Wek 10 - Tuesday
I came back from yoga feeling at least 2 cm taller and very exhausted on Sunday - but glad I went as it is the only exercise I am getting at the moment, besides walking (during which I feel very slow and short of breath).
Yesterday I felt very irritable generally - everything and everyone seemed to be ‘provoking’ me. Carol wanted to know what I had planned yesterday morning - plans? I couldn’t collect myself sufficiently to think about what I needed to do. (I felt confronted that I am not organised and ‘with it’.) During a meeting in the afternoon, someone put forward a counter-view to the argument I was making. (Was she deliberately missing the strength and logic of my comments?) I feel I need to temper my responses, although I suspect I may not be effectively doing so.
My injection yesterday went well (and seemed to be the only spot in the day free of irritation for me). I have recently been reading about other people’s experiences of medications and it would seem that Pegasys has fewer side-effects that PegIntron - so I am glad to be on the Pegasys, even if the evidence is only anecdotal. This was my 11th injection - so only 37 to go. AND two three monthly blood tests after that showing that the virus is still eradicated from my bloodstream! The dose of my Pegasys interferon injection is 180 micrograms and I take 1000 mg of Copegus ribavirin daily (2 tabs in the morning, 3 in the evening after food).
Recently I have been looking around the internet to see who else might be keeping HepC Weblogs. Try doing a search! Not many of us out there. Lots of starts but unfortunately the writer didn’t keep up with the entries. Shame as it would be interesting to read through to completion - and we could provide each other with some sort of support!
I was very moved to discover a weblog written by Filosofette in New Zealand, called Hepatitis C Blog. I was touched by the following entry:
My situation is this: I’m a 34-year old woman, recently married, planning children. I donated blood in November 2003, and in February 2004 I got a letter in the mail saying my blood had been rejected, and I later found out it was because I had the Hepatitis C Virus.
I won’t be trying the only known cure for HepC(the old Interferon/Ribavin thingy) because it has a very low possibility of working and just sounds like an incredibly unhealthy way to treat your body.
So I’ve decided to live with the virus, and look after myself as best as I can by eating well, exercising regularly and being positive.
Even though I have a wonderfully supportive husband, I don’t know anyone else in my situation, and so I feel rather scared and alone. I truly hope that someone reading this will make a comment on my Blog, saying that they are in a similar situation, and we can share what we know.
I very much felt like Filosofette in the early days after I was diagnosed and swore I would never host such nasty drugs in my body. How I have changed my views over two years!! I was also touched by her last sentence - so I couldn’t help but leave a comment saying I was sorry she hadn’t written any more - her last entry was in July 2004.
So I was really chuffed when I read today an entry she made recently saying:
I would like to thank the guy who posted the comment on my blog, pointing out that I hadn’t made any entries since October. It brought me back.
I have also discovered, a few weeks ago, Jonathan Colam’s weblog - Killing the Virus. Jonathan is not so far away - Norfolk, and has started a shorter course of treatment because he has a different genotype of HepC than I do. I find it very useful to read the similarities in our experiences and the differences. And I look forward to his comments on my blog as well as checking out how he is doing. He seems much more fit than I am - swimming 1000 metres regularly and weight training. Just writing those down exhausted me. I am putting a link to his site on the side of this page so you can easily go and read his weblog too. I recommned it!
Has anyone come across other HepC weblog? I would be pleased to hear of them so I can visit and read!!
January 18th, 2005 at 7:16 pm
Hi Ron,
Thanks for linking to my blog. Glad to see you are back after the pants day on Sunday. I found one other blog completed by a chap in America called Matthew Conway, he successfully completed 6 months of therapy about 2 years ago. His diary has a very comprehensive set of blood work figures too.
http://www.madandmoonly.com/doctormatt/misc/interferonJournal.htm
Cheers
Jonathan
Ron writes: I am only sorry it has taken me this long to get it done (see my entry for Week 10 - Wednesday)!! I am finding other blogs too and planning to do another entry on other HepC blogs, so thank you for the reference to Matthew Conway - it makes interesting reading! Hope you continue to feel well! Regards Ron
January 19th, 2005 at 8:36 am
Hi Ron,
I,m still reading your blog with great interest.It`s great to hear that so far you have very little side effects, and as for Jonathan it`s quite amazing,; so far no side effects!It was interesting to read you comments about Pegasys seeming to have less side effects than Pegintron.I finally have my appointment with a specialist tomorrow, and hopefully he will prescribe Pegasys,I`ll see what his comments are.I am still considering the idea of my own blog-not sure!
Bye for now,
Eddie from Germany
Ron writes: Hi Eddie - glad to hear from you again. Good luck with your appointment tomorrow. Don’t take my comment on Pegasys and Pegintron as absolute truth - it is opinion!! Consider what options you have and research your choices before deciding! All the best - talk again Ron
October 11th, 2005 at 3:37 pm
Hepatitis is a general term that means inflammation of the liver. This inflammation can be caused by infection. Hepatitis can also be caused by exposure to alcohol, certain medications, chemicals, poisons, and other toxins, or by other diseases. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the many viruses that can cause inflammation of the liver.
Inflammation of the liver caused by infection with HCV is referred to as hepatitis C.
* If the inflammation is not reversed, it becomes chronic (ongoing, long term) and can cause chronic liver disease, which can be serious or even fatal.
* At least 75% of people infected with hepatitis C develop chronic hepatitis C.
* If the disease progresses to the point at which the liver begins to fail (end stage liver disease), the only treatment is liver transplantation.
Hepatitis C is an increasing public health concern in the United States and throughout the world.
* HCV is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease in the United States and the most common cause of chronic viral hepatitis.
* It is believed to be the cause of about 15-20% of all cases of acute (new, short term) viral hepatitis and half of all cases of cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and liver cancer.
About 4 million people in the United States have antibodies to HCV, meaning they have been infected with the virus at some point; as many as half of them do not know they have the infection.