Dear Anon,
Thanks for using this forum and trusting the community with your story.
I want to start by saying that you’re not alone: many of us here know exactly what you’re going through, having been through the trauma of a diagnosis ourselves. There are 250 million people around the world with chronic Hep B and just because not many people talk about it, it doesn’t mean understanding people are not around.
People are way more understanding than you think they are. Talk to a trusted friend or even pet. The HepB foundation has a helpline (https://www.hepb.org/contact-us/), as do hepatitis advocacy groups in Australia and other countries. Of course, you can contact people directly on this forum as well. Once it is out in the open a bit, it becomes a bit easier to manage.
There are a few things I thought that could help you talk about it:
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While you got diagnosed through an std test, the truth is that the majority of chronic hep B cases are due to exposure to the virus when you are very young. This could have come about with just a simple graze. It is something that you may not have had any control over.
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Since your worry is talking to your family, it sounds like you do have a good connection with them to feel the need to talk to them. As Johnny was saying, parents are much more understanding than you think with big issues like this.
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This panic will pass. It may not feel like it at the moment and it may take some time, but as you process the information and get to know more about hep B, it’ll get better for you.
I hope you stay safe and all goes well. Happy to talk further 1-on-1 if you need.
Thomas