just joined a few minutes aga

I have "lurked" around several Hep C forums off and on for quite some time.  Finally decided to sign up.  This forum seemed to be one of the most supportive and informative.  Was dx'ed in '98, have probably had Hep C for 30-40 yrs.  Seemed pretty much symptom-free until the past 2-3 yrs, except for some off and on fatigue and elavated liver enzymes (Alt.ranges from 60 to 130).  Saw a Hep C dr. when first diagnosed and he supported my decision not to seek tx.  Said my viral load was very low (100,000's).  During the past couple of years, however, I seem to manifest more and more symptoms (extreme joint, muscle pain, brain fog, extreme fatigue/weakness).  Just had my first liver biopsy last Friday (laproscopic).  The surgeon said my liver looked extremely good (of course, still waiting for pathologist report).  Even gave me a color pic of it.  I still hesitate re: treatment.  Am trying to keep an open mind (even having the biopsy was a BIG step for me.  Hep doc says new tx is not as bad, shorter duration, etc but its still a tough decision.  Any feedback appreciated.
Nealy

[Trish77]

It would be easier to comment once you have the actual report that tells what your staging is.  

This is my own personal opinion.....the fact that you're experiencing a variety of physical issues would concern me.  The Hep C virus invades our body and our organs and is known to do damage in a whole variety of ways.  It seems more and more is known over time as to the other illnesses and conditions that unchecked Hep C can cause.  I would suggest you do a search on this forum for extra-hepatic illnesses and also internet searches in general and read through some of the threads on conditions the Hep C virus is correlated to.  

Along with the results of your biopsy, I would take these things into consideration and you might want to be preparing yourself to get treatment sooner than later.

Trish

[Chugen]

Hey there, I am exactly where you are! Same Sx with bacterial infections that won't go away. Thinking WBC is busy fighting HCV. I will follow up with you. God Bless!

[HectorSF]

Wait until you see the biopsy results that will tell you whether you need to treat now or not.

The scoring consists of using a grading and a staging system. The grade gives an indication of the activity or amount of inflammation and the stage represents the amount of fibrosis or scarring.
The grade is assigned a number based on the degree of inflammation, which is usually scored from 0-4 with 0 being no activity and 3 or 4 considered severe activity. The amount of inflammation is important because inflammation somewhat correlates with the progression of fibrosis.
The fibrosis score is also assigned a number from 0-4:
• 0 = no scarring
• 1 = minimal scarring
• 2 = scarring has occurred and extends outside
the areas in the liver that contains blood vessels
• 3=bridging fibrosis is spreading and
connecting to other areas that contain fibrosis
• 4=cirrhosis or advanced scarring of the liver

Hectorsf

[NealyTee]

Thanks to all of you!  Hector, great info! Trish, I'm trying to do more research (have pretty much avoided in the past because I DIDN"T WANT to know (have been in a LOT of denial, obviously).  Now I do want to know.  Have finally found a Hep doc who seems to be very good.  When I told him I may not have ins. soon, he said not to worry that he participated in a lot of clinical trials.  I also live about 3 hours away from the University of N.C, Chapel Hill, which is supposed to be in the forefront  of Hep C research and tx.  Chugen, since we seem to be in about the same situation, lets try to keep in touch.
Guess I'll know a lot more after my appt. w/ Hep doc when my biopsy results come in.  One good bit of news, the surgeon who did my biopsy said my liver looked surprizingly good to the naked eye - he even gave me pics they took during biopsy showing how it  pre=biopsy and then showing the 4 cauterized punctures post biopsy.  Thinks I'll frame them, 4 color glossys of me liver LOL.