Where is the chat room? And another thing:

[averagegeek]

I've been a member here for some time now, and I still cannot figure out why there is not a chat room for us all to meet in and have live discussions. Is there one? I know about the supposed "Health Chats", which to me are a joke, but where is the real time chat room for us?

And another thing: why can't I find info on how long it takes to progress from one stage of liver fibrosis to another? I am in stage 2 now, and I would like to know how long it took to get here from inital infection, and how long it takes to progress from here. My DR and GI both agree I'm chronic HCV, and untreatable. Hmmph. kinda frustrating.

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond.

~Charlotte

[averagegeek]

OK, Well I'm thinking I'm positive if I have a viral load, however small it is, even tho I have perfect enzymes, no liver inflammation. The BX said stage 2, mild.

[nygirl7]

I don't think your body could have cleared the virus and left you with stage 2 liver damage in six months.  Most times that usually takes about ten or twenty years, if even then. There is no way to really know though - disease progression is not linear meaning just because it takes 20 years to get to stage 2 doesn't mean that it will take 20 years to get to stage 4.  That could happen in just five years if the virus is really beating your liver down or if you aren't living a liver health life style with the disease still going on.

Like we said before put a call in to your doctor and ask what your viral load is.  Either way you will know answer and you can find out why they say you can't treat. That's not very common and what they told you makes no sense to me.

[copyman]

there is no set time that fibrosis progress's from one stage to another. everyone is different. typically it is a slow moving disease.

sounds like it is time to see a Hepatologist (liver specialist) and find out what is going on.

[Bill1954]

Hi Charlotte—

No, we don’t have live chat in this forum; you can post on the board here, and leave notes via private message to individuals.

Again, ask your doctor what your ‘HCV RNA’ status is; if positive, then you have active virus; if negative, then it has most likely resolved via your own immune response.

Bill