tired

im so tired all the time. just lose my energy right after morning everyday. any suggestions for this?

Hi Z,

Welcome to the forum.

How about tell us about yourself...your diagnosis, your meds, AND how you feel. Most here on this forum either have or are the caregiver/partner/loved one of a person with liver disease.

Which is rough..and tiredness is something they all deal with to some extent.

Best,

Mama Lama

Z,

Hep C is forever. Mike is sure he got it in 1969 or 1970 and he had one active episode in the early 1980s. He was tired all the time and actually missed 6 months of work. And it wasn't even called Hep C then...they hadn't "discovered" it yet. By the mid 1990's he was feeling tired all the time and went to the doctor, they diagnosed Hep C. In 2003 he went through a 6 month treatment with the combo drugs...Interferon and Ribavarin. He did not clear the virus. In 2009 he really started to feel ill and finally in 2011 he had a liver transplant.

So, the point...Hep C can have acute and chronic phases. You may have an acute phase now.

But the really bad part about Hep C is that it gradually kills off your liver. Over a long long time.

The trick, since you are young and have a good chance of living a full life, is to get into a Hepatologist, have all the tests run, find out how bad this is right away, and get on a Treatment program with one of the new drugs...either the COMBO with one of the new ones -- Incivik, etc. You start on the new drug with the Interferon and Ribavarin for about 3 months, clearn the virus and then stay on the COMBO for another 3+ months to be sure it is gone. There are newer drugs coming down the line. Talk to the doc.

If you don't clear the virus or don't even do a treatment regimen you may have chronic Hep C and your life expectancy may be shortened bar transplantation. Hep C is the most frequent need for transplantation in the US today.

If you don't clear the virus you leave youself open to Liver Cancer as well.

In addition to treatment there are some important life style changes that are important -- NO ALCOHOL EVER. That is DONE. Unless you want the virus to have its way with you MUCH quicker.

And you need to eat a healthy diet...plenty of fruits and veggies, little or no red meat (choose lentils, beans, chicken and fish for protien sources.) Put away your salt shaker.

With a good lifestyle, even if treatment doesn't work, you will have years and years before this becomes a crisis....but start now. Try to get treated or get into a trial.

You might want to think about NO SMOKING and NO RECREATIONAL drugs as well. If you need a transplant, this will become important.

I hope you have medical insurance or qualify for Medicaid. The treatment drugs are expensive.

This is more serious than being a little tired.

Best,

Mama Lama

Mama Lama gave you very good advice. First thing is to go to a hepatologist and find out the condition of your liver.