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Avatar universal

Just diagnosed and scared

I was just diagnosed hep c genotype2 , chronic,,  my husband passed away last year from cancer, it was horrid.. He was my support system as I was his,  now I'm alone facing treatment and don't no if I can do this alone..  Any suggestions??
Thank you
12 Responses
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2059648 tn?1439766665
Hi and welcome to the forum. 20 percent of people who test positive for hepatitis C clear the virus on their own. You do need another blood test
(Hepatitis C Viral Load Test).  This test takes about a week to get back the results.  Go back and have the test done sooner if you want to confirm the results without further delay.  You are young and their are new and easier treatment on the horizon.  Take this one step at a time.  First get the viral load test.  Then if you do have hep C you can have a liver biopsy and find out the condition of your liver.  This will tell you if you can wait for treatment which is a really good chance by your age.  People do live with hepatitis C live with others, have children and don't infect them with the virus.  Many people on this forum will confess to having children, having sex with there partner, living with others and never infecting one of them.  Go have the blood test and come back and post the results.   You could just have tested positive for the Hep C antibody and not actually have Hepatitis C.  Again, go find out and let us know so we can help you with your options.

DWBH
Helpful - 0
5912886 tn?1376569556
Hi everyone,  I'm a 31 year old male. I recently started going to a primary care doctor and one of the first things we didwas blood work. Everything came back good other than one of my liver eenzymes was slightly high (170) which my doctor said it was nothing to worry about because it would have to be much high to cause any problems for me. The other thing and what has me extremely worried is my hepatitis c test. He told me it was positive but then told me not to worry about it right now. Yeah ok, now I'm freaked. But now he says that they didn't have a big enough sample to do further testing and he wants more blood when I come back in 2 weeks. Now I really wish  I would have given him the darn blood right then because I cannot stop worrying about weather or not I have hep c antibodies only or weather I have hep c virus. I never really worried which is why I'm 31 and never had a blood test. Always been in very good shape and healthy. But now I have a 9 month old little girl who I am madly in love with, she is my whole world. I just cannot stop worrying that I may have given her this disease and this whole situation has consumed me. My thoughts 24/7 and even my dreams. Her health worries me the most. But I also have a beautiful fiancee who I'm madly in love with and she has a 17 year old daughter.  I'm terrified I may have infected them as well or anyone for that matter. I'm afraid to talk to her about it for fear of how she n will react or how she wilk think of me. Plus my doctor told me not to tell her, yet. Not until I have my further results back which I will stilk have to wait another week to give the blood for and then wait who knows how long to get the results. I just cannot handle the stress from this, it is really effecting me and the way I'm acting which I feel bad about because my future wife thinks I'm upset about something. What should I do? Go back asap and give blood or just wait til next week?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It's been a couple months since you were diagnosed. How are you doing?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am so sorry for your loss, so much for one person to carry. I am also g2 living alone and finish soc in March. I have a very physical job and did miss some time and did need the assistance of friends to run errands especially going to the grocery store, but not until about half way thru treatment. I became anemic so doing anything was a chore. They do have rescue drugs for that but I chose dose reduction rather than adding another drug into the mix. As my dr told me when I first was diagnoised that I was very lucky to have the easiest to cure. I can tell you that it would have been very difficult without the people on this site. You can ask any question judgement free zone, and very knowledgeable people. Good Luck and keep your eye on the finish line. :)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi,
I am very sorry for your loss.
While it is hard to go through treatment alone, a lot of us do and this site really does help with that. You can send personal messages to people you come to connect with and deepen the relationships as well.
The side effects do vary to degree depending on each person and the condition of their liver.
I noticed you have a tracker for anxiety so I want to give you a heads up that ribavirin can cause anxiety so make sure that your Dr. has a plan to help you with that if it becomes an issue.
All the best to you.
Helpful - 0
1815939 tn?1377991799
Welcome to the forum.

Side effects vary from person to person. Some have very few and/or mild side effects. Others have more and/or more problematic side effects.

On good thing is that you are Geno 2 and therefore are on only Interferon and Riba. Most of the people on the forum are on the triple medication treatment for Genotype 1 Hep C. The third drug for Geno 1 can be a real problematic drug and have many side effects. Many of the bad side effects you read about on the forum are from the protease inhibitors, that third drug.

You won't know until you get on the drugs which side effects you will have. Plus, they vary in intensity from week to week and they come and go from week to week.

Interferon frequently causes flu like symptoms ... aches, headaches, fatigue, malaise, no energy, nausea, but the intensity varies considerably. Interferon also causes memory problems and concentration problems. There are many other side effects that can also occur. The more serious side effects to watch for would be any visual problems, increasing rash, low hemoglobin, low absolute neutrophils. Any severe visual problems (pain, loss of vision, partial loss of vision) need immediate emergency treatment. The rash can be treated with prescription medications. The anemia and low neutrophil count can also be treated with prescriptions and dose modification.

However, you may do very well and have few side effects. Even if you have more problematic side effects, you won't get all of them and you should still be able to function.

My treatment was much more difficult while on Incivek. Once I dropped that drug at 12 weeks and was on Interferon and Riba only, I felt considerably better. Not normal, LOL, but better.

For me, it made treatment much easier once I figured out I simply was not going to get a lot  accomplished. The lack of energy and lack of motivation accompanied by fatigue can make it difficult to get many projects done. In addition, the lack of concentration makes it difficult to focus. I used to get frustrated at getting nothing done. Then I just let it go and went with the flow. I just accepted that I was not going to get much done during treatment. That made treatment much easier. I am now on week 47 of treatment and actually doing pretty well. There are some days I feel almost normal and inb some ways I feel better than I did before treatment.

I think the main thing is to just go with the flow. See how you do and make adjustments if needed. Rest more if necessary. Stay off of ladders and high places. Get up slowly. Take Tylenol (if okay with your MD) for aches and pains. Leave yourself notes if necessary (to help with memory). Don't over book yourself or try to do too much. I did not make plans for anything during treatment except my Dr. appts. and the symphony because I never knew how I would feel. If you do have something that you like to do or need to do on a regular basis, take your injections as far before that event as possibly (this only works if what you need to do always falls on the same day.) For instance, the symphony is always on Sunday afternoons so I took my injections on Monday. If you work, try to give yourself some time between the injection and the following working day. Get plenty of rest. Eat healthy and nutritious food.

I live alone and I managed pretty well. I was able to drive and do necessary activities. (Take care when driving if your concentration level is low.)

The type of job you have may play a part in if you can do it while on treatment. A desk job or less physical job may be easier to do. I would not want to be balancing on a rooftop or climbing electrical poles while on treatment. Jobs that require quick reaction time and decision making may be a problem. Jobs that require precision may be a problem.

If you work, it would be a good idea to check into possible alternatives (in advance) if you find you cannot work or cannot work your normal job or work full time. Can you work part time, flex time, shorter hours, a desk job. Do you have sick time, vacation time, leave time available.  Many people worked full time during treatment but some could not work or could only work part time.

I am sure you will do just fine. This forum is a great place for accurate information and for support. Hopefully you will stick around. We will all pitch in if you have questions or need support.

Best of luck.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
im geno type 2 starting interferon and the rib pills within 4 weeks i will begin the treatment,dont really know much about numbers and stuff just know im at 921,000 or something...  doc says if at 3 months it isnt working as it should i will be stopping treatment. if it goes ok i will go the full six months. Is this going to be misserable? Am i going to beable to drive to the store and stuff? any suggestions?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I am a g2 in my 13th week of SOC. I am about your age, live alone, and  am managing without much of a support system other than my treatment team and this wonderful site. Of course there are so many considerations given an individual's medical history, current health and how differently individuals react to the meds. There are g2s who never missed a day of work, and other g2s who never finished treatment due to issues that arose during tx.
As said, you have to find a good and experienced doctor, experienced in treating HCV. A lot of data needs to be collected to determine "where you are" (so to speak) in terms of your HCV, the condition of your liver,  general health, treatment options, etc. and you will go from there. Once you have that info you will have access on this site to answers to almost any question you may have. Note: no medical advice from doctors, but responses from patients who have "been there, done that" in just about every conceivable scenario. The support will be tremendous.
It seems tx for g2s is easier than for g1s so you have that in your favor.
Keep us posted.

Helpful - 0
766573 tn?1365166466
I am very sorry for your loss. I would like you to know that we will all be here whenever you decide to treat. Meanwhile, as others suggest, it helps to read posts to get an idea of what treatment might entail. Either way, you won't be alone.♥
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Sorry to hear of the loss of your husband
.
You are certainly not alone as there are many good folks here that will give you any information you need about HCV and the treatment of such along with support from many who know what you are going through..

Welcome to the group..
Will
Helpful - 0
1797925 tn?1341096204
I am so sorry for the loss of your husband and your hep c diagnosis.  What a lot to bear for one person!  But you have certainly come to the right place.  I was diagnosed last Sept with GT3a and have found a vast amount of information and support here at this site.  Hopefully, you are already in the care of a good hepatologist.  There are many people here who have been through  or are undergoing treatment and can offer you information and help as you go through yours.  I am sure they will be chiming in shortly.   You can also 'search' the site for specifics...such as others with your GT2.   So you are not alone any longer :)))))

Warmest regards,
Margaret
Helpful - 0
1995824 tn?1330379049
So sorry to hear about the loss of your husband.

Welcome to the forum! You are in the right place to get the support and advice you need to make it through treatment. Everyone here will be I. Your corner.
You are going to be asked your viral load and the condition of your liver (biopsy) as well as which treatment you are considering.

Many people undergo treatment on their own with the help of close friends and this forum.

Do what you need to do for you.
Helpful - 0
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