As we all know there's a strong association between hepc and anxiety/depression. Now why is that and what does it mean for us? What impact, if any, does treatment have on this? If it does, how do we distinguish the positive feelings we have at a hopeful result from a remission in our hepc and the consequent reduction in anxiety or depression?
This is such a good post RSF.
I have no doubt at all that HepC brings heightened anxiety and /or depression. I also feel that it's rather overlooked by many in the medical profession, especially in the UK as they only deal with 'one part at a time' and not the whole picture. (Remembering the consultant who told me the portal vein had nothing to do with the liver and to contact my GP and my GP who said my joint pain had noting to do with the virus etc etc )
I used to become extremely anxious before treatment, sometimes about the strangest things like booking a ticket, making arrangements or especially filling in an important form. It is hardly surprising that those who were still being offered the Interferon /Riba tx and those GT1s who had to add the dreaded Boc/Telap (Uggg) as the only option, with such low cure rates not so long ago, were anxious and depressed ! The NHS level of care was pretty bad too and even when the new medicines arrived the response of many NHS consultants was more times than not, less than supportive (polite version).
Having said that, I believe the virus itself also causes anxiety and depression. Now SVR24, I still have bouts of anxiety, over any stresses in life, maybe having had them for so long, it takes a while mind and spirit to also repair? but they are much less often and not so bad any more.
I must thank Dr Debasis from Monkmed, who has a rather more holistic view and who used to call me and manage to calm me down and inspire confidence, hope, and didn't 'poo poo' my ideas, this was definitely good medicine in itself.
When people say "It's all in your mind" dismissively it kind of bugs me somewhat, as surely, the mind rules all?
and find myself thinking that what they describe could all be attributed to anxiety, which turns up as physical symptoms very often
I have no doubts about this. Anxiety causes physical tension which will spread to other parts, it makes perfect sense to me. I believe it can cause actual physical problems that become real co-morbidities..
For much of my adult life I have intermittently suffered from a/d and for nearly all of it I have had hepc. I can't help wondering what the relationship has been between the two, and what life may have been like if the virus hadn't infected me.
I believe it has very possibly played a large part in your a/d RSF - I also think our minds and bodies have very likely 'got used' to this reaction to stress and it will take some time to improve, but I do think it will improve. I guess the longer you have had the virus, the longer the memory will take to repair? but with the acknowledgement of this possibility, that time could well be shortened .
LG