wondering???

[HaleNev2]

Im 24 yrs old and i found our 4 years go that i have hep c and have geno type 1..I live in a small community an the doctors here arent very good, i have been drinking alcohol quite heavly since i found out and i wasnt aware that u were not suppose to till i seen the specialist about a year and a half ago..When i got my liver biopsy i had fibrosis stage1 so i was wonderin if anyone new any info about that,, As well i got blood test acouple days ago and my liver enzymes were at 42, is that normal and would that number have any indication of damage done from drinking? Thanks....(confused gurl here)

[HaleNev2]

ya i jus got urs to i replyed at the bottom  my gama gt is 79 and my alt is 70 do u no anting about that?

[HaleNev2]

Ya i just got off the phone and my gama gt is 79 and alt is 70 ant info on that?

[willbb]

I have rec"d your PM   and will respond later today when I have some time . In the meantime ,if you are interested below I have linked a site "The newly diagnosed with HCV"
best.....
Will


http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/Newly%20Diagnosed.pdf

[HaleNev2]

thank u very much im gonna check that out..

[HaleNev2]

C i dont no 2much about this enzimes thing what is it?mine was 41 is that good,my other question is i have a low viral load i just found that out what does that mean...

[willbb]

Hi ..and welcome to the group from a fellow Canadian. I am also in Ont. from Tor.
I see you are from Kirkland Lake. I would imagine the larger centers for  a proper evaluation and subsequent treatment would  most liely be in Sudbury or  or North Bay.
If you feel I can be of any assistance  with direction  to any programs please feel free to send me a personal msg.,by going to my profile by clicking on my name in this post and then then once at the profile go to  :send a message"

Best to you..
Will

[pooh55811]

There are forum members from Ontario and they may know more about your health care details (insurance, what the government will pay for, and so forth) for your area. They will also know good doctors for you to see. Most of us are from the US and health care is different here.

If you are Genotype 1 then you will need to be on the triple medication regimen. Your doctor is correct in that Genotype 1 is more difficult to treat than Genotype 2, but the cure rate (or sustained viral response rate) with triple medication treatment is now 75-80%, and that is pretty good. Most of us are Genotype 1 and we are all treating and most of us are having good results.

I would urge you to try to find a hepatologist (liver specialist) at a large hospital in a large metropoliton area and get his/her opinion. Hopefully there are Ontario forum members who can offer more details.

Don't give up just because one doctor does not want to treat you.

[Advocate1955]

I posted some information in my journals about genotypes.  You can view them here if you like:  http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/327615/Hep-C-Genotypes
Genotype 1 is difficult to cure, but luckily you are in the best time ever for treating Genotype 1 with one of the triple therapies.
Good luck with taking care of your liver.
Advocate1955

[orphanedhawk]

Hi,
I'm glad you stopped drinking.
There are more than 6 genotypes world wide.
In the US there are 1-4.
Most are genotype 1.

Here is one of many good sites for information about hep C

http://www.hepcadvocate.org/

[HaleNev2]

Another thing i would like advice on is that i have geno type 1 and i no there are 6 different geno types but the specialist explained to me that geno type 1 that when i start pegasis(sorry cant spell it) that its harder to cure..do any of u no if that is trueÉ
i really appreciate all of ur comments i would like to educate myself on my disease:)

[HaleNev2]

i replyed to ur answer at the bottom of the page im new on this site and just figured out how to reply to u specifically...

[HaleNev2]

i agree but i did stop drinking and the liver specialist explained to me that i have geno type1 an my liver was not that bad so the government would not cover the treatment because it was such an exspensive treatment at 50,000 dollars....i just got very disappointed..My 2uncles and my dad both died of liver issues an i dont want to be one of them...but the government wont cover the treatment unless ur half dead its sickening..

[printze]

Good advice from the above , you are young , stop drinking now, and decide when and what treatment with your doctor, a hepatologist is preferable they specialize in liver diseases and hep c .Don't ignore the advice . Good luck.

[orphanedhawk]

People can get cirrhosis and die from drinking too much alcohol.
People can get cirrhosis and die from hep C.
The two together are double poison.

If you want to live you MUST stop drinking.
If you need help try looking into AA.
Take care of your drinking problem first.
Then you can consider what you want to do about the hep C.

[1oftheclub222]

BTW stage 1 is the beginnng of liver damage, not to bad yet, some fibrosis.

Liver damage is broken down to

0 - no fibrosis
1 - minimal fibrosis
2 - fibrosis has occured outside the area's of the liver which include blood vessels
3 - bridging fibrosis (the fibrosis is spreading and connecting to other areas that contain fibrosis
4 - Cirrhosis or advanced scarring of the liver

Once your liver gets to cirrhosis, then there are a few stages of cirrhosis before your liver goes kuput.

[1oftheclub222]

Have you considered treatment?  Have you discussed your options with the specialist?  I hear it is easier to treat and handle treatment when you are younger and have less liver damage.  At the very least you should stop drinking, it speeds up the liver damage and no body wants that!

[brianmo]

I was 19 when I get hep c. At 23 a doctor told me I would die if I cont to drink. I quit. Do yourself a big favor and stop drinking.

[nygirl7]

No. But at 24 and already a stage 1 you'd better really stop drinking until you can be cured of the virus.