Just diagnosed and terrified

[shantastic]

I have just been diagnosed and i am terrified. I am a 22 year old actor/singer . I was just on my first real gig when i became ill and was diagnosed with hep c. My sypmtoms are strong. I cry every day, cant sleep, and pretty much feel like i have a bad hangover every day. I am trying to get insurance and am pending but I am absoloutely wrecked over this.  my friends and family are trying to do what they can..but there is no way they can understand. I think I was infected through a sexual assault I lived thru 2 years ago. I just don't know what to do.

[nygirl7]

I don't want to blab your ears (eyes?) off but I want to tell you that the guys that wrote above are right.  You are young - recently infected (because you are young) and most likely have a long way to go before you NEED to do the treatment. What you are experiencing now will pass - unfortunate for you you are experiencing the acute phase symptoms...a lot of us didn't get them - which sound like good luck BUT we didn't find out we had this disease until MUCH MUCH later when a lot of us already had pretty aggressive liver damage and in some cases cirrhosis and transplantation.

So in a way you don't see yet...you are LUCKY.  You can take care of your liver and perharps never ever have to treat for it at all.

Learn as much as you can and it will help you to calm down.  While I was infected but didn't know it I got married had kids and lived a full happy life. I only found out by accident a few years ago, did the treatment and now have none of the virus left in my body.

so - when it comes time you CAN be cured of this and by then the treatment will be much shorter and easier for you to do.

You will be fine. We'll all help you in any ways we can.

Life is not over. If you had to get any disease...this one is not that bad really it's a VERY slowly progressing disease and it DOES have a cure.

Good luck!

[cajunldy]

We were all scared when we first found out.  Most of us have it 20-30 years before we find out.  You have an advantage of not being in the dark for that long.  You are young and your chances are better.  Go to see a Hepatologist and go forward.  This site is great for info and just for calming your nerves.  You will be just fine follow all doctor instructions and if you have a concern on ANYTHING come to the forum and ask.

Good Luck
Cajun

[DH1]

I am sorry to hear that you have hepatitis C. My brother had it 3 or 4 years ago. His Doctor put him on interferon and he did have some side effect but were not to bad. So far he is in remission of hepatitis C. It has not returned. So keep faith and hope alive because you are very much alive. There is treatment. Make sure you get more than one opinion on how to treat you. Good Luck

[HectorSF]

Of course you are terrified! Who wouldn't be? We were all scared when we found out we had HCV. It is a NORMAL reaction. Plus you recently had another traumatic life event happen to you that you couldn't control. At such a young age. Of course you are overwhelmed! Who won't be?  

Take a deep breath...and try to relax....
Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise. In time you realize this it will be a big relief. You have time. Plenty of time! It usually takes DECADES for HCV to damage your liver. You are so young the illness couldn't have progressed very far. When you get your biopsy results they will tell you how your liver is doing. The biopsy is not a difficult procedure and the information it gives you and your doctor is invaluable in deciding if and how you need to be treated.

It took me 38 years for my liver to become badly damaged by this virus. You probably can wait until new more effective treatments appear. Of course this is up to you and your doctor.

As far as the symptoms you are experiencing, to me (an educated layman with personal experience with clinical depression) it sounds like you may be having a depressive episode.  "(cry every day, cant sleep, and pretty much feel like i have a bad hangover every day)" Maybe related to the assault you mentioned? (By the way unless you had blood-to-blood exchange during the assault you have very little chance of having been infected with HCV then. HCV is not a sexual disease. It is a blood to blood transmission disease.) I also suffered from depression earlier in life. It is nothing to be ashamed off. It is not your fault. After what happened to you of course it has stirred up things inside. If I can overcome it. You can to. The sooner you start the sooner you can put it behind you. Don't carry that guilt and pain around. It's okay to let it go. It was the other person's problems that they tried to put on you. Don't accept it. Find a good therapist to talk to and maybe some antidepressant will help. But that up to you and your doc. Don't hold those feelings in. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Neither of these things can defeat you. You can overcome both of them and go on to live a happy rewarding life.

Try to stay positive. At first it is difficult. It is NORMAL to Freakout and feel the world is ending. Everyone of us on this forum have gone through what you are going through now. In time everything will get better. You will come to peaceful coexistence with your illness and learn that you are stronger and braver than you ever knew. This illness will teach you what is important in life and who are the people in your life who really care for you. In the long run it will make you a wiser and more compassionate person. These are good things!  :)

You may find this link helpful as you begin your journey of learning about this disease and how you can best take care of yourself.
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/Newly%20Diagnosed.pdf

Please read the postings and share your concerns and question with others. That is why we are here! We are all trying to help each other by sharing our experiences and knowledge.  

Be gentle with yourself. It's gonna be alright I promise.
Thanks for sharing your fears and concerns. We are here for you.
Hector

[merryBe]

try the Janis website first. As you learn about   the disease it will seem less depressing and scary than it does now.
for now, just know you are not alone, we've all been there.
those of us who pray in here will be praying for you.
take care.
maryB

[merryBe]

you are young and diagnosed early so have great reason to hope.

many people never experience the acute stage  of this disease, as you are now experiencing.

they only experience the chronic symptoms. which are the longer persistant fatique/sweats etc.

Your acute phase will not last long usually....what follows is a more subtle state that goes on for so long that many people remain undiagnosed for 30 years or more.

the fact that you have caught this bug early on means if you treat in the not too distant furure you will probably have suffered no permanent liver damage.
Even if it takes you a while to get insurance, don't worry. the disease is not a fast progressor normally. If you can not get insurance, there are ways to get free treatment drugs. Write me privately if you need those links..

meanwhile, the best thing you can do is to do not drug/pot ot alcohol.
and get an appointment to see a hepatologist. It takes time to see them...sometimes months to get in depending on where you live. So make an appointment even while insurance is pending.
since you have already been diagnosed there will probably be a wait on your insurance.
Ask each ins. how long their "pre-existing  condition" clause is. For some companies it is 6 months, for others longer so you want to A. decide whether to treat and B. do it in the time frame that works best for you.

If you treat while young, you have a much better rate of success than us old fat farts have.
You also have an option (maybe it doesn't feel like it right now) but once that BAD flu period is over, it'll feel more like....like maybe you didn't sleep well last night...or lie you might be getting a cold that never comes....but  some folks don't even feel that....for years. That is, once the acute phase is past.
the virus continues to be in you....but this is called the chronic phase..and can be relatively symptom free until real liver damage begins.
Some young people are opting to wait for better treatment drugs that do not make you so sick...but you really need to read up on this before deciding.
there are also trial ongoing in various towns for various new treatments...but these all have side effects and associated risks as well so you will need to take some time and make an educated choice.

It's all going to be overwhelming for a long while to come...just because it sounds scary.
Remember it used to be everyone with HIV when on to die of Aides in 2 or 3 years...but now with treatment drugs they are still alive 20 years later and more..

same with HCV, only better news. Some genotypes respond 90% of the time to treatment. Some only respond 50% of the time. You will need to have a test to tell what
genotype you are. Dependant on that you will need to treat a shorter or longer time.

I am sorry to hear you have to have this news. Yet there are people who using current treatment (Interferon/ribavirin)  walking around that are free of this virus....it cannot be detected anymore in them. (SVR).

when you feel stronger go to

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Hepatitis/LINKS-forum-members-find-helpful/show/52?cid=64

[nersayner]

yes I remembered how freaked out I was when I found out. not to minimize but really, it sounds worse than it really is. i am going thru the tx right now and i got myself all worked up over not too much. found out i had it 11 years ago. thought my life was over. just started a new relationship and had to tell my boyfriend. it was uncomfortable but we got thru it and have been married now for four years. relax and just stay informed. life isnt over. my 28 year old son is an actor as well. he went to NYU Tisch school and is now in LA sucessfully working. i know your struggle but dont give up. your gonna do just great!