A word for the partners of HCV sufferers  

Your partner was diagnosed as having Hepatitis C. Try to put yourself into his/her shoes, and imagine what he/she is going through... First, the frustration of not being able to do the things he/she could do before contracting this disease, due to the lack of energy and fatigue that come with this illness. Second, the sheer fright of being diagnosed as having a disease not very well known, for which at the moment there is no cure, with an unpredictable evolution, and facing the prospect of a liver transplant sometime in the future. Third, the symptoms added by the side effects of the medication generally used for HCV, Interferon, which decrease even more the energy of the sufferer, to say nothing about the inconvenience of having to do periodically the Interferon injections. Fourth, the struggle with the establishment to get the benefits to which he/she is entitled. Fifth, having sometimes to face doctors who do not understand or ignore the psychological needs of a patient, who do not talk and do not give details, or adopt the atitude "I know better than you", and refuse to talk from human to human. Sometimes their reluctance to share information is understandable, as most patients lack the basic knowledge that is needed to understand the medical terms and their meaning in a general context. But there are patients and patients...

All these are factors that lead to irritiability and an inner anger which sometimes needs to be manifest, otherwise the sufferer will go mad. Unfortunately, you - his/her partner - will be the most likely target for this anger. I know from my own experience how difficult it is, but if you love your partner make an effort and do not respond. Try to be understanding, try to calmly talk him/her out of it, even if you are or feel  unjustly blamed for something you did not do, as anyway after the storm he/she will usually come and ask for forgiveness. There will be times when you will be angry with them... Try not to show it, and if it makes you feel better, buy yourself a cheap set of plates or glasses and smash one or two (this might work even for your partner). I am saying this because I know that words can hurt like nothing else on earth, and it is better to direct your anger against an object than against the one you love.

Try to be together as much as you can. Try to do together all the things you always wanted to do, like a trip abroad for instance, but postponed because you had to pay for something else instead (like changing your car or carpets or wallpaper, or buying some other non-essential material thing, which you can live without).

And no matter what, show your partner your love and affection - he/she needs it now more than ever.

My best wishes
Daniel Dimitriou