What if i decide against treatment

[annidote]

What if i decide against treatment for Hep C Type 1a. I am 55 yrs old and have had Hep C for 23 years and am afraid of doing treatment for this. What are the risks?

[Livinontheedge]

I am 48 years old and I have had HCV for about the same length of time.   I am also geno type 1a.   For the last 20 years I have went from my VL being about 1 million copies to a (55) non existant.    But then it bounces back up to about 12,000 -20,000 copies.   I have had several Biopsies, and the last one being in Oct showed that I formally graduated to Stage 2 Liver Disease.   The first 10 years forward from DX of the disease, my life was pretty stable and I could do anything.  Then Bang the Last 10 years has gotten quite a bit worse.   Fatigue, mood swings, depression, anxiety, the list goes on !    I have waited initially 10 years for my GI to approve my treatment, with the conclusion that I was mentally stable and not in a severe depression stage.   My AD & Anxiety meds do work and haven't changed in 10 years, they they have stabilized me and helped giving me a positive outlook for the future.      
For me its no option, and with the tri therapy that just got approved by the FDA, I was a taker from the first time my GI said there would be a chance that I would only have to do treatment for 6 months.  That caught my eye right on the spot.    Regardless, this can be a serious , fatal disease if not treated.  I have lost 2 ex hubands and a dozen friends to the disease already.    There fore my advice to you is get started.     I am actually having a pretty decent time of it, and I am managing the SE quite well so far.   I am on my second week. and look to every week forward to have Success.        If I can do this , You can do this and frankly you have a whole heap of support right here to help you through it.   The people on this forum are well educated in HCV.    Nothing but Success !  God Bless,  Carrie