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How honest are you?

Brigid13
Brigid13
Does anyone else here hide their illness? I get tired of lying and evading, but it isn't something I want people to know. My friends from my "old" life (pre marriage and kids) all know, but I moved right after I got married and now my "friends" are the parents of my kids' friends. Some of them are really nice but I don't want to put them off by admitting I have this stigma illness. Still, I feel lonely keeping back something so central. What's funny is the crowd I'm with are all mostly organic yoga people, so the way I eat and live doesn't seem strange to them. Even now that I'm testing my pee ph 3x/day. Everyone either has done ph testing or knows someone who has. So it seems normal. Sometimes I wonder how people would react if I told them...
Group FounderMAK1AH
MAK1AH
there is an article at hcvadvocate.org about disclosing. I have told all my good friends. Some of my neighbors fall in that category, the rest probably found out from them, since I live in Utah and so many of my neighbors are Mormon and go to the same church. They say I think that one in 12 has Hep C. A lot of people knew someone else who has it.
Group FounderMAK1AH
MAK1AH
http://hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/easyfacts/Telling.pdf
Group FounderMAK1AH
MAK1AH
another more lengthy fact sheet.

http://hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/Disclosure.pdf
Trissa01
Trissa01
There are many things about me that I'm not inclined to share with others, hcv is one of them. My close friends know & who else matters? Would I tell I have periodontal disease, have had a miscarriage, been married 3 times, or whatever? Need to know basis.
Group FounderMAK1AH
MAK1AH
I did tell my dentist, since he gets into my blood.
deleted_user
deleted_user
i told my family and close friends but we never talk about it. (yes, my dentist knows too.)

why do you feel the need to talk about it? i get bored silly when people start telling me about their medical problems. it's boring as hell ! i have one friend who is diabetic and that's all she talks about so i can't even stand to be around her anymore.

who wants to hear about us having hep C...or diabetes...or heart disease...or that i had an abortion...married twice...my toe hurts...sometimes my hips hurt...my left thumb hurts....there's a growth in my left eye....now i have osteoporosis....some days i feel depressed..

see, it's boring. nobody wants to know anyway! you'll drive people away from you! that's why we all come on there...to talk and complain and share stories.

don't share your ailments and make your friends want to run the other way. they won't run away cause you have hep C but they will run away if you keep talking about all your health problems!
Brigid13
Brigid13
True, health problems are boring. I guess I feel weird taking all these supplements and testing my pee all day. Maybe I'm afraid I;d put people off by being some faddish New Agey health trend person. That's probably my own judgementalness, 'cause I find healthy people's trendy cleanses dull. I'm glad I found this group, where we can share stuff that's actually relevant to all of us.
Brigid13
Brigid13
I also find it invasive when health practitioners ask "How did you get it?", which doesn't affect them in any way. A friend of mine said to reply, "I got it from a public toilet seat," but I haven't had the nerve yet.