two hands side by side, one young and one old. on the older hand the fingers are crumbling under the pressure of a liver placed on top

Getting Older and Having Hep C

Many of us deal with the side effects of hepatitis C daily. Joint pain, muscle pain/weakness, and brain fog are only a few of the issues we face each day. Somedays are what we call horrid, some are ok, and then we have the "woo-hoo, yippee, I am fantastic" days. But all in all, how do we know and understand what is a natural aging in our bodies and what is hep C?

Hepatitis C symptoms versus aging

To clarify and what I have come to terms with, I know the same overall symptoms I have been experiencing daily for 10 years. And gradually I have began having other issues like more bone deterioration and doctors finding that my bone density is getting bad. That, my friends, is more of a hereditary issue, based on what my liver specialist has mentioned.

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Long-term effects of hep C

Sure, the older regimes of interferon and ribaviran might have played a key role into my bone issues, but reality is that there is no documented proof I can say clearly “Yes, this was because of my hep C.” What I do have documented is a family tree, with family members suffering from this very issue. So, in my view, to blame hep C for my bone issues would not be correct.

Can hep c do more damage than we think to our bodies? YES, YES and YES! Therefore, I strongly suggest that we treat hep C as soon as possible. If you feel you might be at risk of having hep C or have been exposed, please get tested and find out. The longer we wait, the more physical damage hep C causes.

Get tested and get cured!

No one wants to age, let’s face it, but it happens and we have NO control over that. However, we do have control over getting tested and cured of hep C. Don’t put it off; Take it from experience - if I would have known earlier that I had hep C, before it got to stage 4, I would have saved my body lots of agony from lasting effects from hep C.

Do not wait – GET TESTED!

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