The Day I Found Out I Had Hepatitis C And How It Changed Me

I remember the day I found out about my Hepatitis C diagnosis. I had been to a detox center earlier that month and they’d shown us a video on the importance of getting tested. I thought, “Why not?’” and got tested on the spot by the kind nurses who ushered me into the office.

I had battled with opiate use disorder for six years by then, and was still succumbing to the drug that my body so desperately craved. I’d lost touch with my family, lost custody of my son, and was often homeless or in jail by the time I made it to that detox. When I left a couple of days later, I forgot all about the fact I’d gotten tested.

Nearly a week later I was staying with a friend when he’d gotten a phone call. “It’s for you,” he said.

“Me?” I asked incredulously. I had never received a phone call at his house before. I took the phone.

A woman’s voice asked me if my name was Amanda and to verify my last name. I did, growing more concerned by the moment.

“How did you get this number?” I asked, with a bit of an attitude.

“This is the number you listed as your emergency contact when you were in detox last week,” she patiently replied.

“Oh..’” I said, vaguely remembering listing my friend’s number since I was often without a phone.

“We need you to come in as soon as possible,” she said. “When can you make it up here?”

I wanted to know why I had to go in and why she couldn’t just tell me on the phone. She insisted it be in person and so I’d made the trip to the clinic.

“I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you tested positive for Hepatitis C,” the nurse said.

The room started spinning as I suddenly recalled everything I’d learned about Hepatitis. When you have Hepatitis C and you continue to drink alcohol and use drugs, it’s like “pouring gasoline on a fire”, I remembered the video saying.

She suggested a supplement and sent me on my way with a few brochures explaining the disease. As I walked out the door, I tossed them in the trash bin, not wanting my friend to see them and start asking questions. I just wasn’t ready to face it.

In the next two years, I continued to use opiates and when I finally stopped, I used alcohol around the clock. I noticed my hands shaking as I twisted the cap off the bottle each morning, only steadying after I’d had my first few sips of liquor. Like gasoline on a fire, I thought.

My body started to change. I had loved wearing crop tops and bikinis but suddenly my body began to swell, especially in my stomach. I was eating less and less but gaining more and more weight. My feet stopped fitting into my shoes and I started wearing slides. When I pressed down on my wrist, it left an indentation, what I later learned was called edema, a condition caused by liver damage. 

On a trip to the ER over an unrelated injury, a doctor had examined me and declared that I would not make it to 30 years old. I was 26 at the time.

In the next year, I finally was separated from drugs and alcohol when I’d been sentenced to five years in prison. As I started to regain my health, I still told no one about the Hepatis, afraid I would be ostracized by the other women.

Still, I was careful to not share razors or tweezers and I passed on getting a prison tattoo. I didn’t want to spread the disease to someone else. After my time in prison, I continued to pursue a lifestyle of recovery. I ate healthy meals, exercised regularly and gradually became more comfortable sharing my Hepatitis C diagnosis. I wanted to help de-stigmatize it so other people wouldn’t feel ashamed of their own diagnosis. I wanted people to see how I was living my life to the fullest, even with Hepatitis C.

I still remain open about my diagnosis, wanting people to see how anyone can live a full and happy life with Hepatitis C. If you or a loved one has Hepatitis C, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. You are still just as valuable, talented and worthy as you were before and by taking extra care with your health, it doesn’t have to permanently disrupt your life.

I wish you health and healing on your path to peace and I hope to one day hear about your own Hepatitis C journey.