I am 44 years old now and I was diagnosed with Hep. C when I was 32 years old.
When I went to the M.D. for a physical my liver enzymes were elevated mildly, with further evaluation I was positive for the virus. I had gotten sober in AA when I was 26 years old. I had been a real partier in my teens and early twenties. I had done alot of different drugs and drank alot. I mostly did cocaine and drank. I am not sure how I got the virus, but it could of happened several ways. I had tried I,V. drugs several times, I snorted and smoked cocaine, I had a blood transfusion in 1982 when I was in a accident, and that is before they even tested for Hep.C in blood, so as you can see, my experiences put me in a high risk group for contracting the virus. I feel lucky I didn't get HIV.
I was married at age 24, had 2 beautiful kids, my son in 1987 and my daughter in 1989.
When I found out I had Hep. C I panicked that I might of passed the virus to my children during delivery, I was horrified at the thought of my kids having to pay a high price for my careless choices I made at a young age. I called their doctor in tears, she had me bring them both in for blood tests, my kids were negative and that was a relief. Later I found out that if the virus is under 2,000 copies it shows as negative, but I still keep the positive thought that it's negative.
My husband was tested and he was also positive, He grew up at the same time and beach city as I. We partied together all the time, so we are not sure about his contracting the virus either.
He tried the similar drugs and routes as I. I am not sure about the sexual transmission of the virus, but I am suspicious that it is very possible.
Before I got sober, I remember that I would get so hung over after only drinking a small amount, as before I could drink and not get real sick.
I remember thinking, "why am I so hung over I only had 5 beers last night." I would feel really sick and weak. I then started thinking I must have a problem with my liver from drinking and using drugs, so I got sober shortly after that and it wasn't easy but I went to a support group which made it possible. It was the smartest thing I could of done. I was able to get pregnant after 30 days of sobriety, which was a blessing for me. I feel that if I would of continued to drink and party I would not be alive today or if I was I would have cirrhosis and I'd be waiting for a liver transplant.
Today I have my up days and down days. I get real tired some days. I feel foggy brained if I don't rest enough. I also take high doses of milk thistle and drink fresh juices from the juicer or from the health food store, that always makes me feel better. I drink alot of water everyday also. I see a great homeopathic doctor who has made my life so much better. I tried to take the peg-interferon, the latest treatment and I only lasted a little over a month, I was so very sick from it. I cried all the time, I could hardly function as a parent and wife. I am also a nurse so I work hard and just barely made it through the day. I stopped the treatment and went to a homeopathic wellness center and it has been great for me. I have a high viral load at last check 5 million, but I feel pretty good and my enzymes are at a high normal range at this time. I never drink alcohol or take drugs. I won't even take tylenol anymore because of the toxicity it can cause.
I also have had a hard time with my weight. I used to be thin to average weight and I now am about 25 lbs. over weight and I just seem to hold onto it. I have been told that the liver is our fat burner and when it doesn't work just right your body will retain fat easier.
I have also changed the way I eat. I try to eat liver friendly foods and drink alot of water. I read a great book " Love your Liver and live longer" author: Sandra Cabot, it is such a great book, with alot of information about liver cleansing diets(LCD) as we call it. It isn't hard, we are not perfect so yes I blow it at times and eat what ever I feel like, pizza, ice cream and stuff like that, but if you can follow a simple plan you can also feel so much stronger, clear headed and you tend to feel alot more positive about life.
My kids are now teenagers and I am trying to steer them away from drinking and the party scene.
I taught my kids not to use the same razors as mom and dad because of the danger of transmission, toothbrushes either. Razors can cause a cut and blood on the razor can be infected with the virus for up to 2-3 weeks afterwards, same with toothbrushes especially if your gums tend to bleed.
I would like to mention how my menstral cycle changed. I have had a very heavy period for years due to the clotting problems that comes with liver disorders. If any women have the same problem you know it is scary, you feel like your going to bleed to death at times. I take B12 sublingual tabs at these times and it really helps. It gives me more energy and helps to build more Red blood cells at the same time. I stay away from all iron supplements as you know we need to avoid these.
I am a survivor of Chronic Hepatits C,
it lives with me, I don't live with it. I don't let it stop me from my goals and my daily routine.
I am a very spritual person now and I feel there is a lesson in everything that happens, so I look for the lesson in every situation, then move on.
I am waiting for a better treatment to become available with better results then the current treatment which is very low in effectiveness and side effects very high especially with my geno-type 1a. I hope research will now take a serious look at this epidemic as it has for HIV and fund appropriately for the studies needed to eradicate this disease. It can be done, there is a cure we just need to scream loud enough for all to hear us.
In closing I hope for freedom of choice to use herbs and have a choice of what kind of treatment we want for our bodies, whether it be western medicine or alternative medicine. As it stands today the FDA makes it illegal for us to share treatments publicly for all kinds of disorders and disease. They only will allow the pharma companies the open door to distribute medications for disease, in which most of these are highly toxic and kill many. I feel they;re life saving meds available also by the pharmaceutical manufacturer, but we should have the choice of using natural homeopathic modalities or manufactured drugs, don't you agree?
Peace to all, keep smiling and laugh often.