Hello everyone, hope you’re all doing well.
First, I want to thank @hopefulone for starting this topic, and everyone here who takes the time to support others with their experiences and advice.
I’m 23 now. I found out I had chronic HepB during my first year of college, mid 2024, after a routine checkup required for lab access. At the time, I was already going through a difficult period. I had moved to Italy for family reasons and was trying to adapt to a new country, a new language, and a degree taught entirely in that language. Despite the challenges, I was making good progress and doing well academically.
Then, at the end of that first year, I got the diagnosis.I had already scheduled my HepB vaccination, which left me feeling angry and frustrated when I learned it was too late. I will never forget that day. The shock, fear, confusion, and endless questions were overwhelming. The first six months were by far the hardest, but the anxiety never really went away.
Since then, I’ve felt like I’m living two lives: the one everyone sees—a young, healthy, fit student—and the one that quietly struggles with this diagnosis every day. I’ve become isolated, haven’t told anyone except my therapist, fell behind in my studies, lost motivation, and stopped exercising because I often feel physically weak and give up. Mentally, it’s been extremely difficult. I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt truly happy.
I don’t drink, I try to eat healthy, and I’m attending therapy, but I’m still dealing with significant depression. Recently, I’ve been considering opening up to my parents, something I’ve discussed in another topic here, some of you have already helped a lot on that, i’m almost ready to disclose. If you are interested: Living with hepB in silence — Afraid to tell my parents . I hope doing this might bring some peace to my heart.
Finding this community has made me feel less alone, and for that I’m incredibly grateful. Thank you all