hey well my older brother who has contracted hep c about 3 yrs ago has been doing nothing about it ....and another problem is he is in prison and getting no treatment at all and he still has 9 yrs to go..i think thats a long time to let a disease go untreated but we dont know what to do about it....any advice?
The answer depends on your brother's specific condition. Be reassured by the fact that Hepatitis C is a very slowly progressing disease. Damage takes 20 years or more to show up, usually. I assume that I've been infected for 20 years and my liver is damaged Stage 1 (Stage 0 being a healthy liver and Stage 4 being cirrhosis). So I have chosen not to take the treatment and to get another biopsy in a few years to better determine the rate of disease progression. This was a difficult and personal decision. I mention it to reassure you that reasonable people may consider no treatment to be the way to go. The treatment is brutal and, in my case, I would learn only after 12-18 months of pounding my body with poison whether I fell into the 50% success rate. There is a lot of money to be made on HepC treatment, so you can be sure the medical establishment is working on something better. On the other hand, treatment has a lesser chance of success as we age (from the age of 40 onward) and as our livers become damaged.
Hepatitis Magazine includes a column ("inside the walls") about HCV in the prison system. It says there's something called the National Hepatitis C Prison Coalition. Maybe they have information about how to get your brother better medical treatment: www.hcvinprison.org
Hepatitis Magazine includes a column ("inside the walls") about HCV in the prison system. It says there's something called the National Hepatitis C Prison Coalition. Maybe they have information about how to get your brother better medical treatment: www.hcvinprison.org
Welcome Hopefull88 and krankygirl -
That's some terrific information, krankygirl. Hepatitis C is a very slowly progressing disease and many people don't actually have symptoms for years. But everyone is different.
I would recommend that your brother have regular blood work done to monitor his condition. That can be done in prison. I don't know what state your brother is in, but most states do have laws that ensure required medical care for inmates.
If you have any more questions/ concerns, please let us know.
DJ
DJ
Fiance had HCV, cirrhosis, ESLD, ascites, and portal hypertension. Was transplanted June 2004. Now, on interferon and ribavirin; Hepatitis C is back.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.