Hepatitis C Support Group
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral disease which can cause liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood. Many people with HCV infection have no symptoms and are unaware of the need to seek treatment. Hepatitis C infects an estimated 150-200 million people worldwide.
I have just been diagnosed with Hepatitis C. I am 46 and and the only thing I can think of how I contracted it was a stupid tattoo I got when I was 16. So, I have had this for a very long time and I am really scared about how my liver will be after my endoscopy on the 27th. I had an ultrasound and no focal defects were found on it. The reactive number is 30.40 and my AST is 150 and ALT is 88 The Bilirubins are all high. I'm really worried. I feel awful. Like I let my family down. My husband's liver tests were normal but he is going to get tested. We have been married 24 years and he is very supportive but I can't help feeling like a leper. I'm also afraid of the medication I will have to take and afraid my insurance won't cover it or it is very highly priced. After my endoscopy I will know more and I will need some guidance. Please be there for me. Thanks.
support & advice. I felt the same way your feeling 5
years ago. I waited 3 years to start the treatment. I
did the triple TX. You WON'T have to do what I did.
The new treatments that are out supposedly have
little to no harsh side affects. The people here know
what your going thru & are going to support you. So
try and relax a bit. And good luck!!
Ozzie
There's no shame in contracting an illness, not hcv any more than a common cold.
You are in luck. You've been diagnosed.
The rest will come together in good time.
Best wishes! We'll be here for you.
HCV is a slow progressing virus. I had it 30 years before it was diagnosed. Many of us here have.
New treatments are here and more coming. They are not as not as hard as the old ones. I am on one now with NO SIDE EFFECTS AT ALL! And my insurance is paying for the vast majority of the cost.
And best of all, the new treatments have a high success rate.
You've found a great site with a lot of good support. The first thing to remember is that a diagnosis of Hep C is not a death sentence, nor is it a medical emergency.
You are doing the right thing by getting some test to see the condition of your liver. You will also need to know your genotype to figure out what type of treatment will work.
The good news is that there are new drugs currently available and more to come soon. You will have to talk to your insurance company to figure out the coverage once you get a treatment plan.
Good luck,
Bob
Just practice universal precautions with your blood and there's no worry of infecting anyone. Everyone, whether or not they have HCV should practice universal precautions so it's not just you or me or any of us here.
How you got it you will most likely never know. I most likely had HCV for 54 years before I was diagnosed in 2008. (Blood transfusion as an infant) so it is more common than you currently realize that people live with HCV all their lives and are still okay.
Let us know how your tests come out. Stick with us here. :)
In some ways, you were "lucky" that you didn't find out earlier because, if you had, you might have done treatment with riba and interferon. The newer treatments that are soon to be on the market (or maybe they already are) do not include riba and interferon for some people.
I hope you are one of those people who are able to do treatment (if necessary) with the newer, gentler and more effective meds.
And my biopsy came back only stage 2 fibrosis. I was so
scared before I went in for it. You will be alright. Get it
treated. With the support from your family & here, You'll
be in that RV just as planned. Plus we have some fun on
here as well!!!! You'll find out!!! LOL.
Ozzie