Re: Please help me...just found out I have Hepatitus C and I am very scared and depressed

I guess I am a hep C lurker.

I will answer a few question first in the original thread.

Viral Load. Normally, this is measured by how many virii are present in one ml of blood. Before my "first treatment", I had 18,360,000 copies per ml of blood.

Genotype: This is a term used to describe what strain of HCV you have. This is important because the genotype determines what your chances are of responding to treatment. The main three strains are 1 2 3 and 4. Two and Three are the easiest to cure. It normally only takes 6 months. Type 1 is the oldest and has lots of time to mutate and is extremely difficult to get rid of. Sometimes it takes years of shots and treatments. Type 4 is the second hardest to get rid of. A year of treatment is recommended for genotype 4. There are also sub-types of each genotype.

There is 1a and 1b. 2a and 2b.. and so forth. I am a 1a.

As far as treatments, there are a couple that are fda approved. None are easy, but easy is really defined by the strength of the individual. The latest is Pegasys plus Rebetol. Pegasys is an injection and Rebetol are pills. It is a combo treatment and you take both. The Pegasys is a form of inteferon which is an immunity booster and which actually kills the virus. The Rebetol is supposed to keep the hcv from replicating.

It's a tough battle. Hep replicated 8x a day.

If you have questions you can email me at
jcribbscox-interent.com

I hope this helps a little.. Good luck.

If I were you, the first think I would do is get a genotype. If you doc refuses, go to another one. It is a very important test. In fact it is the most important test. The ast and alt mean nothing. They can elevate by you accidently getting hit in the belly area. They are not a symptom of liver damage or liver failure. That can only be determined by a biopsy.

Get a genotype test.

Sincerely,
Jennifer c Tweet