Feb. 20th,2007

i have decided to journal about the next year of my life, in hopes of maybe someday helping others who may find this blog. i have chronic Hepatitis C Virus, also known as "the dragon". i am about to start on a 48 week journey, taking the FDA approved combination of interferon/ribavirin medications known as:Pegasys + Copegus.
The Pegasys will be a once a week shot that i have to learn to give myself and the ribavirin will be pills i have to take twice a day. Both can have side affects ranging from flu like syptoms, headache, fever, rashes,hairloss!!!!!!, sore joints, anemia , low white blood count,depression, rage etc etc..Hopefully i won't have any side affects.Because this is a disease that silently and slowly distroys the liver, over a period of years, my doctor has recommended treatment.
I was first diagnosed in Oct.2001 . Two liver biopsies, 5 years apart, showed no fibrosis. HCV is contracted through blood contact such as blood transfusion, iv drugs, tattoos. piercings etc. i had a tattoo in 1996 at a very busy bike week in Daytona Beach, Fl and a belly button piercing in 2001. i went to the doctor complaining of fatigue in 2001 and blood work showed i had the virus. i believe the belly button piercing was the source of infection because it coinsides with the fatigue i was having that brought about the diagnosis.
My doctor decided to wait on treatment hoping a better drug would be FDA approved. Pegasys+Copegus only has a 37% cure rate for genotype 1 ,which is taken for 48 weeks, which iam. Genotype 2 and 3 have a better success rate and is only a 24 week treatment. But i am a 1. Lucky me. Currently there are several drugs in the pipeline in various stages of testing, but no FDA approval yet. At my last blood work, some of my liver function levels had become abnormal, so we decided it's time to treat now. AMA has recommended all HCV possitive people should start treatment regardless of severity.



Feb. 21st, 2007

Took the day of from work today to await the UPS shipment. My dragon killing hypodermics arrive today and someone has to be home or they can not deliver. Can't leave hypodermics laying around . Should be 4 prefilled syringes and the ribavirin pills. Day off sounds great. i have been soooooo tired. i suppose i am mid flair up of the virus because i have been so fatigued lately. Ha and they say it's symptomless! It was just such an episode of fatigue that took me to my doctor in 2001, which led to blood test and the discovery that i was possitive for HCV.


Feb. 22nd,2007

Dragon killer is in refridgerator. i will take one syringe to docs tomorrow to learn how to administer. My love will go with me. Altho i will have to learn how, hopefully he will too and be able to give me the shots on Fridays. i am doing on Fridays because that gives me two days to start feeling better from flu symptoms the meds can cause, so i can maybe go to work on Monday. So much for TGIF. Gonna be a rough night trying to sleep.


Week One
Friday Feb.23rd - Mar.1st, 2007

i went to docs office and learned how to give myself a shot. It was easy. i was worried for nothing. Needle is very small and i could barely see or feel it. So, first of 48 happened about 130pm. Around 730pm, i started feeling pretty bad. i was having pains in my lower back. Muscle pain and achy like flu aches. i could feel as the aches moved slowly up my spine until it reached my neck. Then they started at both shoulders and hips and moved down my limbs, Fast! ...... i felt them as they moved a long, so odd. Next i started having fever and chills at this point. The chills were the worst. i was shivering and no matter how many blankets i used i still shook. Felt awfull for the rest of that night. i woke up every hour it seemed. Finally after some sleep, i woke up and flu was gone. Felt somewhat dazed from the whole ordeal , but rest of weekend i felt pretty good.


Week Two
Friday Mar.2nd - Mar.8th 2007

Had my second tx jab last Friday around 6 pm. Fell asleep and woke up around 9pm to take the riba. Took two tylenols then and pretty much went back to sleep. I think that may have been a good plan, because just about the time any sides would have kicked in the tylenol would have too. I had no side effects like last week with jab one. No flu, muscle pain or fever. Woke up Sat and enjoyed the weekend. i do notice this week that i am feeling really tired and have some rashy itchyness. Left work yesterday at 2pm and went home and crawled into bed. Just exhausted. i do two week lab work tomorrow and will have jab 3, hope it goes as smooth as jab 2.