Monthly Meeting

Hello and happy summer!

This months support group will be held at 201 NW 4th street in the basement of the old court house. We will meet 5:00-7:00. I will be giving a short presentation and then give plenty of time for discussion.

All monthly meetings are on the first Thursday of the month. So- our next meeting will be this week June5, next month will be July 3, August 7.

Please shoot me an email if you plan to attend. My email is jillianapril88@gmail.com or jcooper@argevansville.org. If you have any questions or concerns you can also call me at 8124210059.

Connect!

I received an email today about an exciting support system available online. The website is called Inspire and there are many groups for various health concerns. There is one for Hep C positive clients. Here is the address: http://www.inspire.com/groups/hepatitis-c/


I am still exploring the site but there are some neat info-graphics available if you're interested in statistics. Things you can do on this site include; starting a discussion, connect with other Hep C positive members, post journal entries and update your personal profile. There are a lot of articles on newly diagnosed clients, medications and symptoms.

I hope some of you or friends and family you know take advantage of this site. Please post what you like or dislike about Inspire Hepatitis C Support Community. I hope to find some informational articles to post later in this blog as well.

Next support group will be June 05, on the prevention side of the ARG office. We are located at 201 NW 4th St in the old court house. Please call me if you're interested in attending so I have an idea of how many people and what topics everyone is interested in.

Second Meeting

This week will be the second meeting for the Hepatitis C support group. We will be meeting in the ARG Prevention office located in the basement of the Old Courthouse downtown. Group will be this Thursday, May 1 at 5:30 pm. The address is 201 NW 4th Street, Evansville, IN 47708. Please call or email if you're interested in additional information. Email is jillianapril88@gmail.com or jcooper@argevansville.org and phone is 812-421-0059. I look forward to meeting you this week!

World Health Organization and Treatment

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been one of the most influential activists in campaigning for human rights issues surrounding Hepatitis C. However, since the two newest Hep C drugs have been released there has been a wide objection and hostility aimed towards WHO for allowing the cost of the drugs to be so high ($1,000 a pill). The cost of the two medications are greatly reduced in other countries but still remain unaffordable to most of the world.

In the article listed below, the reporter states WHO was unaware of the cost when they approved the most recent guidelines in treating Hepatitis C. The new guidelines have almost impossible expectations since there is no official governing authority tracking the spread and infection of Hep C clients.This is true for the United States. Hepatitis C should technically be notified by the physician or agency who finds a positive test result according to the CDC Summary of Notifiable Diseases. However, as sociologists and epidemiologists are discovering, the spread of Hep C is growing exponentially faster than previously known.

Sources all over the world and in US have compared the Hepatitis C "epidemic" to that of HIV, however HIV clients must take antiretroviral medication for the remainder of their life whereas Hep C positive clients do not.

I found the following article interesting and informative and thought I'd share it with my fellow Hep Hoppers (cute right!?) :) Let me know what you think and as always please share with friends and family!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/04/09/300959958/who-recommends-high-priced-drugs-for-millions-with-hepatitis-c

REMINDER: Our next group meeting will be May 1 at 5:30! Location is TBA! Call or email with questions- Jillian Shade jcooper@argevansville.org or 812-421-0059

The First Meeting and Coping with Side Effects

Last week was the first support group for Hep Hop. Although we had no attendees, it is still a success! It was a success because it's a new beginning for advocacy and support in the tri-state area and especially the city of Evansville. It was a success because I was prepared and all the electronics worked! It was also a success because we can only improve from here- there is lots of room for growth. Oh the power of positive thinking!

I hope at the next meeting someone will have the opportunity to come meet with me and talk openly about their status and ways our community can help this population. I am here to be an advocate and educator. There are two power points I have for the group. The first one is Hepatitis 101. This PowerPoint breaks down the differences between Hep A, B, C, and touches on D and E. It also discusses ways to prevent and treat each type. The other power point I have is more in depth to the side effects of treatment, symptoms and how to manage both of them. This power point is aimed towards individuals who already have a positive diagnosis and would like advice on managing care.

I have had the opportunity to access many resources through my agency on hepatitis educational material. The tips I provide are not my own ideas but reiterated through educational material.

Tips on Managing Hepatitis C

•Bad taste in mouth:

–Try sugar-free lemon drops or lemon wedges

–Eat small amount of yogurt ½ hour before meals

–Eat dark chocolate or drink lemonade or cranberry juice

–Eat food cold or room temperature

–Brush teeth frequently

–

Use plastic utensils if experiencing metallic taste

 

•Cough:

–Increase non-caffeinated fluid intake

–Use a humidifier

–Use hard candy or cough drops

 

•Diarrhea:

–Eat more low-fiber foods: BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast)

–Avoid spicy or acidic foods and dairy products

–Drink plenty of water

•Dry mouth or mouth ulcers

–Brush teeth frequently

–

Drink plenty of water

 

•Dry skin/rash:

–Avoid long hot showers

–Use moisturizing soap and lotion, also use unscented laundry detergents

–Avoid fabric softeners

–

Rub or press on the itchy areas rather than scratch

– Fatigue:

–Try low impact exercise such as walking or aerobics, if approved by a medical provider

–Get plenty of rest

–Lessen work schedule if possible

Other information can be found on the Center for Disease Control webpage: http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/c/cfaq.htm 

See You There! First Meeting This Week

The first Hep Hop, Positive Talk support group will take place this week. Originally, I had wanted to make contact via phone or email with interested individuals before the first meeting, however I have decided to go ahead and disclose our meeting location and time. 

We will meet at the Evansville Central Libabry in the Browning room at 5:30 on Thursday April 3rd. This week I will go over a short presentation and we will have time for a "meet and greet" session. Please contact me if you're interested in attended so I have an idea on the refreshments I decide to bring. 

This group is open to people who are Hep C positive without a co-infection of HIV due to the fact HIV positive clients already have support groups and various resources. If you have questions or concerns feel free to contact me.

While I was researching some information for group I found a couple of charts I would like to share. The first chart is the prevalence of Hepatitis C world wide. Although in comparison the US is in the lower percentile, we are still on the chart.

The second chart shows the prevalence of Hepatitis C in the US over several years. According to the CDC, acute hep c is a short term illness which occurs within the first 6 months after someone is exposed to the virus. For most people acute infection leads to chronic infection. Chronic infection is a long term illness which remains in the body for a lifetime. Chronic hep c can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. As the chart shows below, there has been a steady decrease in hep c incidence. We can explore these findings at group. 

Feel free to ask questions or make comments below. Pass this information on and share with family or friends who might be interested in attending our support group this week. 

Southern Indiana's Hep C Group!

Welcome! If you've found this blog I'm hoping it means you are interested in learning more about HCV and meeting a supportive group of people in the Southern Indiana region.

My name is Jillian and I am a social worker at a local agency in Evansville. I have some experience working with support groups, but I'm always eager to learn more. It is amazing how little resources there are available for the HCV positive community in Southern Indiana, the Mid-West, and in the U.S. Unfortunately, there is an unfair stigma associated with Hepatitis C. I hope we can break this stigma and shed light on the virus together.

Currently, I am in the process of creating a support group which will meet on the first Thursday of each month. If you are interested in joining, I'd love to talk with you! You can call me at work 812-421-0059, email me at jcooper@argevansville.org or jillianapril88@gmail.com. I'd love to get to know a little bit about you and answer any questions you may have. You can always post questions and concerns on the comments section below.

The group will consist of Hepatitis C positive men and women of various ages. We will discuss topics pertaining to medications, insurance, emotional and social support, coping strategies and healthy tips. We can also utilize this blog to keep in touch between our monthly meetings.

I will post again soon! Please call or email me if you'd like to talk.

Here is an article I found interesting, so check it out. http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/12/05/248934833/fda-set-to-approve-hepatitis-drug