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HepC Support Derbyshire |
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HepC Support Derbyshire is voluntary organisation for
people with Hepatitis C, who may need support. Including those on treatment,
of have been affected by HepC in any way including family friends or carers. The group
will allow suffers, their friends and family to share experiences, seek
guidance and create friendships with likeminded people. |
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The
Derbyshire Hepatitis C Support Group was established in September 2008. It is
hoped that many people will benefit from its caring style of support, advice,
guidance and activities. |
About Us
This Support
Group and supporting Web Site has been devised by Catherine Ridgway of
Derbyshire. Catherine contracted Hepatitis C through a blood transfusion as a
baby. She has suffered from illness throughout her life
and Catherine’s parents have always been concerned for her. She was
frequently ill and was definitely more poorly than others. She frequently
visited doctors, only to be screened for diabetes and anaemia. This frustrated
Catherine and her family as she was always extremely tired and performing the
most menial of tasks often took a great deal of effort. When Catherine was
about 15 she recalls her Mum and herself going to the Doctors because of the
huge bruises that had appeared on her legs, these bruises occurred
frequently too. Catherine’s Doctor said it was normal for a girl in her teens!!
Catherine has also suffered from anxiety for as long as she can remember. There
were many occasions when Doctors looked in their medical books and then tried
to pass Catherine’s symptoms off as being brought about by other causes.
Catherine has recently been on a course of treatment for Hepatitis C - Ribavrin and Interferon Alpha Peginterferon.
Her Doctor struggled to know what to do when she was very ill with severe
depression and acute anxiety.
Catherine is
now extremely eager to help people in her local area who have Hepatitis C along
with friends and family of those who have the virus too. It is important that
friends and family understand the difficulties Hepatitis C sufferers have to
endure. Catherine is determined to help others, provide support and make people
aware of how Hepatitis C can affect lives. The current barriers to treating and
understanding Hepatitis C needs breaking and people need the support they
deserve.
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Contact Us
You may
Email Catherine Ridgway regarding any matters at hepcderby@btinternet.com
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Advice & Support
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne infectious disease that is caused
by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), affecting the liver. The infection is often asymptomatic,
but once established, chronic infection can cause inflammation of the liver
(chronic hepatitis).
This condition can progress to scarring of the liver (fibrosis),
and advanced scarring (cirrhosis). In some cases, those with cirrhosis will go on to
develop liver failure or other complications of
cirrhosis, including liver cancer.
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact. No vaccine
against hepatitis C is available. The symptoms of infection can be medically
managed, and a proportion of patients can be cleared of the virus by a course
of anti-viral medicines. Although early medical intervention is helpful, people
with HCV infection can experience mild symptoms, and consequently do not seek
treatment. An estimated 150-200 million people worldwide are infected with
Hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C (originally "non-A non-B
hepatitis") is one of five known hepatitis
viruses: A,
B,
C, D,
and E.
[For further information
see - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_C
]
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Case Studies
See
Catherine Ridgway’s experiences as documented by Sky News. There is also a link
to the actual interview that was aired on Sky News in August 2008:
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Other Support Groups
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Avoiding hepatitis C
There's no
vaccine to protect against hepatitis C. But we can all minimise
our risk of infection, or of infecting others, through safer behaviour.
Hepatitis C is mainly spread
through contact with the blood of someone who has hepatitis C. So to avoid the
risk of infection:
- Don’t
inject drugs.
- If you
can’t stop injecting drugs, never share injecting equipment, such
as needles, syringes or anything else that might have been in
contact with blood. Talk to Frank for confidential drugs information
on 0800 77 6600
- If you
don’t know someone’s sexual history then use a condom. Only condoms
provide all-in-one protection against pregnancy and sexually
transmitted infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
- The risk of
sexual transmission of hepatitis C in a stable, long-term monogamous
relationship is low, and there is no need to change sexual practices. The
risk of transmission can be reduced by using barrier protection. If your
partner does have hepatitis C, you should consider getting tested.
- If you're
considering an ear or body piercing, tattoo or semi-permanent make-up,
either in this country or abroad, make sure
the equipment used is sterile.
- If you’re
considering acupuncture, make sure the equipment used is sterile.
- Don’t share
razors or toothbrushes. They may have been in contact with blood.
Traveling abroad
If you're abroad, then all the
above precautions still apply. But there are some special precautions you
should also take, in particular if you're visiting developing countries:
- If you
require medical or dental treatment, try to ensure any equipment used is
sterile or taken from a sealed pack.
- If you're
visiting an area where availability of sterile needles and syringes for
medical treatment is in doubt, consider taking a special kit with you.
- If you need
a blood transfusion, ask for blood that has been screened for HIV,
hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
- Pack an
adequate supply of condoms if you think you may need them. They may not be
easily available or of good quality in some countries. Those bought in the
- Remember,
alcohol can make it easier to forget to practice safe sex.
[For
further information see - http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/hepatitisc/Pages/Infection.aspx
]
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Treatment of HepC
There is a huge range of
things you can do about your hepatitis C. Those that loosely involve making
lifestyle changes are covered in Caring For Yourself in the Wellness section and also
worth looking at is the section on Mental and
Emotional Attitude. This section looks at conventional (pegylated interferon and ribavirin)
treatment.
Choosing between them is
unlikely to be easy, particularly as there is so little hard evidence for the
effectiveness of alternative therapies. The reason there is evidence for
conventional treatment is that medicine requires a licence from the Government
and this can only be obtained on the basis of evidence on effectiveness and
safety collected from controlled trials.
The fact that there is no
evidence, of course, does not mean that something does not work. There have
been definite cases of people clearing hepatitis C while taking alternative
therapies, notably Chinese
medicine, western herbs and supplements. However, the numbers have
not been great and it is not certain that the results were entirely due to
those treatments (people frequently try several alternative remedies at the
same time, for example). Added to the lack of evidence, it appears that what
works for some people does not work for others, and this also applies to
conventional (pegylated interferon and ribavirin) treatment.
One approach is firstly to
decide exactly what your priority is. Clearing the virus now is not necessarily
the most important goal for everyone.
[For further information see - http://www.hepctrust.org.uk/treatment/
]
Treatments for
hepatitis C are becoming more effective. A form of drug therapy is available
that can clear the virus, on average, in more than half of those treated.
Success rates vary depending on the type of hepatitis C virus that you have.
The two main drugs used for
treatment of hepatitis C are called pegylated
interferon and ribavirin. You will either
receive the two drugs together or pegylated
interferon alone.
Treatment usually lasts for six
or 12 months.
Your specialist will discuss with
you what treatment is available and whether it is appropriate for you. For
example, treatment may not be appropriate for people with some pre-existing
medical conditions, as it could be harmful.
What are the
side effects?
The drugs used to treat hepatitis C can have a number of side effects that
can be significant. However, these may not affect everyone in the same way or
to the same degree.
The most common side effects are
tiredness, headaches, aches and pains and nausea. Other side effects may
include anaemia, depression, itching and skin
rashes.
The side effects are usually worse
at the beginning of the treatment. They should become less severe as your body
becomes used to the drugs.
Treatment may be not be advised for some patients, including those with
certain pre-existing medical conditions and pregnant women.
If you're offered treatment your
specialist will be able to provide more information and explanation.
[For further information see - http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/hepatitisc/Pages/Treatmentforhepatitisc.aspx
]
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Support Group Meetings
Each month
we will adopt an agenda as follows:
Venue:
Chair:
Catherine Ridgway (or delegated group member).
1)
Introductions [Lead: Catherine Ridgway].
- Volunteer to offer to take minutes.
2)
Introduction of new members [Lead: Catherine Ridgway].
- New members give a brief overview of
their experiences of Hepatitis C and their interest in attending the group.
3) Support
Group progress [Lead: Catherine Ridgway].
3) Latest
news on Hepatitis C [Lead: Catherine Ridgway or delegated person(s)].
4) Topics
for discussion [Lead: Person suggesting topic]
- Lengthy topics need to be submitted to
Catherine in advance of the meeting so they may be tabled for discussion.
5) Support
Group Web Site suggestions.
- Betterment of the Web Site and its
contents.
6) Date for
next meeting.
7) A.O.B.
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