My writing has taken a back seat to depression since treatment's end, as mentioned in a previous post, the " undetected " result found me floundering, unable to find a focus point, now that the enemy was well & truly vanquished. Then came the decision to reduce my Valium, it seemed like a good idea at the time, thinking I may as well kill two birds with one stone ie, if Valium can't lift my mood then I'll leave it out for good ! turning a negative into a positive, as is my way. This act sent me spiraling headlong into " depression," for the first time I can remember, in that no matter what I did my spirit spiraled down & down to the point of despair. For the first time in my life I truly understood how terrible the state of depression is. The feeling of pure & utter hopelessness, of being trapped in the darkest of places & that it will never end...
Today is the first day that upon waking I lay there & thought positive thoughts, a pro- active positivity that in turn kick-stars my mind to churn out the ideas one after the other, ideas that have legs, that need ignition so here I am giving life to the new wave of new life... let's hope this moment lasts forever. Yes, with the good comes the bad, the trick is to hang in there & never give in. Treatment for hepatitis c has been a very long hard road that is still unwinding before me, pulling in every direction in every which way, all I know is that now I'm back in the right place... the driving seat.
Onward & upward,
Peace out,
Rabbit.
Showing posts with label Advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advice. Show all posts
ATTENTION !!! Infected pre-injection Swabs !
Just received the letter posted here, from Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) registered in the UK.
I called my local hospital pharmacy, which dispensed my ViraferonPeg prefilled pens,( IntronA is also mentioned ), which include two alcohol swabs in each box, ( have also included a photo of a swab from such a box ). The hospital pharmacy informed me that the problem regarding swabs that " potentially " contaminated microbial organisms, as stated in the letter, goes back to early 2007. They suggested that any infection would have become apparent within 48 hours of infection & could manifest as a skin infection & a feeling of being unwell. The number to ring is Hertfordshire 01992 467272. They also suggest contacting your own clinic or Dr.
I am not trying to stir up this issue just make users aware. This is as much as I know & what the full implications are we must discover as individuals. There seems no need to worry if you haven't had such an infection, what I would say is those of us that suffered badly with ribo-rash could have had our symptoms aggravated by these swabs.
MEDICAL DEVICE ALERT !!! READ LINK BELOW
Here is the link for the UK RECALL circular... http://ow.ly/41JBU
The Hepatitis c trust have recently posted the above information on their home-page. The above link shows the full document sent out to all relevant medical organisations within the UK.
Parents Blame babys death on infected swabs... Link
THE ABOVE LINK SHOULD BE READ !!!
The Above Video Shows Some Safe Swabs. these are in the USA I guess The one I picture is confirmed as a Brand included the contaminated swabs Recall in the UK.
Take Care,
Peter.
Twisting fate
More food for thought regarding my thoughts on issues surrounding transmission, safety & good practice. I recently read an article about a convict suing another for infecting him with hepatitis c during the course of a fist fight that occurred in jail. So all of a sudden we find another way the virus is moving around, suddenly anyone who has had a fight with an infected person & blood was spilled could now be another potential carrier, then apply the household transmission scenario & another potential disaster exists.
This is where I get to my first new issue regarding hepatitis c treatment & with-holding the truth about your HCV status to your family & close friends..." What goes around comes around "
Let's say you've had hep c for 10 years, could be 25-30 in some cases, but the later group generally have made close family & friends aware of their situation, if for no other reason than they didn't understand the severity of what HCV is & it's nature. You have a sisters & a brother, they have 5 kids between them, three uncles one aunt & so on.
So you've kept it a secret from all innocents around you, after all you don't want your parents thinking your capable of being a drug user, no you want to carry on living the lie, you want to sleep with & form partnerships with people just as you would have before becoming a living bio-hazard. So let's say you had 3 relationships, one child & stayed at your parents home for a total of 9 months over the past 10 years. Maybe your total family were very lucky & only 3 have been infected, one of them is your child.
One day you visit your doctor & decide to attend your local hep c clinic, your good for treatment & circumstances within our current life-style allow you a 12 month window, just perfect to do tx & even better your tx is a 6 month one.
Now I could really draw this scenario out, but instead, let's just cut to the chase...
Treatment is over & your clear of the virus, your still clear at the post 6 month PCR & therefore in the eye's of the clinic " cured ."
Now think about this... All the people you have interacted with & could have potentially infected suddenly become your biggest threat. They'll continue to borrow your razor, your toothbrush, bleed around your environment & why should they give these act's a second thought, WHY, because you kept it a secret & never for one minuet thought of anyone other than yourself.
Well know you need to do some serious thinking & maybe you'll do the right thing. This is meant as a wake up call, not just for those with hep c but for anyone who lives, mixes or has lived or mixed with anyone who falls into the at " RISK " category
This is where I get to my first new issue regarding hepatitis c treatment & with-holding the truth about your HCV status to your family & close friends..." What goes around comes around "
Let's say you've had hep c for 10 years, could be 25-30 in some cases, but the later group generally have made close family & friends aware of their situation, if for no other reason than they didn't understand the severity of what HCV is & it's nature. You have a sisters & a brother, they have 5 kids between them, three uncles one aunt & so on.
So you've kept it a secret from all innocents around you, after all you don't want your parents thinking your capable of being a drug user, no you want to carry on living the lie, you want to sleep with & form partnerships with people just as you would have before becoming a living bio-hazard. So let's say you had 3 relationships, one child & stayed at your parents home for a total of 9 months over the past 10 years. Maybe your total family were very lucky & only 3 have been infected, one of them is your child.
One day you visit your doctor & decide to attend your local hep c clinic, your good for treatment & circumstances within our current life-style allow you a 12 month window, just perfect to do tx & even better your tx is a 6 month one.
Now I could really draw this scenario out, but instead, let's just cut to the chase...
Treatment is over & your clear of the virus, your still clear at the post 6 month PCR & therefore in the eye's of the clinic " cured ."
Now think about this... All the people you have interacted with & could have potentially infected suddenly become your biggest threat. They'll continue to borrow your razor, your toothbrush, bleed around your environment & why should they give these act's a second thought, WHY, because you kept it a secret & never for one minuet thought of anyone other than yourself.
Well know you need to do some serious thinking & maybe you'll do the right thing. This is meant as a wake up call, not just for those with hep c but for anyone who lives, mixes or has lived or mixed with anyone who falls into the at " RISK " category
24 Hour Party People
This ones for all you mad heads with the sounds blasting out as you get ready for another night out, hoping for sex if not drugs & definitely some rock n roll. Ah the good old days...Been there, done that, got the tea shirt collapsed veins & perhaps the greatest memento of those halcyon days-a deadly virus, no not HIV, nearly but not quite, no it's HCV (hepatitis c ), not quite as feared & definitely not as publicised. Put it this way it beats HIV in a few ways, but let's put that part aside for now. Let's get down to the nitty gritty...
If your going to get high this weekend then so be it, just be aware of these basic rules you MUST stick to. Share your gear but not your tools or your germs. Snorting using whatever ( rolled up cash or straw) as a tube is one thing but start passing the tube around, well, you might as well be sharing a spike. Your nose is full of tiny blood vessels that get broken when your shoving that tenner up your bugle, which means claret on the dough, the Hepatitis C virus lives for days outside the body...Get it ? Use your own tube & not a banknote (remember 90% of banknotes have traces of cocaine ) we might know where our cash is going but we don't know where the doughs been, use a straw or similar & keep it privates, right !
For those who have progressed up the league table to shooting up, well what can I say I know were your at but when I was there I didn't have the knowledge to hand that you guys do, like did you know that you can be as careful as you like with your own works (keeping it privates) quite rightly, yet share a spoon or a cup of water & bang, your in it. Sharing spoons or water to inject is as RISKY as sharing a needle.If your going to get high this weekend then so be it, just be aware of these basic rules you MUST stick to. Share your gear but not your tools or your germs. Snorting using whatever ( rolled up cash or straw) as a tube is one thing but start passing the tube around, well, you might as well be sharing a spike. Your nose is full of tiny blood vessels that get broken when your shoving that tenner up your bugle, which means claret on the dough, the Hepatitis C virus lives for days outside the body...Get it ? Use your own tube & not a banknote (remember 90% of banknotes have traces of cocaine ) we might know where our cash is going but we don't know where the doughs been, use a straw or similar & keep it privates, right !
Oh & just to help you understand something else we back in the day had no idea of certain facts. People say oh cirrhosis of the liver, were ok, the liver mends itself, Right ?...WRONG. Once infected your liver will start to deteriorate & will no longer be able to mend. This is where there is a little good news, HCV has a treatment in place, it doesn't work for everyone but it does for at least 50%. The SOONER you GET TESTED the better chance you stand of successful treatment.
So use your loaf, don't be a sheep, remember some of these so called friends will try to get you hooked, so they can rinse your gear, they need your cash, as you'll only need a little powder at first so they can cain the rest, it's nothing personal it's just how it goes down.
I'll post links for useful sites, if your at it, in it or close to one who is, you need advice, help & most of all you need to get tested for such decease. Check out the" What not to Share site ".There's a link on my blog home page, then you'll understand how vulnerable you can be living around such unfortunate souls.
My Story... http://hepatitisandheroin.blogspot.com/p/brief-history.html
I should know, I was one. Once I was lost & now I'm found,
Peace.
TREATMENT STRATERGY
Having done dual treatment for the hepatitis c virus twice, one round of 24 weeks, where everything that could go wrong,went wrong, then a 2nd round of 49 weeks that was a much smoother journey.
This time I have come prepared & every little measure within my power has been applied.
I will truly be able to say that if I had to do it again, there's nothing I'd change.
The way I broke it down is sacrifice trying to carry on living a 'normal life', I'm sensitive at the best of times. I found once the Rebetol had taken hold I had little patience with the closest of friends.This comes under my mantra of cut stress out, find your stress triggers & part company. I parked my car in the garage 2yrs ago & there it stays.
You must push your self to get out & have a walk, we know it's good for you but it's also a great way to tell how your body's coping that week. One day on one day off if you can manage it, if your not too well walk round the block. Diet is something you can plan with plenty of tips on hep c sites, Keep it low fat & drink plenty of water ( keep a bottle at your side throughout the day & keep taking a few gulps, it soon adds up ), you may have to revise these foods if your mouth gets sores inside.
Medication is a very important process, get a calendar & tick your A.M dose off then your P.M dose but only & I mean ONLY after you've had it. Attend all clinic appointments & call if you can't get in. They have a lot on & quite frankly it's your problem. If you don't show up without calling, you've wasted an appointment that could have been given to another & so you both loose out. Remember your conduct during tx will be noted & will be taken into consideration when deciding whether to allow you a 2nd attempt should your first attempt fail.
This is your chance to beat this, don't end up as I did after failing, with all those, if only I'd done this or that. Don't fall into the trap of thinking, "well if I take my meds & attend the clinic then I've done my treatment ," on paper maybe but in reality, there is a heck of a lot you need to know about & so it falls to you to find out. Read up on reputable sites & blogs from people like myself, who have been there.
No point crying over spilt milk. Make as many sacrifices as you can & then a few more, it's 11 months out of the rest of your life, no sacrifice that helps a smooth journey can be too small. I failed my first attempt but thankfully my clinic allowed me to try again , the second time I applied what I had learned from the first time, giving me a much smoother easier ride that saw me realise my ultimate goal, " Virus undetected ."
Remember, the responsibility to give it your A game lies with you. Ultimately !
Never Give in, a cure is at hand. Mark my words.
Good luck,
Peter.
This time I have come prepared & every little measure within my power has been applied.
I will truly be able to say that if I had to do it again, there's nothing I'd change.
The way I broke it down is sacrifice trying to carry on living a 'normal life', I'm sensitive at the best of times. I found once the Rebetol had taken hold I had little patience with the closest of friends.This comes under my mantra of cut stress out, find your stress triggers & part company. I parked my car in the garage 2yrs ago & there it stays.
You must push your self to get out & have a walk, we know it's good for you but it's also a great way to tell how your body's coping that week. One day on one day off if you can manage it, if your not too well walk round the block. Diet is something you can plan with plenty of tips on hep c sites, Keep it low fat & drink plenty of water ( keep a bottle at your side throughout the day & keep taking a few gulps, it soon adds up ), you may have to revise these foods if your mouth gets sores inside.
Medication is a very important process, get a calendar & tick your A.M dose off then your P.M dose but only & I mean ONLY after you've had it. Attend all clinic appointments & call if you can't get in. They have a lot on & quite frankly it's your problem. If you don't show up without calling, you've wasted an appointment that could have been given to another & so you both loose out. Remember your conduct during tx will be noted & will be taken into consideration when deciding whether to allow you a 2nd attempt should your first attempt fail.
This is your chance to beat this, don't end up as I did after failing, with all those, if only I'd done this or that. Don't fall into the trap of thinking, "well if I take my meds & attend the clinic then I've done my treatment ," on paper maybe but in reality, there is a heck of a lot you need to know about & so it falls to you to find out. Read up on reputable sites & blogs from people like myself, who have been there.
No point crying over spilt milk. Make as many sacrifices as you can & then a few more, it's 11 months out of the rest of your life, no sacrifice that helps a smooth journey can be too small. I failed my first attempt but thankfully my clinic allowed me to try again , the second time I applied what I had learned from the first time, giving me a much smoother easier ride that saw me realise my ultimate goal, " Virus undetected ."
Remember, the responsibility to give it your A game lies with you. Ultimately !
Never Give in, a cure is at hand. Mark my words.
Good luck,
Peter.
Buyer Beware !
Seems to me there are sites out there with outdated & misleading info wich I call the hepper posts, a term that grates, sounds like Leper & has a kinda cheerful tone to it, that feels inapropriate. We are not defined by any desease we have, so hanging tags on us is not my cup of tea. I am Peter, The Rabbit, not Peter, the "Happy Hepper"
One thing I'd like to know, is that maybe it's a term common to & therefore excepted in the USA, that's got lost in translation.
Just seems most of these sites are pushing alternative remedy's, with no real proof.
I provide a list of sites that inform on all updated issues,with information that can be traced & is as reliable as can be claimed.
I totally agree with a persons right to explore any avenue of treatment open to them, as more conventional ones are denied them, due to a poor or nil-response.
Just be careful is all.
Take care & never give up,
Peter.
One thing I'd like to know, is that maybe it's a term common to & therefore excepted in the USA, that's got lost in translation.
Just seems most of these sites are pushing alternative remedy's, with no real proof.
I provide a list of sites that inform on all updated issues,with information that can be traced & is as reliable as can be claimed.
I totally agree with a persons right to explore any avenue of treatment open to them, as more conventional ones are denied them, due to a poor or nil-response.
Just be careful is all.
Take care & never give up,
Peter.
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