Living Without HepC

I am feeling a bit ‘the day after my injection’ today - slowed down and not feeling like pushing myself to do the various sundry things that need doing. But there isn’t anything that won’t wait till another day! So whatever I get done will be because it doesn’t require me ‘pushing myself’.

I’m aware I don’t have a list of side-effects to discuss these days - like I did in the first few weeks of treatment. I suppose it goes with the process - I have now settled into coping within the limitations of the side-effects, and my disease, and just get on with it day by day. I take it for granted that I am breathless, slowed down on days like these and occasionally ‘foggy’ in the brain.

I may even have ideas that I am coping with all this now I have been on treatment for a while - until I face the occasional reminder. This morning Carol and I picked up a new lawn mower from a local shop - and brought the box home on a little ‘trolley’. Wheeling this up the street was more than I could manage with my breathlessness - so Carol pulled it along. I felt like the man who allowed his wife to carry the heavy load. In this day of equality - why not? But it does bring it home to me - I can’t easily do jobs I used to do with no problems.

There are also the ‘liver spots’. I mentioned these some weeks ago, on 24th January. I notice the one on my chest has faded but new ones have cropped on my neck and behind my ear. I should mention these to Mynurse as they seem to be more active (and itchy) at the moment.

More interesting than my side-effects are the new HepC blogs I have been discovering this week. Steve has haemophilia and caught the virus through blood products. He too has suffered from tainted blood products which should not have been used on him. He started blogging in early March and writes about his recent experience of telling people at work about his HepC. I have set up a link to his site on the right hand side of this blog under Other Hepatitis C Weblogs.

Also new to the blogging community is Ijaz who was diagnosed in 2000 but only recently discovered his liver had deteriorated to the point he needs treatment. He has not yet on treatment and is waiting to hear a start date. I have also set up a link to his site on the right hand side of this blog under Other Hepatitis C Weblogs.

What is encouraging, and gratifying, is the trend of people deciding to ’speak out’ about having Hepatitis C and to talk about the treatment and living with HepC. The more this happens the more ‘normalised’ Hepatitis C will become - and the more obviously any stigma or discrimination will stand out! There are people using politics, campaigns and debate to bring about changes over Hepatitis C within our community. However, I am convinced that people who are prepared to be ‘out’, to talk about living with HepC and their experiences from it - and get on with their lives, are also going to be as effective in bringing about changes as the politicians, campaigners and debaters!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 22nd, 2005 at 3:17 pm and is filed under Announcements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.