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Stage one Hep. C - wait or treat
I was happy to find this forum. Trying to read about Hep. C, and was lost since there are so much information. I was diagnosed with Hep. C genotype 1 in May 2007. The treatment supposed to take up to one year, and I decided to have healthy life, and don't take treatment. I didn't do biopsy. This year I did ultrasound showing my liver was good. Anyway I went to a doctor who advise me to have a liver biopsy. Today I got result that I have fibrosis stage 1. I will be discussing with my doctor my options next week, but from her email I understand that she reluctant to treat me.
From my reading I find out that there are more new medications coming next few years, with less side effects. And I am thinking it make sense to wait. At the same time I am getting older, in few days I will be 57, and may be will harder to treat.. Please help to make decision what to do?
ML
From my reading I find out that there are more new medications coming next few years, with less side effects. And I am thinking it make sense to wait. At the same time I am getting older, in few days I will be 57, and may be will harder to treat.. Please help to make decision what to do?
ML
Best Answer
Hi Imilia... You doctor ordering a biopsy was a sound desicion ,in that knowing how much liver damage(fibrosis) there is is paramount to making desicions going forward.
Fortunately you have only minimal fibrosis,therefore you have more options.
On the one hand .treating now would give you approx. 70 -80% chance of success(very possibly for 24 weeks) and data shows that those with minimal damage may do somewhat better than those with more advanced fibrosis. Also you mention that you are 57 and it seems the younger and healthier we are in general,may also give you an added edge towards success.
On the other hand ,there are many new drugs currently being experimented with ,and some with excellent early result that may be on the market in the next few years(no-one knows exactly when) that may be even more efficient and possibly with fewer side effects.
When to treat is always a personal one that should be thoroughly discussed with a knowledgeable doctor in the treatment of HCV and what one person elects to do may not fit for the next...
Good luck with your desicion..
Will,
Fortunately you have only minimal fibrosis,therefore you have more options.
On the one hand .treating now would give you approx. 70 -80% chance of success(very possibly for 24 weeks) and data shows that those with minimal damage may do somewhat better than those with more advanced fibrosis. Also you mention that you are 57 and it seems the younger and healthier we are in general,may also give you an added edge towards success.
On the other hand ,there are many new drugs currently being experimented with ,and some with excellent early result that may be on the market in the next few years(no-one knows exactly when) that may be even more efficient and possibly with fewer side effects.
When to treat is always a personal one that should be thoroughly discussed with a knowledgeable doctor in the treatment of HCV and what one person elects to do may not fit for the next...
Good luck with your desicion..
Will,
By the way, my only side effect from my treatment on the Hepatitis C trial with all oral drugs is a mild, periodic fatigue. It doesn't stop me from my usual activities.
I have Kaiser insurance, and it is hospital and insurance in one. I am in Oregon. One of the reason they may not give me a treatment because a new treatment (with four drugs) is very expensive ( I am guessing it is around 80k),I was told that Kaiser here doesn't have a hepatologist, only GI. I never use any drugs and don't drink any alchohol and never had depression in my life. I don't have any health issue. I eat right, and exercise on regular basis.
I am confused what decision to make (it will still my decision, despite what doctor could suggest). Also, even when I complete my treatment I may have some permanent health damages from side effect of drugs.
I am confused what decision to make (it will still my decision, despite what doctor could suggest). Also, even when I complete my treatment I may have some permanent health damages from side effect of drugs.
Is your doctor a gastroenterologist or a hepatologist? If not, he/she may be reluctant to treat you because treating Hep C can be complicated as it is response guided treatment. Or do you drink alcohol or use recreational drugs? This would make a doctor reluctant to treat you as well. F1 is a slight amount of fibrosis, so you don't have alot of damage, but the older you get the harder it is to treat you and get you to SVR. If you are healthy, a hepatologist might recommend doing the new triple therapy now rather than waiting for the newer drugs that are down the road (because of your age).
Advocate1955
Advocate1955
Welcome to the forum, there's plenty to learn here so read around. Why would your doctor be reluctant to tx you? Do you have any arthritis issues or do you suffer from depression or other health issues? What part of the world do you live in? Basically the decision is gonna be yours on when you tx, but if you tell us more about you then people here can share ideas for you.
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At this point in time it is probably excellent medical advice to encourage a patient to wait if their condition merits it and to continue to evaluate periodically. If this is the doctor who referred you for biopsy as well as any other needed blood test, he or she is doing the right thing. Not every problem requires immediate intervention but many problems, such as Hepatitis C do call for thorough assessment. Once you have gone through a benign treatment at some point in the future, your liver will likely heal itself even from that degree of fibrosis. Livers tend to do that.
I am not necessarily recommending that you do the same as I, however I wil invite you to read my journal blog in which I outline my involvement in a clinical trial with what it is hoped will become standard treatment in a few years. At present there is no virus detectable in my blood. I am continuing to treat because a viral "cure" is not declared for 6 months after the dosing stops. This is called "sustained viral response" or SVR. Nevertheless, my liver is even now repairing itself (I have maintained a fibrosis score of 0 to 1 all these years).
In my case, I had the infection for 40 years I believe. I was diagnosed 20 years ago from biopsy. Interferon was the only medication available at that time. The doctor supported my wish to refrain from treatment. Through the years, several moves to different locations brought different doctors who all dutifully periodically checked me with ultrasounds, blood tests etc. When newer tests became available I would undergo further assessment. As more knowledge of my condition became available to me, I became increasingly aware that I had made all the right choices. If I had chosen to undertake treatment at an earlier point, I may have very likely compromised my career, experienced nasty side effects, given up my "treatment naive" status and have been no better off with a Hepatitis type unresponsive to interferon.
Follow your intuition about this situation until the evidence is overwhelming that you really should treat immediately and continue to assess with your doctors encouragement, as needed. If you have already determined not to treat now in any case, they may not give you more expensive tests right now but a genotyping is helpful as well as a Il28b pending the results of the genotyping for future reference.
One more thing. Try not to let your anxiety get the better of you. This is a fearful business and anxiety is the HepC patient's worst enemy at times. It can propel people to take actions or refrain from actions that history proves are regrettable. Best of luck to you.