Most of you know I have Hep. C, after a year on combo treatment and 6 months off I am now (and still) clear. I am a fortunate woman. Only 30% clear on this form of combo.
But to the artical linked to below the newer combo using pegylated interferon (which only has to be injested once a week instead of the three times that regular interferon does) and ribavirin the chances are even better !
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/1296537
I go back in July for one more test ! Woo Hoo !
Congratulations on your treatment and thanks for the info. I’ll pass it along to my brother although he is treated at the V.A.
Violet,
Thanks.
If your brother started treatment in the past year then he should at least be on regular combo, my first round of treatment was interferon alone for two years and I relapsed, hardly any doctors go that way now. If for some reason that fails him then he may still be able to go to the pegylated version of combo. There is always hope with the new research going on.
The main thing now is to educate people about the disease and how it is spread and encourage people to be tested. So many people do not understand this disease and for that reason some fear even being around those of us who have it. Ignorance can be ugly.
If your brother has a computer you might want to send him the link in my sig. line or maybe print out some of the information on the site and send it to him, the more he knows about Hep. C the better he will be able to make decisions on his treatment.
I wish your brother a sustained response and a cure for us all !
Congratulations, Ayesha! That’s excellent news! I’ve been treating my Hep C with Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. Works for me. PLUS it leaves me feeling really good after each treatment.
I really appreciate this thread Ayesha. I was diagnosed with Hep C a few months ago and I’ve been stunned ever since.
My doctor’s reaction was essentially that I have no problems now, I won’t be eligible for Interferon unless it gets a lot worse, and no need to worry. I’ve been stewing and uncertain.
Just glancing at those links has me feeling stronger. I really appreciate this, and will stay in touch.
Redboss
Well you guys are now in celebrity company with your ailment. Good luck with your recoveries!
Thanks, Ayesha, for the info. & encouragement regarding my brother. He may have advanced problems because I heard he was going to have a liver biopsy. I haven’t seen him in a long time & need to visit him this year. Any way, when I found out he had it, I had myself tested (that was a few years ago), & thankfully I’m fine. I have sent info. over the years because he doesn’t use the Internet.
It seems some areas are making big efforts to educate the public. I’ve seen billboards encouraging people to get tested. Best of luck to everyone.
That isn’t the only celebrity example: remember about 10 years ago when Naomi Judd announced she was leaving show biz (I was sorry because I liked Judd Sr. wayyy more than Judd Jr.) because she had to deal with Hep C. Several years go by. Naomi’s still going strong! She’s back! This shows that it does not necessarily have to wreck your life. Dr. Andrew Weil says, "In my experience, many people can live with chronic hepatitis and live well."
Question related to Pammie’s situation…
She says she caught it from Tommy, from sharing a tattoo needle. That means it was during their marriage. If she caught it then, she may have already had it while pregnant. Can Hep C be passed from mother to child, especially if it isn’t detected until well after the birth? Are her two little boys at risk of having Hep C if she’s right about how she caught it?
First of all, congrats AYESHA.
CAZZLE asked:
The passing of HCV across the placenta from mother to baby is known as vertical transmission and vertical transmission rates are 5% (up to 35% in conjunction with HIV) (http://www.womens-health.co.uk/hcv.htm). A Google search for “HCV vertical transmission rates” proved very useful obtaining this information 
I was diagnosed HCV+ in 1997, and underwent a liver biopsy. I was told that my portal duct was “shot”, but that lobular scarring was minimal. Good news and bad news.
The hospital specialist essentially told me “no further action” until I start going downhill (REDBOSS - I think I understand how you feel)’
On the whole I guess that I’m lucky (being asymptomatic), and only having to report for blood tests every year.
TATTOO NEEDLE?
tattoo needle?
AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! TATTOO NEEDLE?
Yeah, right.
“Haven’t you finished with your tattoo yet? I’m hanging out bad here! Come on hand it over! hurry up hurry up!”
"Cool it babe, I’m almost finished this skull - ahh yes, that’s it that’s it…’
“Don’t drop the needle you fool!”
“Yeah that’s it …”
“Gimme the ink, gotta have ink, gotta have ink-”
Cool it …uh…babe…uh… pammy babe…"
“M… got it… O… nearly finished… M… ah yes… yes!…”
“See babe, see what I mean…??”
"oh yeeeees…uh… "
“Pammy? …uh. Pammy?.. oh no, she’s overtattooed again… well I’m not calling the medic this time…”
and so on.
as Ms Krabapel would say, “Ha!”
There’s no need to speculate on the causes of a condition like this. Focussing on treatment outcomes is more useful to all of us.
Redink