Untreated for 38 years and scared to death !

[v eggie dip]

I am 54 years old and last week was told I tested positive for Hep C antibodies.......I was not a drug user but did have a blood transfusion 38 years ago.......I am terrified !  I haven't slept, or been productive since...I have been doing research on the net and feel confident I have the virus but I am not able to get any answers about the time involved...My gut feel tells me it's pretty serious that I have had this for so long and it went un noticed and un treated...Can anyone tell me what their thoughts are on the level of the virus going this long without being treated and how long can a person live with this going untreated....

Any input would be much appreciated...

[Claire_MHModerator]

Hi, folks,

Since this thread is old and the original participants are no longer taking part, we'll close it now.  If you'd like to ask a question or start a new thread, please click the "Post a Question" button near the top of this page.  Thanks!

Claire
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[longtermgoals]

My friend has recently told me she had hep c and has been around my baby. It's so immature to think like this but she's in an active addiction. I'm scared should I be. I'm not around her a lot but Imma total germ a phone

[countrygirlcansurvive]

You guys should start a new post,this one is very old.You would probably get more response.
Country

[shocked60]

You sound like myself 6 months ago. I found out I had hepc from a routine blood test. I had no symptoms. As you, I could not sleep, had anxiety and depression. I treated on triple tx and a week ago received the wonderful news that I was UND at 24 weeks. I also got mine from a blood transfusion 35 years ago in childbirth. I had minimal liver damage and viral load was low. They will run these tests on you. Try to calm down. Remember there is a cure. This has an end. I am not saying this is easy so you must get ready to fight back. You can win. Stay on med help for info. They saved me. There are so many dedicated and informative people dedicating their time. They will help you through this. God Bless you and get better soon!!!

[WOG1964]

Dont feel alone. I did the same exact thing and now I am stage 4. I have had lots of test completed and my doc wants to monitor my blood for the next couple of months to make sure I am ok for treatment. I was so scared at first and still am but being part of this forum has calmed my nerves so much and I am understanding things more. My liver is still compensated and I still have a good chance at treatment. I am believing for the best. Stay strong and lets believe for our miracles.

God Bless.

[wifeofbelo08]

I just found out I have heb. c. I have an appointment to see a gi in like three weeks. I am scared and I know I have had this for at least 20 years. I am 31. I got it from my rapist who is heb c positive. I need some help or advice. I am scared I won't live and I feel like a dead man walking. My husband does not have it thank god! Please if you want to talk and I do need someone to talk to me about what I am going to go through as I am scared as hell. ***@****

[trolleater]

  Have had this for thirty plus years (blood transfuion) i have not been real smart about this , 4yrs ago went to dr. found out had it , had all kinds of systems , muscle ache , headache, fatigue, and then did the full monty , biopsy, all work up etc... had not active with little scarring .... so did nothing about it as the hep dr told me the treatment could be as bad as the disease
and in the following years there working on a cure........ lived life as normal..
four yrs later --- ka blam -- it hit me hard went active and now im very sick.
dont know what im going to do now waiting to see dr   again ..., my suggestions for all, is to take this very seriously and start treatment right away do not wait, dont do what i did , quit any alcohol use immed. before it is too late, i have been reading alot about this and i have been such a fool
please learn from my mistakes ...... will follow up with my story when i have more to add.

[suezeeque]

When I was diagnosed with T1 diabetes, I had to learn how to inject myself with insulin.  My nurse saw how freaked out I was and said, "There's a FOUR YEAR OLD BOY next door doing the same thing you won't do."

Perspective.

Without needles, I'd have been dead in 1992.

[mykids247]

so many things about treatment scared the life out of me BEFORE I started treatment. Its the fear of the unknown. whats behind door #1. The shots are WELL after the first one are no big deal. The first one is tough I will not lie. Cried, sweat, freeked out but did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it did not hurt. The only time I have had an ouch is when I didnt let the alcohol dry on my tummy before injecting. Life is worth a little sting and some hair shedding. I'm just telling people I got a new dog. :) dont let the fear of the unknown scare you. It is worse than the reality of treatment.

[nygirl7]

Good luck o you then. Many all of us were scared of taking injections but after finding out that our livers were severly damaged by biopsy decided not to pretend the disease did not exist and wasn't hurting us.

Oh and veggie DID do treatment after finding out herbs were hurting her liver three times more than just the virus which does it all by itself. As far as I know she is cured. She was a nut :)

If you are so sick you can't get out if bed, perhaps that should motivate you to do something rather than pretending to be an ostrich. It's your life but it sounds very debilitating to me and I'd be more scared about what that might mean than a silly tiny needle.

[Flixflix]

Hi I have had hcv for 16 years first time I went for treatment they lost 6 bottles of my blood so I never went back didnt trust them!! I get treated like a leper when I go to the dentist had to lie to be able to get a job 5 years ago and say I had.nothing wrong with me as benifts forced me into work after I bought my 3 boys up who are now teenagers so all that time I gone untreated I am now 40 years old ssssooooo tierd find it hard to get out of bed let alone go to work were I on my feet constently . I will not have a.biopsy!!!!!!! Or so called treatment I have total fear of needles !!!!!! I dont.take drugs I dont drink I think my hcv getting worse and scaired but I just cant inject myself so I carry on       .but I do believe if I not treated I not being a gini pig !!!!!!!

[Tallblonde]

I remember feeling the same way you do now when I was diagnosed back in October 2003.  I remember being convinced that I wouldn't be around the following year to plant my garden and do all the things that I love.  I truly believed my life was over.  Those were very painful days, weeks and months as I waited to find out just how serious my case was.  Waiting for the biopsy was the worst because I didn't know if my case was mild, or if I had cirrohsis.  I expected the latter.  

There's no easy way to relax when you're playing the waiting game.  We've all been through it and we know it's pure hell. The best thing you can do is try to keep busy and distract yourself with other things.  

By the way, my garden is looking awesome this year!

Susan

[Bliss68]

I hope it wasnt me that gave you the visual image of my sister dying of HVC.  If it was Im sorry.  I saw her die two years ago. I have just been told I have the hvc antibody, so you can imagine how i felt kicked in the guts..I would like to comfort you by saying she did not see a doctor for anything for the last 20 years, she distanced her self from her family including me because she was gay, why i dont know. she drank heavily. two years before she died she was celebrating christmas with my mother, we both saw that she had a  gray skin color and the yellowish tint in her eyes.  my mother told her she needed to see a doctor,  at which time she became angry and stormed out..she avoided us until she died.  she waited too late..you and i and many others have the good fortune of knowing. at first I like you feel like i was handed a death sentence.Its been 2 weeks since i found out i had it..after my sister's death, i thought I was dead.. i have found out otherwise. we are the blessed ones i can promise you that. try not to worry as much. whatever fate has in store cannot be changed.  it has helped me accept things if i expect the worst and hope for the best.

[v eggie dip]

it's the waiting game that's driving me crazy!!  If I had it my way I would be in the Hospital as we speak having a liver biopsy but they tell me I have to wait till Aug (maybe longer) to even see a GI (I'm not good at waiting)....and you know the mind works in funny ways, I have had myself dead and buried from this already  LOL...someone posted yesterday the mental image of a person dying of cirrhosis and I can't get that out of my mind....this is very very scary stuff...two weeks ago if someone asked me what Hepatitis is I honestly could not answer, I would probably say "oh isn't that the virus you get from IVDU", and had no idea the seriousness of it all....this forum has been extremely informative, thank you all............

[sunspot]

v eggie dip. In answer to your question about

[v eggie dip]

Hello everyone :)

I have been told that you need an eye exam prior to starting treatment...Does this mean if you wear glasses you cannot be considered for treatment?

[v eggie dip]

ooops I posted my last message wrong, sorry :)

[hepcgetlost]

Veg, in answer to your question, I decided to treat when my liver enzymes suddenly went crazy and I realized that I was having muscle and joint aches, and very depressed for a while. Had a biopsy and was grade one stage 1. Understood that my chances for a good outcome would be better the younger I was, and I was already 55. So I treated and am so glad I did. It was hard, but definitely worth it. Like you I was scared to death, but as time went on and particularly because of the support and wonderful people I found here, my fears dissipated. Have a wonderful vacation and deal with this when you get back. Keep us all posted because we really care. Judi :-)

[rh123]

hello Im new to this site.I have hep c also,please go to this site ,it help me, Lloydwrighthepcfree.com may god blessyou

[hepcgetlost]

Hi there. I can only echo what everyone else has said. Your feelings are quite natural, and most of us have experienced the same thing when we first found out. I had hcv for 36 years before I treated. I knew that I had it for 13 years prior to beginning treatment. During those 13 years I weighed many factors, and for 12 of those years, treatment was not a good option (too many reasons to list here, but if you're really interested, I'll tell you) At some point my liver enzymes went up, I started feeling awful, and since I was in my 50's, I decided to go ahead--with my doctors' encouragement. Like Cuteus said, first get the pcr test so you can see if it's just antibodies or there is a viral load. If  you do have the virus, arm yourself with information, and this is one of the greatest places on the web for support, information and a lot of laughs with people who really understand what it is to go through all the phases of this process. If you do indeed have hep c, there are a lot of variables that should be considered before beginning treatment. Viral load, amount of liver damage (a biopsy is the only thing that will tell you that), your age, length of tiime you've had the virus, and many more. Your doctor will help you decide. Come back to this site often and ask any questions that are on your mind. We're all here for you. Judi :-)

[v eggie dip]

what made you decide to get treatment, if you don't mind me asking

[v eggie dip]

thank you for sharing your info with me, it helps to know I am not the only one here that is the age I am and just found out, thanks a lot :)

[cuteus]

I found out when I was 51, treated and now I am two yrs older. age is a big reason many decide to treat, your chances for SVR lower as you age and damage increases.

[sunspot]

v eggie dip.
I am 54 years old and have had the virus for 38 years. Odd with the same number, you and I. There is some anxiety at each stage of the testing and also while waiting for test results during treatment.
So far I am doing well. My genotype is 1b, viral load was 620,000 and the biopsy had minimum liver damage. At week 12 of treatment, the virus was undetectable.
Before tx, I had some joint and back pain, some liver pain and fatigue.
I also have used T3