Aa
treatment
My husband was diagnosed with chronic hep c about 5 yrs ago. The doctors said he had juno type 2 which was less agressive than type 1. They wanted him to do the six month treatment and then we lost our insurance... his viral count was 85,000 about 6 months ago but he is 46 and i am so terribly worried about him not getting the treatment. Good news is he was a drinker befor and cold turkey quit after he found out and for the most part takes care of himself. Dr says he has been infected for 15 to 20 yrs now. Is he going to die without this treatment?
Thanks for answering and he did have a biopsy. They said he should wait no longer than 3 months. That was 4 yrs ago. I never thought of clinical trials. Why don't Dr.s tell people about those kind of options? Also it would be nice to find a Dr. that tells you exactly what you need to know and not dance around the truth. He experiences a lot of fatigue. Is that common? I did try temporary disability while he underwent treatment but they basically told me he would have to be on kidney dialysis. That's how far gone he would have to be to get help or so i thought. We lost our insurance when the company he worked for went bankrupt and we were able to get subsidized rates. Found out money coming out of his check wasn't going to insurance like we thought I didn't think anyone would insure him affordably with pre-existing.
Is he going to die without this treatment?
Most likely not anytime soon. But without knowing the extent of his liver disease we are only guessing. He could have very little liver disease and can wait or he could have early cirrhosis. Both conditions can have no symptoms so only by having a biopsy will you both know.
If your husband does have extensive liver disease you must get some type of insurance of medical assistance. Advanced liver disease could be very expensive. Something you don't want to ever know about.
So get in a clinical trial, get health insurance, or try to get free treatment drugs. Ignoring hepatitis C is never a smart option.
Good luck.
Hector
Most likely not anytime soon. But without knowing the extent of his liver disease we are only guessing. He could have very little liver disease and can wait or he could have early cirrhosis. Both conditions can have no symptoms so only by having a biopsy will you both know.
If your husband does have extensive liver disease you must get some type of insurance of medical assistance. Advanced liver disease could be very expensive. Something you don't want to ever know about.
So get in a clinical trial, get health insurance, or try to get free treatment drugs. Ignoring hepatitis C is never a smart option.
Good luck.
Hector
"My husband was diagnosed with chronic hep c about 5 yrs ago. The doctors said he had genotype type 2 which was less aggressive than type 1."
Genotype 2 is not less aggressive. It causes as much liver damage as genotype 1.
The good news is it is the easiest genotype to treat successfully. With current treatment (peg-interferon and ribavirin) about 80% of patients who treat cure the virus.
"infected for 15 to 20 yrs now. "
That could be a problem. It usually takes 20 years of infection for cirrhosis to develop. But having hepatitis C and using alcohol can speed the process. With more extensive liver disease it is harder to cure the virus.
I don't know why you don't have insurance but it could be dangerous not to know how much liver disease your husband has and not treat. Liver disease only gets worse over time. He should get a biopsy in my opinion. Then he will know if he can wait any longer to treat. Or he could try a clinical trial that will pay for the treatment and assessment of his liver disease now.
A biopsy can cost many thousands of dollars. You both need to decide if you want to risk your husband's health and life by saving the money.
On Jan.1, 2014 he will be eligible for insurance from a health exchange unless the state of Oklahoma decides somehow block the implementation of Healthcare Reform and leave its citizens to fend for themselves.
Genotype 2 is not less aggressive. It causes as much liver damage as genotype 1.
The good news is it is the easiest genotype to treat successfully. With current treatment (peg-interferon and ribavirin) about 80% of patients who treat cure the virus.
"infected for 15 to 20 yrs now. "
That could be a problem. It usually takes 20 years of infection for cirrhosis to develop. But having hepatitis C and using alcohol can speed the process. With more extensive liver disease it is harder to cure the virus.
I don't know why you don't have insurance but it could be dangerous not to know how much liver disease your husband has and not treat. Liver disease only gets worse over time. He should get a biopsy in my opinion. Then he will know if he can wait any longer to treat. Or he could try a clinical trial that will pay for the treatment and assessment of his liver disease now.
A biopsy can cost many thousands of dollars. You both need to decide if you want to risk your husband's health and life by saving the money.
On Jan.1, 2014 he will be eligible for insurance from a health exchange unless the state of Oklahoma decides somehow block the implementation of Healthcare Reform and leave its citizens to fend for themselves.
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