What to expect

Hi people, I have had Hep C for many many years. I have not a drop of alcohol in about 15 years.  I am on Methadone. I work fulltime. I have not done any interferon or anyhting like that.

I have been thinking: what is going to happen? Am I just all of the sudden going to die from this? I try to be relatively healthy but to be honest I could do better.

In order for me to keep my serenity alive, and to stay good at my job I have to feel like there is something to live for. For so long while I was using I was in such a negative, selfpitying, suicidal, defeatist mindset. I just didn't care if I lived or died. But today I try to work, give back to people, not to be selfish and always all dramatic about stuff. I have given up some lifestyles that in themsleves are not bad, but that in my case led me to bad thinkiong and made me act out in a negative manner.

Can it happen that maybe one can live with this condition if it is not aggravated too badly all the time? And what exactly does aggravate it?

Thank you

Drugstore (I realize this might not be the healthiest surname but it is easy for me to remember)

Hi, Drugstore, and welcome to the forum!  Is your hepatitis C chronic active?  If so, no, you won't just suddenly die.  I have hep C, diagnosed in '93, and cirrhosis.  I tried interferon treatment (the only thing available back then) and developed very low white counts, so was taken off treatment.  It didn't seem to be working for me, anyway.  So I coasted along, doing nothing treatment-wise, but had stopped drinking 6 years prior to diagnosis (and stopped using drugs long before that.)  So I was a little surprised (and a lot afraid) to learn in '95 that I had liver cancer.  Thanks to Mayo Jacksonville, I'm still here, minus most of my liver.

Is there a reason you haven't tried treatment for hep C?  I don't know if you could remain on methadone if you were on treatment.  Do you know if methadone is harmful to your liver?  I assume you are using it to stay clean.  (I kicked H cold turkey in '69 and have never gone back.)

What aggravates hep C?  Alcohol is #1.  Drugs that are harmful to the liver.  Lack of rest.  Poor diet (try to eat fresh fruits and veggies and avoid beef.)  Stress.  I'm impressed that you are able to work full time.  I found the fatigue so overwhelming that I could only work P/T from '93 until 2005, when I got SSD approval.

I can tell you that without treatment, you will eventually probably develop cirrhosis or liver cancer or both.  It does take time for this to happen, but if you can possibly get treatment and it works for you--then you will avoid a premature death.

Oldfriend, methadone might be a good pain med for your dad.  Speak to his doctor about it.  Of course, he can't take that AND opium!