Taking Care of Yourself if You Have Hepatitis

If you are a chronic carrier of Hepatitis B or C, you need to do what you can to keep your liver healthy. An important part of this is seeing a doctor who specializes in treating liver disease (hepatologist). Your HTC can help you find one who knows about Hemophilia.

The doctor may recommend medicines to take to treat hepatitis. They will also do blood tests to see how well your liver is doing. These tests check for liver enzymes in the blood. High levels of these enzymes can mean your liver is being damaged by the virus. Two of these tests are the ALT and AST.

Other ways you can take care of yourself are:

• Talk with your doctor about any medicines you are taking, including medicines that you buy off the shelf. Some of these medicines can hurt your liver.
• People with hepatitis should not have more than one serving of alcohol a day. It is best to not drink any alcohol at all. Alcohol can further damage your liver.
• Get a flu shot every year. If your liver disease is severe, you should also get the pneumococcal vaccine.
• Do not eat raw oysters. Oysters may carry a germ that can cause a deadly blood infection in someone with liver disease.
• Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.
• Stay away from strong chemicals and poisons like bug and weed killers and paint thinners. These can get in your body and harm your liver.
• Get plenty of sleep, exercise several times a week, and learn relaxation strategies. You can read about managing stress here.