hep c pos for year and half

I am a former drug addict. I quite using heroin a year ago. I found out I have hep c. I've had it for roughly 18 months. I do not have health insurance but i go to health fairs and get my blood checked every six months. I compare the numbers of my ALT and AST. At first they were up to 614. After 6 months it went down to 155. I guess my question is, how badly do I need to get a biopsy and is there anywhere for me to get one at a low cost?

[granitekonig]

you need to worry about how to get on free healthcare, like ACCSS (access) so you can get your medical needs paid for.

[Rockedbyrequiem]

Hey, I dont know where you live, but I have 100% paid hospital assistance for my local hospital. And everything I need is there. My hep dr, bloodwork lab, etc. I dont know if a lot of hospitals have something like this, but it wouldnt hurt to check. Most people aound here who need health care dont realize there is such a program. And then later on if your dr wants to treat, do some checking around to see if there are any Rx drug outreach programs near you that will cover your drugs. Interferon is EXPENSIVE. I was lucky enough to have such a program right at that same hospital. Like I said, I may just be EXTREMELY lucky, but I would imagine there has got to be similar programs all over.

PS- I am a former heroin addict as well. Oddly enough, that is not necessarily how I got infected. Its scary to have hep c, but it's better than living like we did. Good luck to you.

[HectorSF]

Congratulations on giving up the drugs. And now you are taking care of yourself. These are very good signs of recovery.

Do you know that you were exposed 18 months ago? Or did you find out that you had HCV 18 months ago?

If you were exposed only 18 months ago you should be fine. HCV takes many decades (20-30 years) to cause extensive liver damage. There are new cures coming out in the next few years (2011 and beyond) that are more effective then current treatments. You should get a genotype test though. Certain genotypes have very high cure rates even now. So it is good to know this and then make your decision whether to treat or not.

Best of luck and again congratulations!

Hectorsf

[Magnum]

Biopsy. That will tell you the truth, the whole thruth and nothing but the truth. Good luck in clearing. We are all with you...

Magnum

[alagirl]

There is a project access apparently available in anchorage.  You might start there.  If you can get a doctor through them or a community health clinic, or somewhere, people here can give you the numbers to call the pharmaceutical companies who have programs where they make tx drugs available.  In fact, if access doesn't work out for you, I would probably give the drug companies assistance programs a call to see if they work through any doctors in your area.

http://www.anchorageprojectaccess.org/pages/patients.html

Here's the link to Anchorage's Access

I don't have the pharmaceutical assistance numbers, but when/if you need them, ask for them in a post here, and someone will get them for you.