Please Help me

[oxie26]

I was recently diagnosed with hep c. I havent told any one yet. I cant even talk to my doctor about it because he is best friends with my dad and he has already broken the patient confidentiality rule once. He told my father something i told him in confidence. Anyway, I have been having pains in my left upper side. Followed by tightness and short breath. Sometimes my arms and hands just start shaking uncontrolably and my hands go numb a lot. My heart beat changes very often, even when im just laying there. I guess what im wondering is, is this just symptoms of my hep. or is is something else all together?  Thank you. Kurt Reinhardt

[Rain6866]

The tx is treatment. One thing you need to remember is that you can live with HCV for the rest of your life and still be ok depending on where you are now. (age,genotype,stage) Have you had a liver biopsy? If so what are your numbers? My guess is that if your doc is telling you not to treat now that you have a lot of time. Just remember, You still have to live and if you quit your job and travel when the money supply is gone then you will have even more problems than you do now. Misery loves company. I was lucky I had a hubby with a job and insurance.
  There is no shame in telling anyone you have this. People talk and I say as long as they are talking about me they are leaving someone else alone. Mine i think came from a tattoo I got in the 80's when I was 19. I am 40 now. Ive never done drugs. If not the tattoo then I think it could have came from a doctors office, ER etc..
I freaked out as I am sure everyone does. Its not easy to hear that you have a virus that can effect your life. No one really wants to hear how they are going to die. Its what you do with the knowledge you have that makes a difference. First thing is Take a deep breath. Maybe take a weekend trip and relax.. Think about what you see for your future. Are you gonna let this consume you? Or are you going to stand up and fight it? I dont think you would be here if you wasnt willing to fight. Maybe get a second opinion on your treatment status. If you havent had a liver biopsy then your doc is full of ****. A biopsy determines everything with this disease. If you have had one then you know your numbers and its easily determined where you are.
  I am a genotype 3 stage 0... Which means I have little to no damage to my liver and Genotype 3 is the easiest to cure. Im lucky. A lot of these people on here are for more advanced and some have been threw multiple treatments. My doc says that by week 4 of treatment he expects to find no sign of the virus in my system. Thats what will keep me fighting during treatment. I only have to do 6 months. Ive seen people posting here thats into almost 2 years of treatment. . You never really know what you can do until you have to.
  Dont give up on life. Never stop fighting to be cured and dont be ashamed of who you are and what path God has chosen for you. I sometimes wonder if its a punishment for something bad I did in life or if it is something God wants me to experience to show me how much life means. I am blessed with 4 beautiful step daughters, 2 step grandchildren and a wonderful husband that loves me. Sometimes we can forget our blessings and let the negativity run our lives.
I hope this helps you make the decisions and choices you need to make. Its scary I know and you feel pulled in all different directions but you have to deal with it and face the facts that its there and educate yourself on what you need to do.
This board is wonderful. A bit scary at times but when i went for my appt. I had a list of questions ready for my doc.. a long list. He was amazed how much I had learned.
If you will post your genotype and stage I will tell you what I know or maybe someone else will jump in and help if I cant.
Good luck with this. May God bless you..

[maxygirl]

what is tx?  I also haven't told anyone but my son.

[maxygirl]

you really nailed it about how I still feel about it.  I found out in Oct and I cannot stop thinking about it.  I am not on treatment as my dr. says I don't need anything at this time.  I got very very depressed and I am going to quit work or at least a leave  and travel


I need to sort out what I want going forward.  Big shake up mentally.

[Rain6866]

I am no Doctor and in fact I am a newbie on this site as well but I think Im a little further progressed since I am in the process of starting tx. It actually sounds to me like your having an anxiety/panic attack. I have those as well. You defiantly need to find another doctor and fast. If it is anxiety you need some meds to help you be calm so you can think rationally and deal with the situation at hand.
When I was first diagnosed I freaked out. I just wanted to live life and enjoy it, so I slowed down working and basically took the whole summer off which hurt my business. Now I am in the process of trying to build it back up and its HARD. (I work at home) Also, if your dad has an active roll in your life your going to have to tell him and the other people that are eventually, before you start treatment. Better they hear it from you. You will need help and love and support. Ditch the doc, or take him to court... he needs to learn that what he did is a BIG no no!
Make an appt soon and get checked for anxiety/panic attacks. I always thought I was having a heart attack and they got tired of seeing me in the ER every week. I was first told it was my lungs.. then they didnt have a clue.. then the next trip a doc walked into the room gave me a xanax and asked what was going on in my life that was so major it was causing me to have anxiety. (My dad had passed away in the car with me 3 months before they started) 20 minutes later the feelings were gone and I was calm. He gave me an anti depressant and xanax and 2 years later it was gone for the most part.

Good luck with this. For the most part I dont feel any symptoms from the HCV.. but once you know its there you never stop thinking about it.

Feel Well

[Harry Potter]

The symptoms you describe sound more like anxiety than anything else, I know a lot of anxiety symptoms can mimic those of a heart attack.  But do get to a doctor to get checked out.  Having Hep C is not the end of the world, it's very often a manageable condition, so long as you do what's good for your liver & keep up with bloodwork & medical testing & whatnot.  I know I was a zombie for a few months after the initial diagnosis, but that didn't last very long!

[Andromedae]

You need to see a doctor.  If your current doctor has broken confidentiality and you are over 18 then congratulations! - You are $2000 richer according to HIPAA  .  You can do this in small claims court.  You'll need the cash to pay for treatment.  Google HIPAA and "claims"

'You need to:

1. Get another doctor and get evaluated.
2. Get treated and get rid of your disease
3. Stop seeking medical opinions over the internet and get to a doctor.  That is the only way to be serious about getting cured.

[fretboard]

No offense against your doctor who is close friends with your Dad, but you need another doctor.  You need to see a Heptologist, a good Hep doctor who won't go around bumpin' his gums if he knows your Dad. lol  Normally those symptoms aren't related to HepC alone.  You may be having some type of neuropathy which is an unusual symptom with HepC, without trying tx first.  Just so you can be clear and you can find out for sure what is a symptom of, get yourself to see a good Heptologist.  We tend to blame every symptom possible on HepC and it's usually not the case at all.  The only time I ever heard of those neuropathic type of symptoms specifically from HepC were from genotype 4, which is readily located in Egypt.  Also, those symptoms are related to ladies and I completely forget the reason why.  Best way to get some actual help is from a HepC doctor.  good luck  

[FlGuy]

If you can't tell your doctor and your doctor doesn't know, how were you diagnosed?  Did you have like real blood tests and stuff?

[mkp13]

I have no idea if those symptoms are from HepC.  I'd guess not (the liver is on your right, not your left), but I'm not an expert on advanced liver disease, so I can't speak to that.  The symptoms sound a lot closer to a mild heart attack than HepC.  Since a heart attack can kill you quickly, I'd get checked out for that ASAP.

If you have HepC, you really want to be under the care of a good hepatologist (a liver doctor).  I don't know where you live, but maybe you can find one locally or in your nearest big city.  Perhaps you could do a first appointment without a referral?

How did you get diagnosed if your doctor doesn't know?  (Admittedly, I found out via a self-pay internet testing site, but most people don't do it that way.)