Hi Ya Suzie :)

[Guest guest]

Honey now is the time for family and close friends to offer and give you much needed love, understanding and support. Times like these brings many families closer together than ever before and petty issues in the past seem not to matter anymore. You never know unless you try and open-up to them first. They don't know unless you tell them waiting for them to come to you may took to long. I felt it was my obligation to inform my family and they had the right to know about my health and what to expect in the future. What they decided to do was than their choices to make but I felt I needed to offer them that option

before it was to late and I left them wondering what if. Wait to long and you may miss out on possibly the best quality time of your life with your family. I have only 1 older brother of 12 years his 2 sons and my 2 kids left in my immediate family. I was dx'ed late in stage 3 and quickly progressed to stage 4 than ESLD. I sat down wrote letters to my brother and my 2 kids explaining my health situation and the need to soon be listed for a transplant. I knew they knew little or next to nothing about HCV and included with the letters a copy of the book Living with Hep C The Survivors Guide. I told

my brother to sit his adult sons and family down and explain it all to them. I would talk to my kids and soon we would have a family meeting at my house to sit face to face and discuss it all. I all worked out much better than I ever expected after the shock and tears stopped flowing. This is my life now and the ones who truly love me will stand by me and support me all the way and no matter what. If not than that is their problem to deal with and handle the best way they can and not mine. I can not change what will happen and how others will react to my

situations. I can also tell you that I needed to simplify my life as much as possible and keep track of everything. I still do it today. I use different colored steno pads for different things. I find that writing it out the old fashion way helps my brain to focus better and I have an easy time finding and referring back to it and see the repetition from month to month. I use a pad for monthly bills - checking account - a to do list and what I need to do the next day planned out the day before. I always carry a small pad in my purse and when I think of something that I need or something I need to do I write it down immediately while the thought is there or I will forget

it. A notebook is also good as a journal just for you to pour out your feelings, emotions and frustrations just let it rip without worrying about spelling or grammar. You may be having many BM's per day but related to your diet and problems with digestion now from your stage and not from the Lactulose. Lactulose needs to be increased by your Dr's until your ammonia levels go down and it is the only thing that will bind and lets you expel the toxins. If you want to feel better and think much

clearer take the Lactulose or it will get a hell of a lot worse. Honey, I'll stop for now and promise to try writing shorter messages cause I know how overwhelming it can be. Love and Hugs. Deb

[Guest guest]

You do what I have been doing for years.My kids used to say I was senile when I was younger and I put it down to being to many things on my plate at one time.I started years ago writing everything down when we had report time at the hospital.Then if I noticed something different about one of my patients I wrote it down in my notepad so it could be put in report when I finished my rounds.Now I write down everything or I will forget.I have a list of what has to be paid each month and when I write out the cheque,I put a tick beside it on the list.I quit working cause I couldn't depend on my health and my memory.Fortunately I only have one client at a time and I write things down that I notice.in the clents report book.

Gail

-----Original Message-----From: Hepatitis CSupportGroupForDummies [mailto:Hepatitis CSupportGroupForDummies ]On Behalf Of DebSent: January 8, 2006 7:45 PMHepatitis Cfordummies Subject: Hi Ya Suzie

Honey now is the time for family and close friends to offer and give you much needed love, understanding and support. Times like these brings many families closer together than ever before and petty issues in the past seem not to matter anymore.

You never know unless you try and open-up to them first. They don't know unless you tell them waiting for them to come to you may took to long.

I felt it was my obligation to inform my family and they had the right to know about my health and what to expect in the future. What they decided to do was than their choices to make but I felt I needed to offer them that option before it was to late and I left them wondering what if.

Wait to long and you may miss out on possibly the best quality time of your life with your family.

I have only 1 older brother of 12 years his 2 sons and my 2 kids left in my immediate family. I was dx'ed late in stage 3 and quickly progressed to stage 4 than ESLD. I sat down wrote letters to my brother and my 2 kids explaining my health situation and the need to soon be listed for a transplant. I knew they knew little or next to nothing about HCV and included with the letters a copy of the book Living with Hep C The Survivors Guide. I told my brother to sit his adult sons and family down and explain it all to them. I would talk to my kids and soon we would have a family meeting at my house to sit face to face and discuss it all.

I all worked out much better than I ever expected after the shock and tears stopped flowing.

This is my life now and the ones who truly love me will stand by me and support me all the way and no matter what. If not than that is their problem to deal with and handle the best way they can and not mine. I can not change what will happen and how others will react to my situations.

I can also tell you that I needed to simplify my life as much as possible and keep track of everything. I still do it today. I use different colored steno pads for different things. I find that writing it out the old fashion way helps my brain to focus better and I have an easy time finding and referring back to it and see the repetition from month to month.

I use a pad for monthly bills - checking account - a to do list and what I need to do the next day planned out the day before. I always carry a small pad in my purse and when I think of something that I need or something I need to do I write it down immediately while the thought is there or I will forget it.

A notebook is also good as a journal just for you to pour out your feelings, emotions and frustrations just let it rip without worrying about spelling or grammar.

You may be having many BM's per day but related to your diet and problems with digestion now from your stage and not from the Lactulose. Lactulose needs to be increased by your Dr's until your ammonia levels go down and it is the only thing that will bind and lets you expel the toxins.

If you want to feel better and think much clearer take the Lactulose or it will get a hell of a lot worse.

Honey, I'll stop for now and promise to try writing shorter messages cause I know how overwhelming it can be.

Love and Hugs.

Deb

[Guest guest]

Look

what you did, SuZie Q! You caused a doctor to educate herself on hcv. Good

job!

De

Re:

Hi Ya Boo

Boo honey, don't give up on me now. I love you &

everybody here, you're my family now & I don't want to lose you. I

have an appointment with my family doctor next Wednesday & I'll ask her for

her opinion - she's been studying up on HCV since I've been her patient.

If she agrees with you guys that I am in ESLD I'll make an appointment with the

GI or Dr. Idiot, O K ? I need your input so don't cut me off please dear.

H & K,

SuZie