Hep C Geno 1B Stage 1

I have just gone through the biopsy : ( - I have Hep C, Geno 1B at Stage 1.  I am seeing the doctor tomorrow - during my 1st visit before knowing details the Dr. said I might want to wait and see if beter treatment comes out in 5 years.  I hope to be retired then and would have less funds.  I have good insurance now, support system in place, I am not getting younger (54) and I have sick leave bank at work and other parts of my job can be covered.  The "wait and see" approach would drive me crazy.  I can not think of any reason to wait.  The hep won't go away on it's own and only can get worse.  I know there are awful side effects but if there ever was going to be a good time for me to go through this, it is now.  Does that sound crazy?  Has  anyone's Dr. made them go through the wait and see approach? Is my thinking backwards? Thansk for your input.

[pigeonca]

I don't know.  If I had only Stage 1 (grade 1 as well??), I'd consider waiting.  The current treatment is indeed harsh and can cause damage of its own.  Supposedly there are new meds coming down the pipeline that won't be so hard on the body.  I think you will need to research this pretty thoroughly.  Good luck.  Happy valentine's day

[hepcD]

You do have the option to wait but treating sooner rather than later seems to be the way to go. I am 37 1b stage 2 . I am in week 30/48. Treatment is tough. The side effects are hard to bare. But over all it is doable. If you do treat now and have a tough time with the treatment you can always quit or do a shorter course . you could also look into getting in to one of the new drug trials.  Good luck

[Teufelhunden]

I was diagnosed in 2003 Hep C Geno 1a, stage 1. My doctor wasn't overly concerned about starting treatment any time soon. In fact, he had mentioned research making significant progress and had alluded to the waiting game. But, last year I decided to just go ahead and do it and get it over with so I started July 2006 (only 17  more to go). I'm not getting any younger and my insurance is good (now), and I don't know what the future will bring so now, for me, is better than later. If you commit, just get in the right frame of mind from the onset, and faith, love, and compassion will get you through this. Side effects vary. Mine are middle of the road. Some effects diminish, some pop up, some go away, some stay the same, some gets worse(brain fog). But for me, it's a mental game. I know that I have the disease. I know that it can eventually take my life. I know I have to do something about it if I want to see my grandkids grow up. You have to conquer it, not have it conquer you. Good luck!!  

[Forseegood]

funny, I agree with both Pigeon and HepCD, you could wait, (from all I know, and i know a little, I don't think the new meds will take all that long to come to market, they are in the middle of trials now, and if things go well, they'll still stay fastracked, (it's a little bit of a crapshoot guessing, like this whole stinky disease) or you could treat now (I should talk with as long as I've waited) I said one thing in favor of waiting, now I'll say one thing in favor of treating, the older we get, sometimes, the harder it is to treat, older immune systems, etc...and the disease can take hold more in terms of symptoms from just the bloody virus, even though it might not be attacking your liver that much per se...

With some people, they don't get that many symptoms from this, others do...this disease is alllll over the place...if I were you, I'd do some more studying, about the new meds, the disease and it's progession, all the stats, the liver, etc...and talk to some more docs, we aren't docs...this will be your decision, but a board like this is good to learn firsthand experiences, etc...good luck, did I confuse you enough? he he..oh yeah, keep your sense of humor if you can, it'll serve you well...thank goodness youre at low stage of liver disease though, that's good...

[najeen]

Excellent advice.

[misty718]

Great thread for people deciding to tx or not. My case is very similar to yours, Tasha. My dr advised to wait and see. He said I would probably never go past stage 1 so why compromise quality of life that bad sides could bring. For now, I'm making liver-friendly diet and lifestyle choices and I'm feeling better than I have in a long time. However, I'm conflicted because other factors make it a good time for me to tx and I really want to kill this bug. Wish I could look into the future and see how fast this disease will progress. So far it's been very slow. Is my dr right and will I really die with stage 1? Wish I knew.