A Victim of Hepatitis C Free Essay Example, 2000 words

Being a victim of Hepatitis C is by no means a laughing matter because of the drastic impact it has not only on the infected person but also on the family. Those infected with this virus are shocked and powerless at their next course of action. The person becomes listless with absolutely no zest for life. They are confused and feel a lot of guilt and shame to think that they have to live a life of disability and illness (reference-no ref). They also feel lonely and internalize all their feelings and feel victimized. (reference -no ref). There is also the social stigma of having to disclose about the disease in the community and thereby either leaving their jobs or having to reduce their number of working hours (reference- no ref). The family is thrown off balance if any of their members are inflicted with Hepatitis C. There are many factors that contribute to this. Firstly, the sadness they feel at seeing one of their loved ones trying to cope with all the difficulties that arise (reference- no ref). The person may also face stigmatization or marginalization at times even from their own family members and circle of friends (reference- no ref). On the medical side, the family plays a major role in looking after their loved one infected with Hepatitis C. We will write a custom essay sample on A Victim of Hepatitis C or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The first step towards caring for them would be to be properly educated on all aspects of the virus so that they would be in a better position to deal with the patient (reference-no ref). For example, during the anti-viral treatment of the patient if interferon is administered the patient experiences heavy mood swings and becomes extremely irritable (reference- no ref). So if the family knows about the side effects of different drugs, it would help them to be more understanding and caring. Other side-effects reported in 10-20% of treated patients may include anorexia, malaise, alopecia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, irritability, diarrhea and weight loss (Sievert, 2003).