hi,
welcome to DS! we're quite a family on here so i think you'll love the support and encouragement.

have you started treatment yet?

hugs and welcome, q

Welcome! We were all worried and scared just like you are now, but it does get better. Just take one step at a time. Find a good liver specialist, get all the necessary tests and biopsy, and discuss options with the doc. It all takes time--I found out in April and I just started tx today. A good liver specialist should be able to call the drug company and possibly get help with payment on your meds. He/she may also know about studies that you might take part in for free (I am part of one right now). So, there are options. Don't get too overwhelmed. This is a great group here at DS. Hugs.

Welcome to our family of Hep c.
You have found the perfect site for you to receive all the love, support, information, and most of all friendship.
We are all here because we have something in common, and that is this hideous virus, called Hep c.
So stick around you will find lot of info, and remember my friend, with hep c the more knowledge you have, the more power you have towards killing the virus.
I will contact you with some steps for you to follow, if you intend to start somekind of treatment.
Love & Respect,
Mckenzie
One day at the time.

Hope you get that insurance thingy figured out. Get alot of info on the disease, it is a chronic condition ,so you can relax. Take care.Welcome to the hepper's group, lol.

thanks. any info or help would be greatly appreciated. i have a good dr, but that isn't the problem right now. i am working at getting some treatment. until then i would like to find out as much as i can. thanks to all

great to meet you Danny! AND WELCOME TO OUR HOME!

you will quickly find that we are very much a family, there is a lot of love going around, and I guarantee you will meet some lifelong friends!

This is also one of the best places for information.. doesnt matter what question you have... SOMEONE has gone through it and can give you advice, and if not, they will help with research to answer your question.

good luck
-Michelle

A big, warm welcome to you my brother. You will get plenty of support, love and info here . Don't you worry now..you've got..us !!!
Peace and Love..
Serenity55

OH, and I forgot to mention that if you look at discussions from the past, you will find more information than just the ones that first show up. so next time your bored, go through a few of the pages of discussions (there are A LOT) and you will learn lots.

Also- here is a link to a member group specifically for newcomers, meaning you can meet others, and there is some great information there, as well as some great people.

http://dailystrength.org/groups/newcommers-need-help

You can join by clicking the "JOIN THIS GROUP" button towards to top right of the page.

Welcome Captain Dan! You've found the right place. Everyone here is in the same boat. Before long, you'll be so knowlegable, that you will be the one answering others questions. You can be our Captain for a while too! Cathie

Hi and welcome captdan,

this is the place to be for support. you will eventually see just about everything there is to know about hepc and it's tx here. if there is some specific that you don't see just put it out there and it will be replied to.

we can always use another family member.
joe

OK now that all the welcomes have been sent, I think it's time to give you a bit of starting info.

I think one of the first things needed to say is that you can put your worries aside for now. This virus is very slow progressing, and most people die with the virus and not from the virus. Now that you have been diagnosed, you can start to clean up your lifestyle to be more liver friendly.

From your dr, you want to know your results of all tests and also your biopsy. Get copies of all your tests and bloodwork.
What is your viral load, your genotype, your stage and grade.

If you have little or no liver damage, and your stage/grade are 2 or under, you may not have to worry about doing treatment soon.
You can afford to take some time to cleanup your lifestyle and wait for a newr treatment to come out.

i know it's alot to digest at first but if you take control, and start to search out info, you will feel stronger. Knowledge is power.

Remember: to know the road ahead, ask the man coming back.

If you smoke, quit.
If you drink alcohol, quit.
Take a look at your current diet and start to eliminate items that are harmful to your liver.
Start taking milk thistle.

If you're intent on doing Western Interferon, you can get the drugs for free. I think you'll just need to pay for the doctor visits and stuff.

http://dailystrength.org/c/Hepatitis-C/recs/2313-patient-assist-programs

If you are interested in alternative treatments, I was very sick with Hep C two years ago, and now I'm well. I still have the virus, but it isn't making me ill anymore. Until they have better treatments, I'm sticking with what I'm doing.

http://dailystrength.org/c/Hepatitis-C/recs/3071-alternative-treatments-hepatitis-c

There are others too who have beat the dragon with alternative treatments. Some say they are virus free, others are still hoping to get there. One lady said she used herbs to protect her liver for 5 years and get better before doing Interferon treatments.

Please join us if you wish!

thanks to everyone. i will have to get with my dr and find out my genotype. i was diagnosed on 06/06/06(bad day),after 3 days in the hospital, wasn't sure how to react. quit alcohol and changed my diet. i have felt pretty good most of the time. friends and family want me to get help. i guess it is time to start. thanks for the input, i will be looking into all of the suggestions i have recieved. hope everyone has a nice day. thanks again to all, danny

Hi, I'm new since last week too. So far good info, good people. :)

Hey bud!!
Until you figure out what your treatment will be take a bunch of milk Thistle, alpha Lipoic acid, vit. C and E. Not too expensive and it's all natural. Let your body work for you. Give it the proper fuel and it will give you many years of service despite the dragon. 25 years I have danced with the dragon. Stay positive and eat healthy!
Stay in touch!
Mark