Living with HCV
i just thought that i would share with all the forum here, that i myself am infected with HCV.
we are unclear how long i have had it, but my son and my fiance have not got it from me.
HCV can be spread thorough sex. it is highly rare that couples infect their parnters unless there is blood shared between eachother. the percentage of this happening is 4%. woman are more prone to being infected by a male than vise versa.
it is more likely that i could infect someone from them using my razor, tooth brush, or them dressing my wounds from an injury. there has to be blood on blood contact.
HCV can live fro up 7 days outside of the body in the right conditions. you have to carefull to make sure that anything that has your blood is not used by another person.
having HCV does make to be a discriminating factor. i have lost a job, becuase i am a high risk.
my fiance's family have made it clear that they believe i am going to infect him, and any of our children. (generally speaking, they don't like me anyway lol)
i am constantly battling the famous symptoms of fatigue and itching. i am low on energy, and my body is bruised becuase i can't control my itching at night.sounds fun huh?
what i find hard to deal with the most is that i am suffering from liver disease. it's a silent killer. many people don't even know they have HCV until later in life.
there is some treatment options available. the cure rate is about 48%, but there is also relapse from the treatment.
many of us that have HCV can not afford the treatment. the costs is so damn high, people like me choose to fight for social security just to try to get medicaid.
if you or a loved on you know has this disease, please try to find out all the real information about HCV as posible. i recomend this book:
"Dr. Palmer's Guide to Hepatitis Liver Disease, What You Need to Know"
by: Melissa Palmer, MD
this book covers all the different types of hepatitis a long with it's treatment and living with. very good reading and sources.
i also want to say that my fiance has been wounderful in loving me and supporting me since we found out i have HCV. at first he was shooken up, but he has never stopped being there for me.
~Fawkse~
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