TOPIC:

No sex drive here and if I don't treat soon, probably no teeth either !

I'm 51 and have hep for around 30 years
12 years ago my liver biopsy showed 3/4, a very bad result
3 years ago I had a VL of 5 million +
My AST ALT have dropped to 116 and 184 respectively
Unfortunately my Protein and Globulin have increased to 89 and 44 - not sure what that really means, but it's not a good sign

Funny thing is, if anyone were to ask me if i feel any symptoms, i would say 'not really'
After reading everyone else's symptoms i'm wondering if it's my age or if I've had it so long any symptoms are normal

The only symptom i can say is definitely hep related was the over the top hangovers which is how i discovered it
i don't think I get overly tired, but I work from home, so that's a bonus
I can ache, but only after a lot of exercise - I just went away with a friend and did an 11.5 hour killer hike and we both suffered equally - during and after
And we were able to continue drinking the next night as usual (yes - I am stupid in that respect, but hey..I am who I am)
I ride a mountain bike and can take some good hits, but don't seem to bruise excessively and recover normally
If sex drive is feeling horny, then any decrease in that i would see as a bonus lol
All in all, I don't feel much different to any other 51 year olds, except maybe better
I'm hoping after tx starts I'll feel like someone put a rocket under me

I've kept my hep in the back of my mind for 13 years now and only since coming on here it has forced it's way to the front
I became quite worried initially as it seems most symptoms seem to start late 50's early 60's
Good thing about all this is that i can see a change of life style coming - especially after my fibroscan in January
The biggest negative for me is that riding bikes goes with drinking beer, so for the next 6 months at least i need to deal with that

I've since made peace with the likelihood that I will not be living a long life - it's just another shithouse family legacy
As hep c tx is advancing I hope options for dying will advance by the time i get really sick
And rather than hanging around as a miserable burden i can choose a quick exit if liver cancer or failure eventuates

Anyhoo, as you say, onward and upward and I sincerely hope that everybody here gets cured and can move on with a more normal life
The opportunity to be cured on our terms is beyond belief really. When I first read the article, i put it into the too good to be true category but had to check it out anyway
The good doctor, the buyers club and everyone here are incredible and anyone who disagrees needs to do some research and get educated and get real

I think most of us are used to the symptoms e.g.feeling tired

Hey I remember years ago when I didn't realise I had the virus, I would get terrible hang overs, never realised that was probably from the hep!!

Also, does anyone think the virus affects your memory.

My son's memory's BAD, could it be the hep? or just a normal teenager lazy thing ?

Teenagers will use any excuse to forget things !

My memory is very bad too. Can't remember whether I lock the door

Teenagers will use any excuse to forget things !

Ha!! yeah that'd be right

And we were able to continue drinking the next night as usual (yes - I am stupid in that respect, but hey..I am who I am)
I ride a mountain bike and can take some good hits, but don't seem to bruise excessively and recover normally

The biggest negative for me is that riding bikes goes with drinking beer, so for the next 6 months at least i need to deal with that

Bloot You can't do it mate.When you are on tx its like trying to put a fire out with water and pour petrol on it at the same time ,especially if you already have liver damage.
I ride a mountain bike too.I live just down the road from a track where the World Championships are held.I do a circuit nearly every morning.Very few of my riding mates drink,and none smoke cigarettes.You can get hooked on the taste of water.
I had a great wine collection before I was diagnosed.I haven't touched it since.What were once cheapies are now pricey vintage wines.I give them to friends for xmas presents.Get into fruit smoothies,they can become very addictive.

miko3 wrote: There is one symptom I forgot to mention,and I note no-one else has.My sex drive over the last few
years plummeted from normal plus to zero minus.I note it is listed amongst the known symptoms in the book..
I wonder if others have experienced it,or if it just a topic that is taboo.

Mine's not changed over the years. I'm fibroscan F0. Maybe it's related to liver damage?

Bloot, what miko said. You cannot drink. Not just on Tx. Not at all while you have the virus and for a good while afterwards. I have no doubt I would not have got to the F3/4 level by my age if I hadn't become quite a heavy drinker for the first time in my life around 2009 and for about 5 years. You cannot drink at all. Nothing will screw up your liver quicker and more thoroughly than the combination of HCV and alcohol.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you have to stop. Completely.

I agree with Chester, drink, but make it water!

Quite shocked to hear of drinking on tx

Sorry to be a but of a nag, but booze isn't not good, not a drop.

When I say I have to deal with the next 6 months
I mean it's the 6 months I will be on tx and not drinking I have to deal with
We'll see what my fibroscan shows in January and then I'll assess life after tx

I have curbed my drinking significanly and now consider myself an infrequent social drinker - but I still love a drink
But I haven't really given much thought to my hep in 13 yeaars and feel that is why it doesn't bother me much

Having said that, I feel that my life is going to change after tx and I think I am slowly coming to terms with that
What that life will look like I'm not sure, but I have no kids or family as such and I'm not too afraid of death
Maybe I'll change my tune if it is staring me in the face. I'll know when it happens I guess

Thanks for the comments - I hear you
One things for sure - some intersting times ahead

PS. I'm having a fruit juice at the moment

"I'm not too afraid of death
Maybe I'll change my tune if it is staring me in the face. I'll know when it happens I guess"

You'll know before that. Death is not the problem actually. Trust me. It's what happens to your body on the way there. I won't list the symptoms of advanced liver disease because I think you are afraid enough already to be in denial about your hepc. You can look them up for yourself. I sincerely hope that you spare yourself that journey, stop drinking, do the tx and thank your lucky stars that now we have the meds to let us escape this nightmare disease.

dt

Yeah I think it is the process tats painful and scary. That is what we want to avoid

Good that bloot is now on fruit juice

Strange thing, symptoms....don't necessary make a whole lot of sense, or correlate with your disease progression, from what I can work out.

You say you don't have many to report Bloot despite being around F2/3 and a high VL, yeah I am just about the opposite with F0 and have had these fits of exhaustion on and off all night, can hardly move off the bed lol