Saying Hi

[Guest guest]

Good Morning everyone.

My name is Jen and I am the significant other of a man recently

diagnosed with HepC. I joined this group to try and get a better

understanding of the desease itself and also to try and understand

the emotional process he's going through. As of right now, we are

about five weeks into knowing and everything has just exploded, he's

emotionally shut down, withdrawn, depressed and has just made the

choice after a year of us being together to call it quits <he wants

to stay friends, as we are best friends> because he doesn't want me

to " watch him die " . He is not a candidate for Interfuron treatment

due to a cronic lung condition and he is just giving up, tossing in

the towel.

The last thing I want is to not be with him, he's my whole world and

we love each other dearly. I understand there is a very small risk

<less than 5% according to the doctor> in monogomous couples but I

feel that this is something I am willing to accept. He, however, is

not. Can anyone tell me, please, is this a common emotional reaction?

Right now, I am doing my best to be as supportive of him as I can be,

to just be there for him, but he has closed up a lot of his feelings.

In addition, he hasn't told anyone else <I know and his pastor knows>

and has no intention of doing so. I feel that this is just increasing

his isolation and lending it's self to the feelings he already has

that he's done something wrong. The docotr has already explained that

he may never know how he contracted HepC and that it may not even

have been a direct result of his personal choices in life.

If anyone has any insite, any sugestions, any reference material

about the emotional portion of what someone goes through, please

would you be kind enough to share it with us? I want to be able to be

there for him as much as he will allow me to be.

Thank you, and I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers.