Question:
any on take hep c treatment after WLS?

I have hep c, i was dx with it last year. my GI dr. wanted me to lose 120lbs so i would have a better chance at killing the hep c with treatment. Also he told me that being fat is as bad as being an alcohlic for my liver. fatty liver leads to liver cerosis with hep c patients. I just want to know if any one out there is having WLS to help increase there chances of killing hep C with interfuron treatments? how is it working for ya?    — saraweeks (posted on December 13, 2008)

December 13, 2008
Sara, First of all congrats on deciding to lose weight. That is of primary importance. However, to my knowledge, Hep C can be treated but not cured. And that would be the first thing to accomplish. Also if your liver can become healthy again would be the next thing-those are things I would work on. Some of this can be corrected by diet and nutrition; not junk food and stuff like that. You can kill some Hep C but you can't cure it. Its a case of do you know how you got Hep C? If your liver stays this unhealthy; I know of no competent surgeon who would do any surgery on you. Perhaps you need to seek other opinions; if you are as sick as they think you are the next step before weight loss surgery would likely be liver transplantation. Having any kind of weight loss surgery is usually to lose weight because conventional methods have not done their job and a lot of weight loss is desired quickly. Interferon might actually cause some weight loss as most drugs of their type do; not as much as you want to lose. I was close to 500 pounds at one point in my life but I did want to keep living. So I basically ate in a certain nutritionally sound way, exercised and at age 54, I weigh 197 and have about 75 pounds to go. I'm also a retired healthcare professional. Definitely go for a second opinion if the first one doesnt make sense to you. You are in my prayers, God Bless and Good Luck, vinnigirl
   — vinnigirl

December 13, 2008
Two things come to mind. You may loose weight on the interferon treatment. My aunt lost alot of weight and some hair. Secondly, a surgeon may not want to do surgery because of your active hepc. Did your GI reccomend gastric surgery weight loss. Maybe a lab band would be an option since if does not have the malabsorbtion issues. I can tell you I personally would not undergo the inferon treatment with the nutrition issues I have now. Good luck
   — urbrat2

December 13, 2008
HI, RYN July 08, I was diagnosed with hep c genio type 1 the worse hep c you can get in may of o6 I started the interferon for 48 weeks that is 1 shot a week 6 pills a week for 48 weeks 1 year may of 07 I was told my hep c is inremission, I was trying to have the surgery back then I found out from blood work for this surgery about my hep c, My insurance is what stopped me from the surgery at the time, they denied cause they said i was not healthy enough for the bypass the doctors I talked to said why not? have it, even my surgeon for my bypass never turned an eye when i told him that I had it. So I am thinking that it was an insurance issue that stopped me the first time around, not the doctors for the bypass, you can read my blogg it talks about this in detail, my brother is just now diagnosed and since the year that I was diagnosed things have changed at the docs office that treated me, liver byopsie (sp) etc counseling before med starts, I got a little sick on the meds turned off of meat ate ice cream from mcdonalds it soothed my stomache, how had is your hep c thier are alot of questions for your doc contact me if you like , it is really important that you have a good support group family church friends etc hold your head high girl no matter how you got it I am a recovering addict contacted it because I choose to share needles bad choice but I have 3 years 7 months 7 days clean today. People get other ways also. contact me we can talk if you like GOD BLESS YOU Tammi
   — Tammi Sandoval

December 14, 2008
first off some ppl are giving you wrong info -- i was dx in sept 03 -- i started my wls journey 7/05 -- i started my hep treatments 3/06 and ended 9/06 -- was approved for surgery 6/06 -- because of anemia due to treatments i couldn't have my surgery until 11/06 -- my surgeon had no problem with doing surgery on me with the hep -- hep will not stop you from having wls -- diet and exercise will not put hep into remission -- hep is a BLOOD virus and not a liver thing -- it can and does eventually effect your liver -- it does not matter how you got it -- i do not know how i got it -- i found out when i donated blood back in 03 -- i have genotype 3A -- right now my blood levels are below a 10 and have been since i ended my treatments 2 yrs ago -- and i was 250 when i started treatments and weighe 211 when i ended treatments -- the treatments SUCK to say the least -- good luck to you -- and educate yourself with your dr :) if you want to talk more send me a msg -- stay the course of the tx though :)
   — RCassety

December 15, 2008
I have never heard of anyone having WLS to help their fight with hep c, Ido know what you are going through because I watched my husband that got hep c from a blood transfusion some 37 years ago. He found out he had it 25 years after the , had a liver transplant in 2001 and lived for 1 1/2 years before his kidneys failed. If you can get the weight of and it will help you I would do it any way I could because hep c is a horrible thing to have and it takes it toll on the whole family. I lost my husband in 2003 I went on a self pitty eating binge until I weighed 329 lbs I had WLS in Sept of this year have lost 85 lbs and I am feeling great. Good luck on your journey, if you need some one to talk to I'm here for you.
   — humper