Newly diagnosed with Hepatitis B and how to manage it

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Some important things to keep in mind when diagnosed with Hepatitis B:

  1. You are not alone. Many people here have personally experienced the trauma of diagnosis, so they know exactly what you are going through. There are 250 million people worldwide with chronic Hepatitis B, and just because not many people talk about it, it doesn’t mean there aren’t understanding people around you.
  2. People are much more understanding than you think. Try talking to a family member, a trusted friend, or even a pet. There are hepatitis associations in Australia and other countries, and the HepB Foundation also has a helpline (Contact Us » Hepatitis B Foundation 12). Of course, you can also contact people directly on this forum. Once hepatitis is a little more open, it becomes a bit easier to manage.
  3. Most cases of chronic Hepatitis B occur due to exposure to the virus when you were very young. This could have happened from a simple graze. It might have been something you had no control over.
  4. This panic will pass. It may not feel like it right now, and it may take some time, but as you process the information and learn more about Hepatitis B, you will feel better.
  5. Hepatitis B is not a death sentence. Almost everyone can live a normal life (though you may worry about what might happen in the future and others’ reactions). It is a condition that can be managed quite easily.

Forum Administrator
Dr Thomas Tu

Use this thread to discuss being newly diagnosed and how to manage it.

Some important things to keep in mind (as discussed previously ):

  • You are not alone Many of us here know exactly what you’re going through, having been through the trauma of a diagnosis ourselves. There are 250 million people around the world with chronic Hep B and just because not many people talk about it, it doesn’t mean understanding people are not around.
  • People are way more understanding than you think they are. Try to talk to a family member, trusted friend or even pet. The HepB foundation has a helpline (https://www.hepb.org/contact-us/ ), as do hepatitis advocacy groups in Australia and other countries. Of course, you can contact people directly on this forum as well. Once it is out in the open a bit, it becomes a bit easier to manage.
  • The majority of chronic hep B cases are due to exposure to the virus when you are very young. This could have come about with just a simple graze. It is something that you may not have had any control over.
  • This panic will pass. It may not feel like it at the moment and it may take some time, but as you process the information and get to know more about hep B, it’ll get better for you.
  • Hep B is not a death sentence. Almost all of us live normal lives (though may worry about what may be in the future and reactions from others). This is a condition that can be managed fairly easily.

Thomas

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