The First Year: Hepatitis B An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed

by Green, William Finley; Conjeevaram, Hari

• ISBN13: 9781569245330
• ISBN10: 1569245339
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-05-06
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books

Summary

The hepatitis B virus causes an estimated one million deaths each year worldwide, and despite the availability of a hepatitis B vaccine, a combined lack of awareness and educational resources has turned this virus into a deadly epidemic. Author William Finley Green, who has lived with hepatitis B for almost twenty-five years and has become an expert on the condition, guides those newly diagnosed step-by-step through the first year following diagnosis. He provides charts and tables, crucial information about the nature of the disease, treatment options, diet, exercise, social concerns, the myriad of emotional issues that accompany the diagnosis, and much more. The First YearHepatitis B will be an invaluable guide for everyone struggling to come to terms with their hepatitis B diagnosis.

Author Biography

William Finley Green is an artist, writer and Italian translator. He has a degree in English from Oberlin College, and has spent ten years abroad in England, France and Italy. He specializes in marketing, branding and pharmaceutical translations for major multinational companies. Will was officially diagnosed with hepatitis B in 1993, but has been living with hepatitis since childhood. He lives in Chicago and Wisconsin

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Hari Conjeevaram
Introduction	xvii
Day 1
Living: Condemned to . . . Taking Care of Yourself	1	(5)
Learning: Being and Feeling Contagious---Common First Day Questions	6	(7)
Day 2
Living: The Day After---Common Reactions	13	(5)
Learning: What is Hepatitis?	18	(4)
Day 3
Living: Who Should I Tell?	22	(7)
Learning: Transmission Modes, Antigens, and Antibodies	29	(6)
Day 4
Living: Finding Others Like You	35	(5)
Learning: Understanding Your Lab Tests	40	(8)
Day 5
Living: Get a Specialist	48	(5)
Learning: Stages and Phases of Hepatitis B	53	(11)
Day 6
Living: Teaming with Your Doctor	64	(5)
Learning: What Does My Liver Do?	69	(3)
Day 7
Living: Managing Your Fatigue	72	(6)
Learning: Slaying the Dragon---Your First Liver Biopsy	78	(7)
First-Week Milestone	85	(42)
Week 2
Living: Nutrition Basics	87	(8)
Learning: Other HBV Symptoms	95	(4)
Week 3
Living: Avoiding Toxic People, Places, and Things	99	(5)
Learning: Which Treatment is Right for You?	104	(9)
Week 4
Living: Exercise	113	(5)
Learning: Alternative Treatment	118	(9)
First-Month Milestone	127	(54)
Month 2
Living: Diet: Phase-Out	129	(11)
Learning: The HBV Vaccine	140	(6)
Month 3
Living: Sex, Relationships, and Esteem	146	(5)
Learning: Charting Your HBV	151	(4)
Month 4
Living: Become an HBV Activist	155	(4)
Learning: Mutants	159	(3)
Month 5
Living: Having/Raising/Adopting Children	162	(5)
Learning: Treatment Issues for Children	167	(3)
Month 6
Living: Work and Disability	170	(4)
Learning: Insurance and Financial Planning	174	(7)
Half-Year Milestone	181	(56)
Month 7
Living: Treatments in Development	183	(5)
Learning: Co-Infection	188	(3)
Month 8
Living: Complications	191	(5)
Learning: Transplants	196	(6)
Month 9
Living: Addictions	202	(4)
Learning: Drugs, Medications, and the Liver	206	(3)
Month 10
Living: Depression	209	(5)
Learning: Common HBV Misconceptions	214	(5)
Month 11
Living: Fluids	219	(4)
Learning: Phasing in Liver-Friendly Foods	223	(5)
Month 12
Living: Your Future with HBV	228	(4)
Learning: Taking Stock: An Inventory of Personal Growth	232	(5)
Resources	237	(5)
For Further Information	242	(5)
Glossary	247	(10)
For Further Reading	257	(4)
Acknowledgments	261	(2)
Index	263