~And Thus Into the Lions Den; I go forth~

In the Winter of 2001 (Jan.) I was homeless, poor, living in a shelter, and spending the Daytime trying to keep warm in a Northwest MA town; the shelter only allowed us there after 5:30pm-8:20 Am; I'd get dropped on in a Van every morning along with others from the shelter to the next town over and dropped off. If any of you have lived in the western part of MA, you know how nasty, cold, and frigid the winters can be.
 I got sick with Bronchitis twice, once while also sick with Pnemonia and Pluresy; I broke 3 ribs from coughing so hard. I got around on crutches; a slip on an icy sidewalk had re-injured a 5 year old knee injury (did everything but break it).
I had a sketchbook and some colored pencils to keep me busy.
I wore a necklace from my mother (which was later stolen from me by a roomate at the shelter who ran off), a ratty old green t-shirt, a free-bee old corderoy coat that was missing all but one middle button, my Granpa's old golfer cap that I wore backwards, a pair of jeans, socks, and old sneakers. That was my 'winter' gear, while at the shelter.
Everyday I had to call  and check in to a nearby transitional shelter to stay on a waiting list and move up the list.
By the middle of Feb. I was told I could move to the 'better' shelter. I moved in and began to do the footwork needed to 'get back' on my feet. My knee was slow to heal but by then I could walk again without the crutches.
One morning I had all I could do to 'wake up' and get up and outside. (If you didn't have a job you had to be up by 9:30), at this shelter at least I didn't have to spend all day outside.
 I got flak from the shelter staff because I had such a hard time getting out of bed. This went on for about a week. By that point I had accumulated more clothing thanks to local donations to our shelter system. I was enrolled in a temp agency and waiting to hear about a job. One night, after our dinner I couldn't get warm enough. I piled on all my shirts and two sweatshirts; one had a hood and was quite thick. I wore my hat, and wrapped myself in a blanket. I felt absolutely awful. I was achey and everywhere hurt so bad. My head was pounding and I was hot and clammy to the touch. I went into the staff office and told the woman on duty that I really wasn't feeling well and if I could get a ride to the emergency room or someother place I could get help. (I know she had me sit down and repeat myself several times; I guess I didn't sound so coherant).
She took my temperature and had me wait. It was 105.
She got more blankets and had me sit while she called the doctors office the shelter used for thier 'tennants'. They made room for me to come right over.
I saw a good doctor who was very thurough and told me I was going to the hospital for a few days because I was Very ill. I stayed in the hospital for 3 days; I was released even though I was still sick. This new doctor of mine told me I had Mono. I was sick for the remainder of about 6 months.
During my follow up appointment with him two weeks later, he greeted me and asked me to sit down; he had something to tell me.
"I ran some other tests while we were checking you for Mono; just to be thurough."
I said ok...what's wrong?
"You have Hepatitis C..." he said.
That was the day my world changed.

I knew nothing about this disease at the time except that is was 'Bad'.
The doctors I would see over the next few years had two theories as to how I contracted Hep.
a.) I was infected in utero (I recieved blood transfusions every month while my mother was pregnant with me)

b.) I contracted it via my Immunization Shots while in Basic Training. (I was in the Army in 1999; got a medical discharge for Asthma)

I will state this now; I have never used IV drugs or needles; I detest needles. And my Doctors Know this.

Either way I got it; I have it. I was told early on that my chances of Treament and a succsessful treament were damn near nil; my genotype is 1A; and with treament of Pegasys Interferon and Ribiviron; had a less than 40% chance of Remission let alone cure. (at the time)
I spent the next ten years despondant, depressed and Usually ill with some bug.
My immune system SUCKS. I once almost died in 2003 from simple swimmer's ear. The antibiotics they put me on didn't work and it flared up; went from one ear to my throat; it had no where else to go but my brain; I spent over a week in ICU with a temp of 105.00* and on a Morphine drip with a button I could press for pain, every 8 minutes. Friends and family attest that awake or asleep; I pressed that button. I don't remember much about my stay in the hospital (understandably) but when I started to get better I found out how close to death I came; my doctor (the same that diagnosed me) was on the phone with collegues he knew at the CDC trying to figure out what my ear infection had blown into. They ended up using a combination therapy of very powerful drugs. I ended up in the Medical books with the first case of: Malignant Otitis Externa. (Basicly Ear infection from HELL).

Fast forward to this winter; I began to see a new liverspecialist, and on my first visit he told me of a New Triple therapy that had JUST come out; Pegasys Interferon, Ribiviron and Incivik. These drugs were having a great sucess rate with my Genotype; 70-90%!! He gave the go ahead for treament! I left his office in absolute tears of joy and hope.

My medicine is supposed to arrive today.
I go for my First of many apptments on the 15th of December; I will be starting Treament the weekend after.
I know it will probably be Hell. But If I get CURED it is worth it. This Blog is here to help me get through it and to hopefully help someone else who may in the future go through what I am.
I am not looking forward to possibly:
Loosing my hair
becoming anemic
getting rashes
feeling like I have the flu for 6mo.-1 year.
getting nauseous.
and then some.
But I am Doing It. My life (be it 10 years from now without treament or 20) depends on it.
I have seen first hand, friends going through the later stages of this disease, some who are now dying slowly and painfully, and it is in no way pretty; it is horrible and scary. So is treament; but I will take that.
Fair warning; this blog as I try to write daily through treament, will possibly get dark, may be a bit ugly, may be hard to read at times...I am going to endevour to be as honest and real about what I am going through; I am sure at times it will not be pretty.

So here I go;

Into Hell and Back again.....(deep breath)....Wish me Luck~