Just diagnosed need support

Give us more information, such as where you live, how old are you, do you know how long you've had Hep C? Stop eating red meat and cut your salt intake down. Red meat is hard for your liver to process and salt will cause fluid build up in your abdomen, or legs.

But that was prior to diagnosing me with hepc :/

I used to drink moderately but not anymore .. Unfortunately I am not disabled and I don't have kids so I don't qualify for any government programs .. I am not sure but that is what my dr concluded .. Park ridge is just outside of chicago

Hi Bella,

Welcome to Healing Well. I am sure that one of our moderators will be along soon to welcome you.

As David and Sandia have mentioned, the more information you will share with us, the more info we can share back.

I believe with the Obamacare, a pre-existing condition should not matter. But, like everyone else...still trying to learn about Obamacare.

Like Sandia said, take a deep breath.

It is important, no drinking, which is great that you aren't. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. Avoid red meat...it is very hard for the liver to digest. No vitamins, herbals, or over the counter medication without checking with your doctor first.

Hang in there.

Emma

Hi Bella,

Welcome to the Healing Well Hepatitis forum.

And YES, a tattoo from a source that re-uses needles or paint pots can cause the transmission of Hepatitis C, unfortunately. I wonder if that parlor is closed down now. I hope so as there could be a lot of folks infected. These days the tattoo places are pretty well regulated and it is only home made tattoos that can cause problems.

It is hard to learn that you have Hep C as the disease is hard to get rid of and can cause a lot of problems down the line.

Fortunately for you, there have been huge improvements in treatments for Hep C in recent years and new drugs are coming on line all the time.

AND, fortunately for you, the disease takes years and years to become life threatening..though it is a killer when in the final stages.

The plan, then, should be for you to get into a treatment program while you are well and before Hep C damages your liver.

And to live a life as healthy as possible as suggested by others. And NO Alcohol. Alcohol seems to cause the disease to progress more rapidly...and you don't want that.

Hep C is a blood disease that is transmitted from person to person by sharing blood...shared needles, shared coke straws where the nasal passages are bleeding, in medical environments from sticks, from transfusions before the blood was tested, from tainted dental equipment, in war zones treating wounds.. There are other causes of liver failure that are not blood to blood....too much Tylenol, too much iron or copper in the blood, some mushrooms, etc etc.

So, you are not alone. Many many Americans are infected with Hep C. As you KNOW of your diagnosis before 30 years have gone by while it silently kills off your liver. YOU KNOW.

You need to see a liver specialist and find out what programs are available to you.

You need to find out how to either get health benefits or qualify for the Medicaid program in your state so that you can get into a treatment program. These programs generally last 6-12 months and are generally a couple of pills and a few injections a week. There are side effects quite like a chemo regime...nausea, some brain fog, some have weight loss, etc.

My partner has Hep C...has had it since 1969 or 1970 (when he was 20). He is alive today because he had a liver transplant. He tried a treatment in 2003, but he did not respond. The newer drugs have a much better rate of success.

He also continued to drink alcohol!!!!! Bad plan. If he didn't have Hep C, he likely would have had cirrhosis any way. Mike also has had problems with high iron and worked for several years in a plant where the chemicals are known to cause liver problems. In the last year before his transplant they found a tumor on his liver also! So he was really sick. BUT...he lived a pretty normal life from 1969 until 2009 when things went downhill pretty fast....so 40 years.

Can you see how this is the good news for you?

Go to a doc. Avoid risky behaviors. Eat healthy and find a way to get into a Hep C treatment program...

Let us hear from you...we can walk you through the steps.

Hugs,
Mama Lama

Oh and read back through the posts...there is a lot of information here.