Why is HepC called the Dragon?

Hate to sound dumb, I just want to know.

[charm27]

All I know is the "Dragon" is a symbol for good luck and prosperity.
I never understood it either. Someone down the line obviously named it the Dragon and it caught on. I dont like it. :}

[medicmommy]

I believe "heppers" (people with hep c) call it that because dragons are known for their ferocity and have a reputation for being ruthless...Also, it's a symbol of something that is living, breathing fire and can only be killed with determination and bravery at great risk to yourself...

[nygirl7]

I don't know but you also say 'chasing the dragon' when it comes to trying to get the original buzz of the first shot of heroin or coke or something too..............

i always just thought it was an expression - like monkey on your back or something.

Now, I wonder!

[wyntre9]

Gotta agree.

I've always been partial to dragons and I've never been in favor of slaying them.

The dragon-hunters, well, that's another story.

Poor dragons.  Always getting a bum rap and being blamed for another's tryanny.

Check NYGirl's post, "So you wonder where you got hep-c."

wyntre

[dancegirl54]

I always thought it was from St George slaying the dragon that "poisoned the people with his breath".  We are poisoned by this virus and we are all dragonslayers. There's also the allegorical good over evil theme.  Isnt there a poster here or used to post called St George?

[mayday557]

OK...now we're think'in !!

nygirl...if you put a line of smack on foil and hold a lighter under it following the line of dope, then inhale the smoke as it burns down the line ~ thus "chasing the dragon".  At least thats what we called it. I liked the mayday-mayday thing.  Its my nick name here at the plant.

*********** BTW I do NOT condone nor mean to glorify dope usage.******************

I like dragons too, especially the oriental ones with all the wavey deals.  I read the more claws a dragon has indicates the station or class the person wearing it holds.
Also, what medicmom and dancegirl added makes sense too.

[medicmommy]

I know this is me probably being a bit defensive but, I believe the hep c dragon reference is no way spawned by the heroin reference...many of us "heppers" got hep c from a non drug using exposure....and don't appreciate the attached stigma or anything that may encourage it...

[beamishboy]

it's All about being Dragonslayers...standing up strong and fearless against a large fire breathing monster:hepC..An apt metaphor,don't ya think?... sure don't mean to malign a makebelieve ,nonexistent ,mythical beast...famous for hibernating in their mountain lairs only to aise wth great anger  to burn & destroy........or maybe just a missunderstood misanthrope with some minor anger managemnt issues?....oh..where is that dr frankenberry when we need his expertise!?..i got my virus from a public toilet seat..

[R Glass]

Now that damned song Puff The Magic Dragon is stuck in my head.
Thanks a lot

[susan400]

The connection to dope never even occurred to me when I heard the term "Dragon" in relationship to the Hep.  In my mind, it conjurred up the image of an evil monster rearing it's ugly head and that when you slay the dragon that you're killing this beast-getting rid of it, etc.  I did dope-years and years ago, but when I was doing it, it was coke and when we shot it, it wasn't heated, we always did it just room temp., dissolved in spoon and all, but room temp. nonetheless.    I guess I'm from a different area of the country where that term may not have been 'in' at that time.  This was mainly in the 80's in So.FL for the most part.   Susan

[Lady Lauri]

......"or maybe just a missunderstood misanthrope with some minor anger managemnt issues?"....
AND.....................................
    "sure don't mean to malign a makebelieve ,nonexistent ,mythical beast...famous for hibernating in their mountain lairs only to aise wth great anger  to burn & destroy"...................
AND.................
........."i got my virus from a public toilet seat......"

LMAO....your so damn funny! In an 'out there' sort of way!

                                                                                              LL

[Lady Lauri]

.........Now that damned song Puff The Magic Dragon is stuck in my head.Thanks a lot  ...............

HEY!  That was my favorite song at about........4 !! Don't be dissin' Puff !!

                                                                                         LL

[Trish77]

Being of Scot/Celtic heritage, we have plenty of dragons in our symbolism and I quite like the Celtic dragon symbol..if I was ever going to get a tattoo, that would be it.  I wouldn't connect it with my HCV in any way at all.  That's because not all dragons are created equal. You can have your cute cuddly dragons...or your drug-inspired Puff dragon (great song!) ..or your dragon that's an ally in your battle where you ride it's back and it looks over you, little wee dragons, big docile dragons..and then there's your other firebreathing ferocious life-threatening dragons...and this Hep C dragon is one of those...it breathes it's fire and destroys everything in it's path, raging on and causing death and destruction everywhere it goes...takes a battle of the warrior kind to defeat it ...and it's no small task to go into battle against this Hep C dragon and can be a long and arduous fight.  And when you're done, it's been such a battle that you can stand there victorious with your foot on the dragon, sword over your head and yell your victory cry. That, to me, is what "slaying the dragon" means..  And I'm bloody impressed with the warriors here....getting my battle cry ready.

[shastri20032003]

I think it should be called a dinosaurus......maybe a T-Rex?

[ladywhy]

Being of Irish/Celt heritage (1rst Generation)...I hear ya.

"And when you're done, it's been such a battle that you can stand there victorious with your foot on the dragon, sword over your head and yell your victory cry."

Thinkin' along the same lines....whether I'll still be standing at this point is a coin toss ;}
but I sure appreciate the imagery.

[CockSparrow]

I think it comes from the fact that HepC is silent and can take decade before we even notice that anything is wrong and the Dragon bit comes from Chinese medicine.
In Chinese medicine, the liver is represented by a dragon and is said to store anger.
So Silent Dragon
CS

[scratchinghead]

I think "dragon" refers to the fact that most HCVs have their tail "dragging". It was coined in Alabama where the English language is rife with collociallisms. . . .

[ladywhy]

I forgot that bit about the Chinese! So true....

[Trish77]

I think....it's whatever it means to you.   Many expressions started out as one thing and have totally evolved to become whatever they mean to whomever.  Life is interesting that way.  As for me...slaying the dragon presents itself to me as it does and seems to fit for me.

[DragonSlayer45]

I believe the term comes from Chinese medicine where they use a dragon as a symbol to represent the liver and it is said to store anger.

[DragonSlayer45]

Sorry I did not read your post before I posted mine.

[FlGuy]

And I thought it was from draggin' my a$$ around as my liver got worse over the years.

[CockSparrow]

Thats OK. If we are right then its gotta hurt when you slay your own Dragon -LOL
I go like FLGuys thoughts on it though.
CS

[mayday557]

Awesome...lots of brain cell activity goin on here !

medicmom - Sory if I offended, I wasnt attempting to tie the two together in any way.  You made a very good point that a great majority of heppers did not contract C via drug use.

**** and Dragon ... cool...very cool.  Makes a lot of sense.
Scratch ... lmao thanks for the grin !
LL ~~ Hey Puff used to be one my faves too.  

[triggertime]

I figure its 'cause when U get hepCrud your butt be dragon.
Triggertime

"I may not be any good but I'm slow"

[medicmommy]

Not at all! You didn't offend...I'd just had a "stigma" experience and was still smarting from it...Hate the way ppl think that all hep c comes from "dirty drug users"...Some of us just have unfortunate exposures...I got mine from taking care of a patient...