I have no clue who you are, but I'm impressed and very pleased with your answer about drinking.

You have a great attitude, so keeps us posted on the death of the virus. May they die quickly and painlessly (for you, not them)

Here comes the disarmingly honest Goldy. Sorry about this. BUT. YOU have a chance, a gift to clear this terrible virus, this terrible nightmare from your life. It's been so long dealing with it and being chained to it. Think of this as a chance to be FREE once in your life. For NOTHING to own you, NOTHING to make you sick , NOTHING to suffer in silence. So you clear this nightmare and want to jump right back into the other nightmare of alcohol and possible alcoholism.? When does the merry go round stop for you or do you want it to? You have a chance to run on the beach or in the park after this FREEEE! Free from all the bullshit which has owned you. And sorry. Time to reevaluate your relationships. Any husband that will drink in front of you ( ask your permission? Sounds like a looser) and lets his friends PARTY DOWN in front of his sick wife is not the man you thought. You got this one last shot. You decide. Sheesh. " do you mind if I drink in front of my hep c suffering sick wife who is trying to stay alive and say sober and let her clean the cans and ashtrays after THEY party. Time to reevaluate babe. Goldy.

when I was on treatment, there seemed no light @ the end of the tunnel because it made me so sick. Worse, my VL started going back up.
they stopped treatment.
I'm still hcv+ ...accepting...
Guess I'm trying to say - tho all seems so hopeless now, it is not. Hang in there.

Do not Quit....you can do this. You only have one life!!! I took my first shot today. This is my first round of treatment and I am scared as hell but I am more scared to not do it!!!

cindy. hang in there. don't view this as the first of maybe 40 weeks of unknowns side effects. view it as the first time the little bastard virus's aren't getting a free ride. if they want to survive they're going to have to fight like hell this week, and they don't even know you'll be doing another shot next week. Yeah, they can make you feel lousy, but the very worse case is that it wont' work, and althought you've put up with the sides, i've never seen any data that says relapsers or non rresponders are any worse off than if they didn't do treatment. i just finished treatment, UND now, whined daily, slept too much, groaned and was very fatigued. and anemia. and i'd do it again , and i'd do it for 80 weeks if that's what i need to get rid of hcv we are all doing it by choice, so daily determine if the potential benefits ourweigh the daily crap.

Thanks Joe. My doctors think I only am going to have to do 6 months. I have Geno type 2. I am already tired day one..... Is there I can do to keep my iron levels up or my iron is going to deplete no matter what I do??? I am going to do blood work every two weeks. I am very scared but feel very blessed to have the best care in the work.....DUKE!!

I am on the triple therapy right now just 5 days into it. I just went back to the doctor and he has helped me get my symptioms in order. Of course the crying I can relate to alot all the time whew! It will subside though he says. You are beautiful and valuable person Nancy and we need your post here for a very good reason If you had not posted I would not be writing lol! Anyway have a good night You will make just hold on tight.

Dear Bestshot,
Thank you for your brutal honesty and bravery - to 'lay it all out there' on a site like this one. Let us help to be your lifeline! You're getting lots of good feedback and encouragement here. You're still a relatively young woman at 51 - you likely have at least another 30 or more years of life ahead of you....and it may be time for a bit of re-prioritizing. I agree with the others - shame on your husband for not being more supportive! I'm not a marriage counselor, but have you really leveled with him about how detrimental to your physical and emotional health his behavior is? He - and your friends - do NOT need to be drinking around you....certainly not now. Yes, the day may come when you're able to comfortably be around people who are drinking - but that day is obviously not now. Anyone who is that selfish and insensitive to your feelings (if this is indeed the case...assuming that you've made these things clear to them)..simply does not belong in your life. Easier said than done, of course - but please give this treatment, and your future good health, the priority they deserve. As a treatment survivor and sustained responder (9+ yrs virus-free) i can assure you that it DOES get easier and it's more than worth it in the end. Don't be as foolish as I was...clear the virus and then return to drinking, in my case as an alcoholic. For me the virus has never returned, but I sustained further damage to my liver by returning to the bottle. Am now sober - and sober enough to know that I unnecessarily have put my future in jeopardy. Every case is different - only you really know whether or not you have a problem with alcohol - but it really is a matter of taking one day at at time. Just please remember this: the temporary side effects of HepC treatment are FAR FAR preferable to the permanent side effects of a cirrhotic liver!! You may also want to check out another support site 'Living with Liver Disease' at http://cnlc.us/ - Many of us are members of both online communities...that one and this one - and they're both excellent. Do please keep the faith, dear sister - you CAN do this and your life CAN become a happier one!!

Hi Bestshot- just wanted you to know that you've come to the right place for support!! Not much else I can add- now then go kick some Dragon Butt!!!! You can do this!!!!

Cindy, prior to treatment every blood test (other than viral load of course) was fine, even liver function tests. If you did a CBC on me you'd say he's in great shape. during treatment, the ONLY test that was normal was the liver function test. white cells, red, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, and a a couple of others that are too hard to spell (neutrocytes, whatever they are) are all crazy

I took a blood test the day after treatment stopped, earlier this week but haven't gotten results and don't expect anything to change overnight. But I do feel MUCH better after 5 days of no treatment, brain fog is lifting, spirits improved, sleeping and eating on my schedule, not victrelis. Sill clearly have anemia, but will test every two weeks and eventually eliminate the procrit

Yeah, it's scarier, and sometimes you want to cry. But a lot of people at Duke cried recently over basketball, and that's not nearly as serious as HCV. Well, at least to US it isn't

the fight is never easy. your sides probably won't get better and probably will get worse. Some of the sides can be controlled with other medication, some of the sides are with you till you are done. You do what you have to do to make this work. And in the end when they tell you "hep c no longer lives in your bdoy" you will then know why you did this. Good luck to you