Newbie to Hep C

[wtfjusthappened]

I just found out I have hep C and am freaking out!! Its not like I didnt see this coming or anything, due to the fact I was a Heroin Addict via IV or smoked from the time I was 17 to 24 off and on.(Just got clean and going on 5 days yay!) So I started to notice weird things and decieded to get a blood test and found hep c, f! So I have questions like do I tell my family and if so when is a good time? What should I start doing now in hopefullness of some recovery hopefully. Also I live in a mmj friendly state and have a med card due to this disease, how does it benefit me all around? And also any other further insight or positive suggestions really could help! thanks!

[Diane12855]

It would be good if you shared needles with anybody to tell them that you are infected so that they can be checked to see if they have it.

Diane

[willbb]

The most important thing you can do presently is work on your sobriety.Being clean for 5 days is a commendable start and this should be your main focus in the months to come .Once there is some sense of recovering in place there then you will be  in a better place to focus on your HCV . Sobriety means no drugs(including weed) or alcohol.

You may want to join the addiction forum for support if you haven"t already.

  Good luck..
Will

[FlGuy]

To back up for a moment.  How, exactly, were you diagnosed.  Do you know the name of the tests that were run and do you have written results of the tests or copies of the lab reports.  That's pretty cool that an addict can get an MMJ cards in your state.  What do they do for alcoholics, pre-paid EZ Pass?

[Anne1717]

Oh - and please excuse the grammar since I am old and can't find the reading glasses !!!!!

[James10500]

MMJ will do absolutely nothing to help your boby fight HCV. In fact there are several studies that indicate weed hurts the liver.  Time to go to a real doc and not a pot doc.

I'd love to see a clinical study that concludes marijuana is a benefit to people with HCV.

[Anne1717]

Hi and so sorry to hear of your diagnosis.  Learning of something like this certainly is like getting whacked with a shovel cross the face.  The more you educate yourself and asked questions of this forum, it will give you perspective and hopefully alleviate some of your fear.  We are all at different stages of dealing with this  so here is a wealth of knowledge.

Congratulations on being clean and please keep up the good work.   You have an opportunity now to move forward in healthier way and it is crucial to your progress with HCV that you do stay healthy and substance free.

Firstly, it would be a good idea to find a good Gastroenterologist or Heptologist in a reputable hospital  and  find out just where you are with your viral load and liver.  When you get hard numbers, if you don't have them already, please feel free to share them with us and we can help you interpret.

About telling family/friends - well, for now, I would just tell whomever is closest to you - someone you trust unequivocally.  You can tell others later should you chose to, but once you have spilled the beans  you can't take it back.  I made a few mistakes early on in who I told out of grief.  It is natural to feel the need to rally the troups but there are some who shouldn't be included in this battle.

Above all, take a deep breath and try not to worry,  You will get through this as we all have in one way or another.  Again, it is so important to get in a healthy place mentally, physically, and emotionally.  And - get a plan

Best of luck and stay connected,  Anne