"...It took me almost 5 minutes to write that last sentence as I couldn't find the word in my head..."

With each day that passes my health deteriorates.

I have been living with the hepatitis C virus since 1998. Since being diagnosed, the virus has impacted negatively on my relationships with friends, family & partners.

I lived with the fear that I could pass the HCV on to my daughter if she accidentally used my toothbrush or razor. I have lived with stigma and discrimination from medical professionals all too often. I have tried to put it all aside but the symptoms are becoming more and more difficult to ignore.

Each day is a struggle, Monday to Friday, I am exhausted just getting ready for work, I push on through the aches and pains, the frustrating brain fog and relentless fatigue. The weekends are spent isolated as I don't have the energy to socialise with family or remaining friends.

My world seems to orbit hep C. (It took me almost 5 minutes to write that last sentence as I couldn't find the word in my head that I wanted to use, in the end I had to use the internet).

Everything is a struggle. The available therapy is not an option for me. I hide my struggle; people don't have sympathy for what they see as a self inflicted wound. But, I have a 99% chance that my health will improve when I am able to access the long-awaited treatment. I have witnessed the transformation in others around me that have been treated on trials of the DAA Treatments.

I look forward to getting my life back and improvements in my mood, energy level and concentration span. All of these things will allow me to be more effective in all that I do, reconnect with friends and enjoy my relationships with my family that have deteriorated along with my health.

7th December 2015

Image by Daremoshiranai via Flickr on Creative Commons Licence