t-bone77

[t-bone77]

Hi Everyone.  I'm new to the site.  I need some sound advice.  I have had Hep C for atleast 15 years and while it seems to be very slow in my case my recent biopsy came back with me at stage 2 and my Doctor and friend (who also has Hep) have both highly recommended that I start the treatment.  I hear that there are some good new treatments on the horizon, but that could be a few years for the majority of us.  I'm wondering what to do and I guess I'm just looking to get posted on this site and maybe make some new friends.  Thanks a ton and God Bless.  t-bone77

[cajunlady]

As Jim has stated, you do have a little time to toss this decision around for awhile.  Arm yourself with all info, past drugs, present, and the ones on the horizon,also on the possible sides that occur with tx.   Then it is up to you to make that very personel decision.  Age can play a factor.  What area do you live in, maybe when making your decision you may want to know where the best hepatologist is in your area.

Cajun

[FloridaMouse]

There's a lot of things that need to be taken into consideration when making your "personal" decision to treat.  Age, genotype, current health status, current mental status, family situation and so forth.  All of these come in to play when making a decision whether or not to have a bit if a "different' life style for 6 months to a year.

When I made my "personal" decision I decided to treat mainly because I have stage 3, grade 3 liver damage and quite frankly was much too close to crossing that line to stage 4.  I also knew that I would attempt treatment before I turned 50.  I've heard that the younger a person is the better they tolerate the treatment.

Good luck to you in making the decision that is right for you.

Mouse

[jmjm530]

Last sentence should have read "I would not treat at this time *with current drugs* if I was a...

[jmjm530]

Yes, one promising new treatment is Teleprevir, which hopefully will cut treatment time in half for genotype 1's (24 versus 48 weeks) and double the cure rate (80% versus 40%). If you're a genotype 1 with stage 2 liver damage, you owe it to yourself to spend some time looking at both past and shortly upcoming Teleprevir trial data. From everything I've seen to date, I would not treat at this time if I was a genotype 1 with stage 2 liver damage.

-- Jim

[jools57]

Hi....treating is a very personal decision...arm yourself with knowledge, and you'll be able to decide what is best for you and your circumstances...i decided to treat being a geno 3, but am a slow responder, not und at week 4...i'm on week 12 now...praying that i'm und now...i'll know more in a week or two...was planning on treating for 24 weeks, now looking at 48 weeks...so this is how crazy this hepc is...very different for all of us...
wishing you all the best as you go forward...

[Alady1620]

Hi T-bone.  If you feel it is your time to treat, I think you should.  It's a very personal decision.  I am not holding my breath for any cures although I know some people are.  

Treatment will stop the liver disease from progressing even if for only while you're on the meds.  Best case scenario, you clear and don't have to worry about the hep c anymore.  Worst case, you're miserable for a few months with a few lingering side effects.  I decided it was worth the risk to treat.

Good luck no matter what you decide.