Why, why, why??

[beeblessed]

Just something that's been on my mind and my family wants to know too:  
1.  Why treat if all tests are good and I have no symptoms and am not in pain?  
2.  Why treat at all when so much of the population walks around with Hepatitis and doesn't even know it?  
3.  For those of you who have had it long term, did something happen overnight to make you decide to treat?  A pain or some other symptom.  

I will be treating soon but in the midst of it, if I am having bad days, I want to be able to have a valid reason for doing what I am doing.  It's akin to skydiving in a way.  Someone once asked, why would you jump out of a perfectly good plane on purpose??  To some degree, the same could be asked of Hep C treatment.  I hope your answers help calm some fears of some other newbies here too.  Many thanks everyone.  I appreciate your opinions, feedback and experiences.

[his3707]

If you dont have any damage, why not consider waiting to see how this  all oral drugs pan out.    just a thought,  I think hcv treatment in the near future is going to be so much better than now.   The drugs that are here now are not going anywhere.  You would have to weigh all of your situation.  and make a decision.  I would like to have waited another year or so.  I am ending up doing 48 weeks of treatment and have suffered with a lot of sides.   I just decided I was tired of the black cloud,  It was weighing heavily on me.   But underestimated  the effects of the drugs.  my liver damage is minimal at this point.  It is a hard call.   You might not have hardly any sides.  and could be done with it.  

[banarep]

why, because I have seen someone die from liver failure.  I did not want to be that person.  I treated 3 times before I reached SVR and would have gone 4 or 5 if I needed to.

[ZA2AZ]

I am sooo glad I started tx, and not doing it didnt even cross my mind. I was diagnosed by a fluke skin-punch biopsy of all things, may 2011. Im on week 5 of pegintron/riba and have managed, one day at a time. Some days, 10 minutes at a time..
Got it from a blood transfusion when I had my first-born, December 88. Gen2. I was living in South Africa..

I wish I had paid more attention to the creeping symptoms. When asked the family doc he said it was razor rash on my legs, and the fatigue was depression. In 2006 my liver function tests (LFT's) were already high and he did nothing about it. Had I known then I would have avoided deterioration of my "hives" and now the hyper-pigmentation. Going to find out my 4 week test results on 09/08.

The anticipation of starting was not a walk in the park. None of it is, but at least I am trying to eradicate the virus from my liver.
Go for it beeblessed! You will be blessed.
P.S. This is my first post and you made me do it ;-)

[babs824]

what a fabulous thread. it will surely help so many on the fence. i have nothing to add that has not been said and i just loved flguy's humor. i had hcv since age 25 and i was 64 when treated. it was an albatross of huge proportions altho i never had one symptom. the hardest part was when i got breast ca and needed major chemo wondering if my hcv would accelerate beyond return.besides the other worries. it did advance but took me 12 years post chemo to get the courage up! yes it is a deal breaker in sexual relationships, so much ignorance on all fronts in the food business just the h word sends folks running! the insurance issue with a serious pre existing condition was frightening constantly. it is a disease that only gets worse. why wait? if u have insurance and can get your life in order to do it there is no time like the present. i was geno 2 and tx was not fun but i feel better and stronger and mellower than i did prior to tx.the the albatross is gone and i believe the dragon is too. good luck to all. babs824

[Wildorchid1121]

1- Because Hep C is a silent killer, you can have it for years without any symptom and when you least expect it, it becomes cirrhosis or liver cancer.
2- Again, Hep C presents no symptoms so a lot of people have it and don't know they do. All of us who found out we have it is because of some other tests we had done, or by pure coincidence.
3- Not necessarily, we just made a choice when we found out, and it's better to make a wise decision than to eventually realize that it is maybe too late to treat.

Deciding to treat Hep C is a very personal decision, and we are the only ones that can make this choice, not our family, not our friends, not our doctor, we chose it because we don't know what's going to happen if we don't, and the alternative is to find a way to get rid of this disease.

You say you want to have a valid reason to treat your Hep C?
Well unfortunately you might have bad days, you will go through a very harsh time, flu-like symptoms, headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, wight loss, and to top it off, you will lose hair.
Some have worse side effects, some are lucky enough to have very minor side effects and you might be one of those people.

This is my second time treating, and I still believe and have faith I will finally be healthy again. To me it is worth going through this personal hell to achieve that goal, because I have children and I want to be able to see my grandchildren grow and to be a part of their lives. For that I need to jump off my perfectly good plane, without knowing what awaits me, and I might be frightened, but it is a very valid reason for me to want to do it, as long as you have your parachute on jump with Faith, the result is well worth it!

Good luck, and remember that you are not alone.

[eureka254]

1.  Why treat if all tests are good and I have no symptoms and am not in pain?  
---------------------
My husband had no symptoms and was not in pain when he was diagnosed, but along with hep c, he was diagnosed with cirrhosis and HCC (primary liver cancer)... and he had, I repeat, NO pain, NO symptoms.  

2.  Why treat at all when so much of the population walks around with Hepatitis and doesn't even know it?  
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Because you can get to end-stage too and not know it.

3.  For those of you who have had it long term, did something happen overnight to make you decide to treat?  A pain or some other symptom.
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Actually, my husband resisted treatment initially, even after HCC removal and cirrhosis diagnosis... because doctors didn't think he would have more than a year or two after tumor removal, he didn't want to "waste" what time he had left on treatment... but a year later, when he was still tumor-free despite expectations and docs kept pointing out to him that being virus-free would greatly increase his chances of long-term survival if he reached SVR, he decided to treat.  It was not an overnight decision... rather a recognition of risks and benefits and lots of reading and education.