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  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

terrified! just found out i have hep c

It IS terrifying and this is america. It makes me furious. I rarely go to a doctor no matter what. I can never afford it.:X The only reason my husband got the cancer treatments he needed was because he now qualifies for medicare and VA benefits. Oh, and the republicans want to take that away too. Obamacare is a drop in the bucket. You can no longer be denied because of a pre-existing condition (that is one of the effects of his health care reform), but because the insurance companies are for profit they can charge you some astronomical premium which you can't afford; so you are denied anyway. Insurance is a cruel joke IMO.
 
^ wow herby that was probly the least encouraging thing i have ever seen you post... but of course i appreciate the honesty and I am glad your husband was able to get his cancer treatments
and he didnt have to go all "breaking bad" - sorry i had to throw that in there
 
Also I know this is a horrible thing to say but also an important question.... everything you read says GET TESTED for HCV HIV etc. etc.

however does this mean that getting tested is bad unless you are sure you can keep your health insurance around....?
 
^yeah, I'm afraid even I can't spin the american health care system into anything positive. As far as getting tested though, t is always better to know and to know sooner so that you can start getting some kind of treatment. There is usually a way even if it means debt forever. I'm just really sorry that you are having to deal with this right now. My only advice is to try your hardest not to stress about what you are going to do in the future. Stress affects your baby and these last months can not be repeated ever. Try to just focus on the present for now. Are there any forums for people with Hep C? I am wondering if people might share ways they have dealt with getting treatment if they can't get coverage?
 
On a more positive note I broke the news to my dad that i have hcv. He actually seems to have taken it very well and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. He still is proud of me for my positive changes and he understands that its something that happened in my past.
 
herbavore said:
It IS terrifying and this is america. It makes me furious. I rarely go to a doctor no matter what. I can never afford it.:X The only reason my husband got the cancer treatments he needed was because he now qualifies for medicare and VA benefits. Oh, and the republicans want to take that away too. Obamacare is a drop in the bucket. You can no longer be denied because of a pre-existing condition (that is one of the effects of his health care reform), but because the insurance companies are for profit they can charge you some astronomical premium which you can't afford; so you are denied anyway. Insurance is a cruel joke IMO.
Click to expand...

I can only imagine how you and countless other Americans must feel regarding your healthcare system. It's set up in a way that the rich profit and the poor suffer. And if that isn't unethical then I don't know what is.
 
It is not only the health care system, big pharma want to make money too. I also had Hep C 1a. I got 48 weeks Peginterferon Alpha 2a. And this was a miniscule amount of 8,6 mg (!) which they charged 12.000€ off my insurance. I also needed the ribavirin which was another 9000€. I live in germany with national halth care system so i must admit pharma trys to make some extra bucks with us, we are notorious for the highest pharma prices in europe.

Dont be too worried about Hep c, even typ 1a has a good chance for SVR (= sustained virological response). Adverse effects from Interferon/Ribavirin can be serious, but if you are young and otherwise healthy its shouldnt be too bad. My worst problem was a deficit in red and white blood cells wich made me extremly tired. A ride with the bicycle was almost too much to take for me. I also lost weight, despite the fact i ate lots of sweets. I think this is due to loss in muscle mass. I have to say the symtomps worsen over time, and i had almost no problem till i reached 24 weeks. In the beginning i also had some mild flue like symtomps and back to the end i also had depressions ( with suicidal thoughts). But i have to admit i was still using i.v. all the time. For the average person this may sound like unacceptable side effects, but i am so glad my virological load is no more messurable. It was my first step on my recovery from drug addiction. Six month later i got clean.
 
trip407 said:
It is not only the health care system, big pharma want to make money too. I also had Hep C 1a. I got 48 weeks Peginterferon Alpha 2a. And this was a miniscule amount of 8,6 mg (!) which they charged 12.000€ off my insurance. I also needed the ribavirin which was another 9000€. I live in germany with national halth care system so i must admit pharma trys to make some extra bucks with us, we are notorious for the highest pharma prices in europe.

Dont be too worried about Hep c, even typ 1a has a good chance for SVR (= sustained virological response). Adverse effects from Interferon/Ribavirin can be serious, but if you are young and otherwise healthy its shouldnt be too bad. My worst problem was a deficit in red and white blood cells wich made me extremly tired. A ride with the bicycle was almost too much to take for me. I also lost weight, despite the fact i ate lots of sweets. I think this is due to loss in muscle mass. I have to say the symtomps worsen over time, and i had almost no problem till i reached 24 weeks. In the beginning i also had some mild flue like symtomps and back to the end i also had depressions ( with suicidal thoughts). But i have to admit i was still using i.v. all the time. For the average person this may sound like unacceptable side effects, but i am so glad my virological load is no more messurable. It was my first step on my recovery from drug addiction. Six month later i got clean.
Click to expand...

thank you for this post.... All my tests came back normal except for mildly elevated liver enzymes.... I feel I shouldnt rush into treatment like this. Especially considering hcv is generally very slowly progressing and maybe in ten years treatment will be something that wont be soooooo physcially and emotionally challenging

and congrats on the successful treatment.... thats amazing :)
 
I've known that I've had hepatitis C for about 12 years although I probably became infected 30 years ago. I remember the shock of the diagnosis. After years of bi-annual blood tests and liver biopsies every five years, I was offered treatment for the first time yesterday. I must admit that I'm quite daunted by the prospects of the treatment.

The good news is that for most people, hepatitis C has a very long incubation period - it doesn't cause usually cause any damage until at least a decade after infection (and, as in my case, often many decades - I still suffer from no significant liver damage)

This means that time is very much on your side if you were recently infected. The success rates of the treatments (especially for genotype 1 -previously the hardest type to treat) have improved significantly over the years.

I was advised that I have two options -

1) to begin treatment now (weekly interferon/riboferon injections + daily tablets for up to 48 weeks). This option has 70% chance of clearing the virus completely

2) to wait a few more years whilst tests on other treatment options are completed

The doctor advised me that it looked like the treatments currently under development (not involving interferon/riboferon) will probably have far fewer side effects as well as a far greater probability of clearing the virus.

So for people who have been infected within the last few years, the prognosis looks quite good.

I'm lucky to live in the UK where we still have a National Health Service that provides such treatments. I don't know how available they are in the United States where treatment may be dependent upon insurance. Perhaps you should make lobbying for universal healthcare part of your recovery plan.

One last word of advice - think very carefully about who you tell that you have hepatitis C - there are some stupid people about, and the expressions of their bigotry and prejudice around this disease can be hurtful

Good luck - best wishes for you and your baby
 
If you ever need someone to talk to OP, I'm here for you. you can PM me
I had a baby via c-section 2 and a half years ago so I got some insight on that stuff
I hope you and your little one are doing well
 
thank you guys for bumping this thread.... well somewhat good news at my last blood draw my liver enzymes significantly improved - they are still higher than normal but about half of what they were at my test that was 12 weeks ago :)
and my doc told me that at this point a natural delivery would pose no extra risk to the baby.... same with breastfeeding (just no cracked or bleeding nipples)

i also just started milk thistle supplements - i researched them and it says that they are not only beneficial to the liver but also traditionally used by pregnant women - of course i will run it by my doc next week when i go in
 
Hey Tacky, I was having the same problem with Medicaid refusing to pay for the meds. I was able to get the sovaldi and ribavirin free of charge from the manufacturers patient assistance programs. (I'm in my second month of treatment) Don't give up hope! <3
 
Hello Tacky,

please read publications from Jim Humble and his MMS. It cures Hepa C also.
And do not let irritate yourself from ppl how are saying this is poisioness. They have no clue.
It is only Chloride not Chlorite - Cholride is worldwide used to clean water bottles. It is food safe. Metabolizes in the body only to salt and oxygene.

If you wan't to know more. Can tell you long stories about this wonderful stuff.


Best Regards
LifeIsStrange



Edit: Got a big fight with my medical care - they will not give me an ID card - so no doctor helps me. I have learned a lot of the human body. For 5-6 years it was only a hobby (survival training) - since them I am also using Chloride. But now since this year I have to cure everything by myself. Fuck big pharma. They make you often sicker then you even was or curing only the symptoms. I cured by myself for example: Every type of flue, Lyme disease, bacteria infections that I can not determine, wound infections even pain attacks, in the last years. In South Africa and India they cure always Malaria with this substance - because it is so cheap. I pay only 20 Euros for 200 ml. And you need only a few drops. Give it a try. I will be just oxygen and salt. I even sew sores - because as a hardcore survival man, sometimes you get heavily cut. (DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME) :)


--- As always - Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, what you do, do it on your on risk.
 
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I realize this probably isn't the type of advice you're looking for but.. if you're religious at all, PRAY. It won't take away your ailment, but I'm 100 percent certain it will help you deal with it. God will take the burden off of your shoulders and put it on his own. I will be praying for you as well. You have a huge support team; God and ALL of us here at Blue Light. :)
 
Yes can confirm that. The Lord Jesus Christ is the solution...

... for me and for everybody - if wanted. ;)
 
I'm so sorry you have gotten diagnosed with hep c that is one of the worst feelings and I couldn't imagine being pregnant when I found out. All I did was step on my ex bfs needle and got it from him when I was only like 18, I'm 23 now, and honestly if I didn't know I already had it I would have no idea. I have no signs or symptoms or problems. Now on the other side he totally does. He has also had it for like 15 years almost and is a raging alcoholic. He's had lots of problems but that's honestly just because of the drinking. Just keep your head held high. You will get through this just don't go back to drinking all the time and doing drugs and you will be healthy for a very very long time.
 
So you also diagnosed with Hep C? Then read my long post above. I am sure this can help you too...
 
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