Hep C Discussion Forum

Cinnamon Girl · Guru

Girlfriend Starting Treatment This Week

Lindsay · Senior Member

Thank you Jill and Becca! I'll be meeting my girlfriend and her mother tomorrow for a meeting with her NP at the specialist's office to go over all the ins and outs of treatment. I have reviewed the resources you passed along to me, and they are helpful. I'm still anxious about what it will be like, but I'm glad to have more information and support.

It is helpful knowing I'm not the only one who will be helping her as treatment begins, but I will be the one here during the first week or two. I've heard the first few weeks are hardest. What can I generally expect then?

Lindsay

Cinnamon Girl · Guru

Hi there Lindsay and a warm welcome to you! smile

I think it`s great that you want to be there for your girlfriend while she`s doing her tx, and you are doing the sensible thing by finding out as much as you can before she starts.

As you already realise, the sx (side effects) can be difficult but tx really is doable with a bit of determination and commitment.

The degree of sx can vary from person to person, but as Becca has said, any practical support you can give her will be very helpful, as fatigue is one of the main difficulties, and can be really quite debilitating.

Apart from that the best thing will be to play it by ear - be there for her if she wants to talk, give her space and let her rest if that`s what she needs, and if she gets irritable with you try not to take it personally!

It will be a challenge for you both but there`s a good possibility you`ll come out stronger for it, and your girlfriend will have a healthy future ahead of her once she`s got rid of the virus.

Good luck to her and to you too, I hope her first shot goes well on Saturday, and of course she will be made very welcome here if she decides to join us.

Wishing you all the best, Jill xx

BeccaJune · Senior Member

Lindsay,

I am genotype 1b also and have a little over 6 weeks to go on treatment. I hope your girlfriend has a support system of friends and family to help her out where she lives. I live alone, and I can tell you it's been hard at times because there were about 6 weeks there that all I wanted to do was curl up in a fetal position and sleep until treatment (tx) was over. I could barely get up to eat, take meds, and get water. If it wasn't for a couple of friends that would come over and do my dishes and help out with the housework, I don't know what I would have done.

Mostly what I want to point out though is the mental struggle that we go through while on treatment. These meds do a number on us mentally. Brain fog, depression, doubt, fear, etc. We tell ourselves it's just the meds, and cope the best we can, but we are not ourselves. It would be really hard in a new relationship with someone on tx because you will see the worst of what these meds do to us, and it's not our real personality that you see.

There are a couple of members on the forum that joined to help out their partner/spouse.

Here is a good information site. http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets.asp Here is a fact sheet for caregivers too: http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/Family%20and%20Friends%20Guide.pdf

The best advise I could give you is to have your girlfriend sign up on the forum before she starts tx. smile

-- Edited by BeccaJune on Monday 12th of December 2011 11:04:42 PM

Lindsay · Senior Member

I have been with my girlfriend since this past July. We have had a very good relationship, and I have never been happier with someone. Before we met in person, she did tell me that she had Hep C. While I did not know much about the disease, I told her it had no bearing on my decision to meet her and see where things would go. We are lesbians, so I was reassured through my reading that it is even harder for me to get it. My one concern was for my girlfriend's health, and I knew if things got serious, it may be hard for me to see her struggle so much health wise.

My girlfriend has genotype 1b. She told me that this genotype is the hardest to treat, and when she was diagnosed 10 years ago, her doctor wouldn't even consider treatment. She has a liver biopsy and was at the very earliest stage. She had not been back to a liver specialist since then. I had requested that if we were to have a relationship, I would like her to go back to a liver specialist again and to determine the disease progression. In early November, my girlfriend met with a new liver specialist, and he told her about Inciviek and that whole treatment regimine. We are very optimistic about the treatment. We're going to her first official treatment meeting this Thursday, and she is going to start treatment on Saturday as we want to spend a few days with friends and have fun before she gets sick. That really is going to be the hardest part for me, to see her so sick. I have repeatedly told her that I will be with her whenever I can (we live across the state from each other) and we will talk whenever we can. She's planning on moving out to my area in May as I'm in my first year of a three year graduate school program. We are hopeful for our future, but at the same time, we're both nervous about what the treatment will be like for her and what that will mean for us. I just hope that this treatment works for her because I want her to live a long, healthy, happy life. Gotta go through hell though first before that can happen. I just want to know how to best support her and what it is like for the partner of someone going through treatment.

Thanks!

Lindsay

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