Papawx3
Active Member
I was talking with my neighbor a couple of days ago and he asked me a question. In strictest privacy, he told me that he and his wife share Hepatitis C, and have for many years. Neither know exactly how they contracted it, and neither know who gave it to the other. She was a former drug user and he has a few tattoos that he proudly displays. He readily admits that at least a couple of them were done under less than sterile conditions. Regardless, they've shared it for so many years that at this point in time, it really doesn't matter.
The problem is that he is now retired and has Medicare. When he went to his doctor last week he was given the results of some blood tests that were run. He was then told that he needs to get this treated because it's at a point where it could lead to cancer of the liver. So now he is looking into maybe getting this treated, which would of course entail going through chemo treatments. Those would take several hours twice a week for approx 30 weeks.
She otoh has been his faithful housewife for 20+ years but is too young to get Medicare. She also has no health insurance. As a result she can't afford those treatments.
Of course with chemo, he wouldn't be able to drive himself to the hospital. She would have to drive him there, and wait for him, then drive him back home. Then she would have to wait on him at home while he heaves his guts out all day every day, watches his hair fall out, and basically be homebound while he's receiving treatments and then for how ever long it would take for him to recover afterward. Of course he's not too thrilled about the side effects of those treatments, but it might rid him of the Hep C.
She otoh would still have it, and would have no recourse but to continue being the faithful wife, who btw would be left in the same position and no way of getting treatments herself. She would eventually start getting sick herself as it begins its destruction of her own liver. There is nothing either of them can do for that.
So he asked me what I thought he should do. Should he check into going through the treatments just because the gov't will now pay for it, or at least the majority of it? Or should he just resign himself to living with it for the rest of his life, because his wife can't afford the treatments?
I told him that imo, if he has to ask that question, his marriage doesn't mean nearly as much to him as it evidently does to her.
The problem is that he is now retired and has Medicare. When he went to his doctor last week he was given the results of some blood tests that were run. He was then told that he needs to get this treated because it's at a point where it could lead to cancer of the liver. So now he is looking into maybe getting this treated, which would of course entail going through chemo treatments. Those would take several hours twice a week for approx 30 weeks.
She otoh has been his faithful housewife for 20+ years but is too young to get Medicare. She also has no health insurance. As a result she can't afford those treatments.
Of course with chemo, he wouldn't be able to drive himself to the hospital. She would have to drive him there, and wait for him, then drive him back home. Then she would have to wait on him at home while he heaves his guts out all day every day, watches his hair fall out, and basically be homebound while he's receiving treatments and then for how ever long it would take for him to recover afterward. Of course he's not too thrilled about the side effects of those treatments, but it might rid him of the Hep C.
She otoh would still have it, and would have no recourse but to continue being the faithful wife, who btw would be left in the same position and no way of getting treatments herself. She would eventually start getting sick herself as it begins its destruction of her own liver. There is nothing either of them can do for that.
So he asked me what I thought he should do. Should he check into going through the treatments just because the gov't will now pay for it, or at least the majority of it? Or should he just resign himself to living with it for the rest of his life, because his wife can't afford the treatments?
I told him that imo, if he has to ask that question, his marriage doesn't mean nearly as much to him as it evidently does to her.
