~ Aaaaaaaand BREAK!~
Well, first off I feel like I should sort of apologise; I got so sick and so 'blah' with treament most days that the priority of keeping a daily log as it were, feel waaay by the wayside.
That being said:
Treatment was Hell; no bones about it, but it was survivable. I can confidently say that I am now done with Treatment!!!!! (Ended November 17th, 2012)
I have had to deal with alot while on tx; white bool cells being low and having to take nuepogen (OMG THE PAIN was Horrid)
Shingles (Painful and wtf annoying) from my immune system being low.
Right after that was 'sick' with Lyme disease (a major wtf batman as I had moved to the city some months prior and had not been in 'the woods' like any area where I moved to has what to my mind are "WOODS". (I told the doctor, nooo, but I have walked through grass?) Was treated for that as well.
I will follow up this post with some pictures of myself taken throughout treatment (I kept a fairly decent paced fb album of headshots while on tx)
-----
I am sooooo very happy that I do not have to take shots of interferon, pills of Incivik and Ribaviron, and additional shots of Nuepogen ever again!!
I can now start the road to feeling better and have some semblance of Normalcy to my days (don't have to live by a med schedule anymore!!!)
I am looking forward to my hair growing back (it has been but very thin and slow) my tastebuds returning. And so many other 'things' about everyday experience of life that I miss.
And I would like to say;
I could NOT have done this without the help of:
My parents, and family
My fiancee who has been here for me over the top 150% she is my angel.

More achey breaky rant

pretty chitty right at the moment

very fatigued; tired but WIDE de f**k away and can't sleep

I hurt, I itch I ache

and my face more and more is starting to feel like it is made of dried paper mache

I want to cry but the tears seem to be on vacation and those I do cry burn my face
I feel water logged let alone all the eggnog and fat I have had today just to take my meds; my real food today was and egg on an english muffin.(go me)

I am peachy

Rant & Ramble

So, I know it's been a few days since I posted; thus far first week of treament as a whole is throwing me for a loop.
I got "Riba Rash" by day 3.
"Red Face" by day 3 or 4.
Fevers (up and down) alternately.
Grace periods where I feel okish and more like my zaney self.
Thank god I haven't had the Nausea or diahreah.
"Interflu" onset was pretty immediate. (Flu like symptoms)
Achey breaky ow.









My Girlfriend Lindsay is a Godsend! She has been 150% supportive and helpful and a comfort in some pretty painful hours.
My Friends and Family have been supportive and understanding when I have been 'omg blaaaaahhhhhh (wine)'

I feel like crap; I made a 5 minute vid which wouldn't load (>,<)
Wishing all a happy holiday season (what ever you may celebrate), and happy new year
~Laters

fevers, chills and it isn't even fright night

So yesterday I took my usual dosage; Lindsay had appointments she had to go to so I spent most of the day on the couch with a heating pad; couldn't get comfy or sleep. By the time she came back from her second appt I was already laying down with a terrible fever; I ached all over and everything hurt. I have been drinking lots of water, and taking ibprofen to combat the acheyness and fevers.
I am noticing more muscle weakness, and muscle tenderness; doesn't take much for my muscles to feel like they are burning (akin to when you work out really hard and your muscles strain)
I haven't had nausea (thank god) or diareah. but have been wicked gassy and had slight issues with feeling like I need to 'go' but can't or it takes awhile. (not to get too tmi)
I also am tired, but can't sleep!! >,< I am already an insomniac so not happy about this new development.
annoyed with the muscle weakness; it takes a few moments for me to open a bottle of water or jar.
The spot where I injected my first dose of interferon; I took the bandaid off yesterday and it has since swelled up large red about the size of a quarter and itched for a good few hours but hasn't seem to have gotten worse.
The feeling of chills with a fever isn't fun.
Day 3 now; fun fun
I am going to try to get to sleep.

D-Night; I gotta stick that needle wha??

So the other day I had my start appt with Robin from the doc's office; she was very supportive and very no bull as well, which I appreciated. We went through step by step the three meds;
Pegasys Interferon; I take by injection (self >,<) once a week.
Riboviron; I take 3 pill in Morning and Night.
Incivik; I take 2 pills every 8 Hours; If I miss more than a dose; Treatment is done. And I can't take it again; it will make my Hep immune to it.
If I miss more than one dose of ANY of the meds; treatment is done; If I go to ER for sideeffects and they make me stop; treatment is done.
I have a little alarm clock they gave me with 5 alarms on it so I can take my meds when I am supposed to.
If I get a Heat to Toe SEVERE Rash and get bright red like a christmas light, I need to call them and stop the treament. :(
If I get SEVERE Fireareah (Dirareah but sooooo MUCH worse-it litterally burns you) I need to call them
I am scared.
I am nervous.
I don't want to be nauseous or REALLY sick.

===============================

So it is now 9:27 AM; I was able to get through sticking myself with the needle ok.;
Honestly feel wierd. My head feels funky and I am tired, and Wicked gassy; which I am hopeful that that doesn't turn into anything else! lol


Been drinking alot of water, and right now finishing off my fatty breakfast; Cream cheese bagel with chocolate millk, having just taken the Incivik and & Riboviron.
I don't feel so hot....
Almost like when you take a Benadryl but stay up or fight it even when it kicks in; that is sorta how I feel...
~Laters~

Lost in FedExia

So, my medicine (a four week supply) was supposed to arrive via FedEx yesterday. *looks at watch and calendar* hmmm.

~Narf~

We warned the pharmacy that if FedEx had to use GPS that it might 'say' we don't exist as others have had problems 'finding' our address. >,<
I emailed my 'liason' at my Dr's office, and Called the pharmacy;which is closed for the weekend. (NARF). I though that perhaps today it would come; maybe having just gotten 'lagged' in transit. Nope. I hope it gets here soon; I will be calling again on MON. One of my meds when they arrive, needs to be put directly in the fridge, it has to stay cold. (The Pegasys Interferon) They are even sending a travel icepack for it so If I need to take my meds with me anywhere I can do so without fear of the meds spoiling.
When I do get the meds; this is my regiment as I currently understand it;
I take the Interferon once a week via Self Injections (oh super yay ):o/
I take Incivik Every 8 hours (It MUST be 7-9 hours apart; 8 is optimum)-I'll be taking that for 3 months total. It MUST be taken with Food; something with high fat content; it helps my body absorb it? (ie; 2 tblspoons of peanut butter or a cream cheese bagel)
I take the Ribiviron 2x a day, 3 tablets in the morning and 3 at night.

That will be my med routine for the next 6 months to a year.

I really hope my meds get here soon; my apt is on the 15th! >,<

~Naaaaarf~

~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~