Hepatitis C Support Group

Im not sure but the biopsy will tell them what grade and stage you are in. Good luck and keep me posted.

They know alot about me without doing a biopsy they told me it wasn't necessary but doc's are different some believe you should have it, me I don't need it, cause it don't matter to me, all that is important is beating it and doing the tx.

Yes, they did me. Doctor felt I didnt need one. No your viral load isnt bad , good luck to you, barb

i did not have the biopsy until 3-4 yrs after i was diagnosed. the viral count does not mean much. its just a number and can go up and down by quiet a lot. the biopsy is important b/c it tells ypu where you stand with your options to treat or not. if you have hardy any damage to the liver and are older then you can opt not to tkae it or wait to take it but if the damage is bad then you may want to give it a go. i say get the biopsy i should have gotten one as soon as i was diagnosed and regretted that i hadn't b/c i was stage 2 at 22yrs old (it moved two stages in 22 yrs and there are only 4 stages of damage) if i had known the extent of the damage i would have taken better care of myself. hope this helps...

Most docs will require a biopsy before tx, as it tells what stage the liver is at. Some docs will give you the option of tx if there is 0 to minimal scarring. The state of the liver is usually the deciding factor re tx as some people with low vl can have more damage than some with high vl, and also people have had the disease for different lengths of time. I recommend that you get a good liver specialist if you don't already have one. The bottom line is that tx is the only chance of ridding yourself of the virus so it doesn't cause more damage.

"BYOPSY" Always first! It gives the most accurate info on your liver. I dont know how many times Ive listen to Dr. Robert Gish, On how important the Byopsy is befor any kind of HCV treatment. Google his name He's everywhere, He's also my transplant guy!!

Your viral load is just how much of the virus is in your system. Mine was only 5,000 and I still had a biopsy my liver was a stage 2 so I would have one if I were you just to be on the safe side and the more you learn the better you can take care of yourself

Hi Blue... The viral load is only a very small piece of the diagnostic puzzle. In fact, the viral load really doesn't tell you anything about how your liver is doing. Some people have a small viral load and lots of damage to their liver while others can have a high viral load and minimal damage to their liver. A liver biopsy is the way to know the shape of your liver.

Since your profile mentions that you don't have insurance, I know it's hard for you to find the right doctor to see you. However, you should be seen by a Gastroenterologist or a Hepatologist in the near future to determine your state of your Hep C.

Depending on where you live, you might be able to contact a medical center near you to see if they can take you on in a Hep C drug trial. There are several people on DS who are in those drug trials. The medical care and treatment is basically free - I think. I believe that Gatorbuzz is in a trial and I think Camille10 is going to start in a trial soon. You might want to start a post asking for information on drug trials or message one or both of those I mentioned. Also, the drug companies will provide their drugs for free to qualifying people. I know there are many people on DS here that are getting their tx meds free. So, even if you don't have insurance, there IS A WAY TO GET MEDICAL CARE! Please don't ignore your Hep C because of lack of insurance...there are ways to do this.

Best of luck to you!!!

Gosh, I missed the whole point of your question the first time.

Some doctors do prescribe treatment meds without a biopsy. In fact, a good DS friend of mine just finished her treatment and she never had a biopsy. It depends a little bit on your genotype. Sometimes genotype 2 and 3 can skip the biopsy IF they are doing treatment because the treatment is very successful for 2's and 3's. But it really depends on the doc and your Hep C statistics.

If you can get into a drug trial they will do the biopsy and all the medical workup at no cost (I think it's no cost) -- hopefully some of the drug trial participants will shed some light on this.

there should be no question get a liver biopsy your viral load is not that high in my opinion i could be wrong butknowing just exactly what stage you are at is what helps keep me sane my stage is at 3an a half not so good but it could be worse it could be a 4 good luck