sean

If indeed your doc said STAGE one, there is no rush to treat. Most hep c cases progress very slowly indeed, and there are rarely any symptoms to speak of, nor threat of liver disease until much later stages. this can take years or decades, and in fact, in from 70 to80% of hep c cases, the later, more dangerous stages (3,4, cirrhosis) never occur.
the gold standard test for learning the stage of fibrosis is a liver biopsy.
i had hep c for what--as best as we can reconstruct after the fact--seemed to be more than four decades before my livers fibrosis stage started to move up the scale from the stage one it had been at for years and years.
Take a breath--hep c CAN be a serious matter, but it is not an urgent one for the large majority of people with the virus.
learn what you can. read in depth here and on other hep web sites. discuss the virus in depth with your hepatologist or gastro doc., etc.
For instance genotype 1, as posted above, is the least reponsive to treatment. So, for one example, if you were both type one (least responsive) and still at stage 1 (minimal fibrosis), this would actually amount to a persuasive argument AGAINST treatment at this time--unless they come up with better treatments, or your fibrosis suddenly seems to be worsening.

Do not ruch into anything. Interferon and ribavirin, the usual treatment, is a tough medicine for many, horrible for some (and no big thing to some others). it is not something you will want to rush into.

most of all, don't worry. as Thanbey, who used to post here often said, "you aremuch more likely to die WITH hep c than OF it." IF you stay away from alcohol and smoking, and other obvious liver danges like solvents, you are actually most likely to live your whole life without even a symptom to speak of.
Honestly.

so, learn what you can, and in the meantime, don't worry. And don't let anyone rush you into anything.


peace,

sean