Crying,  mags answered:

Mags, First of all, go ahead and have a good cry, it's helps get a
little out of the way.  We've all done it.   Second, calm down & smoke a
Doobie.

I know it might seem it's easy for me to say, but we're all in the same
boat here. Or most of us at least.  Some are done already. Some got
SVR's,  some didn't.   It doesn't automatically mean a life or death
sentence.   here's some questions for you to start with.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS

How often do you check for thyroid and other bloodwork and/or
is there a plan, like how often you'll be drawing blood
and what will you be checking.

What drugs are given (if any) if my blood count drops?
At what number would this be triggered?

What can I expect for treatment of any side affects?
Are you (or a nurse) going to be readily available to help
with possible side effect management? WHO IS? You Doc? or a PCP?

IMO it's important to be able to see someone without waiting
too long if I do get serious side effects. What's your policy on
this?

And also what about a replacement doctor if needed
regarding coverage during sickness/holidays.

I would like/WANT a copy of all my the test results.  No REALLY.
I WANT A COPY.

Do you have any hesitation to put me on short/long term disability
if YOU find that I need it?

Will you be starting me on anti-d's NOW (A good Idea), in preparation
for my treatment? It takes a few weeks for those meds to start to work
in your system.  What do you recommend? Celexa?

Also, do I need/do you prescribe anti-anxiety drugs?

This is just some starter questions that I compiled when I started.

Hope it helps.   I'm sure everyone here will be happy to give you
additions to this list.

Take care,

Yes, I hereby sentence you to LIFE!

HCV isn't a death sentence.  Some of us have slain (slayed?) the dragon,
some haven't, but none of us stopped living.  This will require some
lifestyle adjustments for you, and if you're like me you'll waste a lot of
time and energy hating the beast within before you move on to better things.
Don't be afraid to ask questions, and keep asking until you're fully
satisfied with the answers.  Knowledge is power.  You can do this; you've
been knocked sideways by the news, but you *can* do this.

Hi Mags. Sorry you had to find this group, but you've come to the right place.

There is an unbelievable amount of HCV-related "information" out there. Much
of it is obsolete, much of what's left can be confusing if not outright
contradictory, and the rest - the cherries - can be hard to track down.

The 20% is almost certainly old data, I bet it was pre-Pegylated
Interferon/pre-weight-based dosing with Ribavirin. I think fair odds for 1B
would be closer to 50% these days, at the minimum.

Of course, I'm highly motivated to believe that ;-)

I am 1B, was infected in the early 70's, turned yellow and was immediately
diagnosed non-A/non-B Hepatitis, which was then identified as Hepatitis-C in
the mid-80s. I had a couple of interesting "events" that may or may not have
been HCV-related, but for the most part I could easily have forgotten I had
HCV, I was stronger and had more stamina than nearly anyone I knew...

...until last year, when my virus count rocketted up, I started to become
easily fatigued, would sweat profusely at the least provocation, and otherwise
knew things had gone bad. My ultrasound looked "perfect" according to the
tech, my physical went well, but my biopsy scores weren't good, 3 (out of 5)
for Activity/Inflammation, 2 progressing to 3 (out of 4) for Fibrosis (some
portal bridging seen).

I started the combo therapy in October and have completed 31 of the 48 week
course. It's been a bit of a bear but with a good support group
(family/friends/doctors) it's doable - especially if the doctor aggressively
treats the side effects.

I can't stress enough how important "the right doctor" will be wrt your
options and treatment. If you're not comfortable with your doc, or if you get
the impression (s)he is winging your treatment, things can get dicey in a
hurry.

A few things to ask:
- How many 1B patients has the doctor treated in the last 3 years, and what
was their rate of Sustained Viral Response after completion of therapy?
- When will you have a liver biopsy, who performs it, will you be sedated?
- If your blood work drops during therapy, will he prescribe Procrit (boost
Red Blood Cells to fight anemia) and/or Neupogen (boosts White Blood Cells) as
opposed to cutting your therapy drug dosage(s)?
- Try to talk to the nurse-practitioners that assist with patient care to get
a feel for how you relate to them. Again, your comfort is paramount; there may
be times that doubt and even paranoia may try to get their hooks into your
head, and it sure is easier to dismiss them if your measured opinion is the
practice knows their stuff, and the staff hold nothing back wrt care.

If you find the tome that was linked earlier daunting (I was wondering how
much that puppy would weigh if it was printed ;-) here's some
lighter-but-spot-on reading. This is one of the best HCV primers I've found,
imo.

http://www.californiahcvtaskforce.org/pdf/HCV%20Clinical%20Pathway%20S.F.Version4.PDF

If you read that from end to end you'll already be 3 steps ahead of the
average patient...

Cheers - and hang in there. Don't get freaked out, 4 out of 5 HCV+ patients
will likely die with the disease, not from it. You may be one of those who
have minimal damage and a low Inflammation score, where delaying treatment may
be an option.

/greyhackles