Hepatitis C is an infectious disease that is caused by the hepatitis C virus. This is a disease that mostly affects the liver and for up to 85% of people infected by the hepatitis C virus, it becomes a chronic condition. Even though living with hepatitis C can be extremely challenging, still, there are few things you can do to fight the virus and manage the disease.
Source: Australian Journal of Pharmacy
Since hepatitis C can cause inflammation and swelling of the liver, and further down the live liver cirrhosis, you have to take good care of your liver. This means you should not drink alcohol at all and take any recreational drugs whatsoever. It is well known that alcohol abuse often causes liver damage and cirrhosis. This happens to people with a healthy liver. In people who are infected by hepatitis C high consumption of alcohol can further damage the already unhealthy liver and cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. It’s no wonder then why doctors advise their patients who suffer from hepatitis C to avoid drinking alcohol completely.
You can help your liver and protect it by changing your diet. There is no specific diet, but you should try to eat healthily. That means that you should eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and avoid processed food that contains too much sugar and salt. Furthermore, you should try to eat a few small meals every three to four hours, throughout the day. People with hepatitis C are advised to exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight can cause a build-up of fat in the liver which causes so-called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Being overweight can also decrease the effectiveness of medications. Exercising includes some activities of moderate intensity such as brisk walking, swimming, bicycling or doing some chores around your house such as gardening or mowing your lawns.
Source: AOPA
There are several medications that can treat and eventually cure hepatitis C. Some of them include a combination of injections and pills. Newer medications are only taken orally, in a pill form such as Epculsa and they have higher cure rates. According to healthline.com, Epculsa is a direct-acting antiviral medication that treats hepatitis C by preventing the virus from reproducing thus it gradually dies and clears from the body.
Finding out you are infected by hepatitis C can be extremely stressful. Dealing with that stress means dealing with and managing the disease. Everyone deals with stress differently, so you have to find what works for you. If you are a quiet person and enjoy being alone, you can take a 30-minute walk every day to relax and clear your mind. On the other hand, you join any stress management class where you’ll learn different techniques of dealing with stress. In addition to stress management class, you can join a support group where you’ll meet people who are going through the same challenges as you are. You can share your feelings, thought, and concerns about the life with hepatitis C. Furthermore, in order to reduce your stress levels you should ask for flexible working hours, you shouldn’t plan too many daily activities and you should rest and sleep whenever you feel the need to.
Source: Truthout
Being diagnosed with hepatitis C can be very scary, especially if you don’t know a lot about the disease. However, as you can see, there are many different ways of managing and treating illness.
