I just had some blood work done and my cholesterol levels are high enough to worry him. He stated that according to some Heart Assn chart it doubled my chance of a heart attack or a stroke in the next 10 years.

He wants to start me on a Statin drug but is concerned about it effecting my liver. I have Hepatitis C, so he wants to refer me to another doctor to treat that and then deal with the high cholesterol.

Treating the Hep will involve a biopsy, which I don't want to have, and I don't think the guy he wants to refer me to will treat me without one. I saw him about this time last year and had one set up, but I couldn't drive myself out and back and a cab wouldn't do. I didn't have anyone to drive me, or sit with me for several hours afterwards to make sure I didn't bleed to death, so I canceled out on it.

Even if I go through with the biopsy, treatment consists of 3 months treatment on the new drugs which go for a total of over $80,000 for the 12 week course. From what I understand from people who have taken it it still has a lot of bad side effects. That's if I can get approved for the new drugs. If I have to go on interferon, which is like chemo, that's even worse.

Right now I take care of everything, cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, etc. myself and don't have anyone I can depend on to help me out if I'm sick as a dog for 3 months. I already deal with fatigue and can''t afford to feel any worse than I do already.

If he would do it, I'd like for my doctor to treat me for Hep without having the biopsy and let me try to get the cholesterol level down by a change in my diet over the next 3 months while I took treatments. My next appt isn't till next month so I haven't asked him yet, but am doubtful he'll go along with it.

If not I'll probably forget about it and deal with it. I've lived with it for over a decade. It hasn't killed me yet and if it does I can't say the thought scares me any. I came to terms with my mortality years ago. I don't want to have a stroke and end up in a nursing home though. That would be a fate worse than death IMO.