what to do when u cant really afford treatment?

[truckman]

hi truckman again,what are some other options when u cant really afford treatment?my viral load is really low and i had liver biospy and i have no scarring,.So can i just live with hep c and have no problems?

[Tim Horn]

Truck:

I'm sure you'll read my response in this thread -- and I hope others will chime in too -- but, yes, the fact that your liver biopsy came back saying that you don't have any scarring is a good sign. How long ago was this? It's probably a good idea to have liver biopsies repeated every three to five years, to make sure your liver isn't become damaged to the point where treatment will be even more toxic and less effective.

As for things you can do to protect your liver, eliminating alcohol -- if you haven't already -- is very important step, along with being careful about other medications you take, particularly those known to damage the liver. A nutritious diet and exercise can also be extremely helpful, neither of which need to be expensive. But again, one of the most important things you can do is to make sure that you at least stay in care and have a specialist keep an eye on your HCV viral load and liver enzymes, and to keep looking out for advancing fibrosis using regular (but infrequent) liver biopsies.

Tim Horn   

[iana5252]

Hi Truckman:

If you want to start investigating paying for treatment, Hep has a Lesson: Patient Assistance and Co-Pay Programs for Viral Hepatitis Drugs (http://www.hepmag.com/articles/hepatitis_paps_copays_20506.shtml) that is a good place to start. Specifically check out the PAP PROGRAMS options.

[truckman]

hi tim, thank you for your response. I had a biospy a year ago thats when my doc told  me that, my liver had no scarring. but what i need to know is im 30 years old, how long can i probably go without seeing any progress.

[Ann]

but what i need to know is im 30 years old, how long can i probably go without seeing any progress.

It's difficult to say. Some people can go their whole lives without experiencing any problems or progression (part of the reason so many people go undiagnosed) and some people progress no matter what they do.

While avoiding alcohol and other things that stress the liver will help, as will eating a liver-friendly diet, for some people not even doing all the "right" things will halt or slow progression. Others seem to be able to drink moderate amounts of alcohol and whatnot and yet never have problems.

The best thing you can do is to keep regularly monitoring your liver's health and your health in general. This is very important - because of the unpredictable nature of this virus that I talked about above. It effects different people differently, so regular monitoring is essential.

Ann