Aa
I can't stress the importance of treating- and this is why........
I know treating is a personal choice but I have lost 2 friends to hep C in a week.
Diane died Wed at the young age of 58 and this morning Steven died at 55. Both didn't treat maybe out of fear of tx, who knows. Even had they been a non responder it could have held the virus at bay and reduced the viral load till better drugs came to market. I had a low VL, geno 2B, etc and could have waited for better drugs but then I though what if I have another medical problem to deal with down the road and was unable to treat even with the new drugs because of the new problem. I decided to treat and do not regret doing so. Like I said, it's a personal choice and I'm not trying to talk any one into treating but please think hard and long before making your choice.
Beagle
Diane died Wed at the young age of 58 and this morning Steven died at 55. Both didn't treat maybe out of fear of tx, who knows. Even had they been a non responder it could have held the virus at bay and reduced the viral load till better drugs came to market. I had a low VL, geno 2B, etc and could have waited for better drugs but then I though what if I have another medical problem to deal with down the road and was unable to treat even with the new drugs because of the new problem. I decided to treat and do not regret doing so. Like I said, it's a personal choice and I'm not trying to talk any one into treating but please think hard and long before making your choice.
Beagle
Hello Jake
My regular doc has me on Milk thistle,R lipoic acid and Phosphatidyl choline. I believe this combination has suggested some possible benefits to the liver. Nothing concrete though. I am starting up with a new hepa doc soon and will get his opinion on this. Better check with your doc before trying anything new. I also eat 3 or 4 brazil nuts a day for liver health. Too much of this has been thought to actually cause liver problems so check with your doc!
My regular doc has me on Milk thistle,R lipoic acid and Phosphatidyl choline. I believe this combination has suggested some possible benefits to the liver. Nothing concrete though. I am starting up with a new hepa doc soon and will get his opinion on this. Better check with your doc before trying anything new. I also eat 3 or 4 brazil nuts a day for liver health. Too much of this has been thought to actually cause liver problems so check with your doc!
hi i'm jake from nc,i had an ache below my lower breast bone,went to doctor,had some blood work doon,to discover i had hep-s 2b....i decided to get the treatment that they have,a shot once a week,for 26 weeks,and four pills a day. the side effects were not as bad as i thought that they would be,but believe me,it's not easy eighter. after my 26th week,i had blood work done,i got great news,there were no signs of the virous in my blood,they 3 months later,had blood work done once again,the virous cam back,and i had a virol load of 2.5 million. not much left to do now but pray it looks like.
does anyone know,what herbs besides milk thistle would be good to take on a daily basis?
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/443005_6
read both sides! you may need to make a password but it takes 2 minutes.
personally i wish i could wait but then i NEVER let the fact i had it affect my life. 9 years ago i decided to wait and never even thought again about it as i had no sides. my dr had to remind me i was 4 years behind schedule on getting a bx. in that 9 years the svr rate went from 15% to 50% and the sides went way down due to once a week shots.
DIANE had hep c for 39 about years and was stage 4 and it was too late to tx.
everyone it is YOUR decision and YOUR life. weight all data and make your decision. good luck.
read both sides! you may need to make a password but it takes 2 minutes.
personally i wish i could wait but then i NEVER let the fact i had it affect my life. 9 years ago i decided to wait and never even thought again about it as i had no sides. my dr had to remind me i was 4 years behind schedule on getting a bx. in that 9 years the svr rate went from 15% to 50% and the sides went way down due to once a week shots.
DIANE had hep c for 39 about years and was stage 4 and it was too late to tx.
everyone it is YOUR decision and YOUR life. weight all data and make your decision. good luck.
I am 1b same as my hubby, we love to tease each other about who gave it to whom!!!! LOL
I took shot 19/48 last thursday. I am now off the procrit, numbers came back up, albeit, my wbc is now low, but doc just said "dont go shopping at the mall, and you will be fine for now".
Ps Hubby just finished his tx 2 weeks ago,....but b/c I was such a chicken, I said NO, then reality hit, (plus I was soooo sick all the time) and I began to think about the future,.........so now he is done with tx, and Im only 1/3 of the way through. Prolly good we didn't treat together, we may have killed each other!!! LOL
I took shot 19/48 last thursday. I am now off the procrit, numbers came back up, albeit, my wbc is now low, but doc just said "dont go shopping at the mall, and you will be fine for now".
Ps Hubby just finished his tx 2 weeks ago,....but b/c I was such a chicken, I said NO, then reality hit, (plus I was soooo sick all the time) and I began to think about the future,.........so now he is done with tx, and Im only 1/3 of the way through. Prolly good we didn't treat together, we may have killed each other!!! LOL
I agree with you lilmoma, we do not know enough about this disease! My doctor advises EVERYONE he diagoses to treat. He put it this way " the more we learn about Hep C the worse it looks" and "treatment is temporary, Hep C is not" both statements convinced me.
I get frustrated when people don't treat beause they fear the sides from the treatment. The sides from Hep C had me feeling about like you did before treating. I can see how easy it would be to ignore it and "live with" Hep C if you are having NO symptoms but in the long run you have to decide if going through treatment and the pains of that outweigh the pains of an uncertain future living with this virus. It IS true that a good 40% of people treating do NOT have sides that are any big deal too.
Even if we DO clear the virus, we don't know the long term effects of having had it at all yet.
MBB, man, two friends in a week that is such a huge loss, I am so sorry.
It took courage for you to treat especially with extenuating circumstance of having Thallesimia at the same time. You took it like a champ! What a tragedy you lost your friends so young.
I get frustrated when people don't treat beause they fear the sides from the treatment. The sides from Hep C had me feeling about like you did before treating. I can see how easy it would be to ignore it and "live with" Hep C if you are having NO symptoms but in the long run you have to decide if going through treatment and the pains of that outweigh the pains of an uncertain future living with this virus. It IS true that a good 40% of people treating do NOT have sides that are any big deal too.
Even if we DO clear the virus, we don't know the long term effects of having had it at all yet.
MBB, man, two friends in a week that is such a huge loss, I am so sorry.
It took courage for you to treat especially with extenuating circumstance of having Thallesimia at the same time. You took it like a champ! What a tragedy you lost your friends so young.
another good point for me to treat now and not wait...I don't feel sick yet. My doc did mention having me get in a study, but a few weeks back, a member of this forum mentioned that most studies exclude the rescue drugs. I mentioned that to the doc, and he said that is right. I want to be able to get the procrit and other rescue drugs if I need them, so no studies for me. Plus, I have insurance. Another good point to not wait, what if down the road, I didn't have insurance. I've talked myself in to it.
I am 42 and I also think before I hit menopause, it would be better to treat. Sorry for rambling on...
I am 42 and I also think before I hit menopause, it would be better to treat. Sorry for rambling on...
Hi Kalio,
I hope you are doing well today.
Thanks for your input, too, about treating. I could be lucky and have minimal sides. I like what you said about treatment is temp., Hep C is not. Very good point.
Pam
I hope you are doing well today.
Thanks for your input, too, about treating. I could be lucky and have minimal sides. I like what you said about treatment is temp., Hep C is not. Very good point.
Pam
Hey there, how have you been feeling ?
Yanno, before I was dx with this hepc,.I had never really heard much about it.
There is NO education out there, no reason why a person would get tested, and then even many docs dont have correct info.
When I think of all the tests I was put through to see what was wrong with me, and no answer. Then I take my hubby in to see my doc, cuz he has all these skin lesions, we find out he has porphyria cutanea tarda (which is closely associated with hep c)
It was then they tested for the hepc, once he came out positive, I was tested.
In retrospect,.....it all makes sense now. I may not like having this, but at least now I know whats been wrong, cuz I knew something was wrong
Yanno, before I was dx with this hepc,.I had never really heard much about it.
There is NO education out there, no reason why a person would get tested, and then even many docs dont have correct info.
When I think of all the tests I was put through to see what was wrong with me, and no answer. Then I take my hubby in to see my doc, cuz he has all these skin lesions, we find out he has porphyria cutanea tarda (which is closely associated with hep c)
It was then they tested for the hepc, once he came out positive, I was tested.
In retrospect,.....it all makes sense now. I may not like having this, but at least now I know whats been wrong, cuz I knew something was wrong
I just got my appointment for the biopsy. It will be done on July 24th. This is all going to work out. It would work best for me to start treatment at the end of the summer because I've rented a beach cottage for the first week of August. Sounds like everything is falling in to place. When I was first diagnosed in April, someone on here told me this disease is one big waiting game....I believe it.
Even if you hear someones symptoms and they sound like Hep C and you suggest testing, people say " I have no risk factors" and are very resist to even test the stigma is so huge. I got this in a hospital so ANYONE can pick it up regardless of their past. You are so right, the education on this disease is practically nil. I knew 0 about it, only knew junkies could get it until I got it.
My doctor suspected leukemia before Hep C, that was scary. He was pretty convinced I had it and ws suprised when myresults were in. I was happy because in my mind Leukemia was "worse" than Hep C so I was actualy relieved the I found out I had it and felt I had dodged a bullet. LOL
Thanks for asking how I feel you guys. I am having more and more good days as time goes on. I am in month 10 and things are starting to ease up, only problem dys here and there. I even went to the grocery store and didn't have to leave because I ws going to throwup or faint! LOL
Hope you guys are hanging in there and the sides are being kind, Lil my hats off to you with a hubby on tx, mine acts like he has an incurable disease if he gets a head cold! On tx I can't imagine how he'd be!
My doctor suspected leukemia before Hep C, that was scary. He was pretty convinced I had it and ws suprised when myresults were in. I was happy because in my mind Leukemia was "worse" than Hep C so I was actualy relieved the I found out I had it and felt I had dodged a bullet. LOL
Thanks for asking how I feel you guys. I am having more and more good days as time goes on. I am in month 10 and things are starting to ease up, only problem dys here and there. I even went to the grocery store and didn't have to leave because I ws going to throwup or faint! LOL
Hope you guys are hanging in there and the sides are being kind, Lil my hats off to you with a hubby on tx, mine acts like he has an incurable disease if he gets a head cold! On tx I can't imagine how he'd be!
I am in the same boat as you, however I have decided to treat. I was going to try for the VX-950 trial but because its a blind study will do traditional tx in Sept. I am also very scared but I feel because I don't have damage and am healty now is the time. Listening to the others posts (nygirl for one) they say it is doable. For me, giving up one year to be rid of this disease is worth it, but that is my choice. I know others feel it better to wait for better drugs.I have already started preparing with info given here(thanks to all) I now have stock in Gold Bond!I wish you well in whatever choice you make.
Sympathies on your losses Beagle.
As a Geno 1A Grade 1 Stage 4 PCR 72,000,000, obviously tx was a no-brainer for me. For those for which it may be optional, it seems that the key is to watch closely as no one can predict when the dragon will rear it's head nor how fast it will scour the liverscape. In addition to the excellent point you raised about other problems and/or complications, one should also strongly consider that it often does take much to prevent a new tx from being FDA approved. Even the more promising ones (i.e. VX-950) could wind up being flushed or sent back to the lab. Thus, even those which seem to be no more than the couple of years away from being available could wind up being many more and beyond reach for some.
As for tx and the sx, the important thing to remember is that NO ONE can predict how you will respond and that everyone has a different response. So, despite the stories you hear, basing a tx decision upon them is probably not a wise choice since you may have a completely different response. At least that's the conclusions I have drawn and recommend to any who might be considering tx and asking for my opinion.
As a Geno 1A Grade 1 Stage 4 PCR 72,000,000, obviously tx was a no-brainer for me. For those for which it may be optional, it seems that the key is to watch closely as no one can predict when the dragon will rear it's head nor how fast it will scour the liverscape. In addition to the excellent point you raised about other problems and/or complications, one should also strongly consider that it often does take much to prevent a new tx from being FDA approved. Even the more promising ones (i.e. VX-950) could wind up being flushed or sent back to the lab. Thus, even those which seem to be no more than the couple of years away from being available could wind up being many more and beyond reach for some.
As for tx and the sx, the important thing to remember is that NO ONE can predict how you will respond and that everyone has a different response. So, despite the stories you hear, basing a tx decision upon them is probably not a wise choice since you may have a completely different response. At least that's the conclusions I have drawn and recommend to any who might be considering tx and asking for my opinion.
I will treat. It's good knowing that I have you all to chat with. I don't think my husband really likes to talk about it.
Kalio, I'm glad you are feeling a little better. That is great that you only have a few months left.
Merlino, it does sound like we will start treatment about the same time. Have you had your biopsy yet?
Kalio, I'm glad you are feeling a little better. That is great that you only have a few months left.
Merlino, it does sound like we will start treatment about the same time. Have you had your biopsy yet?
I think it scares our spouses and that is why they don't like to talk about it. I know mine is freaked out by the virus and me having it. Poor guys, they have a hard time with us being ill. I think it is hard on them they are used to beig the nurtured one. This place is great, you can talk about it and learn and leave the hubby's out of it.
I am so happy to be having more good days, I guess my body has finally adjusted to it. Good thing too! I am doing 72 weeks so I still have 8 months to go. It sure will be easier to handle if I can have at east some semblance of a normal life.
Sounds like a good plan to have a nice vacation at your beach cottage before starting to treat. You can start with a nice tan!
Where is the beach cottage?
I am so happy to be having more good days, I guess my body has finally adjusted to it. Good thing too! I am doing 72 weeks so I still have 8 months to go. It sure will be easier to handle if I can have at east some semblance of a normal life.
Sounds like a good plan to have a nice vacation at your beach cottage before starting to treat. You can start with a nice tan!
Where is the beach cottage?
It is on Oak Island, NC. It is south of Wilmington. I've never been there. We are just renting the cottage. We usually go to Wrightsville Beach or Salter Path, but my friend rents this cottage every summer, and he told me about it. It is dog friendly. I have three little dogs, and I didn't want to board them. Since my daughter is an only child, I am letting her bring a friend. It will be fun!
If you don't mind my asking, why are you on 72 weeks?
If you don't mind my asking, why are you on 72 weeks?
Thats another controversial subject. My Dr. feels Fibrosure is very close to biopsy so no I haven't had one. If he feels I should before tx I will. I am Genotype 1 high inflammation no fibro. VL 4 mil as of last test. I can only hope our sx won't be too bad. I am prepared for the worst. I have a big fear of needles so the first shot will be tough for me. I have a friend who is a nurse, I am going to ask her for help. I can barely go to the dentist without sweating days b4 so I don't know how in the world I am going to learn to do this to myself.
Sorry for your loss and I worry about this subject as both of my children have been opiate dependent since 1998; starting as young teens. This is interesting, my son cleared his virus last year without any treatment, he is one of the lucky 20% of hep c who do this on their own he is now 22. However my daughter was also diagnosed at the same time and is still hep c pos since 2003. Her liver functions are normal with white blood count slightly low. She is going into drug rehab this week and hasn't thought about treatment of liver drugs as yet. She has only seen a specialist on 3 occasions and her current GP is pushing her to take better care of her treatment. This GP sent my daughter for ultra scans and blood screenings which are looking good. I want my daughter to find out what geno type she is as soon as possible. Good Luck to you all. Good Diet high in vitamin C and omega oils is helpful; as is eating low fat protein to boost the immune system.
I am just wondering, how could an 18 year old have an 8 year heroin habit? He started at 10 years old?? That seems impossible.
Thank heavens he cleared the virus.
Thank heavens he cleared the virus.
Another good reason to treat is this virus could be mutating for all we know. There is no telling if it could turn in to one that resists all drugs. I am hoping you will clear this time.
my ex started at age 9 in NYC, it happens often, sadly.
Mr B, I am glad you started this thread, as I have just found out that my supervisor's brother was found dead at home. He had been hospitalized with hep c and alcohol complications a few months ago. He had turned his life around, stop drinking, got his own place and had started a job. We don't know the details yet, I hope he did not do this to himself, but he was in ICU with liver failure months ago, so that could also be it. You never know when it will be too late to do something about your infection. Do it while it is possible, not in some abstract future.
I am sorry for your recent losses, probably uneccessary ones had they consider tx, we will never know.
doglover/all considering tx
I was a 1a, stage 1 gr 2, tx for 72-74 wks, completed in nov' 04, still negative as of 5/06. It seems an impossible task when you look at 48 wks, at the start of tx, but when it is behind you, you look back in amazement that you were able to finish, and that it is over. The phrase; You don't know until you try it plays in the decission big time. good luck
Mr B, I am glad you started this thread, as I have just found out that my supervisor's brother was found dead at home. He had been hospitalized with hep c and alcohol complications a few months ago. He had turned his life around, stop drinking, got his own place and had started a job. We don't know the details yet, I hope he did not do this to himself, but he was in ICU with liver failure months ago, so that could also be it. You never know when it will be too late to do something about your infection. Do it while it is possible, not in some abstract future.
I am sorry for your recent losses, probably uneccessary ones had they consider tx, we will never know.
doglover/all considering tx
I was a 1a, stage 1 gr 2, tx for 72-74 wks, completed in nov' 04, still negative as of 5/06. It seems an impossible task when you look at 48 wks, at the start of tx, but when it is behind you, you look back in amazement that you were able to finish, and that it is over. The phrase; You don't know until you try it plays in the decission big time. good luck
It is a blood test that some Doctor's feel have results very close to a biopsy. Mine is one of them. I know most everyone here strongly feels a biopsy is the only way to truly determine what is going on with your liver. Again, a personal choice. You have to do what your Doctor advises and what you feel is right for you. I am still a newbie and there are a lot of others here who can really give good advice. It helps me to know there is someone who will be going through this the same time as me.
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