Living well with hepatitis
Maintaining good physical and mental health will assist in managing hepatitis C related symptoms or illnesses. Some ways of maintaining good health include:
- Eating regular, well-balanced meals. Several small meals each day are healthier than one large meal. Don’t skip meals
- Adopting a low-fat diet
- Avoid junk food as most is high in fat
- Not fasting. Fasts such as water fasts and juice fasts may do more harm than good. Your liver needs adequate and balanced amounts of nutrients to carry out its normal metabolic functions
- Drinking plenty of fresh water (two litres a day)
- Reducing or ceasing alcohol consumption
- Giving up smoking, including marijuana
- Ensuring adequate, regular and good quality sleep/rest
- Managing stress levels
- Regular moderate levels of exercise, and
- Hepatitis A and B vaccination.
Eating a healthy diet
A healthy diet helps maintain good overall health, as well as liver and immune system health. It is strongly recommended that people living with hepatitis adopt a balanced, low fat diet incorporating fresh fruit and vegetables and lean meat such as chicken or fish. For further information on diet please view our Information Sheet ‘Diet and Hepatitis’, or contact HepatitisWA to order a copy of The Guide to Healthy Living. It is also important to maintain good levels of hydration and drinking two litres (eight cups) of water a day is strongly recommended.
Alcohol, Smoking and Recreational Drugs
Analgesics for mild pain are available over the counter (OTC) at pharmacies or supermarkets. Primarily they consist of paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen. Any painkiller used to excess can be harmful. Depending on the health of the liver it may be advisable to modify a normally recommended dose or even avoid a specific drug altogether. For further information please view our Information Sheet ‘Safe use of Analgesics for Mild Pain’.
Cold and Flu preparations
Many cold and flu preparations contain an analgesic. It is important to read the package information insert carefully (or ingredients section on the packet) to know precisely what is being taken. For example, many preparations contain paracetamol. If a person is experiencing headache and temperature as symptoms of cold and flu, and taking paracetamol to control the symptoms then it is important to ensure that the cold and flu preparation does not contain paracetamol to avoid exceeding the recommended daily dosage.
A certain level of stress is necessary in everyone’s life. Some people think of “positive stress”, those things that make us get up and get moving every day, places to go and things to do; and “negative stress”, such as a difficult financial situation, unhappy relationship or concern over a loved one’s health. Excessive stress, particularly over long periods of time, has been linked with physical and psychological illness. Stress can affect work and personal relationships. It is important to find a balance, so that stress does not have a detrimental effect on our health and relationships. For further information on managing stress please view our Information Sheet ‘Stressed out with hep C?’ or contact HepatitisWA and speak with the Support Officer.
Regular moderate exercise is recommended as part of a normal healthy lifestyle. It is beneficial in weight control and in managing stress and depression, along with improving sleep patterns. Exercise is also believed to strengthen the immune system. If unfit it is advisable to see a doctor before starting an exercise program. If exercise is not enjoyable it is unlikely to be maintained, therefore think carefully about what sort of exercise may suit you. It is important not to overdo exercise as it can lead to injury or to loss of enjoyment in the activity. For further information on exercise please view our Information Sheet ‘Starting to Exercise’, or contact HepatitisWA and speak with the Support Officer.
Both hepatitis and its treatment can cause fatigue. Many people consider fatigue to be the greatest difficulty they face in living with hepatitis. If a person living with hepatitis is experiencing fatigue, either as a direct effect of hepatitis or as a side effect of treatment, some lifestyle adjustments may be necessary. These could include reducing the physical demands on ourselves, getting assistance with housework or changing the way in which we perform daily tasks. Our Information Sheet ‘Dealing with Fatigue’ contains useful suggestions on managing fatigue or contact HepatitisWA and speak with the Support Officer.
To get what we want out of life we need to set reasonable and achievable goals. Setting goals allows us to achieve things in small steps and also acts as a motivating force. Achieving our goals helps to build self-confidence and esteem. A hepatitis C or B diagnosis can be a reason to adjust our goals, and can also be a motivating factor in healthy lifestyle change. For more on this topic please view our Information Sheet ‘Goal Setting’, or call HepatitisWA and speak with our Support Officer.
Your Doctor and You – a Partnership
Both hepatitis C and B require regular monitoring. This may probably require the development of a long term relationship with a doctor whom you like and trust. It’s also important that your doctor takes the time to explain things to you in terms you understand and that you feel comfortable to ask questions or for further explanation. When dealing with a chronic health condition, you and your doctor form a partnership around monitoring and maintaining your health care. Your doctor provides information and medical advice which requires you to be completely open and honest. In turn, you will be making decisions based on your doctor’s information and advice, and you require your doctor to deal with you openly and honestly. For tips on working in partnership with your doctor see please view our Information Sheet ‘Tips for Developing a Good Relationship with your Doctor’. Or you may prefer to contact HepatitisWA and speak with the Support Officer.
Relationships and Problem Solving
Chronic health conditions such as hepatitis rarely affect just one person in a relationship or family. The energy required in dealing with diagnosis and then living with the virus, possibly even undertaking treatment, may leave people with little or no energy for their partners and/or families. There are ways of reducing the impact of hepatitis on relationships, and strategies can be adopted which not only achieve this but may strengthen these important relationships. For suggestions view our Information Sheet ‘Relationships and Problem Solving’, or contact the Support Officer at HepatitisWA.
Page last updated: Friday 15 July, 2011