Let us all face it. Hepatitis C is a nasty disease with many complications that destroy our bodies. There is nothing glamorous about waking up sick to our stomach, so tired we can’t get dressed or better yet, robs us of a full night’s sleep. The list of negative side effects of this disease can fill this page. WE all that are suffering with hep C can relate to this.
The frustrating and often depressing part of feeling awful is we see life going on around us every day. Our families have functions that require us to be there, friends want to get together with us, our careers and jobs require our promptness and attention. The demands on us can be overwhelming if not exhausting to us.
We want to be able to address all the needs that need to be met but how can we if literally we can’t function? Even I ask myself all the time, “how can I possibly take another step?” “ Can’t people see how sick I really am?”
Fact is NO! No they cannot see per say how sick you really are feeling other than how you carry yourself and whether you share with them your condition. Hepatitis is not a disease that destroys the outer body but rather reeks havoc within. Making it very difficult for outsiders to fully understand what is wrong with you because you “look fine”.
As my journey with hep C began i learned very quickly that I can’t expect to be understood if I was not willing to share my situation. If we don’t totally understand our selves this disease how can we expect others to sympathy with us? The stigma has bottled up the disease to the point many are hiding in fear of being judged.
I will address this topic next week on how to deal with the stigma. But today, I want to share with you the importance of mental outlook and the role it plays on your health.
The biggest killer of our bodies is stress and worry. Ask any doctor just what effects the long term overall health of his/her patient..... their mental outlook. For example you have patient A with Stage 2 liver failure and patient B with Stage 4 liver failure.. patient A -complains every minute about their disease. Fails to see hope in their future While patient B (stage 4) is well educated and aware of this disease and looks for the blessing in his or her life rather than complaining.
Out of the two- I can bet my life on who will survive this and who will lose to this disease. All just by listening to their daily talk to themselves and others around them. Let me give you a clue... it will not be patient A in stage 2 because all the stress, worry and negativity will literally eat him/her alive.
Sure I wake up feeling like I got hit by a car, my legs hurt my body hurts but I don’t give any more attention to that pain and I force myself to get up, get dressed and go to work. All while raising two young children. I am no super human but I have figured out the key.
That key is to focus on the blessings in my life. Look for what is not hurting and be thankful it is not. Give myself permission to rest as needed, learn to say no to commitments you know will exhaust your last bit of energy. Learn to love yourself enough to say “ I am worth this fight” “I wanna live and be the statistic for success”.
No one else can fight this battle but you. No one else can feel the pain it causes you to feel every day but everyone can see a fighter. One that spirit rises to a challenge and is ready to face it head on.
I am here to say it can be done. It may take a few days to learn how to push past the nasty part of hep c but once you do, you will be able to live and be in control again of your life. Instead of hepatitis C controlling you
Stay positive, stay strong and keep fighting
I am right beside you all the way
" Not without a fight!~hcv~ (c)
Kim Bossley
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