faces up to life with hepatitis C

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faces up to life with hepatitis C

Some 200,000 people in England are estimated to have hepatitis C but many of them are unaware of the fact, and so could end up dying through ignorance. To mark World Hepatitis Awareness Day this Sunday, Ann Molyneux spoke to one woman about her battle with the virus. When she was a teenager, Peacock and her friends used to do their own tattoos with a bottle of ink and a needle.Unfortunately, this act of rebellion was to have a lasting impact on her life.Years later, she was to discover she had hepatitis C, a deadly virus carried in the blood that can damage the liver and increase the chance of cirrhosis and liver cancer."It was during the time of punk, we used to stick safety pins through our lips and pierce each other's ears," said."When you are 17 you don't think, 'this thing I'm doing today could affect me for the rest of my life'.", who lives in Marsh Close, March, is one of 70,000 British people who have been diagnosed with the virus, but it's estimated that eight out of ten people with hepatitis are unaware they have it.Until this week, when Aerosmith frontman Steve Tyler said he had battled with hepatitis C for three years and is now clear of the virus, the only thing that most people would have known about it is that former Baywatch star Pamela has it.In fact, there is so much ignorance surrounding the virus, that the Department of Health is supporting World Hepatitis Awareness Day on Sunday.Its Face It campaign aims to reduce ignorance towards hepatitis C, to encourage people who may have been at risk to come forward for testing, and to educate people on how to avoid infection in the future. It uses photographs of people living with hepatitis C to raise awareness of the fact the virus can affect those from all walks of life., who has been one of the faces of the campaign, was diagnosed with the virus in January 2003 but believes she may have had it for more than 20 years before then."I was diagnosed after many, many years of generally feeling unwell," said the 42-year-old."The symptoms are quite vague really, I felt fluey all the time, very achey and tired. I was feeling sick, I had stomach pains and a pain just below my ribs."It was a general feeling of, 'I don't feel well but I don't know why'."She added: "I was also getting quite angry and depressed because it can affect you mentally, as well as physically."But having blood tests and visiting the hospital didn't give me an answer." finally discovered the cause of her ill health after chatting to a nurse when she was having some other blood tests."We started talking about tattoos, and she said, 'has it ever been suggested that you have a hepatitis C test?'," she explained."I had the test, but I didn't expect it to come back positive." was given a leaflet to take home and was told she should be vaccinated for hepatitis A and hepatitis B because she would become very ill if she ever contracted either of these."There was no counselling, I was given the diagnosis and left to deal with it," said ."I was petrified and horrified and I felt guilt that my children and my ex-husband would have to be tested. Waiting for their results was worse than waiting for mine, but they were all fine." is mum to Kirsty (14) and 13-year-old , and could have passed the virus onto them in the womb."I was incredibly relieved when they didn't have it. Like any mother, I don't care so much what happens to me, and the thought that I could have given this to my children from something I did when I was a rebel without a clue was mortifying," she said. has had two year-long courses of NHS-funded treatment for hepatitis C at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, which was a mild form of chemotherapy.Like 50 per cent of patients, did not respond to the first course of treatment, but the second cleared the virus out of her system.

She describes it as an "arduous task.""It was like the worst flu I had ever had in my life," said , whose weight plummeted by two and a half stone turning her from a curvy size 12 to a straight as an ironing board size six during that time and leaving her unable to work."There were weeks at a time when I couldn't get out of bed and I also had depression and uncontrollable anger," she added."It was quite scary, my children were 10 and 12 at the time, and my daughter would have to cook dinner, look after herself and her brother and look after me."It's not recognised as being as debilitating, and social services wouldn't help."Although hepatitis C is now non-existent in her bloodstream, is still having to live with the consequences of having the virus."They don't say you're cured, because it can come back," she said."I'm clear of the virus now, but I have to go back for regular scans on my liver."'s best hope is to stay as healthy as possible and she says she feels better now than she has done in years.There is a stigma attached to hepatitis C because it is widely associated with drug use, although this is not always the case."The stigma goes along with it because people get infected from blood-to-blood contact, but you can't get it from day-to-day contact, from hugging, kissing or using the same crockery," she said. says she has never hidden the fact she had the virus."It's extremely difficult with a partner because you don't know how they are going to react," said , who split with her husband nine years ago.She has friends who have not been so lucky."I do know people who have been physically and verbally assaulted or can't get dental treatment, and people who don't tell their employer because they are frightened of losing their jobs," said .She has a message for people who, like her, may never have considered that they could have hepatitis C."Just think back to your past, if there's the slightest doubt, get tested, treatment can be very effective, and at least then you know what you are dealing with."Frustrated with the lack of help available when she was diagnosed, has set up her own support group.Their next meeting will be held at Queen 's Centre, in Wisbech, on October 6 2006 at 7.30pm.Article by: Ann Molyneux, email: Have your say, send a comment now.

29 September 2006

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