Sorry to hear of your news. You can go symptom free for decades as you know. Treatment can be taxing but it is temporary. I understand the shock of what you just learned and coming to terms with it is a process. Coming to this board and seeking information is your best bet to understand where you are at and make decisions on how you will move forward in your life. The good news is that there seems to be new treatments in development that are effective and less symptomatic than the current drugs available. In short, there is a strong probability that you can be cured. Best of luck to you.

Joe

Welcome to the site. You will find lots of information and suport here. Look over old posts and then ask questions.if anything is unclear.

You have found a very good place here. You are still the same.person you were yesterday. And, you will be ok. If there is anything we can do to ease your mind or information we can help you find, just ask.

Again, welcome. We all understand what you are going through.

Hugs.

hello welcome, The specialist should test for Viral load, maybe an ultra sound of the right quadrant, liver, kidney gall bladder, maybe suggest a biopsy to see the condition of you liver, also get a geno type. 1's are the most common but the hardest to treat. Then depending on you liver condition he may suggest a treatment plan, or maybe you can wait for better treatment options down the road. I am waiting to get a biopsy done in June, I found out in Feb of this year via blood donation, so thats where I am with it. this site is so great because people are at all stages so you get lost of first hand accounts!

For most people HCV is more of an emotional emergency than a medical emergency. You usually have a lot of time to determine the amount of liver damage, if any, that you might have. Then you can decide if you need to treat now or wait for better drugs. Some people choose to never treat. There are many options and it is a personal decision. But take your time. Do your homework and make your decisions from a place of knowledge and not from fear.
Welcome to DS. Nancy

I like that Tulsagal....make your decision from a place of knowledge...not fear. Thanks, I needed to hear that again!

The treatment isn't easy...but its only temporary and definetly worth it. Hep c is silent but it causes other conditions as well. I just read how you're 4x more likely to get diabetes if you have hep c. I was tired all the time, joint pains. I'm half way through TX and its goin by fast. Going through TX is worth getting rid of this virus. This site is a great support network! :-)

Hey bagolady. Welcome to DS.
Just take one thing at a time: the specialist, the labs, posible biopsy, discussion w/Dr about options, and what's best for you at this point. I'm doing triple therapy right now. 11th week. It's tough, but doable & worth it to get rid of the virus. It won't last forever. you came to the right place for support & answers. We're here for you.

Now.. you take a breath, relax and find some of us you feel comfortable leaning upon. The worst part is over. You have found out and are dealing with it.
Treatment can be unpleasant I won't lie to you but you can do it. I've had about the worse treatment journey that I know of and trust me when I say I would do it all over again. you can survive anything as long as you know its just for a time and you can find humor in the situation to get you through it.

Good Post Tulsa.
All I can add is "ditto" and welcome to Bagolady.

Thanks everyone. I talked to a friend today who is a nursing student. She told me I would eventually die from hep c. Glad I have a sense of humor. I told her I always thought it would be cancer since i have a strong family history of it. ;) Jeez. I think I'll just talk about it here from now on. lol
Happy weekend!

I understand your fears. I Googled and searched for others going through the same. I began treatment 5 weeks ago. You can follow my experience if that brings you comfort. It's one of the reasons I felt it important to blog - to educate and bring comfort to others considering treatment. http://defeatinghepc.blogspot.com