just diagnosed w/hepc what happens if I dont have tx?

[sunshine]

Is there anyone out there who opted not to have treatment and is living a "normal" long life?  I am not sure tx is the right option for me, I basically have few symptoms besides loss of appetite

[worriedsilly]

Hi Sunshine,

I'm totally in the same boat although it looks like I've already had Hep C for more than 20 years so I can answer your first question that you can last as long as 20 years living a "normal" life.

In my thread (http://forums.hepmag.com/index.php?topic=961.0) the moderator said:

Chronic hepatitis C in an infection that slowly damages the liver. Most people infected with HCV remain stable for decades, without any major symptoms or signs of liver damage. In fact, the majority of individuals living with HCV may not go on to develop cirrhosis in their lifetime, provided they don't have other viruses (such as HIV) or confounding health issues like alcoholism. Roughly 70 to 80 percent of people who have been infected for up to 30 years have done well without treatment.

I'm currently looking for a specialist to figure out next steps. I'll share what he/she says.

Good luck with your Hep C!

[Tim Horn]

Sunshine:

First off, welcome to the hep Forums. Though your reason for being here certainly isn't anything to celebrate, you've found a great place to ask questions, share your concerns and voice your frustrations.

The emphasis on hepatitis C care, at least at this stage of the game, is monitoring. It all comes down to numbers:

• If 100 people are infected with the hepatitis C virus, approximately 75 of them will develop chronic infection (meaning that the immune system wasn't able to clear the virus from the body in the weeks following infection).
• Of those 75, approximately 20 will eventually become sick -- meaning that the virus damages the liver the point that it can become compromised. It is these folks for whom treatment is generally needed... but keep in mind that, for these 20 people, it can take decades for the virus to cause noticeable damage to the liver, to point where treatment is recommended.

The reason why I bring this up is because many doctors fully realize that today's treatment options are challenging, to say the least. This is why treatment is only recommended for those who show clear signs of liver damage. As treatment options evolve -- and things look particularly bright at this point in time -- and the serious side effects of treatment become a thing of the past, HCV therapy may be recommended for a much larger number of people with chronic HCV infection. But for now, it's handled on a case-by-case basis.

The case-by-case basis thing is really important here. Just as long as you're working with a health care provider who understand hepatitis C, the main order of business will be monitoring your liver health (and your general health). Treatment might not even be necessary now... no may it be necessary in the near (or far) future... but the only way to know this is to be monitored by a qualified health care provider.

Tim

[tommyv]

I've met people who have had Hep C for over 30 years without a major difficulties. Definitely don't let anyone push you into treatment.

[natalie23]

Make sure to give it some time before you make any decisions. This is a big deal that needs to be thought through. So ofte.n doctors just push what's easiest for them. You need to com to terms with what's best for you.

[spider]

Welcome Sunshine;

             Your Doctor may recommend a   "Liver Biopsy'  to see

    How much Damage the Hep-C has done to your liver !

   This would help determine your Geno - Type and Stage,  if there is any

    Damage !  Hep-C goes to your Liver  and Replicates itself over and over,

    it is a Viral Infection.   I got the Biopsy to confirm the Hep-C and then Decided

    to face it Head -on  and to Treat.   This would be your Decision, of Coarse;

    Weather to Treat or not, but Meanwhile I, would suggest you Educate yourself,

    First, on Hep-C and then make your Decison !!!!!

    Keep On Keeping on,

    spider 

[bella]

Hi Sunshine -

My hubby got hep-C from a transfusion when he was a child.  He had it for almost 40 years before it was diagnosed.  He had no other big health issues except polycythemia (too many red blood cells).  He hadn't been feeling great for a couple of years, but we both thought maybe it was from working long hours all the time.  When he finally did have a biopsy we learned that 40-50% of his liver was lost to cirrhosis.  So Spider is giving you very good advice regarding getting a biopsy - it would be hard to make a decision on treatment without all the facts.  With hubby having so little left of his liver, we knew it was time for him to start treatment.  But the treatment is hard, and if he didn't have to have it we might have considered waiting.

Best of luck to you, Sunshine.  Let us know how you're doing - we care!

Bella