Gina Pollichino, RN

The term hepatitis simply means inflammation of the liver. But when you're talking about hepatitis C, you're talking about viral hepatitis, and hep C isn't the only form of hepatitis caused by a virus.So far, five different viruses have been found that cause hepatitis, and they're named with letters: Hepatitis Avirus causes hepatitis A; hepatitis B virus causes hepatitis B; hepatitis C virus causes hepatitis C; and hepatitis E virus causes hepatitis E.

Soon after you first become infected with the hepatitis C virus, you may have flu-like symptoms or even jaundice (abnormally yellow skin or eyes) during the acute phase (within the first six months) of infection. Most people in the acute phase are asymptomatic, meaning that they don't notice any symptoms, or they have symptoms that are mild or initially confused with other illnesses.

One way of defining stress is the body's response to a change or challenge. The change or challenge that causes the stress is called a stressor, which could be anything from the freezing temperature outside, to a new medicine you're taking, to an attack dog that's charging after you! Acute versus chronic stress During the stress response, energy is diverted from your immune, digestive, and reproductive systems and focused on giving you a supreme burst of energy.

When you go for a physical, your healthcare practitioner frequently orders blood tests. Many folks first find out they have hep C after undergoing a routine blood test and finding that one or more of the tests is abnormal. There's no one test that indicates chronic hepatitis C disease. Tests for the effects of hepatitis C on your liver include: Liver enzyme tests: These tests measure current liver cell injury by the amount of enzymes that are "leaked" out of damaged or dying liver cells.

Keeping all your medical information up-to-date and in one place is a good idea. Your best bet is to assemble some sort of notebook where you can store everything. You can use an actual notebook, a three-ring binder (and a hole puncher), a folder, or any combination of these. Whatever system you use, keep the information organizedand easy to find.