I am 62 yrs old and have known I have Hep C since 95, saw a specialist
and was told I had about 7% chance of any damage. I am the queen of
denial so I kept drinking and smoking. In Oct 04, I found out I am at
stage 3 liver disease after having a liver biopsy and viral load of
3million. I am tired a lot and
have lots of aches and pain in joints. I stopped drinking in 1/05 and
stopped smoking in 8/05. I am very overweight, so my decision is do I
really want to go through the available treatment. I have been seeing
a specialist for a year, they only come to my town once a month and
have so many clients I haven't been able to start the interferon yet.
I
have had my heart checked and liver portal checked and both are fine.
I wonder if anyone else debates rather to have treatment or not. If I
was 30 or 40, I won't hestitate or if I knew the treatment would
work, but there are so many side effects and other diseases that can
come to light, I wonder if it is worth it. I have started taking Milk
Thistle. Wonder what other my age
think?
Your age is definitely a factor. A person in excellent physical condition with no co-morbidities may very well consider the treatment beyond 60. However, in studies, people over 60 rarely cleared the virus and often had long lasting problems post treatment.
The best course of action is to work with a KNOWLEDGEABLE physician regarding your own circumstances, goals and prospects.
You likley will live out a normal lifespan if you do not treat, even though you do have some liver damage. You will need to heed all the precautions of lifestyle, including exercise, good restful sleep, no smoking or alcohol. Your attitude toward the hepatitis C and how much weight you give it in your self image may play a role in your decision as well. Many people just want to treat it for reasons other than strictly medical ones.
There is a lot of stuff out in the internet world about various herbs and supplements. So much depends on your own basic health and nutritional needs. Post menopausal women may even benefit from HRT. That, too, is a discussion best entered into with a knowledgeable doctor. The major thing you have to address, in my opinion, is weight. That alone can cause liver damage and progression of damage completely independently of your hepC. The combination of smoking, drinking alcohol and obesity is not going to be addressed through herbs or treatment. They have to be the first to go to get best results from either course.
