Personal Story
Breaking Out of a Dead End Carol’s story
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he daunting emotions after being diagnosed with hepatitis C are all too familiar for 50-year-old Carol Bose. Approximately eight years ago, a routine blood test led to doctors discovering Carol had hepatitis C. “I was not in a good place with my life,” Carol says. “I had lost my career path a few years earlier and landed myself in a dead-end relationship. “Looking back now, I realise I was depressed and doing all the wrong things. It’s hard to believe, but I actually continued drinking alcohol.” Specialists recommended
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interferon and ribavirin combination therapy in the hopes of clearing the hepatitis virus from Carol’s blood. Being told there was a 50% chance of the medication working, Carol knew she had to give it a shot. “A main concern for the specialist at that time was that for some people treatment can cause suicidal thoughts, and it was highly recommended that there was support from a partner or family for the duration of the treatment,” she says. Carol quickly learnt that, as with most medication, there were some other serious sideeffects.
• HEPATITIS SA COMMUNITY NEWS • JANUARY 2014
She says, “The main ones I remember were being drained all the time, as though I had just run a marathon—body aches and pains, headaches, some nausea, dry skin, dry mouth and hair loss. My hair started to thin so I got extensions, but it didn’t take long before they began to pull my hair out from the roots.” While on the medication, Carol’s days turned into a big blur as she struggled to find energy. “I would spend most of my days lying on the sofa watching TV,” she says. “I remember leaning against the sink at night while brushing my teeth because