how long for problems

[mikedizzle]

how long would someone have hep c before liver enzymes were rising and damage was beginning?  i noticed alot of you had it for almost 20 -30 years before a diagnosis.

[willows]

Depends on a lot of things, how much alcohol you consume is a big factor.  Some of us have had it for 30 years and felt generalized symptomes, fatigue, etc. that we wrote off as stress, etc, before being diagnosed with Hep C.  The earlier you are diagnosed the better, but it is impossible to say how long any one of us have been infected.  A lot of us can only guess HOW we were infected and that makes the timeline ever harder to define.

Giving blood is a real easy way to determine if you have Hep C, anyone, any age that has a concern ought to be tested.  It is not a death sentence and new drugs are being worked on as I type.  I was so scared and cried for about 10 minutes when I got my diagnosis, then I got up and found a doc.  Being pro active feels so much better than feeling like a victim.  I really think the test for Hep C will become much more common in the future and I think the cure for it will become easier too.  If you are worried, get tested.  Easy to do.  

willow

[Upbeat]

Hep-c affects everyone different. Some people clear the virus, alot live with the virus without any problems, and some do go on to develope problems. Its a **** shoot.
                                               Ron

[texgreen56]

The thing that gets me is how long have I had it. I am almost 50 years old and have had blood test fo one reason or another off and on for years and it just now poped up.
I have several tatoos some as old as 30 years old, last one probaly 5 years.Thinking thats where it came from. Wish there was a way to know for sure.
Tex

[Dale_Ray]

Tex: You'll make yourself nuts trying to figure out the source of the HCV. You made a good guess but it could have been your barbers razor or the nurse at your doctors office or the tattoo parlor. I made a guess that it was a transfusion in 1977 before the hep c could be identified but honestly I don't know. I know it was from sharing needles I've always be scared of needles and ironically I get to poke myself a few times each week. The priority now is to deal with the sorry *** little virus before it does you more harm. I do wish I could nail the moment I came in contact with it sometimes.

Mike D: I'm probably at 29 years with it and liver biopsy had me at mild fibrosis. So many factors come into play. #1 rule is don't drink alcohol - period. Accelerates the damage dramatically. If your liver is in good shape (biopsy required) then you can pick your battle. Everyone is hoping for a better drug package in the near future but for now all we have is this poison so bon a petite. Wishing you the very best. Dale

[bobbyullc]

i have had it 38 years now and have no ill effects from it. my enzynes were slightly elavated. it is a **** shoot.
also, damage is all

[lilmoma]

I have known for years "something" was wrong, but was starting to think I was just turning into some kinda hypochondriac or something. Everytime I was tested for something, it would always come back as either "unremarkable" or they would tell me it was nothing to worry about. One doc, years ago,  remarked that my test showed "soft tissue damage" when I asked him what exactly that meant, he said it CAN indicate Lupus,...but not to worry cuz the other numbers were okay. It just seemed like nobody knew enough to even test me, and I sure didnt know about hepc, so I never asked for the test.

[Pdilly]

I am just guessing but could have had mine since 1970.  I will find out my stage on monday.  My Alt and AST and VL are on the low side.  All the nurse told me was mile to moderate scaring. Not sure what that translates to until I talked to the doctor. Basically it is a slow moving disease if you take care of your self.  If you are going to drink and not eat right it probably will move faster.  If you are like most that post here you will find this a wake up call and really pay attention on how you live.  Good luck