Saturday, April 24, 2010

I'm a fighter from way back....... Helena

I found out I had Hep C in September 2007. I was caring for my husband who was going through cancer treatment. Unfortunately he didn't make it and died in November of that same year. It was not a good year. With all the rest of the stress of children and babies and custody going on with my son.

I waited until 2009 to start tx. I was excited about it too. When I found out I had  Hep C I told the doctor I had caught Hep B at work and he said I could have caught it at the same time. Although when I was a teen I experimented 4 times with needles so it may have been that. I didn't take treatment for Hep B because I didn't know I had it. I just felt really tired and had the diarrhea and figured it was the flu. I called in sick for a few days. Its hard to remember exactly how long I was sick. That was in the winter of 91-92. In the spring my doctor said I had a history of Hep B, so my body had done its work and killed that on its own. I was lucky. I really cant be sure of how I caught the Hep C, but it doesn't matter to me.

When I started the tx I was so positive of doing it I just brought the shots and pills home with me. That night I got the shot all ready and was holding it to my stomach and paused .. I just sat there holding it and I just couldn't put it in. I started whining and my son came to me and did it for me. He was my hero, and after that I just did it without any problem. I had never stuck myself before you see.

I didn't get sick or feel much of anything at first. Just slowly I got tireder and tireder, loss some hair, started itching and lost my appetite. I couldn't hike anymore because I had been hiking 3 to 4 miles up and down steep hills. I tried it but I lost my breath and my heart went crazy beating really fast. My hemoglobin levels were were falling as they do and were down to 9.4 and they pulled me off tx. I asked about the emergency drugs, all I got for an answer was "who said anything about that"? The nurse acted all scared and said we don't want to have to do a transfusion. Then she left the room and came back in and said they were pulling me off for 2 weeks. This all happened in week 18, so I finished 18 shots. I was clear though so I thought that was good.

I moved to Florida then and sought other places to go to. After I had called my old medical facility and asked what the doctor said and they wouldn't answer me. I was confused again, so I just figured since I had cleared, maybe I would be lucky and it would be enough. I decided to use a heptologist I had heard of in Florida and talked to him and he said whenever your ready. Since my friend had success with him, and is SVR now, I thought I better try this one. This Doc said it was stupid for them to pull me off and I liked that down to earth attitude of his.

I'm going back on the 26th of May. I don't know if I will start that day or not. My blood test results showed normal enzymes, but over 12 million viral load, where before it had never gone over 400 thousand.

Since my biopsy in 09 was grade 2 stage 2-3, the hepatologist said I had possibly progressed to 3-4. I don't know if that's possible in such a short time. I doubt it, but he did say possibly. So now my plan is to treat again and kill the dragon for good.

In summary, I feel that I waited too long, because I had so much on my plate when I found out. But there is nothing I could have done before my husband passed. Those 2 months were all I had left with him and I sure am glad I wasn't on tx. After that I should have started sooner, but the whole deal was really hard on me and I was half insane already from life as it were.

OK that's my story hope it didn't depress you.
Don't worry about me I'm a fighter from way back and I'm a tough ol chicken too.
Hugs, smile, and love!!!
Helena

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