symptoms of hep-c

[dickl]

I was diagnosed 2 yrs. ago with hep-c and cirrhosis . I've unknowingly been infected since 1974 . My hepatologist says my liver is in no shape to withstand the treatment for the virus . The past several days I've been rather sick ; ache in muscles and joints , low grade fever , nausea , poor appetite . Unfortunately my doc is gone this week and has no one to cover . His gal said to contact my gp , but he's not very experienced with liver disease .Is this to be expected in the future , feeling ok for lengthy perods and then the hep strikes .

      dickl

[dickl]

my doc says I'm not in a meld score area  would put me on the transplantation program . I'll  get sicker and either die or get a liver. I have reoccurring symptoms of extreme fatigue , low fever , ache all over , poor appetite . Nothing new or alarming . My doc never responds to these symptoms and blames it on more common viruses . I got vaccinated for flues and pneumonia . What I see on this site and others leads me to believe this is hep-c which he doesn't want to treat me due to the poor condition of my liver . I think the doc is wathing for further liver failure . The "sick days " are more frequent but this too raised no flags when put to the doc  I guess I am hoping someone will let me know their opinion about this situation . It's probably a irrelevant quetion , since I'm not hospitalized and am stable . I have been on a low salt and low fluid diet for 2 years for ascitese . In the past several months when I've gone off this diet  no weight gain from water retention which in the first 1 1/2  was not the case . I would put on 5lbs plus in 12 hours . My doc poo-poos this and tells me its the diuretics but that medication has been the same throughout this .Any ideas ?

                                                                                            dickl

[jusjames]

good luck, and keep learning, keep asking

[nygirl7]

So you are planning on a transplant?

Unfortunately many doctors (most it seems) don't bother to educate us on anything. That is the beauty of this forum. For many of us it was the only way we had to find out what was really going on and in some cases (like mine) changed the course  of our treatments enough that we succeeded (as to where if Ihad stuck with what my doc advised most likely I would have not).

Ask all the questions you can.........it's the best way to learn for sure!

[dickl]

decompensated , my doc has discussed treatment but feels it would be too hard on my liver . i'm lucky to be as healthy as i've been . i've had no serious complications yet . i had problems with ascitese but over the last several months has not been a problem . i'm losing weight not gaining in fluid retention . my hepatologist has a very good reputation in his field and is closely affiliated with a transplant center , but he is not a warm patient friendly doctor . he has not been good at educating me about my condition and what my future may hold

[jusjames]

try to find out if you have compensated or decompensated cirhosis, if compensated i would give tx a shot