Yesterday I went with my colleague Cath to meet someone who has hep C and hadn’t spoken to anyone about it. Cath runs our health days at The Trust. She’s got looking after herself down to a fine art without being fastidious or sanctimonious about it. Our Health Day Workshops, like the helpline, are an integral part of the Trust as people with hep C can meet and compare notes as well as learn how to deal with their illness constructively.
We put on a Christmas dinner at All Star Lanes in Notting Hill a couple of years back. Celebrities waited on tables and we invited about 100 patients down. Some of them had never spoken to another person with hep C. People did not stop talking all day.
Health Check on Radio 4 today was talking about the importance of sharing your secrets.
People who don’t harbour secrets are physically and mentally healthier. They used coming out as an example but you could apply it to anything.
The times I’ve had a problem telling people have been when I met a new man (not very often) and when my son was at school. Until I worked at The Trust or made my film I told people on a need-to-know basis. I can only think of one person who had a problem with it and I always thought the problem was their’s and not mine.
Having said all that, the psychological drain of always being ill inevitably takes it toll. The psychological lift I am getting from the hope that I soon might be better is immense.
My headache still hasn’t gone. And todays pic is my treatment essentials.
This entry was originally published on February 20, 2013 on The Hepatitis C Trust. Reprinted with permission.
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