Oh my, Squirrel - I just noticed the festive additions to your avie. Very nice.

there are many factors which determine rapid hepc liver erosion, 1 factor of course is alcohol use, another is age, over age 50 our bodies imune system is naturally weaker therefore the virus can replicate faster, we can slow the process by eating healthy and exercising

Thanks for posting ImK...I was wondering how many doctors were having patients wait...I imagine very many would.

And welcome Brian...very nice to meet you.

Welcome Brian, I was stage 1 grade 2, then went to stage 3 almost cirrhosis, in 2 years time. I thought I had a lot of time to wait, but...I had a gene defect called Factor 5 Lieden, which made the stages progress faster. I did all oral meds in a 12 week trial, and 7 months later I am still undetected. So, wait if you can, but make sure you do not have the genetic gene that I have, it is just a blood test to find out.

THAT IS MY WORRY.. WAIT MYSELF TO DEATH

This is my issue too, Brian. I am a bit farther along than you are - Stage 3/4 - so should I treat? (I don't know what my grade is - most likely a high 2.) My doctor says "yes" - anyone who is at my stage should treat - now. But there are other factors that I have to consider - my doctor insists upon that. My age is one factor (65). My mental health is another. I can't change my age, but I can change my mental health, which I am doing with the help of a professional. I will also share with you that I am terrified of the effects that Interferon may have on me - namely, emotional extremes. This is one reason I am taking new head meds now - to calm my anxiety as well as ease up the depression (the depression is fairly recent - started along with fatigue). Only after these issues are resolved will my doctor give me the "green light" for doing triple tx. I want to wait for the all orals. I mean, who doesn't? But we don't know when they are going to be available. A year? A bit more? A bit more than that? Even longer? We just don't know.

So sometimes there is more to it - to treat or not - than stage/grade. Sometimes other things have to be considered. These are things that you and your doctor should discuss - if there are any - and be totally open to him/her about everything. Ask your doctor for the pro's and con's of treatment in your particular case.

This is a VERY difficult thing you're going through - oh, do I ever know. I've been tossing it around for six months now. It's worn me out and made me feel worse. I feel like I'm playing Russian Roulette, to be honest. And I can so relate to "wait(ing) myself to death."

There are some very good people on this forum who will help and support you - who are wiser and more "balanced" than I am. They have helped me a lot. Bottom line though is - talk openly with your doctor, listen to him/her - then decide what you need to do.

I am with you, Brian. You are not alone.

p.s. I know I said that I believed the new all orals will be available in 14 to 16 months - so I've kind of contradicted myself, not for the first time. I guess it's more of I HOPE TO GOD they are. Even if they are, my nasty little trillion+ virus army progressed quite far in less two years, and that's where the "Russian Roulette" comes in as far as waiting. That's why I'm doing what my doctor told me to do NOW - get my head meds right, make a decision based on facts not emotions and fear.

Brian, I hope you will talk to your doctor soon and talk this all out. And we're here too.