Aa
Email I received from a girl named Cathy
Hi Ron,
I have recently stumbled upon your e-mail address from Dr. Ren's web site message board. Which I had gotten out of a Hepatitis magazine.
You seem to be pretty informed on all this. I will tell you MY story, if you would listen, i would appreciate it. I don't know what to do at this point.
I am a healthy (5'6", 125 lb) 46 year old female. When I was 22 years old I was in a bad accident (was hit by a train) they saved my life, but gave me blood. I found out about 10 years ago I had Hep-C, type 2-b (the cause of my divorce), I have mild fibrosis, I think stage one. Had several biopsies done(every 5 yrs), results stay the same except the viral load keeps going higher, I believe it's 700 million. My doctor feels that because my liver is close to normal no need for treatment, because there wouldn't be anything to compare test A to test B to.(damage) He said treatment will only lower the viral load some, not irraticate it.
When I first found out, I had the biopsy done, I used to drink socially, I quit everything, smoking , drinking and took up the gym(running 3 miles a day and lifting every day, 5 days a wk) I did this for 3 yrs. and had another biopsy done, the results stayed the same (except for the viral load going way up) He wouldn't treat me. Said I was too healthy. My concern is that I now have had this for 24 years, I am starting to really worry about my mortality. And am afraid if I don't get treated while I am young enough to handle it, that I will get "sick" when I am, in their eyes, too old to be treated. I suffer from what you all call the "symptoms" depression, memory loss, fatigue, I haven't worked out in 2 years, and just sit and waste the days away.....just don't know where to focus anymore...do you have any ideas? I know that it's easy to say to get motivated, but I just need some answers about what to do with this, I feel helpless just sitting here doing nothing. I have a hard time dating , it's a big turn off to people...Thank you for your time, Cathy Collins
I have recently stumbled upon your e-mail address from Dr. Ren's web site message board. Which I had gotten out of a Hepatitis magazine.
You seem to be pretty informed on all this. I will tell you MY story, if you would listen, i would appreciate it. I don't know what to do at this point.
I am a healthy (5'6", 125 lb) 46 year old female. When I was 22 years old I was in a bad accident (was hit by a train) they saved my life, but gave me blood. I found out about 10 years ago I had Hep-C, type 2-b (the cause of my divorce), I have mild fibrosis, I think stage one. Had several biopsies done(every 5 yrs), results stay the same except the viral load keeps going higher, I believe it's 700 million. My doctor feels that because my liver is close to normal no need for treatment, because there wouldn't be anything to compare test A to test B to.(damage) He said treatment will only lower the viral load some, not irraticate it.
When I first found out, I had the biopsy done, I used to drink socially, I quit everything, smoking , drinking and took up the gym(running 3 miles a day and lifting every day, 5 days a wk) I did this for 3 yrs. and had another biopsy done, the results stayed the same (except for the viral load going way up) He wouldn't treat me. Said I was too healthy. My concern is that I now have had this for 24 years, I am starting to really worry about my mortality. And am afraid if I don't get treated while I am young enough to handle it, that I will get "sick" when I am, in their eyes, too old to be treated. I suffer from what you all call the "symptoms" depression, memory loss, fatigue, I haven't worked out in 2 years, and just sit and waste the days away.....just don't know where to focus anymore...do you have any ideas? I know that it's easy to say to get motivated, but I just need some answers about what to do with this, I feel helpless just sitting here doing nothing. I have a hard time dating , it's a big turn off to people...Thank you for your time, Cathy Collins
wouldn't it be nicer and much more productive to come here if we could all reframe from going really negative on each other..and just assail this disease in all its manifestations...but of course, I've always been a dreamer...
Same logic applies to people rioting and destroying their own cities and towns, taking their frustrations out on each other instead of quietly promoting change from within...big picture thinking is beyond a lot of people, I just wish it wasn't...
Same logic applies to people rioting and destroying their own cities and towns, taking their frustrations out on each other instead of quietly promoting change from within...big picture thinking is beyond a lot of people, I just wish it wasn't...
"yes, and all finding a connection to chronic hep c infection. even at stage one. but we spend so much time reading inserts, we don't have time to read the research on extrahepatic manifestations. Oh! that's right! they don't exist with stage one or maybe they just don't exist, period. My bad."
If you give a post of mine a smart a** reply like this don't expect a love letter in return. Fair enough ? ;)
If you give a post of mine a smart a** reply like this don't expect a love letter in return. Fair enough ? ;)
Jeez, even if we don't agree with each other, there's such a thing as civility...disease is unpleasant enough to endure day to day without having to read these types of biting comments and character assessments mixed in with the information, support and debates...it's really kind of jarring...
Not to say that you are the only one that indulges in this type of behavior because of course youre not, but really, a cogent argument is more elegant and impressive if it's delivered "somewhat" politely, whether we ultimately agree or not...and then there is always the saving grace of agreeing to disagree on some issues...with all due respect....
Not to say that you are the only one that indulges in this type of behavior because of course youre not, but really, a cogent argument is more elegant and impressive if it's delivered "somewhat" politely, whether we ultimately agree or not...and then there is always the saving grace of agreeing to disagree on some issues...with all due respect....
Cuteus,
Why do you want to overlook the real dangers of tx ? And if you are spending so much time reading inserts why hasn't any of it sunk in yet ? Personally, I don't think YOU (and quite a few others in here) have EVER read the ENTIRE prescribing information for the drugs that are used in therapy. If you had you wouldn't be making such asinine comments .
"And you dont have to be in end stage liver disease for it to happen."
Show me a case of HCV-induced kidney failure at stage ONE. Put up or SHUT UP. I will guarantee you will NEVER find it. But since you are convinced these things can occur at stage one PROVE it to the rest of us. That should be a SIMPLE thing to do with all of the myriad of studies, abstracts, poster presentations, clinical trilas, etc., that can be found easily on the web. Happy hunting.
PK
Why do you want to overlook the real dangers of tx ? And if you are spending so much time reading inserts why hasn't any of it sunk in yet ? Personally, I don't think YOU (and quite a few others in here) have EVER read the ENTIRE prescribing information for the drugs that are used in therapy. If you had you wouldn't be making such asinine comments .
"And you dont have to be in end stage liver disease for it to happen."
Show me a case of HCV-induced kidney failure at stage ONE. Put up or SHUT UP. I will guarantee you will NEVER find it. But since you are convinced these things can occur at stage one PROVE it to the rest of us. That should be a SIMPLE thing to do with all of the myriad of studies, abstracts, poster presentations, clinical trilas, etc., that can be found easily on the web. Happy hunting.
PK
thanks Linda, i have read the same relation and one good friend might have lost her husband to ESRD due to hep c. And you dont have to be in end stage liver disease for it to happen. It is a sad reality. I am glad you are feeling better. there is always a posibility your kidneys will recover once HCV is gone, let's hope.
Hi everyone, don't usually have a lot to say, but about treating, I found out about my Hep C in October 2002, was thrown literally in dialysis in Feb. of 2003. I was scared to death to try tx, but all in all it hasn't been that bad for me. And I'll find out Friday if I've cleared at 24 wks,almost had at 12. Do you guys know that 1 person in about a 1000 will lose their kidneys to Hep c, not to scare anyone but if this had been found and treated when they first started finding out about it I wouldn't be waiting on kidney transplant now. I've had this for about 30 yrs and never knew, they thought my kidneys were somehow just diseased or the drugs that I had did in the 70's destroyed them. WRONG! the hep c destroyed them, of course the drugs caused the hep c, anyway the point is the disease is to me alot worse than tx. All signs of kidney disease are gone except for rise in creatinine. starting to feel more energetic, I just wanted to say to everyone who doesn't know this about the kidneys, research, find everything you can before deciding not to treat, cause believe me no one wants to have to go through this. I know there's alot of other people sick with different things, but what you don't know can really mess you up. Linda
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