Extreme fatigue, memory problems, arthritis-like aches and pains.  The viral
load varies from day to day; the test just determines how many are running
around that particular day.

I don't like your wife's doctor.  She should have a biopsy to determine the
extent of liver damage before she can make an informed decision to treat or
wait.  Her liver may be very healthy, or teetering on the brink of failure,
or anywhere inbetween. I would either insist on a biopsy or get another
opinion.

Well... without a biopsy, the gastro has no idea about the state of her
liver. He may think everything is fine, but given that she has obvious
symptoms, she should insist on having a biopsy done. Neither viral load
nor liver enzymes indicate anything about the state of her liver. You
can have only slightly elevated liver enzymes and a low viral load with
a liver that's almost gone.

Find another gastro, quickly.

Thomas

With all due respect, your doctor is an idiot.

Ask for a referral to a hepatologist or gastroenterologist, who will proceed
with a liver biopsy becaue this is the only way to determine the extent of
liver damage from hepatitis C (liver function tests and viral count are
irrelevant in confirming the degree of fibrosis/cirrhosis).

Or, have your wife request treatment immediately because after that many
years of HCV infection, liver damage is pretty much a given. Treatment, even
if it does not erradicate the virus, will prevent further damage and often
considerably improves existing damage. However, the odds are in her favour
for curing hepatitis C with treatment. She may be able to find a clinical
trial for better treatment than what is currently prescribed, with the added
benefit of no charge to the patient.

Finally, have yourself, and your children, tested. Hepatitis C is not a
sexually transmitted disease, but blood-to-blood contact is not unusual in
decades of living together... a shared razor perhaps, a cut from a kitchen
knife, you get the idea.

On behalf of the group here, please invite your wife to post her questions
or generally chitchat and get to know us. I am the same age as your wife and
did treatment several years ago. It was successful, I feel healthier than I
have since I was in my 20s, and life is good again. This group helped me
tremendously; it's a great source of information and support.

Good luck to you and your wife.

Please find another doctor. A skilled hepatologist with plenty of
experience treating hep c. Thirty years is a long time to have hep c,
it is very likely that she has a severely damaged liver. She needs a
biopsy to find out; and she may need to get on treatment ASAP.

Go here: http://www.hepatitisdoctor.com/ He may be able to help you
find a doctor, if not, the links there and elsewhere may help. This
site will also help you understand the symptoms...

"He told her unless she wanted to proceed with treatment now , no point to
biopsy"

Oh...my...goodness.

Talk about putting the cart in front of the freakin' horse!

And yet another illustration that the person who graduates last in his/her
medical school class is called "Doctor".

Your wife is clearly in the care of a moron. Please have your spouse get a
referral to a gastro doc that actually has a clue about chronic HCV.

/greyhackles

Thought you were someone else at first. I just want to add my name to
the rest of the list of those that have told you what they think. I
agree with them completely. Your wife needs to know if and what kind of
liver damage she may have. She also needs to know what type which can
help in determining if she wants to treat now or later.

Dwight

You got good advice here. If she contracted it back in the 70's there
is a good chance
she has severe liver damage. I, too, probably contracted it in the
early 70's and, when it was discovered
in 2005, I had absolutely no symptoms. However, a subsequent liver
biopsy determined I had grade 3
stage 3 liver disease. That means I was approaching cirossis (grade 4)
which is irreversible and would have been a death sentence.

I am happy to report that the 48 week treatment was successful in my
case and the Doctors advise me my
liver will go back to normal.

Calling your Doctor a "moron" is being kind.

If your wife decides to wait until "some better treatments come along"
it could well be a fatal decision.

You need to get a competent Doctor. At the very least, you need to
talk to him about his bad advice, possibly stronger measures are in
order.

I probably carried the virus around for 35 years before it was discovered
while treating something else. Never been sick and have always had normal
liver function levels. My load was also around 2.5 million. My doc wanted a
biopsy but when I pressed him as to what he would concretely gain from that
information he said that if I started treatment and only partially responded
the biopsy results could help decide whether to continue treatment. I opted
to skip the biopsy and start tx. That was almost 4 years ago and I've been
virus free ever since about a month into treatment. After seeing my
Gastroenterologist about a year ago, at which time he released me from his
care, he said he no longer recommends a biopsy.

Hi Fergy,
I have had it for 30 years.Never felt unhealthy in anyway.I wouldn't
have known i had it.I was at late stage 3 possible early signs of
cirrohsis.In my case i also tell people it was the tattoos but i don't
believe that to be true.
best luck with whatever you deceide.
john

Hi Fergy,
Get a biopsy immediatly.Only way to know what you must do.
john

Well I was searching for a clinical trial put on by a university and found
one at the Baylor University in Houston. We have an appointment tomorrow
01/14. The lady took all the info from my wife and told her she was an
excellent candidate. We would discuss the program and set an appointment for
a full blood study. Once the results on the blood test come back, they will
do a complete physical, mri on the liver then a biopsy. Then they will begin
treatment. We will know more about it after our initial visit.. Wish us
luck..