I have hepatitis c, What should I worry about most during treatment?

Just found out I have hepatitis c about 10 mths ago, I weEnt to the doctor today. He didn't tell me much more than I already knew. Mostly about how to make sure others don't get it. I need to know what the biggest worries about treatment side effects. Also I need to know what I should get prepared 4? What do I need to get prepared for, what is the hardest parts  for someone deal with? What is the cur rate % wiise? The doctor said 80% get or can be curred. Someone else told me it's a 20% cur rating, where is the rate? 20% or 80% cure rate??????
Thanks for your time.
I'm mostly worried about my hair I can handle a lot but I love my hair. It's over 3 feet long that's mote than ½ of my height! Also I have kids how am I suppose to take care of them after treatment starts it's just us and they are 3 yrs old and 3 mths old?????
Thank you

[crigger]

  If it were me I would start by asking friends and family if they could help with the kids. You will have some days that will be difficult and it would be nice to have people you can count on. I would get on an antidepreesant before starting treatment. Read all you can about treatment. You can learn a lot on this site.    Good luck with treatment.

[hrsepwrguy]

The SVR (cure rate) would depend on a number of factors, prior treatment response, amount of liver damage, IL28B, ect ect.

At this time for treatment naive patients the cure rate is about 75-80% for all genotype's however what genotype you have will determine which treatment regimen you will have to take.

Side effects are hard to predict because the drugs effect everyone differently, some go through treatment without any problems and some have many problems, you won't really know until you try.

[pooh55811]

Sorry to hear of your Hep C diagnosis.

If you could tell us a little bit more about yourself it might help us to better respond. The Genotype determines the type of treatment (which drugs you take) so it is important for us to know thae Genotype. what are your liver biopsy results? Are you going to start treatment soon? If so, what drugs will you be taking? Are you a single parent or do you have a partner who can help you? Do you work outside of the home?

Generally speaking, people react differently to the drugs. Some people have few side effects and others have more. Some have mild side effects and others have more serious side effects.

Your doctor is correct about the cure rate. (Some Genotypes have higher cure rates than others and there are also other factors that paffect cure rates).

Not all people have hair problems. Most do not lose all of their hair even if they lose some. I am 6 months into treatment and I have lost none, or very little. I don't particularly want to lose my hair while on treatment, but it will grow back. For me, being rid of Hepatitis C far outweights possible hair loss. Also, the potential consequences of not treating, are far worse than hair loss or even other side effects.

I wish you the very best. Perhaps we can offer more help if you tell us a bit more about yourself.

[crigger]

  If it were me I would start by asking friends and family if they could help with the kids. You will have some days that will be difficult and it would be nice to have people you can count on. I would get on an antidepreesant before starting treatment. Read all you can about treatment. You can learn a lot on this site.    Good luck with treatment.

[Advocate1955]

In my humble opinion, the most important thing is for you to take care of your health so that you can be there for your kids.  As others have said above, treatment depends on many factors, stage of liver damage, Hep C genotype, etc.  If you can give us some more information, we may be able to answer your questions more fully.  Many people are able to work through treatment:  my husband has worked full time through three treatments.  Some people do have problems with their hair, thinning, losing some hair, change in texture, etc., but have reported that it grows back after treatment is ended.  Many do not have any problems with their hair.  My husband's hair is the same, no thinning, no hair loss.  My guess is that your kids would rather have you around, even with short or thinning hair!  :)
Advocate1955

[mommyjlj]

I only had the first appointment, they sent me for the tests afterwards to find out what type and many other things. 6 tubes of blood was taken. As soon as I find out I will let you know! That doctor won't see me back for 4 long dreadful months. I talked to my therapist about this so that she could keep a closer eye on me to see if I am mentally stable. I'm always stressed to the Max to the point of me getting chest pains that follow down my arm (left). I have to get that checked out. I have a lot going on in my life plus normal life situations! My closest family member tells everything she hears. She is the best person you would ever meet, I don't think she can help it. Gossiping grandmother you would ever meet
My Dad hates contagious diseases. He is scared to death of getting them. They are my closest family so I'm scared to death to tell them I DONT want to chase them off or make them scared of me!
This is a reply to all that has responded to me. Thank you so so very much! I'm very thankful for you time that you have spent on me. It will help my boys. You all sound like medical professionals. That's what I thought

[mommyjlj]

Thanks for that. Ill be fine I guess I really hate this. The last msg I posted was to everyone that posted

[mommyjlj]

Lol new to the site really don't know what or how to comment back

[Greta2012]

Do you have to treat right away?  I waited five years to treat since I had 3 small children.  The youngest is now 6 and I feel like I'm better able to manage my side effects with them being older.  I had two liver biopsies along the way to make sure I was still healthy.

[Advocate1955]

Whether or not you decide to tell your family or friends is completely a personal decision.  It would be easier to go through therapy with some support, someone to help every now and then with caring for your children when you feel fatigued or when you have doctor's appointments.  But I'm sure it can be done.  The pain in your chest and pain down your arm could possibly be extreme anxiety (like a panic attack).  I would suggest bringing that up with your therapist and asking him/her if an anti anxiety or an anti depressant would help with that.  Also Xanax or something along that line might help when you feel the anxiety building to that high level of anxiety that causes those physical symptoms.  Since the current treatments for Hep C include medications that can cause depression and anxiety, it would be good to get these treated and managed if you have them now.
Best wishes, and keep us posted.
Advocate1955

[mommyjlj]

I told my closest loved one. She took it well very well, she turned it all over to God!
I believe in God very much, but she is closer to him than I am! I cannot take a xanax nor can I take any addictive medications. I am a recovering addict! So Xanax wont work anyway they make depression hurt more. I had depression really bad about up untill 4 years ago but then I got pregnant with my oldest then it went away! Depression really does hurt!!! I don't want it back I had it alittle worse during my second pregnancy well a little compared to what it has been, but I'm afraid that its going to get really bad. I always over over worry and want everything to be perfect for my kids I think I mess things up with me doing that. What is that liver biopsy? Is that where is a stick a needle in your belly? I really don't want that and I am scared to death!!! To start of any type of treatment the very first nurse to draw blood(after my hep a or b shot idk witch vacation ) brew a knot in my arm just taking blood. I don't want to wait for the kids to get older I want to get it over with!!!! I want to rid of this hepatitis!!!

[mommyjlj]

No I'm not getting treatment for atleast another 4 mths and the way it looks with my mental stability it's not going to happen for a while! This ***** so bad

[Sentinel13]

Mommy: Like us needing more information to help you, you'll need more information to make an informed decision on how to proceed. The results of your recent blood work will help.

The people on this forum have many stories we can share, but not all stories apply to every situation. That's why we need more info like the genotype and condition of your liver (biopsy) results.

Point of emphasis: Hep-C is not a contagious disease -- it is an infectious disease. It doesn't spread like the flu -- it spreads by blood-to-blood contact. Suggest ensuring your father understands the difference.

We are people who have lots of experience as patients or partners of patients. We are not medical professionals. We will offer you our perspectives and thoughts, but those are based largely on our personal experiences and observations. So, what may have happened to one of us may not happen to you. Please keep that in mind as you communicate via this forum.

Best, GB

[Idyllic]

You had minor depression with your second child but you see a therapist so maybe you are OK in that arena. On the other hand, being a recovering addict, your mood and how you feel is something you kind of always want to keep an eye on since unwanted feelings can easily sneak up on you. Be sure to keep in constant touch with your therapist since now that the postpartum depression is on the wane, she will be able to assess just how well you will handle treatment.

You mentioned you have not returned to work yet so is it possible to return maybe part-time and use the baby as an excuse while you treat? You have plenty of time to figure how all this will work so that is just one idea.

A liver biopsy lasts about one minute and you do not remember a thing.afterwards.  I've had two and I actually liked both (that's the recovering addict in me talking). You don't mention your genotype and like the others say, that is very helpful info to have. If I were you I would treat as early as possible while you have the strength to handle the medication.  You mention you are in good health and work all kinds of overtime which means you can physically handle treatment right now.

You have a good, close friend who has a strong relationship with God who can help plus you whole family sounds like a lovely lot of characters who may be difficult at first, but like they will come around. Hopefully, your gran and your father can help with your children. I had to laugh the way you described your father since mine was a total germ-o-phobe to the point of laughability! Seriously, he was so over the top that some of the things he said did not even hurt my feelings.
_______________________
OK, I am going to go out on a limb here even though others have been very diplomatic about what could happen to your hair.  It is possible that during treatment, your hair will be fine. Mine sure was. Then a few months after treatment I lost almost 80% of it. I remember thinking how lucky I was was when I would read posts by people who were upset to be losing their hair or just how it was thinning incredibly. I felt so lucky at the time since none of that stuff happened to me.

The first time I treated was in 2007 and my hair was long and thick and curly and pretty much half way down my back. It was gorgeous. Needless to say, I totally freaked when about a month after I finished treatment I started losing hair by the handful. As dramatic as all this sounds it literally changed my life. The psycho-social implications of hair in our society are interesting. Just how much of our identity that we as women (and men for that matter) derive from our hair is amazing.

The point of this is that just based on what I have seen and read both on here and elsewhere, you might want to mentally prepare for the possibility that your hair may change in texture, color, thickness or you might lose a couple of inches or so.
_______________
Anyway, I hope you post when you have more facts and details and can truly map out a treatment plan of what will (and won't) work for for. Like I said: I personally decided to treat while I had the strength and energy to handle the medication and the horrible side effects. ♪Good luck♫

[orphanedhawk]

I've been looking at this post wanting to tell you not to worry, worry is not good for your health.

What you should be most concerned with is the health of your liver, not your hair. You can live without your hair. You cannot live without your liver.

[leebambee]

Can you call and get test results before you see the doc in four months? That's a long wait... You'll see your enzymes, genotype and ALT and such before hand. Maybe you could educate your father on how its not easily contagious..
I'm with Greta, I had to wait until my kids were older. Just a few years. They are 5 and 7 now. I tried it for a week when they were your twos age and gave that up! Everyone is different tho, best of luck and stay healthy.

[JasmineT]

The liver biopsy is nothing to be afraid of.  Easier than going to the dentist in my book.  They give you a local but pretty much feels like someone flicked you in the side with their finger.  No pain.  You will be fine.

You really need the biopsy and to know your genotype before you decide to treat.

I let my hair dry naturally during tx, no blow drying, it made it look thicker.  No one noticed the hair loss but me.

Put the stress aside for now and enjoy your time now.  Work towards getting that biopsy and bloodwork and reassess then.  Let us know when you get your test results back.

[JasmineT]

The liver biopsy is nothing to be afraid of.  Easier than going to the dentist in my book.  They give you a local but pretty much feels like someone flicked you in the side with their finger.  No pain.  You will be fine.

You really need the biopsy and to know your genotype before you decide to treat.

I let my hair dry naturally during tx, no blow drying, it made it look thicker.  No one noticed the hair loss but me.

Put the stress aside for now and enjoy your time now.  Work towards getting that biopsy and bloodwork and reassess then.  Let us know when you get your test results back.

[rambleon40]

"My guess is that your kids would rather have you around, even with short or thinning hair!  :)"

Who says a Hep C diagnosis = "not being around?"

Seriously.  C'mon.  

[mommyjlj]

For REAL MY HAIR IS LONGER THAN MY SON IS TALL¡ ITS OVER ½ OD MY HIGHT ¡¡ IT'§ DEVASTATING ¡¡ I NEVER SAID IM NOT DOING IT. I JUST KNOW THAT WILL HIT ME VERY HARD¡

[mommyjlj]

Thank you for that with my Dad ¡¡ I need things to say to him. He is very very vérý împõrtañt to mê ¡ I kinda felt like I'm over reacting on this BÛT AT THE §AME TIME I DONT!!! IDK! I ALWAYStslk to my dad about EVERYTHING WITHOUT him knowing this I feel alone so WITH THIS HEP CRAP that's where ★EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU ALL ★HAS BEEN SO GREAT† & ††  &&&true blessing †‡†from{ †GOD† }…THANK U ★ALL★¡
★I really wish I already told him★¡ everything has been so screwed up without Dad ¡

SO ★THANK YOU ALLLLLLLLL★

[maybe368]

It will grow back, if you lose it. If you have to worry, worry about the things you have some control over, like your attitude. The placebo effect of a positive attitude is real, as is the opposite...Mark

[mommyjlj]

I do not know my type of Hep C yet. I will call soon but I don't know when to start callany §o if anyonehas an opinion on when to start calling. I got the blood test done on the 16th of this mth.
I'm not back to work yet to my other new friend that spoke of me working over time I would love to be but it§ just so hard to leave the little one! And the.big one 2 for that matter! I did start at my local YMCA though I even have the boys in a program with their own memberships. My oldest 3 yrs old will be starting pre school tball next mth. I'm excited about that for sure! I hope I get to help out on the team. I like stuff like that I was roofing before I found out I was 2 mths pregnant with the baby with a pocket full of bandaids to protect others if I get a cut.
As §oon a§ I find our my results you all will be the 1§t to know ¡¡ I'm on my phone so it will be easy to tell you all!
If I missed anything I apologize and I did not just pick out ppl to msg back I was going to msg everyone back but my boy has school in the morning so I Gota go for now.
Again ★★†God bless and Thank You ALL†★★

[mommyjlj]

I sent friend request to all of you, as my first friends that helped me out. I I missed anyone I am Sry I did not mean to! I'm on my phone. Its hard to see everything on here. I miss stuff all the time with this phone. Please if I misses you send me one. I not only need you all as friends but I'm looking to be a friend as well. I'm good at helping other PPL so if anyone needs a friend I'm HERE¡!!
LOVE YOUR FRIEND,
MOMMYJLJ

[crossroadsec]

You have a great heart. I have no doubt you'll fine reasonable solutions to everything you encounter. One thing at a time..
Orphaned Hawk - you're repetitious. Lol! And we need to hear it! My hair truly is such small potatoes now.
Kat - you'll be amazed at how much you'll change.. Best wishes. Karen :)

[shell8000]

I'm awaiting treatment soon...I'm real scared that I won't be able to look after my baby..I just hope I don't get bad side affects..I have had it for since about 16 yrs old I am now 31

[crigger]

Shell8000 you should start a new post .you will have more people respond . How old is your baby. Do you have friends and family that can help.

[BoceprevirGal]

I put off getting treatment, until my kids were 9 and 11 yrs.  Have you gotten a biopsy? If you are less then stage 2, I would wait~

[tickle305]

Dear Mommy, please know I understand, I completed my treament not to long ago.
My best advise, get your things in order.
And have a positive outlook!!!
We  are so LUCKY that we have these new meds that are available to us.
THEY WORK!!!! and they are going to save your life.
Prepare youself, everybody is different, but I needed someone to take care me.
I had trouble remembering, if I took my meds, and other things  (get pill organizers they will be important).
I have more if you need it.
Just ask.
I'll be here for you.
your friend

[tickle305]

Hey by the way,
It is 80%
One more thing I might add, be careful with things some people might say, some people I see are very negative.

Your friend,
Tickle