It is very important to find a health practitioner who is familiar with this illness. The symptoms of hepatitis can be mimicked by other illnesses (autoimmune illnesses, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, arthritis, etc.), and if you in fact have another illness that is not properly diagnosed, you may be losing out on getting treatments that might be effective for you.
It is still an uphill struggle to find a doctor who is experienced in diagnosing and treating hepatitis C. Hepatologists specialize in diseases of the liver, and would be your best choice in physicians, followed by a gastroenterologist (a digestive disease specialist) or an infectious disease specialist. If there is a hepatitis support group nearby, they would be an excellent source of advice in identifying local doctors who may be familiar with hepatitis, or you can contact the American Liver Foundation (ALF), The HEP project in Seattle, the Hepatitis C Support Project in San Francisco, HepCBC in Victoria, British Columbia, or a host of other hepatitis C organizations for a list of doctors near you. If there are no hepatitis knowledgeable doctors in your area and you wish to find an out-of-town specialist contact the organization nearest you for help. For a list of hepatitis C organizations in your area see Part XII of the FAQ.
If your own doctor is sympathetic but not knowledgeable, you might gather together some medical articles on hepatitis and hepatitis treatments and encourage your doctor to study them. Or you can just give him or her a copy of the FAQ. See Appendix D for a list of Hepatologists and Gastroenterologists in Canada.
