I just really need some positivity. I'm just so worried about the length of time he may have had it. Thanks everyone.

Hey,
It's way to soon to panic. His enzymes do not indicate how much of the virus he currently has. When they test his viral load it will be more specific and a biopsy is what my husband has had to find out exactly the damage to his liver. If he has the treatment he is young and that is a plus. He will also be tested for his genotype that also makes a difference on prognosis and length of tx.
I don't know how long you all have been together but time is on your side.
I will pray for you that you may try and tap into your inner strength and fall back on your faith. We all only can count on today. No one knows what tomorrow will bring. And, with each day that goes by you will get stronger. I wrote a post earlier from the Mayo Clinic about Liver Disease and HepC (HCV). If it will help read as much as you can. I always am a firm believer that knowledge is power.
Sending you my best,
Cindy/BW

Most definitely possible to live a normal life, and that statistically most do. Whether he decides to tx or not. Now, tx may disrupt life for a while, but if it is successful , IMO it will help you begin to put this thing behind you. Most return to a normal life afterwards. And some do quite well without it. First thing first, find out his Geno and some type of professional test to determine the stage of his liver. Most Doctors suggest a liver biopsy. It is a safe procedure, and most just report experiencing only slight discomfort if any!

While you are doing all this get yourself tested. This is important too if you are worried about being infected!

That how I felt when I found out. I had Hep C. But It not the end of the world or the end of life. So calm down. The only thing to fear is fear
it self. every thing is going to be all right. You may have to make some changes and emotional stress is directly proportionally
to our resistant to change. So hang in there

God bless
Greg

lol Take Gregg's advice, if this guy can make it back to normal anybody can!

Also, my hx had this virus when I b/c pregnant with our son. Our son was a premie but perfectly healthy and is a honor student taking AP courses and is now in the 11th grade.
Panic will not help the situation. Just try and remember he should not be drinking alcohol and needs to eat well, along with keeping his weight down.
I know it's scary but be grateful you have found out now and not 25 yrs from now. It's a silent virus that millions of people have that go undetected until they are in there 50's. I hope this helps.
Cindy/BW

Thank you so much. I actually am a very spiritual person. I know how important positivity is but for some reason I can't get it together. I'm doing better tonight. I looked up supplements he can take and food that improves liver heath. I have a whole sheet of supplements I read about. I'm just so scared the news will be bad. I guess it was such a shock that he had it that I'm kind of scared of that shock happening again.

Does the fact that he's had NO symptoms matter? He has headaches but they run in his family and nothing severe. The other thing that scares me is we love to party. We drink socially and sometimes we do it up! By no means are we alcoholics but we drink. I'm afraid now he's done more damage to his liver because of it. He does get bad headaches after a night of drinking. Oh man!

My advice cut out alcohol completely. And don't worry so much about what supplement or vitamin to go grab. Just find the things to avoid.....like iron. This means limiting red meats and make sure you are not taking a multi vitamin with it. And read labels so you can check if the food you are eating is fortified with it.
Alcohol and iron are two big ones to avoid. There are others but these are two quick oones you can fix and help you get a start on what things can help you.
Follow that up with a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. And plenty of water. This the best thing you can do right now until you get into the Doctor and he can advice you on more things you can do. This is about all I would feel comfortable recommending to you without a degree lol.
and somebody said it earlier.......remember that this disease is usually a slow progressing disease so you can relax right now until you see the Doc. I am sure you know that all the worrying in the world will not change a thing. I know it is hard to avoid, but you just have to keep reminding yourself that.
No need to worry about things we are powerless over. If you are a person of faith turn it over to the God of your understanding. He will help you make the right choice.

I just wanted to add a little something to this that might ease your mind. Me, my husband and our 17 year old daughter are all hepc positive. We've all done the treatment and are non responders. I, like you was scared to death and when I got my daughters results didn't think that I could survive that. But that's been 6 years ago now and we are all leading fairly normal lives. My daughter functions like a normal 17 year old. I'm sure that we will retreat when a new treatment is available but until then we just live with it. It is not a death sentence. I know when you first get the diagnosis and you start reading everything on the net you can be scared to death. Not everyone with hepc will die from it. You may have to deal with some symptoms of it but nothing that can't be managed. So take a deep breath and wait on your results. When the ball get rolling things will fall into place. Welcome to Daily Strength. It can be a very helpful support group...hugs

I wrote you and some how I deleted my last reply. What I was trying to say is it's a silent virus that can go undetected for a long time for many, for example 30 years even. Our dr. told us many pts find out when they are having physicals and just think what that feels like to be in your 50's and find out.
You should NOT be drinking alcohol or rather your hx shouldn't nor his mother. Also, don't drink and take tylenol. My hx and the headaches for years but we didn't connect it to the HCV. But, it was related. When things got bad was when he started having blood sugar drops in the middle of the night.
You have found a good support group and can make good friends here that will support you. Rest easy tonight. Try and relax and get a good nights sleep. It's going to be ok. Like someone wrote earlier it doesn't have to be a death sentence. But, do stay away from recreational drugs and alcohol. Gosh, I sound like a mother.(smile)
I'm just a wife with a sick husband. Though we are going to make it.
Nite,
Cindy

Thank you. Neither one of us use any type of drugs but on the past we have used alcohol. I haven't in three weeks and he plans on doing all he can to get this out of his system. Thank you for the great advice and support. I'm sure you can tell that you'll be hearing from me again. Take care everyone.

Nonliv, I didn't know that about you and your family. You are one strong woman with a great attitude. Yes, there will be newer tx's coming down the pike. And, I'm glad your daughter is doing well. I commend you on your courage and can understand now why DS means so much to you.
Cindy

aspirin and acetaminophen over the counter would be another one to avoid. I usually add that in my list of three but i am not sure if your husband is taking and prescribed meds with those in them. If so, he should continue them until you contact your Doc and see if it is ok for him to stop.
But definitely avoid it over the counter this is great advice!
And stay around this site, many good people and a lot of great information. i haven't found a better one for the disease of HCV!

People with chronic hepatitis C have abnormal liver enzyme levels most of the time. The levels can fluctuate between normal and abnormal throughout the course of the disease. But, they cannot be used to measure liver damage or its progression.

High levels of ALT (SGPT) in the bloodstream usually mean that there may be liver inflammation and/or damage. High AST (SGOT) levels in the bloodstream may also be an indicator of liver trouble. Abnormal results can be indicators but may not be clinically important.

Really dont worry, because the opposite is true also, one can have normal liver enzymes and find out after thirty years that everything appears normal, but have pretty serious liver damage. I really feel this is a great wake up call. You must take good care of yourself and family, eat fresh vegetables and fruit, drink tons of clean filtered water and leave the processed food for the politicians, bank owners and corporation owners. When you find out what is in the fast food and processed foods and what is not in them, it should make you mad. It is incredible to feel so wonderful after eating steamed broccolli, carrots and more.. The main thing is to relax, you can do this, there are many things to find out, you will all need to find out what genotype and grade you are, then you will need to have a biopsy to find out what sort of damage you may or may not have. That is it really, just be good to yourself. dont worry, you found the best place to be.
Cynthia