Your Best Friend's Guide to Hep C

Skin Rash Hepatitis C Treatment S.O.S. I don't know about you, but when I read the list of side effects of treatment, I was blown away. I literally logged off my computer and didn't read again for several days. That was just reading about Interferon and Ribavirin! When I began to read about the protease inhibitor side effects, more of a settled feeling had come over me. For one, I was initially denied treatment because of liver failure, or decompensation . Once I stood in front of a  transplant doctor and was told treatment was an option, the side effects no longer mattered. I lay on that examination table and one thought was dominant: "I want to live." I chose to take Incivik which is the brand name for Telaprevir. You and I need to talk about these side effects dear friend. There is no way around some of them, especially the skin rash from Hepatitis C treatment. You're gonna just have to face it. you can get relief from some of the itchy side effe

What are the 4 Stages and Symptoms of Cirrhosis and how do I know what stage I am in? Take center stage and help your liver heal If you are like me, you did not know diddley squat about the stages of cirrhosis when you were diagnosed. I understood what End Stage meant. The End is pretty easy to figure out. But how in the heck did I get to the end, or stage 4, or End Stage or whatever they called it? What happened before, during and after? If you have even read one of my blogs, you know that I have questions. There is no stopping until I get some answers. Cirrhosis is basically talked about in 4 stages. There are many different ways that a doctor can assess what stage you are in. You will have blood tests, maybe an MRI, a FibroSURE scan, liver biopsy or perhaps other procedures performed. Your doctor does all of these tests in an attempt to see the liver itself and to see how your body is function in relationship to the liver. I have come to believe that the who

Healthy Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes are easier to make than you think.  No Salt? No problem! Beat ascites with this turkey. Many who are trying to fight liver or heart disease assume that Thanksgiving is a day off from healthy eating. Or if you are like me, with a failing liver, you try and avoid the whole food and family scene altogether. Changing traditions and recipes can be hard. I was a downer that 1st t year after being diagnosed with Hepatitis C and end stage cirrhosis. I didn’t even watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade on television. As a matter of fact, I let go of all of my traditions. There was more than a little anger and sadness mixed. Some things are hard to let go of.  Gosh, I miss a spiral sliced ham with the bone in. For you, it might be letting go of drinking beer while watching football, or eating yourself into a food coma. However you CAN keep some traditions, including food. You may just have to change the way you prepare them. I am

What Foods to Avoid with Hepatitis C and Liver I think we know that a greasy, high sugar diet is not good for anyone. But are there certain foods that will make you sick ?  I cover that in my section on treatment. Read this for more about diet and treatment.   But we also need to know what foods to avoid when living with Hepatitis C and liver disease.  Y ou are smart to be doing some research though.  I spent hours compiling lists and now I am sharing it with you - my best friends. Hepatitis C or any liver disease inflames and damages the liver .  Some foods help the liver and some create more damage. Many people with Hepatitis C or Cirrhosis have fatty liver and NASH as well. Diabetes can also become a problem. But by taking control of your fork (or fingers) you can restore your liver. The damage may be reversed allowing you to live a long and healthy life. Sound crazy? Well, you now know a woman who had End Stage Liver Disease and a decompensated liver. Three years ag

Can My Liver Feel Pain? You know by now that if I have experienced it, I’m going to talk about it to my best friends. That would be YOU. I have heard a lot about liver pain from doctors, internet research, and on forums. That is where we all go for information, right? But it is easy to hear conflicting information about many topics, and liver pain is one of them. There are times when my liver hurts. The dull ache, or sharp piercing always grabs my attention. Fear is sure to follow, paralyzing fear. What can cause you to feel liver pain? Here is what I know: Fatty liver is known as steatosis. I was not diagnosed with fatty liver . I have cirrhosis as a result of having Hepatitis C. Cirrhosis and Hepatic Steatosis nearly always go together . I think of it this way: My liver has a lot of fibrous bands growing on it. It chokes the blood supply and keeps my liver from acting as a filter to cleanse my blood. As a result, the foods that are consumed do not get used as well

Hep C Thrush Treatment for Dry Mouth and Sores is the Miracle Mouth Wash. Eating soft, bland foods helps, but if you have metallic taste, lemon water and popsicles may taste better. Mouth sores make it hard to eat while on hep c treatment Hepatitis C Treatment is an anti-viral treatment, but some of the side effects are a lot like chemotherapy. The powerful drugs target the Hep C Virus, but like chemotherapy, they also cause problems in other parts of your body. You know about the side effects of nausea, hair loss, fever, aches and pains. Another area that you may experience side effects is in your mouth. I have covered teeth and gum problems, but the Thrush, dry mouth, and canker sores get a blog all of their own. You are probably wondering if I had every side effect. Yes I think I did . At the time I had to wonder why. But now that I have survived, I think that maybe it was so that I could pass on my handy dandy Hep C Tools to my Best Friends. Some of the sym

A Lesson Plan for Hepatitis C and Cirrhosis I have a lesson plan for Hepatitis C and Cirrhosis Most teachers enjoy the lazy days of summer. I am no exception. However, lesson plans do get spruced up during my summer break. It makes for a more interesting school day for me to present the same material in a new way when fall comes. As a result, my students benefit from my efforts because the delivery is a bit more passionate when I add new material or take away something that is less effective . Life is like that. Everything is a lesson if we allow it to be. It does not matter if it is old information from a different perspective or new information seen from a creative viewpoint. That is true no matter who is doing the learning. We are all lifelong learners, aren’t we?    Let's look at a Lesson Plan for Hepatitis C and Cirrhosis.   I can promise it will not be too boring. I hate boring school lessons. To be honest, I was a good student and loved school as

Sex and Hepatitis C Let’s talk about sex and Hepatitis C.   I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma which some consider to be the buckle on the Bible Belt. Sex is a delicate topic anyway, but we have got to talk about everything that has an effect on our life with Hepatitis C and Cirrhosis. I think we are all a bit shy about discussing sexual matters with anyone, especially a perfect stranger. I am not a stranger. We are best friends in this battle and we need to be absolutely honest about everything that we encounter. For most of us, whether we talk about it or not, sex is a natural part of our daily lives. So BFF, this is just between us. We have got to get rid of the fear of   having sex with Hepatitis C. Let’s dispel some of the myths surrounding the risk of sexual transmission with HCV. You know me. We are going to cover it all. You are probably wondering if the virus can be passed through sexual contact. I was.   After my diagnosis, I did NOT want to talk to my doctor, or anyo