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Avatar universal

I am very terrified

Hi,
   I am 36 years old, and I have been through 5 surgery's in 3 years. I have had had my foot broke clean off my ankle, and had too have screws put in,so I didn't have to have amputation. I broke my leg in between my ankle and knee. I have had too have one ovarie removed because of pre-cancer. Then had too have a hysterectomy because of cancer.I have had too have 3 sets of epidural blocks, because of slipped discs in left lower back and had too have surgery by cutting front of my throat to do the surgery on 2 slipped discs that turned into bone spurs, and was pinching on a nerve, which none of them helped, except maybe the hysterectomy. And now I just found out I came u positive for hep  c.I am so scared I don't know what to do, because I have a13 year old and a 17 year old and the most wonderful husband in the world, and I don't want to leave any of them alone with out me to take care of them. Please help me understand why this is happening to me. I honestly have never hurt anyone in my life, and I just don't know why they should have too go through having to deal with me, and take care of me when at 36 I should be taking care of them not them me. And could you tell me if I am going too die.I am Very scared and need help Please.

                                                                            Thank you
    
                                                                            Michelle Johnson  
14 Responses
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Avatar universal
          P.S. My name is Patti JOHNSON .. There are a lot of coincidences in life... but nothing happens by chance.  Everything that happens in life is meant to be.  Now, I am going back to bed. I hope I have put a smile on your face.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
  I had my tonsils out twice, at age 3 and again at 20, a total hysterectomy at age 40 after enduring a number of D&C's, (that operation was on Xmas Day... I was hemoraging and had emergency surgery and blood transfusions ( where the Hep C originated } Not a nice place to be when you have 3 children.  Learned while in the hospital that I needed Gall bladder surgery... had it soon after and then I had my thyroid removed by Radioactive Iodine therapy.  Breast surgery, possible cancer came out benign.  Lost a lot of weight and then had a tummy tuck... developed a life threatening infection and had emergency surgery to take care of the problem.  The liver was in bad shape since 1987 and now the numbers were off the wall.... but I was told there was a possible cure.  I went for it.  I was naturally anxious  ... after all I had been through  this seemed to be too much . Had the liver biopsy and went from there.  Geno type one. 12 months of treatment followed by 6 months post  I was declared cured this June 19th and I have lingering side effects... I have just taken you from age 3 to age 64.  How  did I get through the medical stuff besides  all the other difficult circumstances in my life????????? I simply  ASKED GOD to be there for me.  And I trusted. I can not face  any day without my faith. Just talk to Him just like you are writing to this forum and ask for His help.  It beats the forum and that says a lot because the forum is great, but He will hear you and be there for you when we and no other person  is not. Why do bad things happen to good people?  You learn lessons, like compassion, understanding... you learn to reach out to others like I am doing right now .You learn to look to God for help... so you can pass on the fact that your strength will come from above, if you simply ask and believe. You are not being punished ... this is the stuff that life is made up of.  You are dealt what you have to work with and you just act on it all with a positive mind set and give it your all.  Do not just look at the negatives... look at the positives...... You have been blessed with children and a wonderful husband... there are people out there who have to carry the lack of children and/or a wonderful husband..as their cross to bear. That is what has their life in a turmoil.  It is always something.  You have come so far and you will con't to go on by giving this your all.  You can get through this,!  Take it from someone who has lived through SO MUCH and is still facing each tomorrow with the same prayer request, "God, this is too much for me to handle, so I am going to ask you to walk with me and see me through.  I will place my trust in you believing  that you will be there for me and my family. And, Dear Lord, thank you so much for being there for me.  Now, I will let go and believe/ trust that I am not alone .... I will let go and simply take one day at a time... thank you thank you thank you.!!!!"    Missy, maybe you are the reason I got out of bed and came to the computer...  saw your post and knew I had to share this with you.  You see, the Lord uses other people to do His work and to get the fact out that WE   {YOU} ARE LOVED, and WE { YOU} ARE SPECIAL.  I will let you go so you can say a good prayer from your heart ... and, Missy, He will hear you.  You will be in my prayers to Him too .... as well as a lot of people on the forum. If I do not have your attention yet... listen to this. My daugther was on a life support system for 9 days with only a 1% chance of living.  Could anything be worse than that!!!! I begged God to help me and we got our miracle.  He brought her through... the doctors said it was a miracle because her heart actually stopped beating.  As a Mom you have your problems. but nothing hurts more than when the problem is with your child. My very best to you, your family and esp. your wonderful husband.  He is the other shoulder you will lean on.  He is going to be so important in your treatment... go through this together. Take care. Patti
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Sorry for all you've been going through. The good news is that Hepatitis C isn't a scary as people uneducated in it think. It's not a death sentence. It can be cured. And in most cases it progresses incredibly slowly. For example, I had it for close to 40 years before I started treating. Best news of all is that newer drugs are almost out of the trial stage and these new drugs hopefully will make treatments shorter and more effective. In short, there is no reason to think that you will either die or become a burden on your family because of your Hepatitis C. In fact, if you're like many of us, it will not affect your life at all.

Besides doing your own research at places like this, my suggestion is to find yourself a good liver specialist. They're called hepatologists and can usually be found at your larger, teaching hospitals. Family doctors and even gastroenterologists often don't know enough about Hepatitis C to do more than scare the patient with incorrect and outdated information.

All the best,

-- Jim
Helpful - 0
237222 tn?1202508641
WILL give you the emotional support you deserve:  your husband, best friends, relatives...  get well informed about  hepatitis C, the stage in which your liver is and the options you have.  As many people said, this site is a good place to start.  There are many, but I found this site particularly good "The hepatitis C trust".  Many people here can send you loads of information, but you have to asimilate it at your own rithm.

I was diagnosed in June and I are waiting for treatment, starting soon now..  I have cryed and raged for 3 months, but I am focused now.  We still can choose how to make the most of our lifes, independently of our situation.  I believe on this.  I am sure you, like the big mayority of us, will have a long life ahead to be happy, to give love to our family and to enjoy life, no matter what.

I hope my perspective gives you a bit of confort, and please,  do not hesitate in asking for help whenever you need it!!

Welcome to the forum!!  

Amateur


It is a long path, but we are here to help you, and so are your doctors.
Helpful - 0
237222 tn?1202508641
Dear Missy:

As I can see, you have already been through many helth problems in your relatively short life.  This, a part from worries, is given you a great deal of strength, even if it is hard to see it that way.  Try to focus first on getting an understanding of how  hepatitis works and you will see (as stated above) that we have many many possibilities of cure, if it is not in the first time round, will be in later on and in this time it is unluckely that you get very ill rapidily.  Allow yourself an initial period of being worried and miserable.  We all have to pass through that and it is normal and healthy to rage and cry BUT keep in mind that the strongest innate condition of human being is our perdurance, our strength.  This is the best we have and what has made us survive and be the most succesful species.  Use this strength wisely.  Get your tell the people YOU KNOW POSSITEVELY
Helpful - 0
254544 tn?1310775732
I truly believe we are not dished out more than we can handle.  I had Leukemia in my 20's.  I contracted Hep C as a result of all the blood and platlet transfusions that I had during my treatment for Leukemia.   Then I would up with RA from the Hep C.  I'm 47 years old and have had Hep for 22 years.  As everyone else has said it's not a death sentence.  It is however a wake up call.   Make sure you do the right things for your body and follow through with all the proper testing.

Mouse
Genotype 1a, Stage 3, Grade 3
Finished 48 wks of tx on 4/13/07
Relapsed 6 mos. post

P.S. My name is also Missy
Helpful - 0
276730 tn?1327962946
just to add my girlfriend also has a screw together ankle..she was shopping in Target and an entire shelf full of merchandise fell on her..she's 50 and doing fine too!

Helpful - 0
163305 tn?1333668571
I am 53 and just did the treatment after having Hep C for over 30 years. It is not a death sentence. It does require changes in life style, mainly to refrain from alcohol.
  Like nygirl said, take it slow, breathe. You are far from alone and once you have some tests done, you'll have a better idea what to do next.

   BTW: My daughter has a screwed together ankle and has been doing fine.
                           Good luck!
Helpful - 0
276730 tn?1327962946
One day at a time is aways easier to handle then projectng the next year. Dont beat youself  up.
If we all projected what would happen we would all be crazy. Try I know its not easy....to wait till all results are in. You might have no damage or mild damage. Dont worry when there''s nothing to worry about. Wait till there is!  lol

I have HCV for many many years and was not upset when I was told. However I am a little down now that Im ready to treat. All this is normal..none of us know what will happen in the future.......
Just put one foot in front of the other and know you will be ok one way or the other. Even if you need to treat. You'll be okay. This disease usually is very slow ........your not alone.
Helpful - 0
179856 tn?1333547362
BREATHE!!!  We've all been in your seat before and gone huh what why ME!!!!  But eventually as much as you still don't want this dumb disease you will laugh and have a good time getting on with your life.  I promise.

Find out your stats and then come back in here and post them - everyone will be more than happy to help you understand every single little result.  Oh yeah - make SURE you get a hard copy of every single test result that comes in...you won't believe how important they will be to you later!

Good luck, remember BREATHE you are NOT alone!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm sorry to you are having trouble. It is a shock at first but that'll soon wear off as you learn more about Hep C.  Listen to all the posters. They helped me greatly when my husband was diagnosed. This is a great site.  

You've been through a lot for such a young age but as merryBe said it's great that we live where we have science and drs. that know what to do and there are many new drugs they are testing for this. My son came home from Iraq with stories of people walking up to the troops with letters from drs. for the troops to take out a pint of blood from them so their blood pressure would go down.  Now that is living in the dark ages.  We are so lucky to have what we have.  And, this isn't a death sentence.  This is just a setback and you'll get through it and see your grandchildren, so stop going to that side of it.  Like copyman said, you have to see hepatologist to see what your stats are.  Might have little or no damage. So, don't look on the bleak side of things. You don't really know all the facts yet.  

Keep coming here and reading. You'll soon learn all you need to know about this desease and you'll be fine. Best wishes.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hi missy, try and take a deep breath. HCV is NOT a death sentence. this is a disease that takes a very long time to progress in most cases, and sometimes not that much at all. sounds like you may have contracted HCV from one of your operations. did you receive any blood during these operations? especially if it was before 1990 when they stated screening blood for HCV.  you may be one of the people lucky enough to figure out when you got it. you have received some great info on the other posts, especially about seeking out help with a "hepatologist". find out what stage your liver is in then decide on treatment options. hopefully you will not have that much damage and you will be able to wait for new drugs within the next 5 years. wishing you well

PS, here is another HCV site that has very good info, http://janis7hepc.com/index.htm
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Avatar universal
hello Michelle.

sorry to hear what you had already to go through (your past surgeries).

Regarding the HepC: FIRSt,  it is important that you find a doctor who is  experienced   and who stays on top of research. Usually, a good hepatologist or infectious disease specialist is such a person.

This doctor will then need to do some analysis in order to assess how your state of Hep C is at the moment, and to make a plan of action together with you.

Assessment of current state
=======================

The first thing you will need to to is to make an assessment of your current Hep C situation:

- your doctor should determine your HCV sub-type (1,2,3 or 4), to indiciate how effective treatment will be, and your viral load, to inidicate how active HCV is at the moment

- your doctor might also take standard blood tests to see if how your liver dowing ( liver enzymes, blood clutting capability, etc.)

- most importantly, there should be an assessment of the *health* status of your liver tissue. As you perhaps know, in some people whith HCV, the liver tissue can change, after many years (it's called fibrosis, and in the later states, cirrhosis), which can be harmful.

The assessment of liver tissue can be done via a liver biopsy (harmless needlestick to retrieve the tissue). In addition, or alternative to, the liver biopsy one may consider certain blood tests (e.g. FibroSure) or imagining tests (FibroScan), which can give a rough estimate of how much fibrosis may be present.

With all this information at hand, you will then know
- how urgent treatment is
- what kind of treatment suits your best
- or whether you can postpone treatment for the next years, and just keep monitoring your health together with the doc

About the treatment, many people can give you their accounts. Many had supberb success, others need to retry some more often. But right as we write, treatment gets better every year.

So, i would say, there is really reason to be optimisitc. Just make sure you that the necessary investiagations done, to be able to make the best informed decisions.

Hope you will be HCV-free soon!!

PS: consider yourself lucky that you have a caring partner and 2 (nearly :) grown children. Congratulations!!!
Helpful - 0
233616 tn?1312787196
I so sorry to hear of your woes Michele. there's plenty of support in here, more on the community side of this site, than this, the medical side. I'm new in here too, and very eager to begin treatment.
You have an excellent chance to clear at your young age. So while it can be a lot to process, just take it one day at a time, and try to learn to lean on your family.  I also have learned to trust God, whether this is an option for you, I don't know; but I do not beleive you are being singled out for suffering unfairly. Life, is just not fair in some respects. It never has been. think of all the death and diseases from wars and bad sanitation and all the rest, and we can easily see how very blessed we are to be living in a day and age of such progress. Had we been borne even 100 years ago, half our children would not have reached the age of 5, and you and I would both be dead of our cancers, not cured as we are. Your story sounds just like mine. Surgeries, back, cancer,  darling children and wanting to see my grandchildren born and grow. Start looking at what you do have: they caught your cancer, fixed your back, you're way ahead of many with a supportive family, AND there's a good shot at a cure. No one knew when they did your surgeries how tainted the blood supply was, but it's no one's fault. Docs were just rying to save lives, as they did yours, and do each and every day. If you want to talk more about faith, I'll give you my email, meanwhile, you'll be in my prayers.
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