The First Year: Hepatitis C: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed [Paperback]

Cara Bruce (Author), Ph.D. Lisa Montanarelli Ph.D. (Author), M.D. Teresa Wright M.D. (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: The First Year | Publication Date: November 23, 2007

The fifth-year anniversary of the book ushers in a new phase of treatment and information, including protease inhibitors (which have been so successful in treating HIV), split-liver transplants, and prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines for HCV. Bruce and Montanarelli also offer updated information on medications that are toxic to the liver; Eastern and Western approaches to healing; nutrition guides; the types of hepatitis that have been identified and what is known; and living with coinfection (HCV and HIV, HBV, and HAV). Alarming statistics: Hepatitis C is the most common bloodborne virus: It has infected 300 million people worldwide (4.1 million in the U.S.) and kills 8,000 to 10,000 Americans each year. About 26,000 people in the U.S. are infected yearly. Chronic hepatitis C is the number one cause of liver transplants. Key lifestyle issues: The book offers emotional support for newly diagnosed patients, helps them navigate and overcome insurance obstacles, as well as providing suggestions for making necessary changes in diet, exercise, drinking habits, drug use, dating, and sex life. Bruce and Montanarelli also debunk common myths and offer ideas for coping with depression, fatigue, and the side effects of medications.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The authors, who are both infected with hepatitis C (HCV), add to Marlowe's "First Year" series for new patients with a how-to-respond guide that moves from the day of diagnosis through the first year of coping. HCV, a blood-borne virus, infects nine million Americans and nearly 200 million people worldwide. Even so, the general public remains unaware that this chronic illness is epidemic and that there is no effective treatment for the majority of its victims. The good news, as this book makes clear, is that HCV can be managed. In this straightforward, day-by-day manual, the authors provide a schedule for learning just about everything one needs to know about living with "hep C." This is an exhaustive but simpler and more direct advisory than Carol Turkington's Hepatitis C (LJ 6/1/98); healthcare libraries will want to have both books in their collections. James Swanton, Harlem Hosp. Lib., New York
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Cara Bruce is an accomplished writer who has served as senior editor for three on-line magazines and has edited three fiction anthologies. Her work has appeared on Salon.com and in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, and more than a dozen anthologies. She was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2000.
Lisa Montanarelli, a freelance writer and sex educator, received her B.A. from Yale and her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from U.C. Berkeley. Her work has appeared on AFP.com (Agence France-Presse), on HIVinsite.com and in the San Francisco Bay Guardian and other publications. She was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1990.
Cara and Lisa both live in San Francisco.

Teresa L. Wright, MD, is Chief of the Gastroenterology Section at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Medical Center and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. A prolific author in peer-reviewed journals, she has lectured nationally and internationally on hepatitis C and B. She has been a visiting professor at sixteen universities in the US and Canada. Dr. Wright is a member of the Council of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; Revised edition (November 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600940285
• ISBN-13: 978-1600940286
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,019,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #46 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Hepatitis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Starter Book, January 23, 2012

By 

Lucinda K. Porter "Lucinda K. Porter, RN" (Grass Valley, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The First Year: Hepatitis C: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (First Year, The) (Paperback)

Written by two patients, this book lives up to its title. It takes newly diagnosed patients through one year, teaching about the various aspects of living with hepatitis C. Although the book is practical and well written, it is slightly out-dated. Also, it does not go into much depth about treatment, devoting about 10 pages to the subject. This book would make an excellent companion to a more current, in depth book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read for the Newly Diagnosed!, September 11, 2011

By 

Janene Mirisola "JustJan528" (Palm Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The First Year: Hepatitis C: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (First Year, The) (Paperback)

This book is easy to read and FULL of great information for the newly diagnosed HCV patient and their loved ones. I have referred to it on many occasions to answer the many questions that seem to continue to pop up regarding this baffling illness. If you or a loved one or HECK if even your ENEMY has been diagnosed with HCV, buy them this book...it is an invaluable resource and has a plethora of must-know information to help make it through that difficult and confusing "FIRST YEAR!"

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Purchased for another person, September 16, 2008

By 

sgtran (TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The First Year: Hepatitis C: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (Paperback)

This book was appreciated and received well by the person for whom it was purchased.