Monkey:
I was told my treatment will take 6 months, what I don't know is: will I be able to drive (I live far away from the hospital where treatment will take place), will I be able to be a Mom to my son? Will I be able to do the day to day things that a single Mom has to do???? ???
Tim Horn:
Hi Monkey...
First off -- your doctor can walk you through this -- but you do have the option of treating yourself at home. This will included the weekly injections of interferon and the daily doses of ribavirin (and either Incivek or Victrelis if it's been prescribed). Your doctor (or a nurse in the clinic) can teach you how to administer the shots yourself... or teach a family member/friend how to administer the once-weekly injections.
Do you think this is something you can do? Many people living with hepatitis C report that self injecting isn't hard, once you get the hang of it.
As for handling the day-to-day stuff, it's possible that treatment will leave you feeling a bit run down. That said, most people living with hepatitis C are able to go about their usual activities -- including taking care of kids -- though plenty of rest (and a little help) can go a long way in making things easier on you.
Do you have anybody you can rely on to help if you're feeling a bit run down from the treatment?
Tim Horn
tommyv:
I'm single and worry about taking care of myself when I decide to finally start treatment.
Not sure how all the mom's do everything they do but my money is on you doing great with it!
Monkey:
I've known about this for some time and have told a couple people. I do have a support network and if I can do this at home with regular check ups at my family doctor, that would be wonderful. Thank you for the information. I'm just a little nervous because I don't want my son to know what is going on, he's a bit young but, I also don't want him to end up on a physciatrists couch at age 30 either saying my Mother was a bi***.
hep_mom:
Hi Monkey:
I have two boys (now 11 and 9) and I underwent treatment two years ago. I wish I could say it was easy but it definitely was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I have a very supportive husband and some family local that were a huge help during the process.
In the end I only did treatment for about six months. It wasn't working enough so my doctor told me to stop. I'm now talking to him about trying again now that there are new meds to combine with the old ones.
Wish me luck! And I'll be sending good vibes your way too! We'll get through this thing!