Hepititus C Medication Help

[spice109]

My husband has cirosis of the liver.  Diagnosed in December 2011.  New blood tests recently revealed that he has Hep. C, the "rare" kind as the Dr. put it.  The medications he said would be in the range of $20,000.00 per month.  One shot per week along with medication by pills durng the week.  Said treatment could last for at least 6 months to a year.  We have no insurance and he is on disability.  Social Security would not approve him for SSI so the we could have medicaid.  We need help, but don't know what to do.  Any suggestions would be a blessing.

[panda2526]

Hi, my husband was diagnosed with Hep C genotype 1a last year, and along with that last month, he was diagnosed with hemochromatosis, which in his case is genetic, so he has stored iron since birth. He now has stage 2 periportal fibrosis, grade 3 inflammation and another grade of something, all falling within that Stage 2 diagnosis of the fibrosis, among other health issues, stemming from both the Hep C and the iron overload. Two liver whammies.

Anyway, the genotype 1a and b are the two most common of the Hep C, and there are actually several genotypes of Hep C, 7 in fact, and 70% of the cases are of the genotype 1. Unfortunately it also the most treatment resistant but with new drug combo therapies the chances of ridding oneself of the virus is now about 70%. This also takes into account what other underlying health issues a person has to overcome that will affect outcome.

I also have found out through all my research on iron overload that a person really wants to make sure their iron levels are low, and get the levels checked, not just the ones on a regular blood screen, but the ferritin, transferrin saturation, TIBC, and serum iron, transferrin. How much iron you have in your body really affects how well you respond to chemptherapy and the virus of Hep C is usually treated with drugs like chemotherapy patients have for cancer. I am not a dr, and we have much to learn about treatment yet for the Hep C, but for him it is critical he gets the iron out first before he can successfully treat the Hep C, for obvious reasons. I know the names of the drugs, ribavarin and interferon, in conjunction with a third new drug I am not sure about, but will be planning treatment when the iron issue gets more "resolved". He has that for life. Hopefully he can get rid of the Hep C.

So I know that's a lot of info, but there are grades of cirrhosis, too, and even though cirrhosis is a scary word it is not a foregone conclusion. Grading of liver damage is important just as it is important for find out what genotype of Hep C he has. And there are "rare" kinds of Hep C that are found in a small portion of population diagnosed with Hep C.

Best wishes...

[orphanedhawk]

Your husband would be eligible for free meds, but as Hector pointed out, first he needs to see a competent specialist.

The 'rare' kind is not a scientific genotype. Your husband has a right to receive copies of all his lab work and test results. Ask for them and keep them in a folder.

You can look at this site for more information about free meds for hep C treatment:
http://www.pegasys.com/patient/for-patients/pegassist-support/index.html

[debbiemac40]

Thanks Hector I knew yall would help.  :)

[HectorSF]

The first step and probably most important is to have your husband evaluated at a liver transplant center near you. They have the experts that work with cirrhotic patients on a daily basis. They will assess his entire health status, not just his liver, and find out what options are available and best for his own individual circumstance. Since you have Medicaid health insurance, you will need to find a transplant center that takes Medicaid health insurance. Medicaid is a program that is not solely funded at the federal level. States provide up to half of the funding for the Medicaid program. So it depend on what state you live in as far as how much coverage you have. Usually the large teaching hospitals with transplant departments will. You can get a referral from your primary doctor or call to make an appointment yourself. They will ask what health insurance you have to make sure you are covered for the tests that they will perform. After being evaluated he will be offered the best hepatitis C treatment for his condition.

An individual doctor is not qualified to treat him. Especially if his cirrhosis is advanced. Not having the best care possible will affect his prognosis. Don't waste valuable time with other than doctors at a transplant center. Cirrhosis of the liver can be fatal is not managed properly.

As others have said there may be options of a clinical trial and getting the drugs for free or at low cost. The transplant center can help you with both.

Advance liver disease (cirrhosis) is a very serious illness and it's management and treatment is very complicated. It requires expert care from many medical specialties to manage it properly. Only a transplant center with its teams of doctors experienced with cirrhosis and all of its manifestations can properly help your husband.

Since he has cirrhosis (stage 4 liver disease) he should not waste any more time with individual private doctors. They are not trained or experienced in caring for patients with cirrhosis and they don't have the resources to do it anyway. If your husbands liver disease continues to progress, at a certain point he will no longer be able to treat his hepatitis C and will need a liver transplant to continue living. You don't want to let this happen. Get him the help he needs now at a transplant center while he still has options available to him.

If you need help finding a transplant center near you we can help you.

Good luck to you and your husband!
Hector

[debbiemac40]

Hey cg is there a site that you can reccommend for them to go to.  That was the biggest help when I got on here(finally) is all the helpful sites.  Just a thought.  Yall are great.

[can-do-man]

Since your husband has cirrhosis no matter what genotype he has treatment should be 48 weeks, all of the drug companies that you would need has Asst. programs that would cover your meds. So that would not be a problem, as was said there are clinical trials....... Best to you both.

[countrygirlcansurvive]

If you are going to a Transplant Center,they have a Charity Program that can help you if you Quailify.
If you get in to one of the Clinical Studies they cost you nothing.They actually pay you for every visit.Hope this helps.

Country