "cure".

It is just unfair to say that people will die of something else, when TOOOO many have already died from HCV. I have met a few in the past two years or so that have fallen victim to the virus, and that alone. The reason HCV is not moving forward in regards to awareness and education is because of that EXACT analogy.. People and society are not taking the disease seriously, and yet is kills more than HIV EVERY year. It is the number one reason for liver cancer, and liver transplants around the world. Many, do not have time. Like everyone of us have seen on this forum, and other forums, is that each and every case is different. Each and every person reacts and progresses differntly. One might go 30+ years and suffer NO fibrosis, yet another might be cirrhotic within 10.

Your statement was a bit tooo broad. For instance, an older person might indeed fall victim to a different ailment before HCV gets them, but a younger might not. I was told the median time for progression from a stage 3 to stage 4 is 18 months. Now being 28 years old, how long would I live being cirrhotic?
Should I cross my fingers and hope for a transplant, or to die of something else? Should I spark up a few cigarettes, and pray for lung cancer?  

The meds are NOT perfect, and hell they are "rat" posion in my opinion..But they do offer people hope. Everyone of us when diagnosed with HCV, RAN hysterically to our computers searching for answers. We bought the herbs, the "snake" oils, the sooo called "cures". But right now, the ONLY option for most, is COMBO tx. With a greater than 50% SVR rate, NOTHING else can offer or come anywhere near that.

"Cure" is not the only outcome of tx.. Many, such as myself have seen significant improvement in liver histology. NOTHING else RIGHT now can offer that to the HCV community.  

I find it funny, as the comment, "more die with HCV, than die from HCV", was the same comment my Dr gave me back in 95' when I was 17 or so.. Then his comment 2 years ago, "If you decide not to treat, you WILL need a transplant within 10 years"

Tx is not for EVERYONE, but don't give me this **** about people not dying from it. I see that as disrespect to the ones before us that have fallen victim to HCV, and the ones suffering now.

[Forseegood]

Hi, thanks for the props Chevy, appreciate it, but I by no means have ruled current treatment out, I know time's going by, I am in a kind of a holding pattern (knees shaking at the thought of tx for a variety of reasons, like most people) but also my doc's looking to get me into one of these trials coming up early next year, so gonna see what happens there... I'm weighing one thing against the other, but one day soon I might just tell him...order up the drugs, it's finger poppin time!

Sometimes we all get a little emotional, of course...why wouldn't we? we are under such tremendous stress, with or without treatment. I just think we can get emotionally triggered a little more easily, maybe because of our shared circumstances...We can sometimes be a little reactive and when we see a phrase or a sentence that gets our goat, we take off on that without looking at the entire post very carefully...to suss out the exact meanings the writer is trying to convey... I just think John was speaking to some issues that he thought important...I don't think he was telling anybody not to treat, just to weigh treatment very carefully. Balance is always welcome in my book, I get nervous when something is slanted too pro or con, it changes the culture of the board for the worse...I think. I also think there is room for everybody's opinion. Children who are hungry, cruelty in all its forms offends me....I try to choose my battles. Someone's opinion I can live with, even if it's contrary to mine.

One thing he did say that resonated with me at least, and I don't think I've ever seen this pointed out before...I guess because we are trying to be really supportive of each other...which is great of course... but there sometimes seems to be an almost "team player conciousness" for lack of a better term... of course not with everybody. What I mean is, if you do decide not to treat for whatever reason, or you can't make it through the treatment once started for whatever reason...I can see why some people might feel uncomfortable saying this to certain boards, maybe even this one.

Like being able to withstand treatment all the way through is a big test of someone's character or mettle?? Perhaps it is to a certain degree, but there are too many variables with this. I'm always amazed at how strong and diligent some people are with this disease and it's treatments, even in the face of so much suffering...but I still maintain that some people might experience more suffering than others, worse sides that are more acute, which is why some people have to quit prematurely,it's not all an even playing field as some people contend....where everyone suffers the same things and only a few of the strongest withstand it to the finish line. I've heard certain people say this and I find it very judgmental and just plain wrong. The human body is made up of too many components for it all to be an even playing field like that.

I would hope there is always room for compassion no matter what your situation is with this disease.

I think we should all try to make it comfortable and inclusive for anyone dealing with this disease. As for myself, I take his point about not getting too obsessed with it, I've found myself going off the deep end with this stuff more than once. Anyway, that's my take.

[Forseegood]

forgot to say, hearty, hearty congratulations!!!!

[cuteus]

YEAH!!! your negative is my negative, because I care what happens to you! On with the fight!!
litecloud: sweetie, you let fear paralyzed you 2 yrs ago! It was your choice and you took a chance at it been the right one for you. So it did not work well, It is never too late to go back to the drawing  board. I was dx the same exact month and year, I chose a different route, I heard the sides complaints here, read the inserts and possible dangers of meds, weighed the crappy QOL I was leading because of HCV, (people do not understand that chronic pain might not be life threatening, but it is debilitating and mentally damaging), and chose to fear HCV more than the meds. I also knew that there was no way I would know what tx would do to me until I tried it.
NO regrets! at all! I am HCV free!!! No lasting side effects from the meds, since most people do not get permanent side effects, and I am one of them.  I am not sure if I would have been ok, had they not treated the anemia when they did. but I do not have to worry about that one.

HCV free life is worth a year or so of discomfort. HCV is forever without tx, tx is temporary.  People should do whatever can be done to ease the sides they are experiencing as long as they are not life endangering.  HEck, driving a car is more dangerous than tx!

Best to you in whatever you decide!

[cougareyes]

The fact is there is alot of scare tactics being used with HCV. Some by the drug co.s and some contributed by gloom and doom HCV sufferers themselves. When the numbers from real medical research facilities break down: the % of death and real physical disabilities are very, very small.
So much of what you read about HCV disabilities and death skim over the facts about alot of the subjects involved. Like the fact that they drugged/drank up until the day they died. How they weighed over 200 lbs and ate a horrible diet.
Put the numbers in relationship to the numbers of dying, being disabled, or losing quality of life to any other disease, accident, etc: and you'll find you'll break even.
Now pick your poison, roll the dice; tx or not to tx: it's all up to you. Just one man's thoughts....Peace

[cuteus]

the fact is, many death certificates do not list hcv  or its complications as the cause of death, so we really do not know how many are dead by hcv direct or indirect intervention.  Many articles have been written about insulin resistance and HCV, CNS involvenment, cryoglobulinemia, non hodkins lymphoma, kidney disorders(these folks death certificates read kidney failure as the cause, never  mentioning a possible hcv connection). If you choose to downplay the possible numbers of affected individuals, others can choose to "up play" it.
peace to you also

[johnisme]

you said... but don't give me this **** about people not dying from it

I did not say that nor would i ever say that. H*LL im one of those that just might die from it. Being stage 4/4 and grade 3/4 is not the best position to be in with hcv.

Stay well........John

[johnisme]

I might not always agree with what you say, and you seem very pro tx. But thats your right to say it..... But i do want to say THANK YOU, as some of your post on being in clinical trials and their risk because of the protocol they have to follow got be to think. So thats why today i wanted to make sure my hepo and i agreed on what we would do if im forced out of the study early so i could continue tx. with out any delays.

Stay well...........John

[cougareyes]

I don't compile files of HCV info, I choose not to obsess my life with everything HCV. I do pop in here thru-out the course of the day, since I'm pretty much out of it due to sx. In the beginning I spent alot of time studying, days on end; now I occasionally read through reports I find through search engines.
I believe very little of what I read from private parties on the internet, If I find what they say to be interesting I do my own research. I just suggest if anyone finds what I say to be interesting, research it. Then read what other researchers say about that research. If you do that instead of believing people in chat rooms, forums, and HCV support sites; you may find some real medical information. I hope no one takes what I post to heart, I just hope it provokes thought.         Peace

[Snookmiester]

And I feel your pain my man!! We are all in uncomfortable situations, brought together by unfortunate circumstances..

I apologize for my harshness, but as Chev stated above...I tell it like I percieve it, and I've never been one to hold back. Sometimes my honestly can come across a bit brutal, but my compasiion is sincere..

I wish you the best!!

[Pirategold]

You comment that "most people with die with HCV and not from HCV," is the very phrase that I and most on this board have heard from our doctors.  I believe what the doctors are trying to do is settle us down so that we can just get on with living and not sit around and worry about something that in some cases we can do nothing about.

It would be nice if doctors would offer some advice on things to do that would improve our chances of good quality of life other than "stop all alcohol."  But then even suggesting that is sometimes ignored by us.  

I did some research and I knew that I needed to lose weight, and I did not.  I knew that I needed to not get too much iron in my diet and I stopped cooking with wrought iron.  I have since learned a few other things, but the fact is that they did not nail down this virus until 1993 and I believe that we are still at the beginning of learning how to deal with this virus.  

From everything I have read, this virus in messing with the liver causes havoc with our entire bodies, so how the doctors can say that more people will die of other things and not HCV just does not ring true.  It is almost as if they have their heads in the sand.

Just another confirmation to me that if I want to get better and to generally enjoy good quality of life and health, I cannot rely on a doctor, I must educate and inform myself.

Pirate

[iceboy]

Love you guys. Throw in a bone and it brings out the (riba) rage. We should be thankful for this wonderful education we get here, (looking at all aspects of the matter)

To start with, I thought my motivation for tx was so I would´t infect others, but of cause Im doing this for my self, and that includes as well so I wouldnt infect others, that would also be for myself.

Any way, Iwe gone bonkers. Iwe had such a rage today that I can hardly belive what I have said. Un f**** belivable. Im a bit frightend that Im experiencing to many side effects at such an early stage. I don´t know, Im confused. I feel like my teeth are falling out because my gums hurt so much (I have never had any problems there, I have lost 3 KG in 3 weeks, I have the rage just turning me inside out. Any advice please? should these type of sides come so early? It´s not like I think im dropping out, but at what cost. Can I espect my teeth to fall out? and I think Im going cross-eyed. LOL

[cougareyes]

I was bedridden for the 1st 4 weeks, I'm on 23/48 now and although I'm now in what I call a restless zombie-like state; I'm going to live. Alot of things have scared me along the way, I rode them all out and things for me did balance into a manageable state. I guess all I'm trying to offer you is you're not alone. Oh by the way did I hear you are from/in Iceland. I have an ex-wife from Iceland, beautiful country with a wonderful culture.     Peace

[honey11]

Unfortunately,,,it does sound normal at times on the tx.  Usually when it gets really bad,,,you will have some relief for a few days only to get ready for next round.  If too bad,,call your dr and see if he give you something to help you out,,,maybe to take the edge off if you are feeling really stressed out.  Hope it gets better soon for you!

[cuteus]

funny you should mention the trials; I bookmarked, at work, an article on things to do/ask when interviewed and your rights as a subject, I might post the link for all considering trials.
I think I am mostly for trying the tx for proper fit rather than going by what others preach or complain about, since we don't know how it will be for us until then, I would be scared to suggest continuation or starting tx to anyone with dangerous conditions like a very low hgb, or cardiac disorders, but I can understand if they too want to try ridding themselves of  the virus.  what bugs me sometimes is folks that have not try the meds, speaking as if they know them...even though sometimes we don't need to touch the flame to know it burns, we at times need to try the sauce to see if it is too spicy for our like.
I just want hcv gone from everyone's body, not sure why.
I hope you succeed. .

[honey11]

I couldn't agree more with you Cuteus,,,,Sleep better at night knowing its gone and want to see all my friends at med help virus free!

[strator]

john- thanks for getting a great thread started. Reading through it all I thought, cool!-the tube's off and I can still get drama, comic relief, anger, compassion, knowledge, support, debate. I feel mor'n a few cents short of a dollar tonight so I figure as long as I'm broke I'll throw a few cents of what I got into the pot. And believe me john I don't take issue with anything you said, just some random thoughts I'm unloading.

It was a 2+ year process before I decided to treat. Early on I hit the web(janis), tried a forum(might of even been this one) but the talk of sx was more than I was ready to participate in at that time. I met some people in recovery that talked to me about it. Eventually I joined a monthly support group for liver disease, and therapy etc. Anyways it was a journey. First my doc wanted me to start, then he wanted me to wait...the stars all eventually started to line up for me, with help I lined a few up myself. The decision was mine. I don't always make the best ones, but at the time I made the one I thought best for me with the info I had. I would wish that opportunity for everyone - no matter what the decision they come to is.

One thing-the decision to treat had little to do with the fear of dying. It had to do with the fear of living with a diminished quality of life. I was trying to get back on my feet, wanted to reach my potential, & then all of a sudden I couldn't keep up from constant fatique and I'm sure it was hcv related.. I considered herbal and natural stuff but honestly I don't think I could have afforded to be vigilant with it. When I decided to battle, I went the route I could go.
That's the other word BTW, not obsessed, vigilant. I ain't the greatest focuser in the world. But I'm sure some people in my world think I'm obsessed with hcv and tx. Some think I'm obsessed with substance recovery, or my kid...I spend a lot of time on him -is it obsessive or parental vigilance. Balance is the trickiest thing going. My opinion-something's not obsession unless it's becoming detrimental or dangerous to the other important things. Hopefully I'm not obsessed with my art-just passionate. Sometimes I come here simply because it's a break from the rest of my life. Lookin for balance.
Tx certainly isn't for everybody. Sometimes hcv isn't even the most dangerous thing a person is facing. When I meet somebody with hcv that is new to recovery I don't suggest they make the decision get or stay sober so they can treat. I suggest they get sober so they can live. Even if I didn't have hep c, booze and drugs would kill me somehow or another faster than the hep. I don't drink safely.
I mentioned the other day running into someone around town that had just finished a 6mos course of tx and recieved notice of undetectable. Honestly it looked like she'd been through hell. Lottsa weight loss, stressed out. But she said, "Don it was so worth it. The burden for now just seems lifted. My life feels better."
Hope no matter what any of us decide, or what the results, we experience that feeling of having made a good decision.
**I'd rather be happy than right - but it would be nice to be both at the same time...just once!
God bless ya john, and may your decisions be what they need to be for your happiness. Be well.
Don

[johnisme]

Well i sure did get some peoples bp up tonight, at least we know everyone is alive. LOL But really folks in my post i did not attack anyone, did not say anything thats not true. Yet i was called ignorant by two posters, (btw no hard feeling here) Guns was a blazeing, and i think some didn't bother to read all of my post but just wanted to pile on.

Now if you were new here or just stopped in and read through all that would you want advice from this place? Or would you want to state your opinion here? God forbid

I hate HCV just as much as anyone here, and i pray there comes a day were all cured. And no one else has to deal with this D*m virus.

Snook, Thanks for the apology. No hard feeling i hope.

Stay well, and as cougar says...PEACE...

[GoofyDad]

I would hope there is always room for compassion no matter what your situation is with this disease...we should all try to make it comfortable and inclusive for anyone...not getting too obsessed with it...

Yeah... what she said!