Staying Positive
Today I came across the draft of a short article from a series I wrote for Roche pharmaceuticals two years ago to include in their newlsetters to patients on treatment.
It stood out for me because I recently replied to an email from someone whose partner is struggling with keeping up the treatment.
It is so important to keep a positive outlook to achieve any successful outcome in life. And that applies to going through treatment as well.
Not long into treatment I noticed I was having trouble keeping pace with everyone else in my family as we walked along the street – I was short of breath while walking.
When I complained to my wife that my pace had slowed everybody else down she pointed out that not everyone who had injected interferon that day would have been able to participate in a family get-together, travel into central London and go out for a meal in a restaurant – “so you are fortunate to have done this much”. There – my complaint positively re-framed!
On treatment I found it was essential to see the positives, otherwise I could slip into a downward spiral to depression and the need for more medications. Regularly picking up on these small instances helped me to, well, re-frame my perspective and keep up the positive attitude necessary to support this treatment. It would be so easy to slip into feeling “sorry for myself” and next into being a “professionally ill person” or an invalid. I think after that comes “victim” mentality. Then probably a depression.
To help me over the long haul of 48 weeks I went to see a counsellor therapist. A professional who helped me stand back and look at each week, to see the positives; who monitored for any depression; who helped me feel on top of the challenges that living inside a treatment regime brought.
Ask your GP or Clinic Nurse about counsellor therapist resources to help support you if you are really struggling.
February 19th, 2009 at 2:52 am
I absolutely agree. I went through the treatment 3 years ago and a positive attitude is key to getting through it. I seemed like forever and every day was difficult, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it isn’t a train! I have been Hep C free since the 3rd month of treatment. Some day you will be able to say the same. I recently heard a testimony of someone who refused the treatment and started taking @?!£%% Nutritional supplement instead. I never hear that before, but they swear that according to the bi-monthly testing that it’s working. Go to my blog and leave a comment if you want more info. I’ll put you in touch with that info. I absolutely do not recommend stopping treatment, but Vemma should help you feel much better while on the treatment. I wish I had known about @?!£%% back then. Some days I felt like the cure was worse than the disease! I wish you strength and peace during your recovery. I can tell you that just days after my treatment was over, I felt better than I had in years! God Bless you, Celene
February 21st, 2009 at 11:32 am
Celene
……and God Bless me? You expect me to take that as a sincere wish? I don’t believe it is.
If you had read this blog you would see I completed treatment several years ago and do not need your encouragement to complete it.
Actually, you have posted here to sell something and want to use my blog for that. Absolutely not. I looked at your site – a sales pitch from top to bottom. So no links posted here.
I feel very strongly about people like you (commonly known as snake-oil salesman in the HepC community) making money off the backs of (often desperate) people wanting and needing a solution to their medical condition. Go away
Ron