Progression of disease

[bht3]

I've had Hep C for 18 years for sure (don't know when and how I got it) and am considering treatment now....what is the progression of the disease?

[sfwandwow]

Trinity u definately some that up..Iam glad u enlighten more on it,iam not up to par

[sfwandwow]

alot of us in the boat...progression is slow

[Trinity4]

First you need to find a good doctor - preferably a hepatologist and go through the preliminary testing which is required before you know what the progression of the disease is.  You must have a liver biopsy to determine the extent of liver damage you have.  If you have never been treated for hepc and have had the disease for 18 years expect some damage but everyone is different and it depends on many factors which can include alcohol or drug use.  You will find out after the preliminary blood tests what kind of genotype you have.  This is important when considering treatment because geno 1's are a minimum of 48 weeks and geno 2's are 24 weeks.  People with hepc can have a variety of symptoms but many have none at all.  Even if you have never had any symptoms you can still have extensive liver damage.  The most important thing for you to know is what the health of your liver is.  Once you have completed testing you should talk with your doctor about a couse of action.  Again, I can't stress to you enough how important it is to get the necessary tests done.  Living with hepc is not a death sentence but left untreated over a long period of time can cause serious damage to your liver.  Don't mean to sound morbid but that is the reality of having hepc.
Best of Luck to you
Trinity