Hello. I’m a Canadian university student who’s lived with chronic Hep B all my life. As I transition into employment, I feel constantly limited in temporarily traveling or moving internationally for computer science jobs. It greatly stresses me the amount of unknown in how other countries work with health care and Hep B.
The uncertainty of when a fibroscan shows I need immediate treatment puts me into a lot of despair. I’m at a loss knowing I’d be committed to over 10 years of medication and be locked into financial issues, health care concerns, stigma and other unknowns.
I understand my feelings may be more catastrophic as I deal with mental health related issues too. This is the first time I’ve connected with others that is not my doctor and as eager as I am to learn to manage and live with Hep B, I can eager in supporting others who struggle as well.
Welcome to the forum, thanks for sharing your story with us all. As a travelling academic myself, I exactly get where you’re coming from: it just adds so much extra mental load to what is already a stressful situation of unstable work and having to relocate your entire life.
I hope this community can support you through this difficult time. While you may have to walk your own journey with your own two feet, please know that you are accompanied by the millions that are affected by hep B who understand many of the issues you are facing and are trying to navigate the same hurdles that are in front of you.
I’m a senior HBV virologist. I don’t know first-hand the stresses you are under, but you’ve come to the right place to seek guidance.
It may help to know that as a traveling professional, I have many long-term friends who have shared their HBV+ status with me, and I’m sure there are more who have kept their status private. Being HBV+ or HBV- has absolutely no impact on how I relate with my colleagues–they are all colleagues and friends, just the same. It may also help you to know that there is a huge army of scientists out there (like Thomas and me) who are working as hard as possible to develop cures for HBV. Stories like yours make us re-double our efforts!
Just to add to John’s response, I have received no negative repercussions from it whatsoever since letting people know my HBV status. On the contrary, I have been met with concern for my wellbeing, moral support, and even some admiration for being so forthcoming. Everybody has just wanted to help.
Jobwise, I have felt no discrimination, which I admit is not necessarily the experience of many others . I am lucky to be in a particularly understanding, friendly, and well-informed community (which includes John) where everyone has above-average knowledge about the infection.
That said, I think it’s very easy to amplify the things that you think will go wrong in your head (particularly if you’re going through it alone). In the end, if you’re not in a health-care setting where the risk of transmission is extremely low, there is no real reason it should affect your work at all.
Hi CLC, so glad that you joined the forum to share your story. Many of us on this forum are living with chronic hep b as well, so you will be able to find support and care from us since we traveling the same road, albeit with different experiences along the way. Having been diagnosed more than 30 years ago, I’ve certainly had more time to adjust and accept my diagnosis. BUT, it wasn’t until 2017 that I publicly told friends and colleagues that I had hep b. Disclosing my condition is still relatively new, and being part of the hepbcommunity.org forum is new for me in that I’ve never really shared as much as I have since joining.
It’s been very cathartic to speak freely and without self-consciousness. Honestly, I felt like I “came out” of the closet when I first shared my story publicly - a huge weight came off my shoulders and I felt whole for the first time. I didn’t have to compartmentalize my life anymore. For decades I’ve listened to friends who have suffered from asthma, diabetes, MS, Lupus, etc. They were part of in-person and online support groups. I listened quietly without sharing my experiences. Now I am finally able to talk much more openly about living with hep b. And I especially value this forum where I can share with others who understand!
With that said, I hope that you have friends and family members with whom you can share your diagnosis and situation? If not, then this forum is a great place to start opening up and learning to be more comfortable. Since you write that you suffer from mental health issues, then you probably already know the importance of being part of a community. We all want to share your burden to make it lighter. Thanks for trusting us and we look forward to hearing from you again. Always, Joan
Thank you Thomas, John and Joan for sharing knowledge on traveling professionally and of the science community. It eases some anxieties to receive scientific and emotional support from leading HBV experts.
Growing up, I’ve been at the end of receiving misinformation and stigma from family and the internet. It toxified many decisions, self values and outlooks in life. Now in my 20s, I’m relearning a truer understanding of HBV and finding acceptance in my friends. It’s been an eye opening journey of recovery and I’m very fortunate to follow this community.
I’m glad that this thread and forum has helped you; it truly is rewarding for me to see. I completely understand how you (and others) would get misinformation because there is so much out there. This is one of the reasons that I started up this forum: to link people up with experts in the field so that they could get trustworthy information.
