Do you feel tired because of hepatitis C?
Well, you are not alone.
Almost all of us who had hepatitis C felt tired, drowsy and just slow.
10 steps to treating fatigue from hepatitis C, here we go… Is that the hep C virus slowing you down?
Scientists really don’t know why or if the virus actually slows you down.
They believe it could be due to scarring of the liver, if you have cirrhosis, making your liver work even harder.
Some treatments like peg-interferon can completely suck your body all your energy.
Other factors can play a role in making you feel fatigue, the hepatitis C illness itself. Constantly thinking about your health condition, changes in your body and changes in lifestyle, all may contribute to feeling tired.
Good news is there are proven ways to fight off hep C fatigue
Step 1: Drink lots of water, stay hydrated
Drinking lots of water has huge benefits.
First, it clears all toxins that your body takes in during the day.
Second, your immunity will be boosted because your body has enough water to fight off any new infections.
Third, your body is exhausted on a regular basis fighting hepatitis C virus and that itself requires lots of hydration to increase more energy output from your body and liver cells.
So, keep hydrated, most hep C patients are not well hydrated and that increases fatigue.
Step 2. Make sure you are eating lots of green vegetables and fruits.
A healthy diet makes a huge difference in how you feel. Greasy burgers and pizza will slow you down even if you are a healthy person. For us hepatitis C patients we need to stay away from fatty and oily foods.
Step 3. Try to move around, go for a long walk, join a yoga class
Get out and soak in the sunshine. Its hard at first but it will really give you a boost of energy. You will feel great physically and emotionally.
Step 4. Try to have a fixed routine everyday
Get up and go to bed the same time everyday. This routine will definitely help.
Step 5. Don’t watch TV, read or be on your phone
You want to keep your mind calm before bed. We know this is really tough to do, but give it a shot. It will really help.
Step 6. Get enough sleep
Even if its hard for you fall asleep, just try. Take a warm shower before you hit the hay.
Do not take sleeping pills, especially during hepatitis C treatment.
Like all prescription and over the counter medication you should talk to your doctor first before taking any medicine.
Step 7. Do not drink caffeinated drinks late in the evening
This maybe a no brainer, but we all do it sometimes. It will just make it harder for you to get a good night sleep. You won’t feel so drowsy in the morning.
Step 8. Listen to your body.
Some days you feel much better than other days. So, listen to your body, take it easy and don’t push yourself too hard.
Step 9. Try having 5 to 7 small meals a day.
Eating can be a big problem, sometimes you just don’t feel like eating. The loss of appetite can be frustrating because you don’t have the energy to keep going. If you eat heartily, then you feel sluggish.
A good way to feel always energized is to eat 5 to 7 meals through out the day. Keep the meals small and healthy.
Step 10. Try to reduce stress
We all know how bad is stress is for your body and mind and we all know we can’t just turn it off like a switch.
But we have to try.
Try to ground out your bad energy and stress will really help you get over the tiredness.
Most of the stress as a hepatitis C patient can be in the form of finance and just plain worry about our health. Its tough, but you can work through it.
Going for a nice 1o to 20 minute walk will really help.
Light a candle and meditate or even take a warm bath, all can help you reduce stress during this period in your life.
These 10 Steps to Treating Fatigue from Hepatitis C will really help you until you get your hepatitis C treatment and are cured.
Getting Your Hepatitis C Treatment and get Cured
Don’t let the financial stress of hepatitis C get to you. There are lot of options for treatment these day that have a 99% cure rate.
Make sure you get tested for hepatitis C, just because you have symptoms does not mean you have hepatitis C, it could be something else.
At home, in the US, they’re very expensive anywhere between $25,000 to $195,000. Even the insurance co pay is about $18,000 to $24,000.
Get your insurance company to pay for all of it, check out these guidelines before you start with your insurance.
If they don’t help, you do have options of getting your hep C meds for less than $1000. We can help you.
New hepatitis C treatment drugs do have a very high cure rate. You may have heard of Sovaldi, Harvoni, Epclusa and Daklinza.
These hep C meds are called direct acting antiviral (DAAs) and have cured millions around the world.