Aa
worried
Iam 27 years old and have had hep c for 9 years. I got the virus from intravenous drug use. I was a heroin addict for about 2 years and have been clean for about 8 years. i have drank heavily at times and sometimes daily. I owned a bar which kept me drinking alot for about the last 2 years. I just sold it and have cut my drinking down to once every couple weeks. i have had right upper abdominal pain for the last 6 months and iam going for a ultrasound saturday and blood tests. iam very worried. can anyone relate with me. I am also getting married in 4 months. just very concerned about everything.
try and relax. it would be very unusal to have progressed to severe liver damage in just 9 years. HCV is a very long term disease, around 30 years before symptoms (most of the time). The upper ab paind could be many other things then the HCV, including gall stones, etc. See what the tests look like then make an appointment with a Hepatologist (liver specialist) In a few years there should be the new HCv drugs out and you may want to consider treatment while you are young and the virus is still young. In the mean time, eat a healthly diet and NO alcohol. Drinking ANY alcohol is like throwing gas on a fire having HCV. Best of luck
A nine year infection in a 27 year old is not predictive of serious liver damage although you can expect some fibrosis and inflammation.
You will be prescribed unpleasant drugs which you will have to take for a long while.
The doctor may order a biopsy.
Stay off the booze,comply with the doctor and you will probably be perfectly O.K
You will be prescribed unpleasant drugs which you will have to take for a long while.
The doctor may order a biopsy.
Stay off the booze,comply with the doctor and you will probably be perfectly O.K
Go get a biopsy and find out for sure exactly what is going on. Then you will know either way and you can turn the worry into action and do something if it's time or you can have peace. A liver biopsy is NOT a painful experience, there are no nerves in the liver to feel anything so it's sort of like getting a shot (although the anxiety that it IS going to hurt beforehand makes you crazy).
I don't know how much you have been drinking or how much dope you did. Can't really even take a guess at how much damage your liver has to it with those conditions you know? While it probably is safe to say it would be minimal liver damage - everybody is different and some people who have not been IVDs or drank alot have a lot of damage while others who drank like crazy do not.
So go speak to a hep doc and see if you can get the tests to let you know for sure. Find out your liver panel so you can see how high the liver enzymes are first off. Every time a liver cell dies it releases an enzyme...so the higher the number the more death going on. It's a place to start and just a simple blood test. Then get the biopsy. Since you are relatively 'clean' now your enzymes might not be as high as they once were when you were using so you'd really want to double check that way.
That's my advice to you. There's a good chance that you can get some peace of mind out of this and knowing your biopsy results will be handy for you for the future...you WILL need to monitor your liver damage from now on - liver damage is not linear it's not like it will take 20 years to get to stage 2 and then 20 years to get to stage 4. it can just sort of blow up all at once and take a measly five years to progress that fast. But knowing where you are now and then watching and waiting (if applicable) will make sure you don't ever get to end stage liver disease without knowing it (hopefully). They don't call it the silent killer for nothing - you DO need to be proactive and take care of your health.
Good luck.
I don't know how much you have been drinking or how much dope you did. Can't really even take a guess at how much damage your liver has to it with those conditions you know? While it probably is safe to say it would be minimal liver damage - everybody is different and some people who have not been IVDs or drank alot have a lot of damage while others who drank like crazy do not.
So go speak to a hep doc and see if you can get the tests to let you know for sure. Find out your liver panel so you can see how high the liver enzymes are first off. Every time a liver cell dies it releases an enzyme...so the higher the number the more death going on. It's a place to start and just a simple blood test. Then get the biopsy. Since you are relatively 'clean' now your enzymes might not be as high as they once were when you were using so you'd really want to double check that way.
That's my advice to you. There's a good chance that you can get some peace of mind out of this and knowing your biopsy results will be handy for you for the future...you WILL need to monitor your liver damage from now on - liver damage is not linear it's not like it will take 20 years to get to stage 2 and then 20 years to get to stage 4. it can just sort of blow up all at once and take a measly five years to progress that fast. But knowing where you are now and then watching and waiting (if applicable) will make sure you don't ever get to end stage liver disease without knowing it (hopefully). They don't call it the silent killer for nothing - you DO need to be proactive and take care of your health.
Good luck.
A couple thoughts:
1. If you have HCv and are drinking (even once a week or two) then you are engaging in self-destructive behavior.
2. You have had this disease for 9 years. Why have you not taken treatment to get rid of it. It will only continue to destroy your liver - each and every year - until you get rid of it.
3. You are getting married in 4 months. Have you told your future wife that you currently have HCV ? Are you aware that the current statistics for transmission between monogamous spouses engaging in unprotected vaginal intercourse is 2% risk per year for transmission? That means in 10 years time your wife will have a 1 in 5 chance of being infected.
The above are hard things to think about. But for your own well being and the safety of your future spouse perhaps you should consider these things.
I am an open advocate of treatment. Without treatment your health will inevitably continue to deteriorate and you will remain a risk to others around you.
1. If you have HCv and are drinking (even once a week or two) then you are engaging in self-destructive behavior.
2. You have had this disease for 9 years. Why have you not taken treatment to get rid of it. It will only continue to destroy your liver - each and every year - until you get rid of it.
3. You are getting married in 4 months. Have you told your future wife that you currently have HCV ? Are you aware that the current statistics for transmission between monogamous spouses engaging in unprotected vaginal intercourse is 2% risk per year for transmission? That means in 10 years time your wife will have a 1 in 5 chance of being infected.
The above are hard things to think about. But for your own well being and the safety of your future spouse perhaps you should consider these things.
I am an open advocate of treatment. Without treatment your health will inevitably continue to deteriorate and you will remain a risk to others around you.
One more hard thing to think about. You said , "I was a heroin addict for about 2 years and have been clean for about 8 years." Then you said " i have drank heavily at times and sometimes daily. I owned a bar which kept me drinking alot for about the last 2 years."
You are going to hate to hear this but you need to. You have NOT been clean for 8 years. You have simply changed your substance abuse from heroin to alcohol.
If you care about yourself and your new wife - I suggest AA. Or NA - whatever you feel appropriate. In order to get rid of the disease that is slowly killing you now - you will have to stay off alcohol for up to one years time. Not even a glass. No marajuana or other drugs either. If the thought of that seems impossible to you - then you should be thinking about AA.
You are going to hate to hear this but you need to. You have NOT been clean for 8 years. You have simply changed your substance abuse from heroin to alcohol.
If you care about yourself and your new wife - I suggest AA. Or NA - whatever you feel appropriate. In order to get rid of the disease that is slowly killing you now - you will have to stay off alcohol for up to one years time. Not even a glass. No marajuana or other drugs either. If the thought of that seems impossible to you - then you should be thinking about AA.
Just use common sense regarding sharing personal items and also if you are in a monogamous relationship you do not not have to change your sexual practices. Your primary concern should be future liver damage, not transmission. No alcohol!
Good Luck
Trinity
Good Luck
Trinity
The decision to treat and when to treat is an intensely personal thing, and many factors must be considered.
You sound as though you have changed your behavior for the better and I wish you well in your marriage and with whatever course of action you elect regarding Hep C.
All the best,
jd
You sound as though you have changed your behavior for the better and I wish you well in your marriage and with whatever course of action you elect regarding Hep C.
All the best,
jd
The facts are simply that everyone infected with HCV has a life threatening virus that will, in each and every case, cause liver damage as well as increased risk of cancer of the liver and pancreas.
All HCV patients will eventually develop liver damage. One out of five HCV patients will develop cirrhosis of the liver at some point their lives. One out of twenty HCV patients will develop liver cancer - essentially a death sentence without incredibly good health insurance.
Additionally HCV has been linked recently to highly increased rated of diabetes as well as destruction of mitochondria which is a major cause of fatigue.
And HCV is transmissible. Anyone here who has HCV got it from another person. Period.
Those are the facts. You ignore them or not at your own peril.
I began treatment 60 days after I was first diagnosed. One month into treatment I had no detectable virus and my blood tests (liver, glucose , etc) which had all gone WAY out of spec had returned to normal. 7 months into treatment I remain undetectable. I am going to live a long and healthy life and I encourage others to take the steps needed to do the same.
All HCV patients will eventually develop liver damage. One out of five HCV patients will develop cirrhosis of the liver at some point their lives. One out of twenty HCV patients will develop liver cancer - essentially a death sentence without incredibly good health insurance.
Additionally HCV has been linked recently to highly increased rated of diabetes as well as destruction of mitochondria which is a major cause of fatigue.
And HCV is transmissible. Anyone here who has HCV got it from another person. Period.
Those are the facts. You ignore them or not at your own peril.
I began treatment 60 days after I was first diagnosed. One month into treatment I had no detectable virus and my blood tests (liver, glucose , etc) which had all gone WAY out of spec had returned to normal. 7 months into treatment I remain undetectable. I am going to live a long and healthy life and I encourage others to take the steps needed to do the same.
All HCV patients will eventually develop liver damage. One out of five HCV patients will develop cirrhosis of the liver at some point their lives. One out of twenty HCV patients will develop liver cancer - essentially a death sentence without incredibly good health insurance.
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This assumes that someone does not treat within a certain window which for many may be many, many years. I am also an advocate of treatment -- I treated myself -- but I only advocate treatment when someone begins to develop significant liver damage. Before that, one can reasonably wait for better drugs and avoid many of the potential side effects (short and long term) of these very toxic drugs.
-- Jim
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This assumes that someone does not treat within a certain window which for many may be many, many years. I am also an advocate of treatment -- I treated myself -- but I only advocate treatment when someone begins to develop significant liver damage. Before that, one can reasonably wait for better drugs and avoid many of the potential side effects (short and long term) of these very toxic drugs.
-- Jim
You said : "This assumes that someone does not treat within a certain window which for many may be many, many years. I am also an advocate of treatment -- I treated myself -- but I only advocate treatment when someone begins to develop significant liver damage."
I am not sure it does assume that Jim. What I do know and have seen in the Journals is the the effectiveness of the current treatment is absolutely correlated with
1. How long you have had the virus in your system
2. Your current state of health
It was those tho things that were the key to my decision to treat immediately. If you wait until later, when you are sicker and the virus has resided in the body longer - current forms of treatment will be less effective then if you had treated today. This may or may not hold true for upcoming treatments but - we do not know either way.
The healthier you are and the less time you leave the virus in your system - the better your chances of success with current treatments..
HCV is a very slow progressing disease. Waiting a few years may not make any difference at all - or it may make all the difference in the world for an individual. No one can say. I prefer to give myself every possible chance.
I am not sure it does assume that Jim. What I do know and have seen in the Journals is the the effectiveness of the current treatment is absolutely correlated with
1. How long you have had the virus in your system
2. Your current state of health
It was those tho things that were the key to my decision to treat immediately. If you wait until later, when you are sicker and the virus has resided in the body longer - current forms of treatment will be less effective then if you had treated today. This may or may not hold true for upcoming treatments but - we do not know either way.
The healthier you are and the less time you leave the virus in your system - the better your chances of success with current treatments..
HCV is a very slow progressing disease. Waiting a few years may not make any difference at all - or it may make all the difference in the world for an individual. No one can say. I prefer to give myself every possible chance.
You have no idea how maturely I look at HCV and treatment. I am UND as well and do not consider myself a peril to anyone now or before I became UND. You have never been able to move past that. HCV is transmitted blood to blood. You would like people to think casual contact is a cause for extreme concern. You look at yourself differently than I do. That is so obvious from your posts.
Did you see me post anything about not treating. NO I simply said do not view yourself as having the "andromeda strain" so to speak.
You need to lighten up big time.
Did you see me post anything about not treating. NO I simply said do not view yourself as having the "andromeda strain" so to speak.
You need to lighten up big time.
AND: "...What I do know and have seen in the Journals is the the effectiveness of the current treatment is absolutely correlated with
1. How long you have had the virus in your system
2. Your current state of health
It was those tho things that were the key to my decision to treat immediately. If you wait until later, when you are sicker and the virus has resided in the body longer - current forms of treatment will be less effective then if you had treated today...
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Actually, this is not accurate, and in fact study data suggests that those who were infected at a younger age actually have a better chance of SVR than those infected at an older age. So in these cases, the *longer* you've had the virus, the better your chances, not as you state.
As to current health -- and I assume you're talking level of fibrosis -- again, studies suggest that only stage 4 have decreased chances of SVR with SOC. A stage 3 has the same chance as a stage 1.
1. How long you have had the virus in your system
2. Your current state of health
It was those tho things that were the key to my decision to treat immediately. If you wait until later, when you are sicker and the virus has resided in the body longer - current forms of treatment will be less effective then if you had treated today...
---------
Actually, this is not accurate, and in fact study data suggests that those who were infected at a younger age actually have a better chance of SVR than those infected at an older age. So in these cases, the *longer* you've had the virus, the better your chances, not as you state.
As to current health -- and I assume you're talking level of fibrosis -- again, studies suggest that only stage 4 have decreased chances of SVR with SOC. A stage 3 has the same chance as a stage 1.
Here is the study for "Win-R" that demonstrates that only stage 4 is consistent with a diminished chance of SVR. I've posted this study numerous times, and I could be wrong but practically certain that I posted it before in response to one of your posts similar to the one above. You and your doctor may not agree with the findings, but hopefully the next time you make these sorts of statements you will at least acknowledge the study to give people a better balanced viewpoint.
In conclusion, the authors write, “WBD of RBV is important to increase SVR in patients with more advanced stages of liver disease. However, overall only cirrhosis is a negative predictor of SVR when individual fibrosis stage and SVR is evaluated.”
http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/2006icr/ddw/docs/052306_e.html
In conclusion, the authors write, “WBD of RBV is important to increase SVR in patients with more advanced stages of liver disease. However, overall only cirrhosis is a negative predictor of SVR when individual fibrosis stage and SVR is evaluated.”
http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/2006icr/ddw/docs/052306_e.html
Hey man, I'm 32 and since I found out I had Hep C I've had 3 actual drinks in a 3 month period. I used to drink everyday - just a couple beers, nothing crazy.
- Don't drink.
- Go see your Dr.
- Find out what genotype you are
- Decide whether to treat now or later
- I decided to treat now and it's working great
Relax, you're young and you know about it NOW, which makes a HUGE difference. It's like see the crocodile a mile away starting to crawl toward you. Plenty of time to deal with it.
- Don't drink.
- Go see your Dr.
- Find out what genotype you are
- Decide whether to treat now or later
- I decided to treat now and it's working great
Relax, you're young and you know about it NOW, which makes a HUGE difference. It's like see the crocodile a mile away starting to crawl toward you. Plenty of time to deal with it.
The Andromedae Strain that was my favorite book/movie when I was little :)
HepC is not the AS - I would assume someone who is concerned enough about the disease to look it up and find an internet forum would be one of the large population of people that do indeed respect the health and welfare of others and would take the minimal precautions that are needed to protect their loved one from infection.
Perhaps this person only recently found out that they had the disease. They certainly konw when they were an IVDU and can assume that is when they got out the outset.
Certainly going from daily heroin and bouts of heavy drinking to someone who is now a mature person and drinks occasionally shouldn't be lumped in with the general alcoholic/addict you picture with a bottle of ripple in one hand and a syringe in the other laying in a ditch. People DO grow and change, thank GOD.
I have advocated no drinking and pro-treatment harder than just about anybody here. But to assume this person is in need of immediate treatment is absurd. MANY people do have the capacity to wait for many more years until they "need" to treat if they do not choose to. Not everyone is that freaked out by just having the virus and they choose instead to go by quality of life. Quality of life something that for me was pretty well ruinned by chosing to treat. However I had no choice and had to (by my standards at stage 3).
Get the biopsy and liver enzymes and make an EDUCATED decision with a doctor. Remember not everybody on the internet is rational and some people are downright pedantic. (Word of the day, thanks JD much more fun than "insipid").
HepC is not the AS - I would assume someone who is concerned enough about the disease to look it up and find an internet forum would be one of the large population of people that do indeed respect the health and welfare of others and would take the minimal precautions that are needed to protect their loved one from infection.
Perhaps this person only recently found out that they had the disease. They certainly konw when they were an IVDU and can assume that is when they got out the outset.
Certainly going from daily heroin and bouts of heavy drinking to someone who is now a mature person and drinks occasionally shouldn't be lumped in with the general alcoholic/addict you picture with a bottle of ripple in one hand and a syringe in the other laying in a ditch. People DO grow and change, thank GOD.
I have advocated no drinking and pro-treatment harder than just about anybody here. But to assume this person is in need of immediate treatment is absurd. MANY people do have the capacity to wait for many more years until they "need" to treat if they do not choose to. Not everyone is that freaked out by just having the virus and they choose instead to go by quality of life. Quality of life something that for me was pretty well ruinned by chosing to treat. However I had no choice and had to (by my standards at stage 3).
Get the biopsy and liver enzymes and make an EDUCATED decision with a doctor. Remember not everybody on the internet is rational and some people are downright pedantic. (Word of the day, thanks JD much more fun than "insipid").
ps Worried - the ultrasound is good but will only tell you if you have tumors (or cancer stuff). You DO need the needle biopsy to get a clear picture of how much damage you have.
You said: "Actually, this is not accurate, and in fact study data suggests that those who were infected at a younger age actually have a better chance of SVR than those infected at an older age. So in these cases, the *longer* you've had the virus, the better your chances, not as you state."
I'm sorry but we seem to not be connecting. I was talking about legnth of time of infection ie. how long the virus has actually been in your system. Your statement above only refers to age at time of infection. What you are talking about is something different then what I was saying Jim :)
You said "As to current health -- and I assume you're talking level of fibrosis "
No , I was talking about overall state of health. The following articles refer to this as they indicate that things such as anemia, cholesterol levels, glucose levels and amount of virus in the blood all are indicators of the probability of success with current treatment.
http://www.hepctrust.org.uk/news/2008/News+From+AASLD+Liver+Conference+2008/AASLD+2008+-+IDEAL+Researchers+Look+at+Predictors+of+Response+to+Pegylated+Interferon+plus+Ribavirin.htm
http://www.natap.org/2006/HCV/080806_02.htm
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118744890/abstract
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112595705/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Thank you for posting the study indicating that stage 4 liver disease correlates to an decreased chance of successful treatment.
There are many predictors of success or failure regarding current treatment - high glucose levels, high cholesterol levels, high amounts of virus in the blood and stage 4 liver disease all are among the indicators of higher failure rates of treatment. And all of them are things that HCV will cause to occur in the vast majority of people with the disease as it progresses.
.
I'm sorry but we seem to not be connecting. I was talking about legnth of time of infection ie. how long the virus has actually been in your system. Your statement above only refers to age at time of infection. What you are talking about is something different then what I was saying Jim :)
You said "As to current health -- and I assume you're talking level of fibrosis "
No , I was talking about overall state of health. The following articles refer to this as they indicate that things such as anemia, cholesterol levels, glucose levels and amount of virus in the blood all are indicators of the probability of success with current treatment.
http://www.hepctrust.org.uk/news/2008/News+From+AASLD+Liver+Conference+2008/AASLD+2008+-+IDEAL+Researchers+Look+at+Predictors+of+Response+to+Pegylated+Interferon+plus+Ribavirin.htm
http://www.natap.org/2006/HCV/080806_02.htm
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118744890/abstract
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112595705/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Thank you for posting the study indicating that stage 4 liver disease correlates to an decreased chance of successful treatment.
There are many predictors of success or failure regarding current treatment - high glucose levels, high cholesterol levels, high amounts of virus in the blood and stage 4 liver disease all are among the indicators of higher failure rates of treatment. And all of them are things that HCV will cause to occur in the vast majority of people with the disease as it progresses.
.
If you think about it, you will see that the "age of infection" thing translates with many of us into "length of time infected" which you have focused in on.
But that aside, there is nothing in the literature that suggests that the length of time infected impedes SVR.
As to the rest of what you posted, there is no reason to believe that one's health deteriorates because they hold off treatment, and in fact, the opposite could just as easily be the case, i.e. that someone's health improves during a "watch n' wait" period while living a liver healthy lifestyle. I could pick apart the rest of what you posted item-by-item but hey, I've got tendonitis, and possibly from treating!!! But here's one -- the viral load. Viral load does not necessarily increase as time goes by. It goes up and down for reasons known only to who knows who. My VL was 30 million plus three years before I treated. It then dropped down to around 100,000 a few months before I treated. Maybe you will explain to me how waiting the three years hurt me in terms of viral load :) I agree that there are many reasons to treat but just not some of the ones you mentioned.
-- Jim
But that aside, there is nothing in the literature that suggests that the length of time infected impedes SVR.
As to the rest of what you posted, there is no reason to believe that one's health deteriorates because they hold off treatment, and in fact, the opposite could just as easily be the case, i.e. that someone's health improves during a "watch n' wait" period while living a liver healthy lifestyle. I could pick apart the rest of what you posted item-by-item but hey, I've got tendonitis, and possibly from treating!!! But here's one -- the viral load. Viral load does not necessarily increase as time goes by. It goes up and down for reasons known only to who knows who. My VL was 30 million plus three years before I treated. It then dropped down to around 100,000 a few months before I treated. Maybe you will explain to me how waiting the three years hurt me in terms of viral load :) I agree that there are many reasons to treat but just not some of the ones you mentioned.
-- Jim
Thank you for posting the study indicating that stage 4 liver disease correlates to an decreased chance of successful treatment.
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LOL. You ought to run for office with a spin like that. The point was that ONLY stage 4 makes a difference in terms of SVR. In other words you have the same chance of SVR as a stage 3 as you do as a stage 1. To me, this helps the "watch n' wait" argument as long as you watch intelligently. BTW there's still a Senate seat open in NY!
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LOL. You ought to run for office with a spin like that. The point was that ONLY stage 4 makes a difference in terms of SVR. In other words you have the same chance of SVR as a stage 3 as you do as a stage 1. To me, this helps the "watch n' wait" argument as long as you watch intelligently. BTW there's still a Senate seat open in NY!
"As to the rest of what you posted, there is no reason to believe that one's health deteriorates because they hold off treatment, and in fact, the opposite could just as easily be the case, "
A fact that I admit I was a perfectly healthy 'young' woman before I treated - now, in addition to autoimmune diseases, high cholesterol and all sort of aches and pains that cause me to feel like an 80 year old woman on a good day - I know that my thyroid will never recover and although I'm SVR I still have advanced liver disease to live with forever.
My viral load after 25 years of infection was only 568k - if that is "up" and relevant than I shouldnt have been a stage 3 who had to extend because of slow response.
A fact that I admit I was a perfectly healthy 'young' woman before I treated - now, in addition to autoimmune diseases, high cholesterol and all sort of aches and pains that cause me to feel like an 80 year old woman on a good day - I know that my thyroid will never recover and although I'm SVR I still have advanced liver disease to live with forever.
My viral load after 25 years of infection was only 568k - if that is "up" and relevant than I shouldnt have been a stage 3 who had to extend because of slow response.
You said: " I am going to live a long and healthy life .....".
Your profile states that you are 101 years old.
I'd say you've already lived a long and hopefully, a healthy life but you porbably don't have a lot of time left.
I hope the little time you have left is HCV free.
Mike
Your profile states that you are 101 years old.
I'd say you've already lived a long and hopefully, a healthy life but you porbably don't have a lot of time left.
I hope the little time you have left is HCV free.
Mike
Hi Tmo,
Welcome to the forum and I hope you'll stick around, even if some posts on your thread seem to ignore you.
In answer to your question, most of us here can relate to you very well, in one way or another.
Staying positive about yourself and optimistic about your future is one of the best things you can do.
Before you give weight to someone's opinion, hang around and get the lay of the land. It takes time to sort out the participants and decide whose opinions you respect.
You're very young and as a mother bear of boys about your age, I want you to get the wisest advice possible. I resent if someone falsely pulls the fire alarm when you come looking for advice but hey, that's the dual nature of a public forum. There is nothing to be alarmed about, unless you're a knee-jerk alarmist.
The one thing I urge you to do is arrange for a LIVER BIOPSY. It's easy, easier than picking up your towels from the bathroom floor. Only then can you put together a plan.
Yes, it's really best for your liver to not drink AT ALL but many people here drank for decades, not knowing they had HCV.
You do need to tell your fiancee. HCV transmission is not a problem for nontraumatic, unprotected vaginal sex. Traumatic anal or traumatic vaginal sex is different.
I've had HCV for forty years and perhaps as long as fifty-eight years and had none of the dire consequence cited in some posts above. In fact, before treatment, I never felt a day over twenty but on treatment, I feel like a ghost, mentally and physically. And I'm one of my doc's 'best' patients, with minimal side effects. Being a ghost doesn't count for much to a doctor.
If you take two things away from all this, get your LIVER BIOPSY and tell your FIANCEE. I won't advise you about alcohol. Everyone else will rail against it, with some exceptions.
Welcome to the forum and I hope you'll stick around, even if some posts on your thread seem to ignore you.
In answer to your question, most of us here can relate to you very well, in one way or another.
Staying positive about yourself and optimistic about your future is one of the best things you can do.
Before you give weight to someone's opinion, hang around and get the lay of the land. It takes time to sort out the participants and decide whose opinions you respect.
You're very young and as a mother bear of boys about your age, I want you to get the wisest advice possible. I resent if someone falsely pulls the fire alarm when you come looking for advice but hey, that's the dual nature of a public forum. There is nothing to be alarmed about, unless you're a knee-jerk alarmist.
The one thing I urge you to do is arrange for a LIVER BIOPSY. It's easy, easier than picking up your towels from the bathroom floor. Only then can you put together a plan.
Yes, it's really best for your liver to not drink AT ALL but many people here drank for decades, not knowing they had HCV.
You do need to tell your fiancee. HCV transmission is not a problem for nontraumatic, unprotected vaginal sex. Traumatic anal or traumatic vaginal sex is different.
I've had HCV for forty years and perhaps as long as fifty-eight years and had none of the dire consequence cited in some posts above. In fact, before treatment, I never felt a day over twenty but on treatment, I feel like a ghost, mentally and physically. And I'm one of my doc's 'best' patients, with minimal side effects. Being a ghost doesn't count for much to a doctor.
If you take two things away from all this, get your LIVER BIOPSY and tell your FIANCEE. I won't advise you about alcohol. Everyone else will rail against it, with some exceptions.
PA: Everyone else will rail against "alcohol", with some exceptions.
----------------
Is that where I'm filed now, under *some exceptions*. LOL.
Look, heavy drinking can really screw up the liver but a number of us have and still do drink socially before and after treatment. With our doctors approval.
If we put as much attention here to diet, weight loss, cigarettes, etc, as we do to alcohol, I think we'd be a healthier lot :)
-- Jim
----------------
Is that where I'm filed now, under *some exceptions*. LOL.
Look, heavy drinking can really screw up the liver but a number of us have and still do drink socially before and after treatment. With our doctors approval.
If we put as much attention here to diet, weight loss, cigarettes, etc, as we do to alcohol, I think we'd be a healthier lot :)
-- Jim
I love you MikeSimon :)
Trin - you're wrong I sure as heck DO have cooties, that is why when I found out I was hcv positive i made a cootie catcher. Surely you remember them! I put down the little numbers and on the inside flaps wrote "catch the cooties" "kill the cooties" "catch the cooties" "kill the cooties" and then I used the catcher to see what would happen.
Surprise surprise it worked! you know my two year anniversary is Feb. 8th already!
I should go into business - then all heppers would TRULy be cootie free in no time!
Trin - you're wrong I sure as heck DO have cooties, that is why when I found out I was hcv positive i made a cootie catcher. Surely you remember them! I put down the little numbers and on the inside flaps wrote "catch the cooties" "kill the cooties" "catch the cooties" "kill the cooties" and then I used the catcher to see what would happen.
Surprise surprise it worked! you know my two year anniversary is Feb. 8th already!
I should go into business - then all heppers would TRULy be cootie free in no time!
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