Welcome. I can't speak for what being older plays into it as I'm not there yet however I was born with HepC so i went through the whole "how do I tell" ... "who do I tell" ... Imagine telling a 16 year old boy you have it when all they know are the stereotypes and you know they're going to run and tell everyone and then suddenly ... the secret is out. I personally didn't tell any dates until I thought it had the potential of going somewhere (thankfully there were only a few that I told). I got lucky (hehe no pun intended) with my fiance. He is an EMT so he was well versed on it already. Because of that I just put it out there, kind of like, take it or leave it - this is who I am. This is one of those things that's easier said than done... Like I said, I have known about it since I was 13 ... I think all of 6 people in my life (friends and/or family) know that I have HepC. It gets REAL lonely sometimes. Keep your head up... share your thoughts with the rest of us and in time, good things will come.
- enavigo
Cinnamon Girl said
Jan 18, 2014
Hi Elaine, welcome to the forum. I just want to tell you first of all that you`re not alone with this, many of us single people in this age group feel lonely and fearful for the future, even without the potential stigma and rejection of having Hep C. It gets a lot more difficult to meet eligible men (or women) as we get older and we don`t have the same sort of social life that we had when we were younger.
I`m 64 and lost my husband almost 7 years ago, and have been on my own since then after 28 years of marriage. I`ve tried dating sites, although without success, but don`t my experience put you off! You just have to keep trying if you want to meet the right man, and be prepared for a few disappointments along the way.
Having Hep C is no reason not to date, and as Tig pointed out, the virus can only be passed on by blood to blood contact. The risk of infecting someone in a normal domestic and/or sexual relationship is extremely low, although you should still tell any potential partner that you have the virus so they can be aware and take any reasonable precautions. If that person is genuinely interested in you and cares for you then it shouldn`t put them off.
I think the right time to tell someone is up to you, but I would say that once the relationship is moving along and before any sexual relations start would be the best time.
If you haven`t considered embarking on a course of treatment for Hep C so far then it could still be very worth while considering, and if you`d like any information on current treatments then please don`t hesitate to ask. We`re here to help!
I wish you all the best of luck! ~ Jill
Tig said
Jan 18, 2014
Hello Elaine,
Welcome to the forum! I'm so happy you've introduced yourself. While I can't speak about dating per say (I'm married), but we've had discussions about it many times. Use our search function above and you'll find some of them. Of course you'll be hearing from the members and getting plenty of information.
It can be depressing and disappointing having to live with that kind of rejection, we've all experienced it in one form or another. Arm yourself with information about HCV and particularly on the subject of shared exposure. The only way to give HCV to a person is through blood to blood contamination. People hear horror stories about how easy it is to spread but those stories just aren't true. Ultimately, it's your choice to tell others, but I always believe truth is your ally. After you've introduced yourself to someone, if you feel the relationship might go someplace, then it's a good time to explain yourself. I think anyone worth keeping will also be the type of person that understands. If someone chooses to reject you because of unfounded fears, they're probably not a keeper anyway.
Please feel free to introduce yourself in the New Members section and tell us a little about yourself. Things like genotype, blood work, biopsy results always help us give informed opinions. Have you ever treated before? Let us know and I hope to see you here in the future! I'm glad you're here!
Tig
Wildrose said
Jan 18, 2014
I would love some words of advice regarding dating with Hep C. Because of divorce, I find myself dating again at 65. This is bad enough without throwing Hep C into the mix. I am rejected on a regular basis and I often feel lonely and hurt. Some days, I feel so badly that I can barely get out of bed. How do you handle the hurt and rejection? When do you tell dates?
Hi Elaine,
Welcome. I can't speak for what being older plays into it as I'm not there yet however I was born with HepC so i went through the whole "how do I tell" ... "who do I tell" ... Imagine telling a 16 year old boy you have it when all they know are the stereotypes and you know they're going to run and tell everyone and then suddenly ... the secret is out. I personally didn't tell any dates until I thought it had the potential of going somewhere (thankfully there were only a few that I told). I got lucky (hehe no pun intended) with my fiance. He is an EMT so he was well versed on it already. Because of that I just put it out there, kind of like, take it or leave it - this is who I am. This is one of those things that's easier said than done... Like I said, I have known about it since I was 13 ... I think all of 6 people in my life (friends and/or family) know that I have HepC. It gets REAL lonely sometimes. Keep your head up... share your thoughts with the rest of us and in time, good things will come.
- enavigo
Hi Elaine, welcome to the forum. I just want to tell you first of all that you`re not alone with this, many of us single people in this age group feel lonely and fearful for the future, even without the potential stigma and rejection of having Hep C. It gets a lot more difficult to meet eligible men (or women) as we get older and we don`t have the same sort of social life that we had when we were younger.
I`m 64 and lost my husband almost 7 years ago, and have been on my own since then after 28 years of marriage. I`ve tried dating sites, although without success, but don`t my experience put you off! You just have to keep trying if you want to meet the right man, and be prepared for a few disappointments along the way.
Having Hep C is no reason not to date, and as Tig pointed out, the virus can only be passed on by blood to blood contact. The risk of infecting someone in a normal domestic and/or sexual relationship is extremely low, although you should still tell any potential partner that you have the virus so they can be aware and take any reasonable precautions. If that person is genuinely interested in you and cares for you then it shouldn`t put them off.
I think the right time to tell someone is up to you, but I would say that once the relationship is moving along and before any sexual relations start would be the best time.
If you haven`t considered embarking on a course of treatment for Hep C so far then it could still be very worth while considering, and if you`d like any information on current treatments then please don`t hesitate to ask. We`re here to help!
I wish you all the best of luck!
~ Jill
Hello Elaine,
Welcome to the forum! I'm so happy you've introduced yourself. While I can't speak about dating per say (I'm married), but we've had discussions about it many times. Use our search function above and you'll find some of them. Of course you'll be hearing from the members and getting plenty of information.
It can be depressing and disappointing having to live with that kind of rejection, we've all experienced it in one form or another. Arm yourself with information about HCV and particularly on the subject of shared exposure. The only way to give HCV to a person is through blood to blood contamination. People hear horror stories about how easy it is to spread but those stories just aren't true. Ultimately, it's your choice to tell others, but I always believe truth is your ally. After you've introduced yourself to someone, if you feel the relationship might go someplace, then it's a good time to explain yourself. I think anyone worth keeping will also be the type of person that understands. If someone chooses to reject you because of unfounded fears, they're probably not a keeper anyway.
Please feel free to introduce yourself in the New Members section and tell us a little about yourself. Things like genotype, blood work, biopsy results always help us give informed opinions. Have you ever treated before? Let us know and I hope to see you here in the future! I'm glad you're here!
Tig
I would love some words of advice regarding dating with Hep C. Because of divorce, I find myself dating again at 65. This is bad enough without throwing Hep C into the mix. I am rejected on a regular basis and I often feel lonely and hurt. Some days, I feel so badly that I can barely get out of bed. How do you handle the hurt and rejection? When do you tell dates?
Many thanks for your help!