Dialysis, Medicine

Attention all Baby Boomers (Everyone else, too.)

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O.K.  I read a document today that reminded me of how life used to be.   But, it’s not going to be quite the way you think or the way our government thinks.  Today’s publication in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report can be considered to be a very good thing- or not.  (Note:  My queue ranges from 12 to 40 posts; this was written on 17 August)

The good-  we now are fairly certain that we have a cure for Hepatitis C.  The bad-  tons of baby boomers are probably afflicted with this virus and have not a clue.  And, if they don’t specifically get tested for this malady, they are subject to high rates of cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.   How prone?  The guestimate is that 1 in 30 (2 million or so) are expected to be carrying the virus.  That’s five times (5X) the rate for the rest of the adult population.

Now, comes the hard part.  We baby boomers are prone to carry this virus because many of us experimented with drugs when we were younger.  And, this affliction is associated with those that shared needles.

True Confessions:  I never did.  Nope.  Not me.  Yes, I was part of the group that one would expect this to be among this population.  After all, I am a baby boomer.   I was also part of that population that Richard Nixon loved to include among his enemies.  (No, not because I am Jewish, although that was probably an added bonus of hate for him.) Because I was very involved in political activities that were diametrically opposed to his core beliefs.  Make love, not war.  Civil rights for all.  [Amazingly, many of his party members are working hard to day to make it impossible for folks to legally vote, once again.  Le plus ca change…])

So, why did this remind me of how life used to be?   Because back when my friends were busy trying drugs, experiencing multiple sexual partners and the like, I was involved with dialysis.  And, Dr. Fred Shapiro (then the Medical Director) advised me immediately upon my first visit to the Hennepin County Dialysis Center (now the Hennepin County Medical Center Dialysis Unit, Minneapolis) to keep my hands firmly in my pockets at all times.  Because Hepatitis Non-A/Non-B (which is what Hepatitis C was then termed) was rampant in the unit.   (I am not singling out HCDC for this situation- the problem was a major consideration for every single dialysis unit in the late 60’s and during the 70’s.  By then, practices in the unit had progressed to insure that this infection was a rarity.)

No, these dialysis patients were not sharing needles.  But, given the nature of dialysis at the time, it was very usual to have high census of Non-A/Non-B Hepatitis (Hep C) infections among the dialysis population.  And, as you can tell from its moniker, we knew little about this malady back then.  So, the patients that were demonstrating the symptoms were all provided dialysis in isolation rooms, with full precaution for the staff and other patients.  (You know- the kind you see in those terror movies about plagues.)

This was also a major problem for transplants.  Because we had no means to readily test for the malady until 1992.  And, this also applied to blood that was received via transfusions.  Yup.  You could have become a Hep C carrier if you were in a wreck, a problem pregnancy, an accident- and received a transfusion before 1992.

Having seen the devastation that Hepatitis C causes, I feel compelled to demand every reader of this blog born between 1945 and 1965 make an immediate appointment to be tested.  Whether or not you were a drug user.  Because maybe one of your partners were.  Or, one of your partners’ partners.  Or, got an infected blood transfusion.  Please- do it now.

The treatment is not an easy one. (It’s like chemotherapy, to some degree.  Vomiting, aches, chills, fevers, depression.)  It takes about year. (24 weeks, but the fact that some need 48 weeks of therapy is also correct.)  It is expensive.  (You DO have health insurance, right?)  But, some 75% of those infected can clear the virus from their bodies.  And, your insurance company will pay- because the therapy is cheaper than treating you for cirrhosis or cancer of the liver.   And, a hell of a lot less painful.

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20 thoughts on “Attention all Baby Boomers (Everyone else, too.)”

  1. Huh, this is cool! Thank you for spreading the word (and not the virus ha ha !) about the cure. If Hep C has a cure, then I would think that means they are on their way to understanding how to cure more virus type diseases as well. BUT look at me jumping to conclusions! This is great information on every level my friend! Spreading wide and far, the boomers are my fave generation after all I married into it, my best friends are, and I’ve dated more from that pool than any other! AHAHA!
    Lisa Brandel recently posted..Midnight Angel by Lisa Brandel

    1. Yes, it can be lifestyle, Janette. But, it can also be the luck of the draw (transfusions, dialysis).
      I am more interested in having folks help eradicate it from the system than in trying to determine past associations…

      Roy

    1. I know- you just like being part of the group- any group, right, Alessa?
      Seriously, with transfusions, medical complications, drugs, sex…. we certainly brought forth a series of consequences for which we had not a clue.
      Thanks for your comment- and your visit.

      Roy

  5. Thanks for the enlightenment, Roy. I squeaked in on the tail end of this generation. It’s great to hear there’s a cure available for Hep. C. I’ll ask my doc if I’ve ever been tested. Low risk probably without a needle or transfusion history, but might as well know for sure. I appreciate the heads-up.
    Nanette Levin recently posted..Do you fly or fall into business success?

    1. Robbie:
      The only way this virus can be eradicated is to eliminate all vestiges of it in people. Which means we all need to be treated and cured That is a daunting taks. (It also assumes that the virus won’t mutate…) We can only try.

  8. Very informative! It really makes me wonder what dangers young teens are getting themselves into today. The stories I hear from parents (I am not one yet) is just startling and with so many diseases coming out of the woodworks from the fun and experimental ’60’s, ’70’s, etc. it just makes me wonder about the future health of our kids….ee gads!
    Gina recently posted..Sexy Skin Secrets – Drop and Give Me 10!

    1. I have already reported on things like that, as well, Gina. HPV injections for male AND female children- and what HPV has done to a generation of children… which many of the younger set (just sexually active) employ claiming “they are not having sex”…. (it’s not just an ex-President who has made such claims.)

      Thanks for the visit AND the comment.

      Roy

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