was getting ready to retire and now this

[richguy1955]

 I am 62 years old .I was 2 weeks from my retirement date and my doctor tells me I tested positive for hep c. Now I have to hold off retirement  to get cured. Feeling all type of emotions . I hate my job. Told my wife to get Tested. She mad . I am now waiting to get approved for treatment. Feeling all alone. Dont Know what to expect. Any Help would be Greatly appreciated

[gnatcatcher]

richguy1955, have you had only one hep C-related test so far? That would be the antibody test, which only detects whether your body was exposed to hep C at some point. Somewhere around a quarter of people who were exposed were able to get rid of hep C without treatment, yet they still have a positive antibody test.

Or have you already had a second blood test to find out how much virus is still present in your blood? Those ~25% of people who self-cure get a result of UNDETECTED (or some similar term), so there is no longer any virus to treat.

If virus is still present, a different blood test determines which genotype (subtype) of hep C is present, so an effective medicine can be chosen. A painless, special type of ultrasound called a fibroscan or a blood test such as fibrosure is used to find out how much fibrosis the liver has (on a scale of F0=none to F4=cirrhosis).

Most modern treatments consist of swallowing one pill a day for 8 or 12 or 24 weeks, depending on how much hep C was detected (the viral load) and the F score. Most people have few or no side effects, and the cure rate is close to 100%. (In the old days, the medicines had awful side effects and very low cure rates, and people had to have biopsies to learn their F score. Things are so much easier now.)

Your wife may not have it. Many people on this forum, myself included, had hep C for decades before diagnosis, yet our spouses never got it.

Since the treatment itself is generally easy, your difficulties are your wife and having to delay retirement. I hope your coming to this forum helps you feel less alone. Feel free to ask more questions and vent when you need to.

Gnatty

[richguy1955]

Yes I've Had both blood test and was told i have Hep C and it is curable. I am now waiting to get approved for 12 weeks of Harvoni Treatment. But when I start Treatment
I would like to be put on short term disability through my job. Because my job is very physically challenging and I am already tired. Any one have problems getting Short term disability?

[gnatcatcher]

A lot of people on Harvoni (myself included) get extra energy, so you might not need time off.

[KY]

You should still be able to work. I am day 21 of Harvoni and am doing ok. I take the pill in the morning and have lots of energy, though I always seem to have a down time in the afternoon. Some days I am trider than others, but I do go to the gym nearly every day. Also, your wife should be ok. I have had HEP C since 1973 and been married since 1977 but my wife never contracted the virus.

[mario555]

I am also 62 years old with a wife. For the many years we were together and when I did not know I was sick, nothing happened to her. As for me, my energy came back during and after treatment and I now feel 10 years younger! You will start retirement with a new energy level so, be happy! Good luck with the treatment!

[Jodaha]

I wouldn’t fret. This won’t affect you at all. I’m working full time at sea and on day 28 of treatment and all is well. Only had one day of not feeling well but they tell me that’s the day the cure does most of its work. Carry on like normal and no one has to know. It hasn’t slowed my down at all.