Sunday, February 28, 2010
My Hepatitis C/ My Drug Addiction/ My Life
By Betty Vega
My family growing up was small and quite unpredictable. My father was an alcoholic, my mom took a real long nap; probably for 5 years in response to dad’s drinking, and my sister escaped into books.
I became an alcoholic and went through a doomed life of self-destruction for 13 years. There were so many times I could have died but God had other plans for me. Then one day I found that piece within that said you’re done. I followed my heart and went into a detox and rehab which not only saved me but gave me a whole new beginning to a wonderful life. A life that included a beautiful daughter, loving husband and helped put my family back together. Gifts that I believed would never occur in my life.
Staying sober has brought a journey of spiritual and emotional gifts I never dreamt of. I just celebrated my 24th wedding anniversary; my beautiful daughter is now 22 and I have more friends and love to fill the universe. I expected to be a statistic at 35; that never happened. At the age of 29 I got clean and sober. My life was back.
Eight years ago at the ripe old age of 51, I had some blood work done and the doctor suggested I get a specific test done. It was for Hepatitis C; a virus I knew nothing about. I did as she asked and didn’t give it another thought. Then a week later my phone rang at work and it was the doctor. She told me I tested positive for this virus and needed to see a gastroenterologist. I remember crying as she told me this was a virus that attacks the liver and progression can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and the need for liver transplant. I immediately made an appointment with the doctor and saw him the following week.
Here I was; given a new chance at life 30 years ago, and now, 22 years later, confronted yet again, with life and death. It wasn’t fair. How did this happen to me when I have taken such good care of myself and been clean and sober for so many years. I found out this virus is contracted through many different ways and is slow moving. I must have had it for close to 30 years without any indication, except slightly high liver enzymes. I’m still not sure how I contracted it but that didn’t matter anymore.
I went on the treatment protocol, interferon and ribovarin for 72 weeks. It wasn’t easy but I was determined to complete the regiment with the help of my family, friends and God. Together I knew I was going to make it. I learned so much about me and the size of my heart that everything appeared brand new. Instead of Hepatitis C being a curse, it became a gift. It enabled me to help others in a way I never imagined and to love others unconditionally. I showed up for life with a new perspective; one that was so enriching I volunteered my time at a clinic with people infected with Hepatitis C; facilitated groups; spoke on panels and became a more positive person as a result of my new life.
When those 72 long weeks were completed we waited to see the results whether I cleared the virus or not. At this point I was just grateful that I was able to meet the new me and take this person along wherever I went. I am always in great company.
So when that day came and I got the news that, yes, I’ve cleared the virus, still with some liver problems but no more Hepatitis C, I screamed for joy. As did those who I love and loved me through it all.
The most wonderful part of this is the learning experience of it all. I was given two chances at life. I was able to learn about the inner me I never knew existed and am so pleased to have met her. I’m extremely grateful that I have the capacity to help others and affect their lives profoundly. I am now a Patient Advocate with patients who have this virus and have watched one patient receive a new liver. I put a lot of myself into working with him and the system, and we won. So no matter what your situation is, never give up before the miracle, because we don’t know when it’s coming. I sure didn’t.
City Limits Online Newspaper
The Hepatitis C virus often shows no signs for decades - and then might destroy your liver. Advocates are sounding the alarm for greater education and testing.
By Nekoro Gomes Published: Oct 5, 2009
Hepatitis C survivor and educator Betty Vega, at home in Park Slope.
When Betty Vega first learned that she had Hepatitis C eight years ago, she remembers being stunned. Vega, 59, had been aware of having elevated liver enzymes in her blood, but doctors had assured her they came from benign sources. After all, says Vega – a music promoter in Park Slope – there was no apparent cause, with more than 20 years past since any college-era sampling of drugs, a primary risk factor that doctors often say necessitate a test for the disease.~Upon learning of her positive diagnosis after a perceptive doctor suggested she get additional testing, Vega was fearful and confused. “From what I had read [about hepatitis C], I was convinced I was going to die. I thought it was something that had to be much worse than HIV," she recalls. In fact, a subsequent liver function test would show that Vega was in the second stage of hepatitis C infection, a point at which the liver has become inflamed and mild scarring, or fibrosis, had begun to form.
Vega began to educate herself and after finding a doctor who specializes in hepatitis C treatment, she was able to clear the virus from her body in 2007, six years after first being diagnosed. That positive outcome is "on the rarer side," she says. According to the Centers for Disease Control, up to 70 percent of people with the virus will contract chronic liver disease, and up to 20 percent will develop cirrhosis.
Today Vega considers herself lucky that the disease was caught at a treatable stage, but her work as a patient advocate and support group facilitator for chronic hepatitis C victims has prompted her to get involved in both the politics and policy surrounding the disease. And, even as she’s getting a new support group going at Long Island College Hospital in downtown Brooklyn, she believes not nearly enough is being done to educate people about the disease. Vega does not appear to be alone in that – this past July, the state’s health department announced the launch of a $270,000 public awareness campaign that will use billboards, subway and bus shelter advertisements to promote early testing and treatment for the disease. “Over 200,000 New Yorkers have hepatitis C. Are you one of them?” the campaign asks.
By Nekoro Gomes Published: Oct 5, 2009
Hepatitis C survivor and educator Betty Vega, at home in Park Slope.
When Betty Vega first learned that she had Hepatitis C eight years ago, she remembers being stunned. Vega, 59, had been aware of having elevated liver enzymes in her blood, but doctors had assured her they came from benign sources. After all, says Vega – a music promoter in Park Slope – there was no apparent cause, with more than 20 years past since any college-era sampling of drugs, a primary risk factor that doctors often say necessitate a test for the disease.~Upon learning of her positive diagnosis after a perceptive doctor suggested she get additional testing, Vega was fearful and confused. “From what I had read [about hepatitis C], I was convinced I was going to die. I thought it was something that had to be much worse than HIV," she recalls. In fact, a subsequent liver function test would show that Vega was in the second stage of hepatitis C infection, a point at which the liver has become inflamed and mild scarring, or fibrosis, had begun to form.
Vega began to educate herself and after finding a doctor who specializes in hepatitis C treatment, she was able to clear the virus from her body in 2007, six years after first being diagnosed. That positive outcome is "on the rarer side," she says. According to the Centers for Disease Control, up to 70 percent of people with the virus will contract chronic liver disease, and up to 20 percent will develop cirrhosis.
Today Vega considers herself lucky that the disease was caught at a treatable stage, but her work as a patient advocate and support group facilitator for chronic hepatitis C victims has prompted her to get involved in both the politics and policy surrounding the disease. And, even as she’s getting a new support group going at Long Island College Hospital in downtown Brooklyn, she believes not nearly enough is being done to educate people about the disease. Vega does not appear to be alone in that – this past July, the state’s health department announced the launch of a $270,000 public awareness campaign that will use billboards, subway and bus shelter advertisements to promote early testing and treatment for the disease. “Over 200,000 New Yorkers have hepatitis C. Are you one of them?” the campaign asks.
Hepatitis C Article - Brooklyn Eagle
Everyone Should Be Tested for ‘Hidden Disease’ of Hepatitis C
by Brooklyn Eagle (edit@brooklyneagle.net), published online 09-23-2009
By Betty Vega
There are an estimated 200 million people worldwide infected with HCV — ”making it one of the greatest public health threats faced in this century, and perhaps one of the greatest threats to be faced in the next century. Approximately five million people across the country are infected with Hepatitis C. It is five times more prevalent than AIDS and approximately 10,000 people die annually as a result of HCV. 65% of those infected with Hepatitis C are between 30 and 49 years old.
Hepatitis C is often called a “hidden disease” or “silent epidemic” because those infected with HCV are often unaware for 10-30 years after exposure. The symptoms of HCV are easy to misdiagnose and often resemble the flu or a variety of other conditions. When symptoms are present they can include extreme fatigue, nausea, liver pain, and depression.
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that predominantly infects the cells of the liver. This causes inflammation of and sometimes significant damage to the liver, thus affecting its ability to perform essential functions. There are several ways one can contract the virus. Having had a blood transfusion prior to 1992, being born to a mother with hepatitis C or needing a C-section; having sex with an infected person (if blood is present); being tattooed or pierced with unspecialized tools that were used on an infected person; getting stuck accidentally with a needle used on an infected person; sharing an infected person’s razor, hairbrush, comb or toothbrush; sharing drug needles with an infected person and manicures or pedicures.
This is where the need for education and awareness arises. Through standard blood workup procedures, hepatitis C will not show up. Unfortunately even with elevated liver enzymes, doctors don’t equate that with hepatitis C. For the most part, physicians don’t know nearly enough about the virus. People should see a gastroenterologist or better yet, a hepatologist, who will have more knowledge about diagnosis for hepatitis C. The only way to determine if you have this virus is by having a hepatitis C test, exclusively.
Without treatment, approximately 20% of those untreated will develop cirrhosis, (fibrosis occurs when extensive scar tissue develops), liver cancer, or will need liver transplantation (when liver no longer can function) or face death.
I went through years of annual blood workups displaying elevated liver enzymes and was told it meant nothing. Could be from taking other meds or being overweight; never going forward with any other testing. I met a new primary care physician in 2002 who, after seeing my blood results, told me to get this other test I had never heard about. So I went to the lab, got tested for hepatitis C and got the phone call at work. I was positive.
My reactions were mixed; mostly shock. I did, however, follow her directions and saw a hepatologist who treated me for a year and a half. The news was wonderful. I had cleared this virus. It was four years September 13th. I’m one of the lucky ones. This year I lost a couple of friends who were never treated for the virus. They became quite ill and eventually their livers gave out. It doesn’t have to be that way. I’ll never know how I got it or exactly how long ago. At this point it doesn’t matter. Getting tested is the only thing that matters. It’s life or death.
Betty Vega, a hepatitis C survivor, is support group facilitator for the disease at Long Island College Hospital. She can be reached at BettyV444@aol.com for more information.
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by Brooklyn Eagle (edit@brooklyneagle.net), published online 09-23-2009
By Betty Vega
There are an estimated 200 million people worldwide infected with HCV — ”making it one of the greatest public health threats faced in this century, and perhaps one of the greatest threats to be faced in the next century. Approximately five million people across the country are infected with Hepatitis C. It is five times more prevalent than AIDS and approximately 10,000 people die annually as a result of HCV. 65% of those infected with Hepatitis C are between 30 and 49 years old.
Hepatitis C is often called a “hidden disease” or “silent epidemic” because those infected with HCV are often unaware for 10-30 years after exposure. The symptoms of HCV are easy to misdiagnose and often resemble the flu or a variety of other conditions. When symptoms are present they can include extreme fatigue, nausea, liver pain, and depression.
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that predominantly infects the cells of the liver. This causes inflammation of and sometimes significant damage to the liver, thus affecting its ability to perform essential functions. There are several ways one can contract the virus. Having had a blood transfusion prior to 1992, being born to a mother with hepatitis C or needing a C-section; having sex with an infected person (if blood is present); being tattooed or pierced with unspecialized tools that were used on an infected person; getting stuck accidentally with a needle used on an infected person; sharing an infected person’s razor, hairbrush, comb or toothbrush; sharing drug needles with an infected person and manicures or pedicures.
This is where the need for education and awareness arises. Through standard blood workup procedures, hepatitis C will not show up. Unfortunately even with elevated liver enzymes, doctors don’t equate that with hepatitis C. For the most part, physicians don’t know nearly enough about the virus. People should see a gastroenterologist or better yet, a hepatologist, who will have more knowledge about diagnosis for hepatitis C. The only way to determine if you have this virus is by having a hepatitis C test, exclusively.
Without treatment, approximately 20% of those untreated will develop cirrhosis, (fibrosis occurs when extensive scar tissue develops), liver cancer, or will need liver transplantation (when liver no longer can function) or face death.
I went through years of annual blood workups displaying elevated liver enzymes and was told it meant nothing. Could be from taking other meds or being overweight; never going forward with any other testing. I met a new primary care physician in 2002 who, after seeing my blood results, told me to get this other test I had never heard about. So I went to the lab, got tested for hepatitis C and got the phone call at work. I was positive.
My reactions were mixed; mostly shock. I did, however, follow her directions and saw a hepatologist who treated me for a year and a half. The news was wonderful. I had cleared this virus. It was four years September 13th. I’m one of the lucky ones. This year I lost a couple of friends who were never treated for the virus. They became quite ill and eventually their livers gave out. It doesn’t have to be that way. I’ll never know how I got it or exactly how long ago. At this point it doesn’t matter. Getting tested is the only thing that matters. It’s life or death.
Betty Vega, a hepatitis C survivor, is support group facilitator for the disease at Long Island College Hospital. She can be reached at BettyV444@aol.com for more information.
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