Lucinda K. Porter - Hepatitis C Treatment One Step at a Time: Inspiration and Practical Tips for Successful Treatment

Praise for
Hepatitis C Treatment One Step at a Time

As we make progress in health care and reaching the 3.2 million people in the U.S. who have hepatitis C, patients seeking treatment will need practical tools and genuine hope. This book offers both.

Henry C. Hank Johnson, Jr., U.S. Representative (D-GA), co-chair, Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus

There are many sources of information for patients to learn about hepatitis C treatment. This book is not just another of those resources. Porters book not only provides accurate and useful information, it addresses the importance of healing mind, body, and spirit. Through her professional and personal experience with HCV, Porter is a role model for anyone ready to tackle this disease.

Martha Saly, executive director, National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable

Lucinda K. Porter is in a unique situation to understand the many aspects of living with hepatitis C, and this book is another generous occasion for her to share her experiences. Porter encourages patients to empower themselves with knowledge of hepatitis C and the result is a wonderful book.

Andrew Muir, MD, Duke University

Hepatitis C treatment is not a walk in the park but with Hepatitis C Treatment One Step at a Time, you have a friend to guide you down the path to living without hepatitis C.

Lorren Sandt, executive director, Caring Ambassadors Program, Inc.

Porter places the hepatitis C treatment into individual steps with insightful comments for daily survival, and provides the tools for individuals to reach the goal of successful treatment. With the evolution of all oral therapies for HCV by 2014 in the U.S., many parts of this book will be useful for a long time, including the advice on symptom management, advocacy, psychological, and physical preparation, and general health during treatment. Her book has brilliant insights about social preparation and financial integration with thoughtful comments on personalized medicine. Most importantly, she addresses how to overcome internal and external fears of HCV-related diseases and the treatment process. The diary structure allows readers to think about life on a day-to-day basis, and gives each patient the tools to enjoy the moment, overcome their fears, and conquer this disease.

Robert G. Gish, MD, consultant hepatologist, co-author of The Hepatitis C Help Book

HEPATITIS C TREATMENT ONE STEP AT A TIME

Also by Lucinda K. Porter, RN

Free from Hepatitis C: Your Complete Guide to Healing Hepatitis C

Visit our website at www.demoshealth.com

ISBN: 978-1-936303-52-6
e-book ISBN: 978-1-61705-174-6

Acquisitions Editor: Julia Pastore
Compositor: diacritech

2013 Lucinda K. Porter. All rights reserved. This book is protected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Medical information provided by Demos Health, in the absence of a visit with a health care professional, must be considered as an educational service only. This book is not designed to replace a physicians independent judgment about the appropriateness or risks of a procedure or therapy for a given patient. Our purpose is to provide you with information that will help you make your own health care decisions.

The information and opinions provided here are believed to be accurate and sound, based on the best judgment available to the authors, editors, and publisher, but readers who fail to consult appropriate health authorities assume the risk of injuries. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. The editors and publisher welcome any reader to report to the publisher any discrepancies or inaccuracies noticed.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Porter, Lucinda K.

Hepatitis C treatment one step at a time: inspiration and practical tips for successful treatment / Lucinda K. Porter, RN.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-936303-52-6

1. Hepatitis CTreatment. 2. Hepatitis CPatientsPrayers and devotions. I. Title.

RC848.H425P66 2013

616.362306dc23

2013028037

Printed in the United States of America by Edwards Brothers.

13 14 15 16 17 / 5 4 3 2 1

To my father, D.E.W. Kressly, who reached lofty heights, one step at a time.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

These days, its hard to do anything in the field of hepatitis C without hearing about Lucinda Porter. As if her prior book Free from Hepatitis C: Your Complete Guide to Healing Hepatitis C werent enough, she maintains several blogs and two monthly columns in the HCV Advocate. There are speaking engagements and lectures and even a TEDx talk. What is it with her, has she cloned herself?

Dont get me wrong, I think this is terrific. I run the OASIS Clinic in Oakland, California, a little clinic recognized for showing that people who are supposedly untreatable can successfully complete treatment just like everyone else. The key is to provide the right kind of education and support. Our mantra is: If one of us has hepatitis C, all of us have it. It doesnt matter who you are or how you got it, the more you know about hepatitis C the better your outcomes will be.

That is why having Lucinda in our community is a Really Good Thing. Both of us being strong proponents of self-advocacy and education, Ive known her for years. But Lucinda isnt just a nurse and outstanding educator; she herself has hepatitis C and has also gone through the challenging treatment three times. She writes as both a treater and a patient, and knows how important support is to being successful in hepatitis C.

This is a gem of a book, filled with bite-sized pieces of information to step you through the treatment process. It is like a friendly little companion. There are daily motivational readings and tips; the journey begins before you start treatment, stays with you each day you are taking medications, and helps you after it is over as well. It remains hopeful about success but will help you manage if the treatment doesnt work. The messages are accessible and brief and thoughtful. The main problem is this: you are going to want to cheat and read ahead!

The landscape of hepatitis C treatment is changing, and treatment will get easier and more effective in the coming years. But we are not there yet and not everyone can wait. If you need treatment for your hepatitis C, it will be a challenge but you can do it. You must prepare yourself and get the education and support you need. I think you will find this lovely book will help you reach that goal.