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