Aa
Side effects of treatment
Hey,
i have been debating with myself as to go on treatment, but i have a two yr old daughter and am wondering if i could still look after her if i did start treatment as i have heard the side effects are really bad, i don't have any scarring yet, so should i wait or start asap?
i have been debating with myself as to go on treatment, but i have a two yr old daughter and am wondering if i could still look after her if i did start treatment as i have heard the side effects are really bad, i don't have any scarring yet, so should i wait or start asap?
Biospy a must to determine what path to take regarding treatment. Ultrasound can't give detailed information. Biopsy is the gold standard for staging liver disease. Once you have the results, you can make a decision. Some people choose to treat regardless, but keep in mind, newer drugs with better odds of clearing the virus are on the horizon and you may have time to wait to wait for them. My cat scan showed normal liver as well as my ultrasound and liver biopsy indicated stage 3.
Trinity
Trinity
I wrote:
It is only you who can decide if you want to treat now or wait. You should definitely get a liver biopsy to determine the state of your liver, a biopsy cannot tell you much else about the state of your liver, than if you more advanced liver damage or not.
the last part should have read:::
an ultra sound scan cannot tell you much else about the state of your liver, than if you have more advanced liver damage or not.
Sorry for the confusion,
Marcia
It is only you who can decide if you want to treat now or wait. You should definitely get a liver biopsy to determine the state of your liver, a biopsy cannot tell you much else about the state of your liver, than if you more advanced liver damage or not.
the last part should have read:::
an ultra sound scan cannot tell you much else about the state of your liver, than if you have more advanced liver damage or not.
Sorry for the confusion,
Marcia
Sorry i should have said FINISHED treatment. And sorry if i sound cliche.
I just never have been able to talk so openly about HCV before. Only my partner knows that i have it and my gp and specialist, and i have spent the last couple of years trying to hide it.
I just never have been able to talk so openly about HCV before. Only my partner knows that i have it and my gp and specialist, and i have spent the last couple of years trying to hide it.
Hey, I just want to thank everyone for all the good advice!! I thought that i knew alot about HCV but in reality i know very little! I have been in denial for so long about my HCV but when i found i was pregnant with my daughter it was not just my health i was damaging but potentially hers as well. Thank god she is clear!! But now it is time to start looking after myself so i can be here when she needs me. I'm only new to this, so please bear with me and please correct me if i am wrong, but before i found this web site, it was my understanding that only few people actually cleared the virus when in reality it is more like 49% of people who start treatment. Why is this not more known to the general public? When diagnosed I thought i had been given a death sentence but thanks to this web site I now have hope that one day i will be released! Once again thank you so much! I still have alot to learn but you have pointed me in the right direction
These guys have really answered your questions very well.
Please see to getting some family support - or friends support.
Advise that you're looking for up to 2 years of commitment...
And that's pretty much the reality of it.
BUT _-- the other side of the coin is --- DO YOU HAVE THE TIME TO WAIT FOR TX?
If you do - then wait --- but don't wait too long --- and monitor it very --- VERY closely.
Hugs!
Meki
Please see to getting some family support - or friends support.
Advise that you're looking for up to 2 years of commitment...
And that's pretty much the reality of it.
BUT _-- the other side of the coin is --- DO YOU HAVE THE TIME TO WAIT FOR TX?
If you do - then wait --- but don't wait too long --- and monitor it very --- VERY closely.
Hugs!
Meki
I would use the time you have while waiting for the doc to return to learn as much as possible about hepc and tx as you possibly can.
This will enable you to prepare questions and come to terms with the diagnosis so that you can make decisions based on facts and not the emotional impact that this can bring.
As far as when to tx, I am a poster child for someone who could have waited.(no damage) Because of what I learned from the good people here, I was able to decide on a tx plan that would work in my life. I was fortunate enough to get into the clinical trial I had chosen. I wanted to be part of the research that would cut the treatment time in half for my loved ones that will be treating once the new drugs come out. And as an added bonus, my entire tx would be free.
So, while it was a win/win for me, as I stated, I do have loved ones that we are simply monitoring until #1 the new treatments arrive and #2 to fit into their life schedule.
Hep C is a "hurry up and wait" disease, so use the time you are waiting to learn as much as possible and that will be time well spent.
I wish you the best of luck in your journey. Please keep us posted.
Isobella
This will enable you to prepare questions and come to terms with the diagnosis so that you can make decisions based on facts and not the emotional impact that this can bring.
As far as when to tx, I am a poster child for someone who could have waited.(no damage) Because of what I learned from the good people here, I was able to decide on a tx plan that would work in my life. I was fortunate enough to get into the clinical trial I had chosen. I wanted to be part of the research that would cut the treatment time in half for my loved ones that will be treating once the new drugs come out. And as an added bonus, my entire tx would be free.
So, while it was a win/win for me, as I stated, I do have loved ones that we are simply monitoring until #1 the new treatments arrive and #2 to fit into their life schedule.
Hep C is a "hurry up and wait" disease, so use the time you are waiting to learn as much as possible and that will be time well spent.
I wish you the best of luck in your journey. Please keep us posted.
Isobella
The short answer is yes, it will affect your parenting abilities. Even if your side effects are lighter than some, it will affect your parenting abilities to some degree. So you have to look at your support network and determine how well your partner is prepared to step into the breach if your side effects end up being tough to downright severe. Ongoing fatigue can really impact you and you should know what you CAN be in for.
Sassy, wondering what your motivation is to do treatment now such that you would love to do treatment?
It seems you've had a biopsy as you already know that you have no scarring, which is terrific - congratulations.
It also means you have time to wait - for better drugs to come onto the market, a number of which are in trial now - which is likely to mean better treatment experiences and outcome. Regardless of which genotype you are, you're in for 24 to 48 weeks of a potentially difficult treatment under the current drugs.
The key, as always, is to educate yourself on treatment, options and also to make sure you have a good doctor who is experienced in treating Hepatitis C. Not all gastroenterologists are experienced with this and not all of them consult properly with other doctors to make sure they treat this disease properly.
Being on treatment impacts your whole life. Take the time to find out how it can impact you and then decide if it fits for you right now or later.
Good luck.
Trish
Sassy, wondering what your motivation is to do treatment now such that you would love to do treatment?
It seems you've had a biopsy as you already know that you have no scarring, which is terrific - congratulations.
It also means you have time to wait - for better drugs to come onto the market, a number of which are in trial now - which is likely to mean better treatment experiences and outcome. Regardless of which genotype you are, you're in for 24 to 48 weeks of a potentially difficult treatment under the current drugs.
The key, as always, is to educate yourself on treatment, options and also to make sure you have a good doctor who is experienced in treating Hepatitis C. Not all gastroenterologists are experienced with this and not all of them consult properly with other doctors to make sure they treat this disease properly.
Being on treatment impacts your whole life. Take the time to find out how it can impact you and then decide if it fits for you right now or later.
Good luck.
Trish
Very well put and directing to the Health Pages is a great first step. Also this site will answer many questions one might have when deciding to treat now or waiting.
http://www.janis7hepc.com/
jasper
http://www.janis7hepc.com/
jasper
Most people are still asleep on this forum, as the majority live in the US.
Treatment side effects can be anything from mild till severe. Most people work during treatment. Others can't even get out of bed. There is no way of knowing before hand how one will react to treatment. You will read a lot about severe side effects on this forum, as people who hardly have any, will not seek a forum for support. So the population you see here, might not reflect the actual people treating.
We are a very strong support group and help each other to pull through treatment.
The most important is to get prepared for treatment. Inform yourself about HCV and the treatment as much as you can, knowledge is power. If I hadnen't found this forum, I would have not been able to start treatment so well prepared and relaxed about it , as I did. But one has to put a lot of reading int it. Read, read, read and ask. If you go through this forum, there is a lot of valuable information. There is a good site called www.hepctrust.org.uk which I find highly informative.
Also, if you go to the upper right on this page, there is something called 'health pages' where you can find good info.
It is only you who can decide if you want to treat now or wait. You should definitely get a liver biopsy to determine the state of your liver, a biopsy cannot tell you much else about the state of your liver, than if you more advanced liver damage or not.
If you have only minor damage, you can decide to wait a bit before having treatment. There will be some new drugs in a few years, which will be added to the current treatment and the will be more effective and will also shorten the time of treatment by about half.
Hope this helped,
Marcia
Treatment side effects can be anything from mild till severe. Most people work during treatment. Others can't even get out of bed. There is no way of knowing before hand how one will react to treatment. You will read a lot about severe side effects on this forum, as people who hardly have any, will not seek a forum for support. So the population you see here, might not reflect the actual people treating.
We are a very strong support group and help each other to pull through treatment.
The most important is to get prepared for treatment. Inform yourself about HCV and the treatment as much as you can, knowledge is power. If I hadnen't found this forum, I would have not been able to start treatment so well prepared and relaxed about it , as I did. But one has to put a lot of reading int it. Read, read, read and ask. If you go through this forum, there is a lot of valuable information. There is a good site called www.hepctrust.org.uk which I find highly informative.
Also, if you go to the upper right on this page, there is something called 'health pages' where you can find good info.
It is only you who can decide if you want to treat now or wait. You should definitely get a liver biopsy to determine the state of your liver, a biopsy cannot tell you much else about the state of your liver, than if you more advanced liver damage or not.
If you have only minor damage, you can decide to wait a bit before having treatment. There will be some new drugs in a few years, which will be added to the current treatment and the will be more effective and will also shorten the time of treatment by about half.
Hope this helped,
Marcia
Please i need to know how bad the side effects are and what are they!! I really would love to go on treatment but i am scared that i wouldn't be able to look after my daughter. I had my first appointment with my gastrointoligist last week, got sent for bloods to find out what strain ect. and am going for another ultra sound. But he wouldn't tell me anything until he gets my results back and he has gone away for a month.
I am just concerned that it will effect my parenting abilities. My partner is supportive of treatment but still i have worries.
Please help me!
I am just concerned that it will effect my parenting abilities. My partner is supportive of treatment but still i have worries.
Please help me!
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