Guest guest Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 I don't consider this off topic at all. Anything like this that affects our lives affects our feelings and our coping mechanisms and in turn our conditions of depression and anxiety. I'm stunned to hear this news Colleen. And for you too . I hope (and of course I pray in my own fashion) that everything comes out well for both of you. One question that came to my mind is taking Lex:Any of the AD's can be hard on the liver. Some are worse than others. Did your doc, Colleen, say anything about that? Yet, part of the treatment seems to require an AD to counter sides of the treament for your liver. Confusing dilemma. Scary too. Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron <beatch38@...> wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 Yes, very scary. I was shocked to hear the news. I'm going in to talk to my regular primary care physician in October, a couple of weeks before I start the treatment. I'll talk to her about the Lexapro and the liver. Colleen Barbara <bjarrett@...> wrote: I don't consider this off topic at all. Anything like this that affects our lives affects our feelings and our coping mechanisms and in turn our conditions of depression and anxiety. I'm stunned to hear this news Colleen. And for you too . I hope (and of course I pray in my own fashion) that everything comes out well for both of you. One question that came to my mind is taking Lex:Any of the AD's can be hard on the liver. Some are worse than others. Did your doc, Colleen, say anything about that? Yet, part of the treatment seems to require an AD to counter sides of the treament for your liver. Confusing dilemma. Scary too. Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 I'll bet you're still in shock. I know I would be. Hard to wrap your brain around something like that. Please, keep me updated on what's going on? Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 Yes, I'll keep you updated. For these next two months my job is to lose weight and exercise. The treatment for hepatitis C doesn't work as well in overweight people. Colleen Barbara <bjarrett@...> wrote: I'll bet you're still in shock. I know I would be. Hard to wrap your brain around something like that. Please, keep me updated on what's going on? Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 I've lost 20 pounds so far in a bit less than two months. Low fat, high fiber and cut out much of the refined sugar like what I was using in my coffee. I went to Splenda instead. Lottsa fresh fruits and veggies too. I've not had to do anything extraordinary as far as exercise and no starving myself. This is how I knew this time and last time that it was the SSRI that was causing the weight gain. With a bit more effort towards walking I'll bet I could have doubled my loss. And remember, you can carry more muscle than fat. ;-) Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 I've given up the sugar. Today at work I even turned down a piece of cake that really looked yummy. Although it was nice to look at, I wasn't really tempted. After not having refined sugar for three days, you don't crave it anymore. Colleen Barbara <bjarrett@...> wrote: I've lost 20 pounds so far in a bit less than two months. Low fat, high fiber and cut out much of the refined sugar like what I was using in my coffee. I went to Splenda instead. Lottsa fresh fruits and veggies too. I've not had to do anything extraordinary as far as exercise and no starving myself. This is how I knew this time and last time that it was the SSRI that was causing the weight gain. With a bit more effort towards walking I'll bet I could have doubled my loss. And remember, you can carry more muscle than fat. ;-) Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 I am at least 50 pounds overweight. I have started walking but I finished off a half gallon of ice cream in two days but thats all I ate. I really have to stop these binges because I want to be treated also before I get more damage. Sounds like you are doing good. Keep posting as you are a great encouragement for me. Let us know when you are going to begin treatment. Good luck with the weight loss, you can do it. MsTigerHawk <tigerhawksoars@...> wrote: I've given up the sugar. Today at work I even turned down a piece of cake that really looked yummy. Although it was nice to look at, I wasn't really tempted. After not having refined sugar for three days, you don't crave it anymore. Colleen Barbara <bjarrett@...> wrote: I've lost 20 pounds so far in a bit less than two months. Low fat, high fiber and cut out much of the refined sugar like what I was using in my coffee. I went to Splenda instead. Lottsa fresh fruits and veggies too. I've not had to do anything extraordinary as far as exercise and no starving myself. This is how I knew this time and last time that it was the SSRI that was causing the weight gain. With a bit more effort towards walking I'll bet I could have doubled my loss. And remember, you can carry more muscle than fat. ;-) Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 My appointment with the clinic is October 29. I'm assuming that's when I'll get my first shot of interferon and my ribavirin capsules. Of course I'm not looking forward to it, but the alternative isn't so hot, either. Colleen Catron <beatch38@...> wrote: I am at least 50 pounds overweight. I have started walking but I finished off a half gallon of ice cream in two days but thats all I ate. I really have to stop these binges because I want to be treated also before I get more damage. Sounds like you are doing good. Keep posting as you are a great encouragement for me. Let us know when you are going to begin treatment. Good luck with the weight loss, you can do it. MsTigerHawk wrote: I've given up the sugar. Today at work I even turned down a piece of cake that really looked yummy. Although it was nice to look at, I wasn't really tempted. After not having refined sugar for three days, you don't crave it anymore. Colleen Barbara wrote: I've lost 20 pounds so far in a bit less than two months. Low fat, high fiber and cut out much of the refined sugar like what I was using in my coffee. I went to Splenda instead. Lottsa fresh fruits and veggies too. I've not had to do anything extraordinary as far as exercise and no starving myself. This is how I knew this time and last time that it was the SSRI that was causing the weight gain. With a bit more effort towards walking I'll bet I could have doubled my loss. And remember, you can carry more muscle than fat. ;-) Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 That's very true. The more sugar you eat the more you crave. Was it chocolate cake? I'd have a very hard time turning that down. ;-) Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 I'm at least 100 pounds overweight and do the same thing if I buy a half gallon of ice cream. From now on I'm just going to get a pint when I go to the store. I'm trying to lose weight but sometimes it just seems like " what the hell difference does it make? " Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 No, it was yellow cake with yummy looking frosting. I can't eat dark chocolate. I get an almost immediate headache. Colleen Barbara <bjarrett@...> wrote: That's very true. The more sugar you eat the more you crave. Was it chocolate cake? I'd have a very hard time turning that down. ;-) Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 Well, it does make a great big difference in the way you feel physically, the way you feel about yourself, and how long you live. Obesity causes many serious health problems, including stroke, heart attack, gall bladder problems, fatty liver - which can lead to cirhossis, and lots of other not-fun diseases. We who are overweight need to lose the excess pounds for ourselves. It's one way of showing that we care about our own health. If we don't care about ourselves, no one else will care about us, either. Colleen M L Baldwin <txcookie@...> wrote: I'm at least 100 pounds overweight and do the same thing if I buy a half gallon of ice cream. From now on I'm just going to get a pint when I go to the store. I'm trying to lose weight but sometimes it just seems like " what the hell difference does it make? " Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 Oh! I'm sorry! I couldn't live without my dark chocolate! ;-) I'm a self-admitted chocoholic. Barbara Re: OT: Colleen's News You're right, we who have hep C must never drink alcohol at all. They have found that smoking pot almost makes your liver disease progress. I need to talk to my primary care physician to see if I should up my Lexapro dosage to 20 mg in preparation for the treatment. Colleen Catron wrote: No I don't know how long I have had it, and the doctor supposedly sent instructions to the lab to get my genotype but he never got it back. I will be making an appt. with a different doctor, I spoke to one who thinks I should be treated, the other said it was up to me, But they are partners so I don't get it. They are the only two in the area I live. I was diagnosed at least 5 yrs ago in a blood test. I am guessing about when I got it maybe 8 yrs ago, because I would get deathly ill when I drank and my liver hurt, so I think I may have got it then. But it could have been 15 to 20 yrs I don't know. I don't drink any longer because it makes me ill and I don't enjoy it any more, plus I know its bad for my liver. MsTigerHawk wrote: Do you know how long you've had Hep C or what your genotype is? Colleen Catron wrote: Colleen, I heard treatment doesn't work as well on people that are overweight, I wondered why, I guess you have explained that to me, (the liver gets fatty?) I have gained a large amount of weight in the last year in a half, So I need to diet too, lose weight, my hep Doc. told me to come back in 6 months, the more I hear, the more I think I should go for treatment sooner than later, I heard the tx is rough, but the people in hep. c group help each other get thru it. I found it on . I hope and pray for the best for you and if you need someone to talk to please talk to me, though I will be learning from you, maybe you also need someone who has been thru treatment already, but I guess since you ran a group you already know someone. Thank you for sharing your experience, As it may save me from learning the hard way. I have been afraid of treatment because I already have depression and psychriatric issues, I know the treatment probably will make these worse, but if it will lengthen the life of me and my liver I am willing to go thru it. I have to try anyway. Hearing your story just reaffirms it for me that I need to be treated. Thank you God Bless, MsTigerHawk wrote: Hi , I wish I had done the treatment right after the second biopsy, but my doctor said I had time to wait for a better treatment. Now I don't have time anymore. My hepatologist didn't expect my condition to worsen so quickly and so severely. Apparently it's rare, but it does happen. I used to go to a local Hepatitis C support group and there were a couple of people there that happened to. I asked my doctor why and he said it can happen for one of three reasons. If one is a drinker, if one smokes marijuana, and if you have fatty liver. I don't smoke pot or drink and haven't in over 35 years, but I do have fatty liver. Well they knew that after the first and second biopsy, so I think they should have recommended treatment. I asked whether if I lost weight, if the fatty liver would go away or diminish, and I was told that yes, it would. So I have two months to get my weight down and then October 29 I start treatment. By the way, they want you to be on antidepressants before you start treatment, as serious depression and even suicide can be a side effect for many people of this treatment. And a few even become homicidal. Some people breeze right through it, although almost everyone gets the flu like symptoms the body aches and joint pain, fatigue and headaches. Well, good luck to both of us. I'm a genotype 1b so I have a 35 - 40% chance of clearing the virus after 48 weeks of treatment. I used to run a Hepatitis C support group. I thought I didn't have to worry much about the Hep C anymore because after the second biopsy the doctor said I'll die with the hepatitis C virus, not of it. That might not be true anymore... Colleen Catron wrote: HI Colleen, I " m sorry to hear about your biopsy, I just had one done and I am stage one , I have hep. C, and am thinking of getting treatment anyway as my viral load is high. I hear the treatment is very hard on you. Causes severe depression, , Colleen have you ever checked out hep C group, there are alot of caring people there who have alot of information. I was in the group but found myself to emotional to interact with people so I left the group, I learned alot from those in the group though and appreciated the time I belonged there. I am shocked that your liver jumped from one to three in four years, As I just had a biopsy I am wondering if the same will happen to me, thats why I'm thinking of the possibility of treatment before liver damage. Good Luck and God Bless. MsTigerHawk wrote: I got all moved into my new apartment. It sure was hard getting my oversized couch up the stairs, and it wouldn't fit in the elevator or around the stairs landing. My sons tried for two days and finally got it in here but put a dent in the stairway wall. I'll have to pay for that, but it was worth it to get my couch in. It's only 1 1/2 years old. I got very bad news from my hepatitis doctor. I went in to get the results of the biopsy I had a couple of weeks ago. The condition of my liver has greatly progressed. It's far worse than I or the doctor anticipated. It was stage one, grade one four years ago, and so was the biopsy I had four years before that. This time, though, it jumped all the way up to stage 3 1/2, grade two, with mild cirhossis. I was so shocked to hear that. I felt like crying. Oh well, ya gotta die from somethin.' At the end of October I have to go on treatment, which is a combination of interferon and ribavirin. They both have really bad side effects. I'm not looking forward to it. If treatment doesn't clear the virus, and the cirhossis gets a lot worse, I'll have to be on a waiting list for a liver transplant. How ironic for someone who has never been a drinker. Colleen ************************************************* I cannot live without books. --- Jefferson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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