Need some advice

[Concerned nephew]

Hello,
I recently saw my uncle for the first time in two years and am very concerned about his condition. All he has told me is that he has hepatitis c and liver problems. His stomach was very bloated and he told me he was having it drained the next day, which he said is something he has done once every 3 months. Without going into details and excepting his stomach condition, he did not look well at all. All he will tell me is he feels fine and it's just something he has to do deal with. From looking at him, it's hard for me to think he's not keeping the stiff upper lip and not being completely honest with me. My question is this: Is it possible my uncle is losing his battle with hepatitis c?
Thank you for your consideration.

[Amerabrit]

Oh boy!  What a brave, kind man your uncle is.. More informed people than I, will be along soon to answer your post, but in the meantime, stay in touch with your uncle and help him in any way you can. (I'm sure youre already doing just that...) Good luck to you and your family.

[mikesimon]

A bloated stomach is the result of ascites which is a sign of advanced liver disease. Without treatment I would not expect that his condition will improve and to the contrary I would expect it to worsen. I'm sorry to tell you this and remember I am not a doctor - just a patient with hep c. I assume that your uncle's doctor has explained the course of untreated hepatitis c once this symptom appears and I would hope that treatment options, not merely for the ascites but for his underlying disease, have been thoroughly explored and explained. Perhaps you could discuss this with your uncle to be sure. Presently interferon and ribavirin are the standard drugs used to treat hep c and roughly 50% of patients who treat overcome the disease. A lot depends on the genotype of the virus (types 1,2,3 and 4- 1 and 4 being more resistant to treatment than 2 and 3), the degree of liver damage and the age of the patient(the younger the generally better the response to treatment). If you read this forum you will learn many of the relevant facts about hep c and the appropriate questions you might consider asking your uncle or have him ask his doctor. When I said I hoped that his doctor explained the treatment options it is because often they do not fully explain this disease and its treatment. Good luck. Mike

[Concerned nephew]

Thanks for the kind words and advice, Amerabrit and mikesimon. My uncle is 60 and since he's keeping all this so close to the vest it's difficult to know whether I'm losing him or not. I have no idea what his doctors are tellng him and even though we are very close I don't want to intrude by asking him. I don't know...I feel a bit selfish by my need to know but I don't want to be caught off-guard. I know he's quit drinking and smoking so that tells me he's not going down without a fight. It wouldn't be his nature to quit at anything. Sincerely, thanks again for your replies and if anyone else has some words of wisdom, please let me know.
Thank you