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most have no health issues but they die from something else?
say what?
that's what I said and I stand by it. I have a very close family member who was dignosed with Hep C about 10 years ago through routine bloodwork. She has NO symptoms, is never sick and her yearly blood work-up since the diagnosis has been normal. Her doctors told her to not drink alcohol and that she would die from something one day but it wouldn't be from this.
Now everyone freaking chill out.......I know what I know from experiencing this with a loved one.
Edit to add: I had totally forgotten my uncle has it as well. Totally forgot he has it because he too has NO symptoms,normal levels and no treatment is required. He's never ill and he too was told to just not drink and carry on as though he were never given the diagnosis.
Last edited by PippySkiddles; 10-18-2011 at 05:54 PM..
Reason: added information
Pippy, your information is ALMOST true. And that's what makes it dangerous. You left out a couple of very important words: who are recently infected.
People who are -recently- infected - meaning, they haven't had it for awhile - have no symptoms. This is absolutely true.
However, if it isn't caught in time, it leads to cirrhosis, which can be deadly. People infected with Hep C don't usually know there's any need to even go to a doctor until they're at mid-stage. At that point, they develop any or all of many symptoms: jaundice, dark urine, fatigue, itching, loss of appetite and nausea, and others.
So yes, early on in the initial stage of infection with Hep C, it's unlikely to have any symptoms at all. But to say that people with Hep C don't have symptoms, without that "early phase" qualification, is absolutely untrue.
perhaps in some case it can lead to liver damage and death but the fact remains that many,many people have Hep C and never know it and it never causes any problems. Ever.
"Most people with Hep C have no health issues and most die from something else,never knowing they even had Hep C."
It's the sentence structure.
That they have no health issues but die from something else besides Hep C .... the sentence makes no sense unless i'm drunk which i'm not and never am.
that's what I said and I stand by it. I have a very close family member who was dignosed with Hep C about 10 years ago through routine bloodwork. She has NO symptoms, is never sick and her yearly blood work-up since the diagnosis has been normal. Her doctors told her to not drink alcohol and that she would die from something one day but it wouldn't be from this.
Now everyone freaking chill out.......I know what I know from experiencing this with a loved one.
Edit to add: I had totally forgotten my uncle has it as well. Totally forgot he has it because he too has NO symptoms,normal levels and no treatment is required. He's never ill and he too was told to just not drink and carry on as though he were never given the diagnosis.
Have they seen a doctor who specializes in Hep C and the liver? If not, they should IMMEDIATELY. They should not be relying on what a GP tells them.
At the minimum they should have blood tests every six months to check their viral load. That's the bare MINIMUM.
I'm glad your relatives are OK but it is very dangerous for people to think Hep C is something you can just "forget" and go on your merry way.
Have they seen a doctor who specializes in Hep C and the liver? If not, they should IMMEDIATELY. They should not be relying on what a GP tells them.
At the minimum they should have blood tests every six months to check their viral load. That's the bare minimum.
I'm glad your relatives are OK but it is very dangerous for people to think Hep C is something you can just "forget" and go on your merry way.
yes they see a doctor specializing in such--not a GP.
My uncle was diagnosed at least 15 years ago. They aren't checked every 6 months but are once a year. All levels remain normal.
Perhaps they are in the minority. I had truly all but forgotten my uncle was diagnosed with it. It's such a non-issue in his life.
With my female relative, I actually drove her to her specialist one day and was sitting there when he said," most people go their entire lives not ever knowing they've had Hep C. You will die from something-one day-but it won't be from this."
Both live a normal life;albeit one that does not include alcoholic beverages; but otherwise they are fine.
"Most people with Hep C have no health issues and most die from something else,never knowing they even had Hep C."
It's the sentence structure.
That they have no health issues but die from something else besides Hep C .... the sentence makes no sense unless i'm drunk which i'm not and never am.
perhaps in some case it can lead to liver damage and death but the fact remains that many,many people have Hep C and never know it and it never causes any problems. Ever.
And the fact remains that it can and does lead to liver damage and death in MANY, MANY people. And greatly reduces the quality of life for MANY, MANY people who have it.
You have NO idea how lucky they are that Hep C hasn't caused them any suffering.
I have family and friends that have not been so blessed. When it rears it's head it is an ugly, ugly disease.
I totally agree. In fact I have had 4 friends die in the last 2 years due to liver problems. I understand my relatives are not the norm but the fact remains they are healthy. I get that they are the lucky ones but there are others out there like them; living their lives with or without the knowledge that they have Hep C
I have read up on it a lot (becuz i like to learn about such things), and many people feel the treatment is worse than anything you'll ever suffer from the disease - except for death - of course!
The treatments can supposedly affect your mind very much also. And yes you get severe body aches and weakness, but as people who go thru chemo know - sometimes you do what you have to do to stay alive.
That's all true. I've heard one doctor describe the treatment as the "hardest kick in the a## imaginable".
Your friend will be needing people in his life he can rely on. If he is like most people getting treatment his life will change dramatically and he may be unable to do things as simple as make his own bed.
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