chronic hep c

i am 46 yrs old and 3yrs  ago i found out i have chronic hep c and cirrosis (cirrhosis) plus fatty liver  i am worried because i don't    what is going to happen next  i am scared  i am not takeing  treatment because i had a bad reaction to it now  the dr says all she can do is treat tha symtoms (symptoms). please  can you try and give me some advice    thank you very much


This discussion is related to Hep C Progression Worries.

[Jaybay]

If you haven't already discovered it, Med Help has  Hepatitis C forum.  There are tons of very knowledgeable people there who can give you all kinds of info and advice.  Just click the "Forums" button at the top of the page and scroll down to the Hep C forum.  :-)

[Texas714]

You said you had a bad reaction to tx.  Did they take you off of tx?  How long ago was that?   I know what you mean about being scared.  I was too.  I'd suggest you think about seeing a different doctor that might have some options for you.

[sldb]

First, you need to find a good hepatologist. You did not mention what kid of reaction you had to tx,nor did you say what genotype you are.  What you did say was you have cirrhosis and a fatty liver, I dont want to scare you but you need to find a doc who has more to offer than just treating your symptoms. Do you have ascities (swollen abdomen),  are your feet swelling?  Let me know how you are doing, I also have cirrhosis.....Good Luck  Leah

[HectorSF]

You are not alone. A number of us are in the same boat as you are. We are trying to find answers ourselves and will share what we have tried ourselves. What has worked and what has not worked for us. The main point is to know what your options are. Then you can make the best choices for you. With this I believe we can be of some help.

If you have cirrhosis like Leah and myself you want to treat sometime soon if possible. Not in a week or a month but sometime in the near future. It probably took 20-30+ years of having the virus for it to damage your liver to this point. So a week or month doesn't make a difference. But find the right doctor can be immensely valuable.

Having cirrhosis is an additional complication and not all doctors know how to work with the special needs of patient with HCV and cirrhosis. Please if at all possible find a Hepatologist as they specialize in liver disease. You want ot have the best possible support as you plan on possible starting combination therapy and managing your liver disease.

In the meantime stay healthy. No drinking, drugs, and even aspirin unless you check with your doc. As all these can further damage your liver.

Let us know how you are doing. We will help you in any way we can.

Hector

[dranurag]

I am 47 years and diagnosed 2 years ago with fibrosis stge 3 on biopsy---just short of cirrhosis.Start tx as early as possible and keeping the virus negative is likely to help in some ways even if it does not reverse the cirrhosis bit. If you are a female you have better chances. What is your genotype.