Is untreated HCV a death sentence?

[pcds]

I have read many posts from people that say if untreated you wll die of complicatons of HCV.  That is not true.  Only 5% get liver cancer and it's hard to tell the progression of cirrohsis especially if your lifestyle is healthy.   I've had HCV for 40 yrs and only stopped etoh 2009.  Stage 0-1.  People are different.  I work in a hosptal ICU, 8 years and have seen 1 liver cancer from HCV and the patient was a heavy drinker.   All the HCV patients I see in the ICU with GI bleeds, cirr. are actively drinking heavily.  I am not saying this virus is a good thing to have, I am treating currently.  I just want people who want to wait for less toxic drugs not to bee so fearful if their liver can wait.

[eureka254]

"It is a natural human tendency I think for many to want to blame others for being sick no matter what the sickness; just like blaming the victim of a crime"
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Just because something is a human tendency, whether natural or unnatural, does not make it defensible, acceptable, nor excusable.

[HectorSF]

Since you put this question to Eureka I would like to put in my own two cents also.

"Are you treating?"
I have treated and failed treatment.
"Do you have HCV?"  
Yes, for 40 years.
"Do you live the life of a person sick all the time from Treatmemt?"
No I am living with ESLD and liver cancer. Twp potentially fatal diseases. If I don't get a new liver in the next year or two the odds of me surviving are minimal.

"You totally miss my posts meaning.  I struggled with the idea of treatment or not as many do. I think I was pretty courageous to do this horrible task.  Not treating for many is not a death sentence, and if I'm not SVR after this I will be one of those people and I hope it's not a death sentence."

We understand your meaning perfectly. We that are facing death ourselves or of a loved one are to be discounted and not to be used as a warning to others to take advantage of the best odds ever for curing this disease. Although people may feel fine now that is no indication of the state of a persons liver disease. I had cirrhosis and felt fine. I was diagnosed by accident as I needed a complete blood workup for surgery on a neck cyst. Unfortunately while waiting to try the new DAAs I developed HCC which any person with hepatitis C and cirrhosis has an increased risk. That is why cirrhotics should be imaged every 6 month. Chronic hepatitis B doesn't even require the development of cirrhosis to develop liver cancer. I guess they are all alcoholics too?

"I see many people in the ICU with hep c and all of them are drinking alcohol, that's why they are so very sick."  I have seen one person dying from complications from HCV."

All people with hep C drink alcohol? And that is why they are sick? Then why are you treating if you don't drink?
Fact is myself and many others that are waiting for transplants don't or never have drunken alcohol. We are not obese. We don't have multi system organs failure at least not yet. If we were drinkers or had multiple medical issues we would be listed for transplant.

Your disdain for us with advanced deadly liver disease caused by hep C and the patients are your hospital is blatant. I feel sorry for anyone there that is suffering as you don't seem to have any empathy for others. Perhaps you are burned out. But that is reason your should be allowed to have anything to do with the care of ill and vulnerable patients.

In the future if you plan on dissing people that have to suffer real life and death situations you might want to think first before dumping your ignorant comments with the shield of "I work in an ICU" on a website devoted to the support for persons with all stages of hepatitis C. That contain members would do know something about this disease  and its prognosis unlike yourself.

Hector

[willbb]

Seeing by the amount of posts I imagine  there are many opionions.(I haven"t read the thread yet)

Just to the OP who says "
have read many posts from people that say if untreated you wll die of complicatons of HCV".
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I honesty can not remember ever reading this here.

Will

[Bill1954]

   Last year a 2 to 3 yr old baby boy gave up the fight to (Liver Cancer). He tried different tx and experiments @ a childrens hospitol. His parents have divorced. How sad. Anyone can get L Cancer I guess? He did not drink, drug, smoke nor was he obese.

[candyce1953]

I have been waiting 41 years to treat
Found out in 1997 biopsy
Felt my odds as 1b on int/ribo at stage 1 too low
Back to biopsy in 2008 ,stage 2, still low but was waiting for new 3x tx

Now 2011/ still stage 2 but progressing to stage 3
Am ready to commit to 3x tx in January

For "me" the death sentence would be to wait any longer
Am 58, and worry about it daily

Do not want to develop heart disease or cancer or other conditions that would interfere with treatment

Now is my time
And I hope everyone's to be successful and finish 2012 free and clear of hepatitis c

Not sure if this was the thread that my post was deleted from,but hopefully this one will stay up
Wishing all you wonderful brave people
A very very Happy Holidays and Happy and Healthy New Year!

[curiouslady1]

I think  that with something so random as the progression of this disease is; one would want to pin it on something controllable like drinking, or lifestyle choice or whatever.  Surely, it is a good idea to quite drinking and drugging if that is what you are doing.  But often if you are so unfortunate as to be selected by the fickle finger of fate, you're hit.  Fate and genes are unfair and unjust.  It just is.  

It is a natural human tendency I think for many to want to blame others for being sick no matter what the sickness; just like blaming the victim of a crime (if they dressed differently, if they had deadbolted the door, etc.).   It is a defense against the hard reality that  we really have little control in the long run, over fate, randomness and life's fortunes.  I just lost an old friend to ESLD from Hepc.  Because we used to hang in the same circles back in the seventies, I figure we probably got the infection from the same source.  I don't think our lifestyles have been that much different over the years since but God/fate/Great Kahuna/Karma took her and left me with f=0.

I don't understand why we try to kill the messenger on these issues?  The fact is that many people really CAN wait.  The problem is that nobody really knows for sure who those people are.   Therein lies the dilemna.  We can play the averages and doctors can make an educated guess and keep checking the bod but that is about it.  Perhaps some of us would like to think we will dodge the bullet if we don't drink a drop, or keep weight under control etc. or maybe even that we won't relapse if we take the pill every day but the plain fact of the matter is these are likely necessary but not sufficient measures.