stage 4 Cirrhosis of the liver w/ hep c

[deejay1024]

I have Hep C/ with stage 4 cirrhosis, and geno type 1.  I went thru a years worth of treatment of peg-intron shots, to no avail.  My question is: what is stage 4 of cirrhosis and how serious is it.  I only go to the Liver transplant clinic on yearly basis, and am considering stopping those appointments. I don't feel bad and I don't feel like this thing is controlling my life.  I would just like to know how  many stages of cirrhosis are there and how far along is stage 4?   I am tired of giving blood for them to look at and they say there is no change.  can you tell me about stage 4 of cirrhosis. I am 55 years old and I am ready to leave this world anytime the Good Lord thinks I should go, should I continue to torture myself with this liver clinic?

[blackiedog1]

I HAD HEP C 5 1/2 YRS AGO RESPONDED WELL TO THE INTERFERON DRUGS,MY QUESTION IS 1 GO FOR ULTRA SOUNDS EVERY 6 MONTHS,I ASKED MY DOCTOR IF I HAVE CIRRHOSIS BECAUSE I HAD STAGE 3 TO 4 THAT I AM CONSIDERED TO HAVE CIRRHOSIS ANYBODY KNOW ABOUT THAT,

[AKAmildred]

Your post stood out to me. I am a recovering heroin addict came here to learn since my friend has stage four. Please go to an AA meeting. You can stop drinking and there are people that can relate and help you. Believe me I know how hard it is.
Take care of yourself. God bless you.

[Mr Liver]

"I have had cirrhosis since I was diagnosed in 1992. Treatment did not work for me and I am still here alive and doing fairly well. " -- JennyPenny

Hi Suzy--
My story is very similar to yours and so far I can't complain too much either. Are your LFT's in range? I relapsed after 2 attempts however I have maintained a SBR for 8 years now, which is resulting in a consistently stable state, both histologically and virally. How 'bout you ? Take care. - ML

HepCsadness-
The chance of  tx success varies in studies of cirrhotics but generally starts at about 36% and declines from there after consideration to the number and nature of all negative predictors that may be present.  In my post to Suzy above I talk about sustained biochemical response (SBR) which is considered to be a beneficial outcome of tx in lieu of total eradication. At stage 4 SVR provides the best clinical outcomes, of course. All the best to you and your husband. -- ML

Greenfletch--
Reaching out is a good first step  and I urge you to follow through and achieve  a solution quickly. I hope you are successful as your life could be considerably shorter without a change in lifestyle. You can do it.---ML

[Bill1954]

Hi there,

You might want to post a new question by going to the top of the page, and clicking on the green ‘post a question’ button; the button ‘post comment’ at the bottom only tags comments to this old post from over two years ago.

I don’t have any immediate answers for you; actively drinking with stage four liver disease is courting disaster, but you probably already know that. If you eventually need transplant, they’ll require that you demonstrate a rather lengthy period of sobriety in order to qualify. The lists are long; you should really rethink your current strategy. There are folks in here that will talk with you about this; and possibly share their personal experiences… that might help?

Good luck to you—

Bill

[Greenfletch]

Thank you for your advice.

[willing]

getting help is definitely a step in the right direction! If you don't get a useful response here, the alcoholism forum may be a better source of advice with respect to the drinking
Best wishes.