Mod (TT): moved from the Introduction thread, originally a response to this post
Hey Johnny,
I was born in South Korea and had vertical transmission of HBV (passed to me from my mother while in the womb).
Glad you made it onto this forum. I just wanted to encourage you to seek out treatment if you get to the fibrosis stage of CHB. I was so worried about getting treatment, that I waited too long. At first, I kept putting off treatment because it was back in the days when Interferon was the only real choice. But then, I kept putting it off to progress in my career, even when there were newer better options. I waited till I found out I had cirrhosis and then had really adverse reactions to treatment.
Obviously, you want medical guidance from a hepatologist, but take treatment seriously, if they suggest it. Thomas can speak more on treatment resistance and the like, as I don’t know much about that. I do know that once you start treatment, that you are supposed to stay on it for life or until they come out with a cure. I don’t know much about building up a resistance to treatment over time; I sure hope that is not the case. However, you don’t want to wait till you have cirrhosis, like I did. I could be living a much better lifestyle if I had started treatment much earlier; or so I believe.
Best Regards,
Paul