worried

[willemina]

hello i have just been told i have heppatitis i have had another blood test to confirm what strain.. should i be worried and will i have to make a lot of changes i have a drink only friday and saturday. my diet is not too bad any advice or info is apprecieated ty

[sumonelse]

Hi,

I have only just recently be diagnosed with hep c. So I have been doing a lot of research and talking to doctors (although my referral to a specialist is not until mid June!). So I am no expert - please bear that in mind. These are just my thoughts.

I think I contracted it over 30 years ago and I have been drinking normally all that time (quite a lot sometimes). I have only just recently had abnormal liver function test which was the reason for further investigation and the hep c diagnosis. I have had an ultrasound scan where everything looked good.

So what I am saying is that you can live with hep c for a long time without it affecting you. I do not know about hepatitis A and B. I have given up drink totally until we have got to the bottom of what genotype I have and what my treatment (if any is going to be). A doctor I know personally thinks that its a bit over the top and I don't have to be that careful but if its what I want to do then fine. I am sure you can have a little drink now and again unless you have severe liver damage as well.

I still have no symptoms apart from an abnormal liver function test. My world came crashing down when I was first told but now realise that things are not necessarily that bad. It is difficult when you don't know exactly what you have and what the treatment will be. I am surprised you have not been told which type of hepititas you have.

Good luck

[Just-cured in reply to sumonelse]

Hi

I too was very worried when I was diagnosed last August 2016 with type 1b.

I'm not sure how long I had it and like you, was shocked and to a degree embarrassed I had this.

My specialist was great. Told me not to worry, treatment these days have changed so much and the type I had was now the easiest to treat (albeit expensive).

I had all the 'before treatment tests'

I decided to start treatment over Christmas as I didn't want time off work and I thought I'd get side effects from the drugs. This was my secret apart from my partner and close friends

My clinic staff were lovely. Explained everything and confirmed that I'd attend the clinic for 1 hour every 4 weeks. I started taking the drugs and they were great. They did a test at week 2 which showed they virus had reduced to almost nothing. I finished the course and all looks good. I've been told that the failure rate it so low, they've never had a failure.

So, what I'm trying to say is that at first it's terrrible until you get your head around it.

The treatment is nothing like it has been before. You've never had a better time to be diagnosed. Treatments are changing all the time. Even if the treatment for your type isn't as mine, it probably will be soon. And I mean very soon. They released a 12 week course of drugs for type 3 this March (2017). People have been waiting for that for years

Reduce your drinking, your liver has eneough to contend with. However, moderation is key. My specialist said that she didn't want to be feel like failure if I tried to go T total on day one so a glass of wine now and then was fine. i decided not to though.

Once your treatment options have been discussed, look at the type they are suggesting and start if you can. It's the best thing I ever did.

The NHS are brilliant when you're really ill.

[HFIAdmin]

Hi,

I'm also surprised that you weren't told which type of hepatitis you have. Is it safe to assume that you were told that you have hepatitis C?

Medicine is usually prescribed to slow or stop HCV from further damaging the liver. Treatment may last between 24 to 48 weeks. It is curable (the virus clears from the body). This is also known as a sustained virologic response (SVR) referring that you'll be virus free indefinitely.

I would recommend staying away from alcohol because can affect the liver.

Hope this helps! Let us know how your second blood test goes so we could be of further help. You're welcome!