Harrietviva6,

it's been a long time since you asked your question, but I just now joined this forum. For years before I knew I had hep c, I went to doctors and each time, they told me I was depressed and they wrote me a prescription for antidepressants. After trying it once, I knew that was not the problem. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. And, doctors not believing that anything was wrong. Decades passed and finally, I quit going to doctors and tried things on my own.

Can't say that I had much success.

Joint pain . . . It's real. Very real. It is not in your head.

Many of the symptoms, I am sorry to say, are of the type that doctors will think you are depressed, a chronic complainer, or a hypochondriac.

I've had hep c for 30 years, so there isn't much medication that I can still take, but when my joints start screaming, I take whatever analgesic I have in the house. It helps.

Many of the symptoms I have did not start until 15 years ago, so don't be surprised when new problems start to crop up. When this happens, you'll start thinking it's all in your head again. It's not. It's in your body.

Edwina

I had hepc for 15 years and I am 46 years old got it working as a nurse and getting stuck in the hand by a neddle. I have the pain and swelling in my hands and feet, and let me tell you alot of doctors don,t understand about hepc. they know the basics and that is it.any one out there with hepc need to see a Hepatolgist and not a gasrolgist. I am now on Cymbalta and it have been on it for over a month and it has taken the pain away and helps with depression becouse people with hepc has depression and pain as the liver gets worse. Cymbalta is for fibromyalgia pain but the pain with hepc is kinda the same not so much in the joints. hepc pain goes to hands ,feet stomach and to the back and swelling with imflamation. so don,t let any doctor tell you any different becouse your is real and is couse from having a sick liver. Ihope this helps . find a doctor in your area that i decribed and don,t give up the fight.