I got the news last week, I need help.

Alright guys, I have been told I have Hep C. I am waiting results on the genotype. My levels are 17900. I am seeing folks in drug therapies with levels beginning at MILLIONS, and through therapy dropping to the thousands. I am being referred to a INTERFERON therapy at University of Washington. I need advise. Thankyou.

[cuteus]

Welcome to one of the best support forums for hep c, if not the best. I am bias, yes. It was this forum that helped me down to reality after my Dx(diagonosis) and after searching through many sites that put the fear of death in me.
You will read and hear things like hep c is a slow moving disease, which it is in most cases and mostly as it pertains to hepatic symptoms. Many of us suffer from extra hepatic symptoms such as arthritis, depression, kidney and thyroid problems, etc.
My rheumatologist diagnosed my hep c (after my arthritis symptoms did not match any "classic" signs). My PCP ordered the viral load and genotyping. MY first GI did not work out, the second one ordered the biopsy that placed me in stage 1 of liver damage. This GI left it up to me to do Tx(treatment) and I just completed 72 wks last Nov. will have my 3 month PCR in March.
If you are in your 50's, have some liver damage, you might want to consider Tx. Since the more advanced we are in age and damage, the lower our chances for SVR(sustained viral response).
IF you have no damage and are fairly young, waiting can be an option.
best to you in your quest for hep c knowledge and good health

[genedog]

well iam on week 17 dam the weeks go fast, i started at 11million  week 12 pcr now iam 1010 4 log drop

[scruffy]

My advice is to definitely get a biopsy to determine whether you should treat now or wait. I did'nt and I regret that choice.Also your genotype will influence whether or not you choose to treat.Generally type 2's treat 24 weeks and type 1's 48 weeks-but this is not always the case.Keep coming here and you will find out more then your doctors will ever tell you cause they know less then the patients. Frank(welcome)

[new-sojourn]

The U dubb is good.  Harborview has a good program, since 2001.  I tx's thru Virginia Mason's clinic w/excellant results and support.  The doctor's staff got me into a program that paid all hep c meds w/in wks.

Seattle has good resources.  A good friend, Jack Slater, has an ongoing series in the Seattle Times about hep c.  He uses the U also.  And there was a support organization.

FYI, hep c is an automatic 'qualifier' for medical marijuanna.  Many hep c patients in WA use it for sx's, so now you can use it legally.  'green cross' in Seattle is the co-op for U and Harborview patients.  I live in E Wash so I grow my own.

Even tho I do live in E WA, I still drove 'over the hill' to the wet side for treatment.  I was infected via transfusion in 1967, was dx in 9-2001,  started tx-24wks-2b geno-in May, was cl by June and fin by Oct 2002.  still SVR in 2005.

The Northwest in general has a lot of awareness of hep c.  In fact it's 'polite party chatter' w/people exchanging tips!

[BigBrain]

Howdy Kritter.  I get my treatment at the UW.  They are good folks but I think their current program is kind of a new one.  They are still working out the kinks.  They may seem a little disorganized at times but they are good folks and very competent.  

However, I am getting ahead of myself by taking about treatment.  I second the notion that you should consider a biopsy.  It's the gold standard for determining the degree of liver damage that you have sustained.  Once you know what your dealing with, you can make an informed decision.  Best of luck to you and don't forget, as with any medical condition, it's the patient's responsibility to get informed and to stay informed.  This is a great place to do just that.

BB

[WorkedForMe]

It's hard to give advice on this because bottem line it really all depends on how you feel now and how big a deal it would be if you were to be kinda sick for six months. When I was a single mother with a baby and a toddler I would not have been able to handle it.

Dana

[BJAZZE2]

I,am a liver transplant pations transplanted 9/97 at UW in Madison Wi. and last year had a biopsy last year in nov. and started interferion pegsys with ribavirin last year in april my leval was at 10 million when we started now is 500 thousand and  was hoping it would be gone by now. I,ve tryed the treatment before the transplant and it didn,t work but they didn,t have the ribvirin at that time.
  I would like to here about any other thing,s any body has tryed i,am off work because of bad leg pain and joint paint, and have diabetes now it,s been a hard time but hoping for the best.

[Kritter]

To All, thanks for the responses.I took blood tests because I want to get married, and "we" are trying to do the right thing for each other. My health has always been good, my age is 45, haven't had a cold in over 2 years, so to be told of hep c floored me(us).Took 3rd set of blood tests last week- the genotype tests... Am waiting genotype and the values I gave were from the first test at the public clinic. These next are from the GI at Univ of Wash.  She has tested clean 2 times now. We will be checking this forum a few times a week. (sux being a member of this "club") so thanks very much for all of your help-Kritter