Aa
method of aquisition
I notice many people being very specific in how they contracted Hepatitis C virus. Like, " contracted through transfusion", or,"needle stick accident-healthcare pro," or whatever. Is those individuals' disease somehow different from, "cross-contaminated tattoo ink", or "used drugs intravenously"? I thought we were all in the same boat.Perhaps a separate forum- "Their own fault", and, "victims of"?
What a great thread!
Personally, I do not care about how others got the disease.
Of course, if someone wants to talk about it, I do care. But it is out of compassion and not to put people in boxes. For all I know we are in the same box, boat, or whatever one may call it. This virus does not discriminate, so why should I.
The thing is that I never associated HCV with a stigma. That must be, because of my prior ignorance about the illness... Before I was diagnosed I didn't know anything else about it, than it being a liver disease. So I actually learned about the associated stigma while educating myself on HCV.
My stance on it is pretty much like rita's. I really don't give an effing eff what people think about me having the disease. I tell anyone I choose to and have until now not had one negative reaction and I try to educate ppl about HCV. All my family and friends have been very supportive. And other people have been ver sympathetic. If I did have a negative reaction, I know that I would not have a problem handling it. I'm not treating yet, so lets wait for the time ppl will ask me why I look so sick. I will tell them that I'm on treatment for HCV. Frankly, if certain people would not want to know me because of it, yes, I would definitely be better off without them.
ram921 Thank God I don't live in a society, where my disease could hurt my family in anyway. I would never put my children into the kind of situation you are mentioning. So I sooo understand if you would keep your disease to yourself.
I pray that we will all be able to go through this in a dignified way and protect our loved ones, if they need to be protected. Also that we may educate society and get all our governments to do their utmost to educate the public and to provide treatment!
Marcia
Personally, I do not care about how others got the disease.
Of course, if someone wants to talk about it, I do care. But it is out of compassion and not to put people in boxes. For all I know we are in the same box, boat, or whatever one may call it. This virus does not discriminate, so why should I.
The thing is that I never associated HCV with a stigma. That must be, because of my prior ignorance about the illness... Before I was diagnosed I didn't know anything else about it, than it being a liver disease. So I actually learned about the associated stigma while educating myself on HCV.
My stance on it is pretty much like rita's. I really don't give an effing eff what people think about me having the disease. I tell anyone I choose to and have until now not had one negative reaction and I try to educate ppl about HCV. All my family and friends have been very supportive. And other people have been ver sympathetic. If I did have a negative reaction, I know that I would not have a problem handling it. I'm not treating yet, so lets wait for the time ppl will ask me why I look so sick. I will tell them that I'm on treatment for HCV. Frankly, if certain people would not want to know me because of it, yes, I would definitely be better off without them.
ram921 Thank God I don't live in a society, where my disease could hurt my family in anyway. I would never put my children into the kind of situation you are mentioning. So I sooo understand if you would keep your disease to yourself.
I pray that we will all be able to go through this in a dignified way and protect our loved ones, if they need to be protected. Also that we may educate society and get all our governments to do their utmost to educate the public and to provide treatment!
Marcia
Considering that hep c has only been "identified" in the last 20 years, my thinking is that it's simply masqueraded itself well, defying discovery, causing damange and death while escaping blame. Even today, when people die of complications of hep c, what do we hear? Not that someone died of "complications of hep c" -- it's "liver failure" -- or "gastric bleeding" -- or "liver cancer" -- no one (not family members, not doctors, not even pathologists/medical examiners) point to hep c -- it's always the symptoms caused by the virus that are noted and given attention. (Now, whether this is done to protect people against the stigma while at the same time perpetuating it is another variable in the equation I won't explore today...)
And those of you making those great t-shirts ;)... I applaud you. On the flip side, I can imagine there's a percentage of people who treat HCV successfully only to never think or talk about it again. (I respect people's individual choices, but it disheartens me to contemplate the vicious cycle of silence and stigmatism...)
~eureka
And those of you making those great t-shirts ;)... I applaud you. On the flip side, I can imagine there's a percentage of people who treat HCV successfully only to never think or talk about it again. (I respect people's individual choices, but it disheartens me to contemplate the vicious cycle of silence and stigmatism...)
~eureka
Like Alagirl, I wear a certain badge (home invasion - per my bio). I have talked about my source of infection for a few reasons:
1. I like talking about myself, and it relieves some stress from time to time. It helps me to talk about the "incident too", I keep thinking I have moved on, but from time to time, I want to go over it again, and this is a good outlet.
2. Like Alagirl, I got acute symptoms, and know exactly when they kicked in, how long from the infection, and how for me, monotherapy did not work.
3. I am living proof that a fight can pass on Hep C - I have no doubt others have contracted this way, without knowing it.
4. Everybody I know, and even people I don't know, know I have Hep C thanks to media attention. I end up having to talk to everybody about it (what is it? Can't you get that from drinking bad water.. etc. etc.). I feel like a teacher or something - it gets very tiring very quickly.
5. Becasue of 4., many people with Hep C have come up to me, and talked about it (people I never knew had the disease).
I've never felt there is a "good" or "bad" way to get the disease. I did a lot of stupid stuff as a kid, and could just have easily got Hep C from some of the things I did. But, that's not what happened with me. There is a massive stigma attached to this disease. People were "releived" and "happy" when I acheived SVR, but I wonder how many of my peers who don't have Hep C, would have cared as much, if I had contracted another way, or an unknown way? Very few, I'd expect, which is the sad reality of this disease, the victims are blamed by society (much like HIV I guess).
1. I like talking about myself, and it relieves some stress from time to time. It helps me to talk about the "incident too", I keep thinking I have moved on, but from time to time, I want to go over it again, and this is a good outlet.
2. Like Alagirl, I got acute symptoms, and know exactly when they kicked in, how long from the infection, and how for me, monotherapy did not work.
3. I am living proof that a fight can pass on Hep C - I have no doubt others have contracted this way, without knowing it.
4. Everybody I know, and even people I don't know, know I have Hep C thanks to media attention. I end up having to talk to everybody about it (what is it? Can't you get that from drinking bad water.. etc. etc.). I feel like a teacher or something - it gets very tiring very quickly.
5. Becasue of 4., many people with Hep C have come up to me, and talked about it (people I never knew had the disease).
I've never felt there is a "good" or "bad" way to get the disease. I did a lot of stupid stuff as a kid, and could just have easily got Hep C from some of the things I did. But, that's not what happened with me. There is a massive stigma attached to this disease. People were "releived" and "happy" when I acheived SVR, but I wonder how many of my peers who don't have Hep C, would have cared as much, if I had contracted another way, or an unknown way? Very few, I'd expect, which is the sad reality of this disease, the victims are blamed by society (much like HIV I guess).
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