You got the happiest news ever.... UNDETECTED.  Celebrations all around.  Most certainly those who have witnessed your fight with Hepatitis C are also so excited to see you begin to live again. They may have seen what this disease has done to your overall stamina, health, mental and emotional being.  Immediate thoughts are YOU ARE CURED !.. Life is all better

BUT wait!! 

It may not be that easy and not that simple to explain to others who do not understand what you are feeling.  I know for myself, I had great expectations that my life would now be full of fun activities that I was not able to do for years.  Socializing, traveling, living a worry free life away from illness  

Boy was I sadly mistaken.  Two years now after my cure I still fight all the symptoms prior to being cured as I did having hep c.  It has been a reality that has been very hard for me to accept.  I guess the word CURE to me was living pain free, energetic, enthusiastic and being fun to be around.  What I have learned was the real meaning of the word CURE and putting that into perspective in daily life. 

Yes I am CURED, and so grateful, blessed and honored to be.  What the two years has taught me after getting the news of my cure was yes my body no longer has the liver destroying agents fighting within me (hep c) but my liver is extremely damaged and requires the same attention as I gave it while fighting hep c.  I am still fighting pain, fatigue, brain fog (hepatic encephalopathy), insomnia and the list continues.  It took me some time to be patient with my body and how I feel daily.  SURE we all want to pick up and go on as if nothing happened but for those with later stage liver damaged caused by Hep C that is not our reality.

I allow my emotions to be frustrated at my body but I do not beat myself up for being alive  I remind myself that I battled a disease that was only but a 50/50 chance only 5 years ago but today curing over 98 percent of the patients.  My liver is no longer getting attacked, it is no longer being destroyed by this disease.  I BEAT it and WON.

This is now what I focus on when I get sad and frustrated at myself for being tired or not being social with friends, family. 

I am human, I do experience sadness, frustration, depression and all the emotions this has left me with BUT... and yes there is a BUT...  I do not allow myself to remain in a pitty party for one.  I celebrate minor accomplishments that others see but to me they are HUGE.  I rest more, I get regular check ups with my liver doctor as that is very important for those in end stage.  Liver cancer is a high risk to those with cirrhosis and must continue to be monitored. Most importantly I learn to accept I am ALIVE, I am still LIVING and that is something to be proud of.  I fight this for myself but I fight this more importantly for my mom whom lost this fight with hep c.  I live for her, I fight for her because I am the living legacy to her life long fight to live. 

“Not without a FIGHT!~HCV~(C)”