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heather wheeler - 25 Mar 2005 20:45 GMT

SIL is a nurse and I just told her that I was diagnosed with Hep C. She
talked to the infectious disease people and they said there is a good chance
that I don't have to do a thing - no treatment etc. as I am not exhibiting
symptoms. She also said that the next time I go for a blood test it may not
even show up.

Now is this wishful thinking? My specialsist appt. is not until July 5 so I
don't know what the heck is going on with me. Is it possible to not treat
hep C? Is it advisable to treat it even though I don't have any symptoms?
SIL seems to think treatment would be more damaging to other parts of my
body.

Mags
Happy Easter Everyone

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Cindy in Pa - 25 Mar 2005 21:20 GMT

While most of the post I read here are from people that are or have done
treatment...I have not. My blood test are all within normal levels and have
been all along. I have seen a gastro who treats all the hepc at his group
practice several times and he indicates that since hepc is such a slow
moving disease (under the right circumstances) I have time to see if the
treatments get any more user friendly.

I have an appointment with a "hepc only clinic" may 31st and have a feeling
their opinion is going to be very different.

The gastro doc did say no alcohol, no tylenol & drink lots of water. Which I
have followed faithfully. He has also advised me to get a biopsy which I
have not due to being terrified of the procedure.

Good Luck...Cindy in Pa

> SIL is a nurse and I just told her that I was diagnosed with Hep C. She
> talked to the infectious disease people and they said there is a good chance
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Mags
> Happy Easter Everyone

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Thomas Wagner - 26 Mar 2005 02:37 GMT

>I have an appointment with a "hepc only clinic" may 31st and have a feeling
>their opinion is going to be very different.

Not necessarily. It all depends on the state of your liver,
unfortunately...

>The gastro doc did say no alcohol, no tylenol & drink lots of water. Which I
>have followed faithfully. He has also advised me to get a biopsy which I
>have not due to being terrified of the procedure.

a biopsy is the only way to really find out what's going on. Biopsies
today are not a big deal, the complication rate has decreased
continually. It isn't exactly fun, but it's not such a big deal, either.

The original post seems to have disappeared, so I'll reply to it here:

>> SIL is a nurse and I just told her that I was diagnosed with Hep C. She
>> talked to the infectious disease people and they said there is a good
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>not
>> even show up.

That is pretty nonsensical. Unless you were freshly infected, there is
virtually no chance of the virus clearing by itself. And if you indeed
were newly infected, you should be treated immediately, because your
chances of clearing the virus are excellent if the infection is still in
its acute stage. Since your appointment with the specialist is far in
the future, I'm assuming you're already chronic.

>> Now is this wishful thinking? My specialsist appt. is not until July 5 so
>I
>> don't know what the heck is going on with me. Is it possible to not treat
>> hep C? Is it advisable to treat it even though I don't have any symptoms?
>> SIL seems to think treatment would be more damaging to other parts of my
>> body.

That, too is nonsensical. Treatment can in some rare cases cause damage.
In the large majority of cases, any side effects are completely
reversible. The Hep-C virus not only damages the liver, it can cause a
host of other major problems, some of them irreversible by treatment. It
is indeed possible to not treat, and it may be an option if the liver is
in good shape and no other damage is noticeable. But only a specialist
can tell you that, most likely after doing a biopsy.

Thomas

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burningdaylight - 28 Mar 2005 00:39 GMT

He has also advised me to get a biopsy which I
have not due to being terrified of the procedure.

Good Luck...Cindy in Pa

My biopsy was a piece of cake. They put me under for a brief time and I
felt nothing.
Developed a alergic rash from the chloraprep solution that they
disinfected me with, that's all. Getting the results took some of the
worry of HCV out of it for me. I was told that my liver had no damage and
now I sleep better.
Sue

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Cindy in Pa - 29 Mar 2005 05:19 GMT

They won't put me under...I have agreed to it with anesthesia...they say it
isn't possible. I tried not 1 or 2 but 3 doctors in different practices.
They say no period no discussion...Makes no sense to me...
Cindy in Pa

> He has also advised me to get a biopsy which I
> have not due to being terrified of the procedure.
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> now I sleep better.
> Sue

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Mark Emerson - 25 Mar 2005 23:39 GMT

> SIL is a nurse and I just told her that I was diagnosed with Hep C. She
> talked to the infectious disease people and they said there is a good
> chance
> that I don't have to do a thing - no treatment etc. as I am not exhibiting
> symptoms.

She also said that the next time I go for a blood test it may not

> even show up.

I would get another blood test to confirm that I have HCV antibodies
present. I would also get a PCR test to see if there is any virus in your
blood. The virus can do damage to the liver without any symptoms....the only
way to know about actual damage is with a biopsy.

> Now is this wishful thinking? My specialsist appt. is not until July 5 so
> I
> don't know what the heck is going on with me. Is it possible to not treat
> hep C?

I suppose it's possible not to treat, if there is minimal or no damage to
your liver. My doctor left it up to me.

Is it advisable to treat it even though I don't have any symptoms?

> SIL seems to think treatment would be more damaging to other parts of my
> body.

I was diagnosed around 94' or 95'. At that time the family doc said not to
worry...so I didn't worry. In 03' I had a yearly physical/blood work. My
cholesterol was high and my liver enzymes were high. The family doc sent me
to a specialist, the specialist ordered a biopsy and I had stage
1(scarring)/grade 2(inflamation)....(these may be backwards!!). I never had
any symptoms at all and it was still damaging my liver.

I have been on tx for 37 weeks now and so far so good. You may want to find
out your genotype. The main thing is not to panic. Find a good Hepatologist/
Gastro doc and do lots of online reasearch. We'll be here if you have
anymore questions.
Life is good
Mark

> Mags
> Happy Easter Everyone

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Shawn - 25 Mar 2005 23:57 GMT

In your search for a good gastro/hepC doc, try and find one that's
computer/newsgroup/internet savvy! It will save you lots of time, paper,
toner/ink and aggravation!!

Signature

Shawn
(use the "reply feature on your browser to send a private reply via E-Mail.)

>> SIL is a nurse and I just told her that I was diagnosed with Hep C. She
>> talked to the infectious disease people and they said there is a good
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
>> Mags
>> Happy Easter Everyone

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elmoemerson@webtv.net - 26 Mar 2005 01:14 GMT

Sounds like you're getting fed a bunch of hogwash. You need to see a
specialist who will almost certainly order more bloodwork to determine
your viral load and genotype as well as a biopsy to assess the condition
of your liver. Then you and your doc can make a decision as whether or
not to treat. Not the best way to start the Easter weekend, but ......
Elmo

http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/DocElmosHepFile

http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/TheFamilyAlbum

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Thip - 26 Mar 2005 02:19 GMT

Seems like most every family has a resident medical expert. In my case,
it's my son. I would no sooner take advice from him about my HCV than I
would from my grocer.

Whoever those infectious disease people are--well, they don't know a whole
lot about infectious disease! Our infectious disease nurse at work stood up
in front of a group of us and implied strongly that HCV is a disease of drug
users and convicts, and then stated that it was absolutely NOT curable. My
co-workers said they saw steam coming out from under my chair. I was livid.

In short: Listen to the REAL experts, not the wannabes. This is not
something to play with.

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