Hepatitis C

Star · 01-06-2005, 09:28 PM

Do you know anyone with Hepetitis C? You probably do and don't know it. It's a very common disease that affects a lot of people.

I have placed a news article on the front page of Lifesupporters with helpful links to information on this sickness. I encourage anyone who has Heptitis C in their lives to read it.

dogula · 01-06-2005, 09:44 PM

I think I had to get vaccinated for school or something. Or maybe that was hepetitis B

Merika · 01-06-2005, 10:17 PM

Sn00py and Isis' dad was diagnosed with Hep C while we were still married. After several years of not seeing him....I did notice he lost a lot of weight and muscle mass. I don't know if that's what caused it.

I know you have to take some precautions since it can be infectious to other people. Mainly making sure the kids didn't use the same eating utensil and he never cleaned wounds on them which were bleeding. I think it is only transferrable in blood.

I know they give teachers and medical staff shots for it. I'm not sure if they immunize everyone now.

Star · 01-06-2005, 10:46 PM

There is no immunization for hepititis c. for hep B and A there is. kids get a shot for that in the 7th grade here in ontario.

it is only transmitted from blood to blood. You can't catch it by kissing or hugging or even drinking or eating after the person. The only precaustions that we take (and it's all the norm now) is that he has his own toothpaste and puts it in his drawer with his toothbrush, we use protection when we're intimate (even though it's only a 2% chance of transmitting it sexually), and I don't clean his cuts and scrapes anymore like I used to. We were together the whole time that he's had hep c and didn't find out until about 10 years into our relationship. I remember when he got that tatoo! We were together for a couple years already then. The kids and I never got it and we didn't use any kind of protection then, we didn't know and we still were safe. Goes to show that it isn't transmitted easy. It's very common for people who are needle users and people who get tatoos. anything that's blood to blood.

Hubby had to change his whole way of eating and completely cut alcohol out of his life. He still smokes and drinks coffee which he shouldn't but it hasn't seemed to affect the hep c too much because he's as healthy as he was in the first place. He hasn't lost any muscle mass either. I'm not sure if losing that is part of the disease?

Merika · 01-06-2005, 11:18 PM

Yeah...we were careful with the toothbrush thing around the kids....when they are little....they like to grab them and put them in their mouths.

Other than that....I think it effects different people different ways and some even have very little problems from it.

I'm glad you wrote the article though so people are aware what all is out there when they decide to get a tatoo or do needle drugs.

Star · 01-06-2005, 11:29 PM

You know what though? People still don't listen to it. Most of my nieces on hubby's side got tattoos....even after learning how their uncle got hep C. People just don't think that it can happen to them. it's sad.

dogula · 01-06-2005, 11:35 PM

Come to think of it, my mom can't give blood now. Last time she did they said they saw hep C antibodies, so she went to an infectious disease doctor who ran the tests and they all came back negative. She gave blood every few months for her whole adult life, and now they don't even take her blood for a false positive. Too bad for the red cross.

Star · 01-06-2005, 11:40 PM

couldn't she bring in her test results to prove that she's negative?

Hubby can't get life insurance. That's how we found out he had it. We went to get life insurance and they did a simple mouth swab...his came back possitive for hep C and mine was normal. We confirmed that test at his family doctors and a liver specialist. So now, we have no insurance. I can maybe get some but it's still hard because he's my husband and he has it and we do live together so it's a risk.

dogula · 01-06-2005, 11:43 PM

In the letter telling her that her blood had been rejected for that reason it said that she cannot donate blood to them in the future.

Merika · 01-07-2005, 11:35 AM

I wouldn't even begin to know how to get that corrected.

Star · 01-07-2005, 01:00 PM

I would take it to the health department along with tests results that prove that I'm negative. How can they refuse then?