About 1 in 100 people, from all walks of life, have Hepatitis C so it is pretty common. Because it is a highly stigmatised disease, linked in the public mind to IV drug use, most patients choose to keep their diagnosis confidential. Despite the fact that the evidence shows most patients were infected too young to have been involved in IVDU, and many patients got it from blood transfusions, tattoos, and unsafe medical procedures, changing the stigma is probably an impossible task.
What this means is that having Hepatitis C is a very lonely experience for many people. Having to deal with the symptoms is one thing, but having to do it alone just adds to the burden. The good news is that help is out there!
One of the great things about the Internet is it allows people from across the globe to connect with other people with a common interest and with complete anonymity.
To find people like you, who have walked in your shoes and know how it feels, please visit the FixHepC forum – https://fixhepc.com/forum
You can browse the forum without logging in but to post you do need to create a login. Most people just use an anonymous email address to do that so there is no problem about maintaining your annonymity.
There are now highly effective treatments available with minimal side effects. For some patients, insurance and Medicaid can come to the rescue. For others, it might be a patient assistance program or the parallel importation of generics (these are the same medications but with a $1000 price tag for the whole treatment rather than a single pill). It is a cruel and unusual punishment to know that cure exists, but not for you.
Drop in to the FixHepC forum and find out how people just like you have navigated the varying processes that can see you get supported, treated and cured.
