Thursday Thirteen Number 41. Questions.

I haven’t played the Thursday Thirteen meme in a long time, because I’ve been very pre-occupied and self-absorbed lately. Health issues have plagued me (so to speak). I recently related that I have Hepatitis C antibodies in my blood.

Lots of folks have been asking me questions. I’m not an expert, and I haven’t seen a gastroenterologist yet. Most of the information I can give is from my family practitioner and a website by the C. Everett Koop Institute.

I hope you will slow down long enough to read this (I know you are in a hurry to comment on as many pages as possible). It’s important for you to have this information, because an early diagnosis of Hepatitis C increases your chances of survival. Though I don’t use Mr. Linky, leave a comment and your last blog post will show up in the comment box.

1. Why in the world would you write about this on the internet? Now everyone will know you have it? I want everyone to be aware of Hepatitis C. Studies suggest “over 200 million people around the world are infected with hepatitis C – an overall incidence of around 3.3% of the world’s population. Statistically, as many people are infected with HCV as are with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.” Most of the people infected don’t know it.

2. Aren’t you embarrassed to tell people? No. There is indeed a stigma attached to the disease, but I want you to know that anyone can get it. Hepatitis C is very indiscriminating about who it will infect.

3. Any tattoos? This particularly insensitive question was asked of me by someone who should have known better. It indicates an ignorance of the disease that is prevalent in our world, and seems to subtly suggest that “it’s your own fault.” It’s like assuming that all people with diabetes are overweight, all lung cancer patients were smokers, all AIDS victims are homosexual. Yes, there is “risky behavior” which increases your chances of getting Hepatitis C. Getting tattoos is one (even if the needle isn’t infected, the ink can become contaminated). IV drug use and sexual activity with multiple partners are other risky behaviors. I didn’t engage in any of them (though I did seriously think about getting a lightning bolt tattooed on my butt…don’t ask).

4. How did you not know you had it? The symptoms of Hepatitis C are like the flu until it reaches advanced stages. It’s called a “Silent Epidemic” for that reason.

5. Are you contagious? Yes. But, you won’t get it from me by shaking my hand, hugging me, or even giving me a kiss. Hepatitis C is “blood borne.” You probably don’t want to share my toothbrush or razor. Because the Hepatitis C virus mutates rapidly, developing antibodies does not produce immunity. “In more than 85% of all cases, whether they progress to chronic liver disease or not, the infected individual carries the virus for life. This means that they also remain contagious for a lifetime, able to transmit the virus to others. And because of the long progression of the illness, even patients who will eventually die as a result of hepatitis C carry the virus for decades before it takes their lives.”

6. I have regular checkup and have blood work, so I probably don’t have it, do I? I certainly hope not. But, unless you specifically had a test for Hepatitis C, you don’t know that for sure. If you have given blood, it has been tested for Hepatitis C, but don’t use blood donation as a screening test!

7. Who should be tested? You have to decide for yourself if you should be tested (though after my experience I’d say that whether you think you have a risk factor or not you should check). Here are some…not all..risk factors (in no particular order):

• Blood transfusion before 1992
• Use of IV drugs or snorting of cocaine (even if it was a one time experiment)
• Multiple sexual partners
• Health care or emergency worker who comes into contact with blood.
• Served in the military, especially Viet Nam
• Were ever incarcerated
• H/C positive mother
• Alcoholism
• Had a vaccination with a pneumatic injector
• Tattoos and body piercings
• Kidney Dialysis

8. Can you protect yourself from getting Hepatitis C? Well, here’s a link to click for some tips.

9. Are you going to have to make lifestyle changes? Probably. I’m going to have to exercise more and eat a balanced diet. I’m going to probably have to give up drinking my occasional Guinness, as alcohol consumption can speed up liver damage. And, I’m going to probably have to be monitored (read that “stuck with needles”) regularly to make sure the disease hasn’t come back. So far, no one has told me I have to give up bacon, so I’ll be OK.

10. Will it come back? So far, nobody has been able to definitively answer that question. It’s very possible; “individuals cured of one strain will be prone to reinfection by any of the other strains.”

11. Is there a vaccination for Hepatitis C? Not yet, but there is treatment.

12. Are you scared? Duh. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. I was a lot more scared before I got the final tests results. The waiting was very stressful. I’m most afraid that I have inadvertently infected those I love (heck, I don’t even want to infect those I don’t love). If you are wondering if I’m scared I’m going to die….I figured I was probably going to do that anyway. My Daddy told me a long time ago, “Gal, you don’t get out of this alive.”

13. So, now are you going to start blogging about Hepatitis C all the dadgum time? Heck, no! I don’t want to be a “victim blogger.” I’m not a “victim,” and I don’t want sympathy. I’ve got a disease, but it doesn’t have me! I’ll be back to my silly self before you know it.

Thanks for visiting. Y’all go make it a good day.

Related posts:

1. Confidential To Blood Donor
2. I’m Gainfully Employed this Week
3. Think “Negatively”
4. The Match Game. Bone Marrow Match, That Is
5. There Will Be Blood

Tagged as: health, Hepatitis C, Thursday Thirteen