Wayne went to a follow-up physician visit for Hepatitis C. He was supposed to go at 3 months, but they waited 6 months to see him.

The doctor drew NO labs, did NO tests, and did not even touch Wayne (i.e. did not manually check for liver inflammation).

I guess he can do that psychic exam, where he can diagnosis patients across the room. ~dripping sarcasm~

The doctor then proceeded to tell Wayne there was no treatment for Hepatitis C and for him to take Vitamins B and C. He gave Wayne triple antibiotic cream for his skin problems (that I'm beginning to think is MRSA) and sent Wayne on his way.

I am really upset! Is this doctor just stupid or a liar? THERE IS TREATMENT FOR HEPATITIS!

However, why did the doctor tell Wayne to take vitamins B and C? Is there any therapeutic value to this or is he just full of BS?

danielle, I will do some research into these vitimins alone and see if there is anything that I can find that suggests there is value.

From what I know - and this is a layperson opinion - I don't think that B and C themselves would do any harm. In fact vitimins are usually recommended for Hep patients but without the Iron.

Thanks Teb - I was just floored when he told me.

Monica - here are some articles and sites that I found. There is nothing to indicate that either C or B Vitamins would be harmful but I also cannot medically verify this information.

Also see a new post I am about to put in the HepC Forum - Titled HepC FAQ's - Comprehensive Overview - Must Read!

http://janis7hepc.com/Nutrition/Vit%20You%20Should%20Take.htm


Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online
http://www.jsonline.com/alive/nutrition/0507hepa.stm
Are There Vitamins a Person With Hepatitis C Should Take?
May 6, 1998
The question: Are there vitamins that a person with hepatitis C should take, and are there vitamins that should not be taken?
Paul G. Auwaerter, M.D., responds: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the leading infectious cause of hepatitis and cirrhosis in the United States. Of individuals infected with HCV, as many as 20 percent of individuals can have problems, including chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer or immune abnormalities.
Vitamins are not known to assist with control or treatment of HCV, although severe nutritional deficiencies (such as those seen in alcoholic populations) can cause additional problems with HCV and liver disease. If HCV has injured the liver enough to affect its metabolic abilities such as that seen in early cirrhosis, then some vitamins should be used very carefully.
Fat soluble vitamins (especially vitamins A, D and E) can accumulate in the liver, and if taken in "megadose" quantities may damage even normal livers. Vitamin A is perhaps the most toxic of this group with accidental overdosages causing fulminant liver failure. For this reason, no more than standard recommended daily allowances (RDA's) of vitamins A, D and E are suggested for those with liver disease, regardless of the cause.
Paul G. Auwaerter, M.D., is an assistant professor in The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, with appointments in the divisions of internal medicine and infectious diseases. His research interests include virology and immunology, as well as the study of community-acquired pneumonia.

Here is another article that promotes use of B Vitamins…
http://www.hepu.org/articles/protocol.html

TDCJ is making an effort to NOT treat HCV inmates. It's too expensive. There are two very effective treatmens for free worlders. The Rebetron combo with the pegalated(sp) interferon and ribivirin(sp) and then the same with Intron A and ribivirin. It's expensive but not as expensive as it was three years ago when I did the treatment, surely the costs have come down since then. I'm sure that the US prison systems if bought in bulk could get the costs to come down, but it's up to the individual states systems to pay for that. It seems that the docs are told to tell HCV inmates that there is nothing for them when in fact it's not true. They are lying to them. Another variation of this same thing is the docs will say that that individuals liver is too far gone and the treatment would only make it worse. I think that's what they tell the females, the males they just take them as being stupid and tell them a lie, that there is no treatment when any one with HCV has done their own research and KNOWS there is indeed treatment. This whole thing should be handled by a class action suit. They are killing inmates by not treating them. I guess right up until now it's cheaper to let tham die than to try to save them. My sister died from no treatment while I lived with treatment. She died last year in September from esophegeal hemorraging(sp), she bled to death into her stomach in laymans terms. It's unbelievable that they can get away with telling them there is no treatment, isn't there a lawyer out there that will do something about this????????? Surely this is a violation of some rights some where. It's insane that they can legally get away with this. It makes my blood boil when ever I think about it or hear something like this. Doesn't any one have a relative or something that can help us????? Something HAS to be done. It's murder, freaking murder and they can get away with it. At least a medical license revoked or something, but these docs that say these things to pateints after taking the hipocratic(sp) oath should be punished for lying to their patients!!!!! Some one somewhere has to be listening!!!!!

Inmates have constitutional right to adequate medical care
From the Journal Sentinel

Last Updated: Oct. 21, 2000

For more than two decades, the highest court in the land has spoken. Inmates have a constitutional right to adequate medical care.

The seminal court decision on correctional health care came in the case of Estelle vs. Gamble in 1976. A Texas prisoner alleged cruel and unusual punishment, in violation of the Eighth Amendment, because of inadequate treatment for a back injury.

The U.S. Supreme Court held that "deliberate indifference" by prison workers to an inmate's serious illness or injury violates the amendment. According to the decision, the primary concern of the drafters of the amendment was to prevent torture or "barbarous methods of punishment."

The court said deliberate indifference could be "manifested by prison doctors in their response to the prisoner's needs or by prison guards in intentionally denying or delaying access to medical care or intentionally interfering with the treatment once prescribed."

Stan Stojkovic, criminal justice professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said the philosophy was that "no person should walk out of a correctional institution any worse physically and psychologically than when they walked in."

In a 1991 case, the Supreme Court modified Estelle. The case involved an Ohio inmate who brought a complaint alleging overcrowding, excessive noise, improper ventilation, unsanitary dining facilities and other problems. The court held that a prisoner must show a "culpable state of mind on the part of prison officials."

In Wisconsin, one state criminal statute is particularly applicable to prison health care. It reads:

"Any person in charge of or employed in a penal or correctional institution or other place of confinement who abuses, neglects, or ill treats any person confined in or a resident of any such institution or place or who knowingly permits any person to do so is guilty of a class E felony."