The end of week one brings you back to the clinic for your 1st set of treatment (tx) blood screens, this will continue every week for the first four weeks of tx, then once a month thereafter. This is so they can monitor your bodies reaction to the drugs & also to see how your doing in general.
My body coped with tx but only just. The effects of the drugs became more apparent with each passing week. Getting to grips with taking tablets 12 hrs apart ( in my case it was 3 x ribavirin 200mg in the AM then 2 more in the PM ), not only having to remember to take them on time, but also, having to eat with, to help them work & ease their toxic effect. Yogurts & Bananas...became the order of the day, washed down with as much water as a body can stand, this also eases the side effects, dry skin, cracked lips & helps to flush out your liver & kidneys. YOU MUST drink plenty of water !!!
My routine started to settle down, I noticed how tx was effecting my body, the trick is knowing when to rest & when to push your body. I soon learned that in my case Jab day would be followed by a serge of energy that, as it was summer, would push me out into the garden, where I would dig over borders, weed & generally overdo it. Then came the payback, after gardening, would see me with such a temper & totally wiped out, as much as I knew this & would say" right,this time I'm going to slow down", but did I...No, did I Eckers like. I'd find some way to overdo it, be it a walk too far, or carry too much shopping home, it seemed I would always succumb to the Jabs effect.
This part was very hard for my son, as he knew, what was to come each week. I know now he would stay out, working in the libreray at university (it's open 24 hours ) or stay in his room, out of my way, because of my temper after overdoing it.
Then came the Ribo-Rage, in my case it manifested in the form of a tendency toward manic behaviour, I would go on & on & on repeating the same gripe, whatever it was, retelling it, each time as though it were the 1st. I would stand in the doorway of his room & vent, then walk away, as if that was it, only to turn around & return to carry on the story...This I would do over again, then I'd finish & usually go & lie down,( bed also became the new settee, breakfast, lunch, diner & super table all rolled into one ). My son must truly have thought I was going Bananas. He feared the worst, that much I know.
Those first three months pushed my body to it's limit, Having caught flu, along with a shit load of stress from various orgs,( the council & the phone company ) the fact that I was still grieving my Mothers passing, these & more all reflected in my platelet, T cells & other blood counts All reaching their cut off point,( this is when tx is usually stopped ).
I don't know how or why, but when my 3 month results were assessed, I was deemed well enough to continue...So I did.
.Rabbit
The Rabbit
 |
| The Fulham Rabbit meets the Hackney Rabbit." I am rabbit, hear me RABBIT#..." |
Up To Date And Drug Problems
This blog,alongside info on my other sites may seem a bit back to front & upside down,( should therefore make perfect sense to any space cadets,reading ).This is cause I started it late in my battle with Hepatitis C,so to get things into the correct perspective & really due to the fact I write,freestyle & am momentarily blank on tx anecdotes,this post seems to flow nicely so here it is...
I am currently writing about past events,working my way up to the present day,for reasons that will become obvious.I have described the basic outline of how my story unfolded,from my contracting hepatitis in my teens,being jaundiced,hep c wasn't even thought of then,then being diagnosed Hep c proper many years later,at which point there was no sign of a Tx at all.
My 1st trip to the hospital to get my body's condition assessed & there was still no Tx at that point,but HIV was abound & I think interferon was on the agenda,so things were moving in the right direction.
Then I write about treatments arrival,though people had tried to purge HCV with interferon alone,it was not an option for me at that point,due to my commitment to my son & my mother,both of which I looked after.
Then with the passing of mother and Jnr being more than capable of taking care of himself,I was free to explore the possibility of Tx.After much ado & tests ad infinitum,they gave me the nod to start & so my last post begins the story from that point & will continue till we are all on the same page,poised for the turning of this new leaf,whatever it brings...
All that said,I'm also addressing the facts of drug misuse & the pitfalls therein.For instance I spoke to my old friend yesterday,he told me of a lads night in & how another was building joints,for each of them...Here that's yours,This ones for me.As generous as it seemed,the other would soon betray the real reason behind the facade.When my guy offered him the spliff,as by now there well stoned,the other declined & stated the truth...sorry,no offence but I'd rather not share, hep c & all,you know...no hard feelings ey.No,that's fine my guy replies.They carry on,the other is quaffing the brandy,in very fine style & once happily pissed didn't give two hoots about the saliva on my guys Jay.
What a load of old bollocks,yet it shows us both the fear that still surrounds such virus,juxtapose the fact that once we loose control of our sense,we can endanger ourselves,without a care.
Remember,whether it be Cocaine,Heroin,Amphetamine The sharing of the tools used in such pursuits,Tubes,needles,pipes spoons,even water from the same cup,puts you at RISK.If you must use drugs,then use them safely,oh & by the way,I don't want to be a kill joy,but Just let me remind you how it will unfold for you,this much I guarantee.First you'll lose your money,then your job,then your Partner,then your dignity,then your family,then your freedom & quite possible your LIFE.
I now it's easy for me to sit hear & preach,but let me remind you,that I stood on the edge of that very same abyss,I have the ulcers & virus & collapsed veins to prove it.Just be safe is all I wish,the other thing I know is no amount of preaching,jail terms,pain & anguish will alter your course,only you will know when that time has arrived.
Who am I to judge...
I am currently writing about past events,working my way up to the present day,for reasons that will become obvious.I have described the basic outline of how my story unfolded,from my contracting hepatitis in my teens,being jaundiced,hep c wasn't even thought of then,then being diagnosed Hep c proper many years later,at which point there was no sign of a Tx at all.
My 1st trip to the hospital to get my body's condition assessed & there was still no Tx at that point,but HIV was abound & I think interferon was on the agenda,so things were moving in the right direction.
Then I write about treatments arrival,though people had tried to purge HCV with interferon alone,it was not an option for me at that point,due to my commitment to my son & my mother,both of which I looked after.
Then with the passing of mother and Jnr being more than capable of taking care of himself,I was free to explore the possibility of Tx.After much ado & tests ad infinitum,they gave me the nod to start & so my last post begins the story from that point & will continue till we are all on the same page,poised for the turning of this new leaf,whatever it brings...
All that said,I'm also addressing the facts of drug misuse & the pitfalls therein.For instance I spoke to my old friend yesterday,he told me of a lads night in & how another was building joints,for each of them...Here that's yours,This ones for me.As generous as it seemed,the other would soon betray the real reason behind the facade.When my guy offered him the spliff,as by now there well stoned,the other declined & stated the truth...sorry,no offence but I'd rather not share, hep c & all,you know...no hard feelings ey.No,that's fine my guy replies.They carry on,the other is quaffing the brandy,in very fine style & once happily pissed didn't give two hoots about the saliva on my guys Jay.
What a load of old bollocks,yet it shows us both the fear that still surrounds such virus,juxtapose the fact that once we loose control of our sense,we can endanger ourselves,without a care.
Remember,whether it be Cocaine,Heroin,Amphetamine The sharing of the tools used in such pursuits,Tubes,needles,pipes spoons,even water from the same cup,puts you at RISK.If you must use drugs,then use them safely,oh & by the way,I don't want to be a kill joy,but Just let me remind you how it will unfold for you,this much I guarantee.First you'll lose your money,then your job,then your Partner,then your dignity,then your family,then your freedom & quite possible your LIFE.
I now it's easy for me to sit hear & preach,but let me remind you,that I stood on the edge of that very same abyss,I have the ulcers & virus & collapsed veins to prove it.Just be safe is all I wish,the other thing I know is no amount of preaching,jail terms,pain & anguish will alter your course,only you will know when that time has arrived.
Who am I to judge...
LET BATTLE COMMENCE
My 1st start date turned out to be the same day as my birth, a good omen maybe ? Listen, forget omens, statistics on treatment & research everyone is different, your end result is the only statistic that matters to you.
My actual start date was approx a year after Mother passed away. So I attended the clinic on a January afternoon. After going through the usual weighing, temperature, heart rate & blood pressure tests, then blood samples,(drawn with some trouble), requiring a Dr to go in either my Femoral (groin ) or jugular (neck) vein. This was to become the 1st lesson of my treatment protocol at the clinic & took a while for them to get a routine organised, much to my chagrin.
Next I met one of my specialist nurses, we sat & went through the ABC's of it, reminding me of joining a gym...here's your DVD on how to administer your jab, your AM & PM pill box, a trendy insulated, jab carry case complete with freeze bag, to place inside, A burn bin, A box of Rebetol, 3boxes of Virefieron & a bunch of booklets, my own tx goodie bag.
The nurse watched me do my 1st jab at around 4pm.They had me hang around for a while, in case of any adverse reaction...there was none. So I signed on the dotted line & that was it.
Arrived home, Cup of coffee, then waited to see how this would go, it was like dropping magic mushrooms for the 1st time, that same sense of expectation, "what was going to happen", ( I must add I hadn't read much about TX or hepatitis c, even, a big MISTAKE ). It started to come upon me late evening, slowly gaining momentum, until I had to take a paracetamol around 2am. No big mystery, the same reaction as a dirty fix or withdrawal symptoms. This may have been my first time on TX but I had been here many, many times before. Whilst I had a rough night, sweating, hot & cold shivering, this was pare for the course for a heroin addict.
The next day found me settling down, yet still out of sorts. I might have been used to such drug induced symptoms, but nothing could have prepared me for what lay ahead. This was to be the steepest learning curve faced so far in my life, in a game you better catch onto very quickly, if you want to be in the fight proper, you can't come unprepared & you can't get a late start. I had come unprepared & started too early. After all mum had only been gone barley a year.
Fact is, by the end of the time spent caring for Mother, circumstances had taken a heavy toll on me & my boy. I was so used to fighting the system,( social services ) & the care assistants, for mistakes made & here was another system that made mistakes. Meaning I'd got another thing to get to grips with, when really you just need to do your TX without worry or stress, ( I laugh now but the one time each month that I knew I'd be stressed, is when visiting the clinic ) along with a reliable, support framework. Of all these I had naught, apart from my loyal, reliable son.
The dye was cast, hold onto your hats we're in for a bumpy ride.
Rabbit.
.
My actual start date was approx a year after Mother passed away. So I attended the clinic on a January afternoon. After going through the usual weighing, temperature, heart rate & blood pressure tests, then blood samples,(drawn with some trouble), requiring a Dr to go in either my Femoral (groin ) or jugular (neck) vein. This was to become the 1st lesson of my treatment protocol at the clinic & took a while for them to get a routine organised, much to my chagrin.
Next I met one of my specialist nurses, we sat & went through the ABC's of it, reminding me of joining a gym...here's your DVD on how to administer your jab, your AM & PM pill box, a trendy insulated, jab carry case complete with freeze bag, to place inside, A burn bin, A box of Rebetol, 3boxes of Virefieron & a bunch of booklets, my own tx goodie bag.
The nurse watched me do my 1st jab at around 4pm.They had me hang around for a while, in case of any adverse reaction...there was none. So I signed on the dotted line & that was it.
Arrived home, Cup of coffee, then waited to see how this would go, it was like dropping magic mushrooms for the 1st time, that same sense of expectation, "what was going to happen", ( I must add I hadn't read much about TX or hepatitis c, even, a big MISTAKE ). It started to come upon me late evening, slowly gaining momentum, until I had to take a paracetamol around 2am. No big mystery, the same reaction as a dirty fix or withdrawal symptoms. This may have been my first time on TX but I had been here many, many times before. Whilst I had a rough night, sweating, hot & cold shivering, this was pare for the course for a heroin addict.
The next day found me settling down, yet still out of sorts. I might have been used to such drug induced symptoms, but nothing could have prepared me for what lay ahead. This was to be the steepest learning curve faced so far in my life, in a game you better catch onto very quickly, if you want to be in the fight proper, you can't come unprepared & you can't get a late start. I had come unprepared & started too early. After all mum had only been gone barley a year.
Fact is, by the end of the time spent caring for Mother, circumstances had taken a heavy toll on me & my boy. I was so used to fighting the system,( social services ) & the care assistants, for mistakes made & here was another system that made mistakes. Meaning I'd got another thing to get to grips with, when really you just need to do your TX without worry or stress, ( I laugh now but the one time each month that I knew I'd be stressed, is when visiting the clinic ) along with a reliable, support framework. Of all these I had naught, apart from my loyal, reliable son.
The dye was cast, hold onto your hats we're in for a bumpy ride.
Rabbit.
.
TESTING TIME
The appointments dropped on the doormat thick & fast,I can't remember the order,there were the usual suspects,this time they included...
Ultrasound Abdomen scan
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=abdominct
As used on pregnant women.There is no ionizing radiation exposure with this test.
CT (CAT Scan )( Computed Tomography )
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003789.htm
Layed flat the scanner moves along the body encircling it,so your head & feet are not enclosed.
ECG ( Electro Cardio Gram )
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/examinations/ecg.htm,
which checks the electric activity in your heart.Quick & very simple.
There was an Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (camera down the gullet ) http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/upper-gastrointestinal-endoscopy May I recommend the use of Diazipam as administered by the clinic & a companion to help you home.I opted for the spray in the back of the throat,as I was alone & was driving.This made it uncomfortable,but we managed it.The reason for this test is to inspect the Oesophagus for an varicose veins,which could lead to bleeding & with clotting of the blood being affected by TX drugs,could be a reason to delay.
My dear friend,to whom I pay tribute in this blog,had this issue, they placed stents,to reinforce the effected veins & he did his treatment (TX),not only once but two rounds of TX.So don't worry too much,if you can manage.There are always options for you,right up to transplant & beyond.
MRI Scan ( Magnetic Resonance Imaging ) Into the tunnel,but deeper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_resonance_imaging
The MRI will be used to clarify any irregular signs picked up in the Abdominal scan.
The only obvious worry is if one is claustrophobic,but there again a dose of diazipam will make for a smoother ride.Needs must & all that.
Always remember to read & follow any eating & drinking requests set out in your appointment info,as this is essential for the clearest results on the day.When in doubt,ring up the clinic your due at & ask them what the procedure pre test is.
Their number will be on the appointment letter,in case you need to cancel.
Always cancel in good time & reschedule.Your diary for your pills & jabs will come in handy for keeping track of these appointments...REMEMBER,missing these,without a very good reason,not only deprives another person of this wasted hour of valuable NHS resources.This will reflect alongside other failures in your conduct during TX & be taken into account,if you should find yourself wanting another shot at TX.
What goes around comes around...
I did all my tests,over the following months.Then,after the question of an apparent hemangioma on my liver had been settled,(it wasn't growing), http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemangioma
I was given the green light for treatment.
Ultrasound Abdomen scan
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=abdominct
As used on pregnant women.There is no ionizing radiation exposure with this test.
CT (CAT Scan )( Computed Tomography )
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003789.htm
Layed flat the scanner moves along the body encircling it,so your head & feet are not enclosed.
ECG ( Electro Cardio Gram )
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/examinations/ecg.htm,
which checks the electric activity in your heart.Quick & very simple.
There was an Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (camera down the gullet ) http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/upper-gastrointestinal-endoscopy May I recommend the use of Diazipam as administered by the clinic & a companion to help you home.I opted for the spray in the back of the throat,as I was alone & was driving.This made it uncomfortable,but we managed it.The reason for this test is to inspect the Oesophagus for an varicose veins,which could lead to bleeding & with clotting of the blood being affected by TX drugs,could be a reason to delay.
My dear friend,to whom I pay tribute in this blog,had this issue, they placed stents,to reinforce the effected veins & he did his treatment (TX),not only once but two rounds of TX.So don't worry too much,if you can manage.There are always options for you,right up to transplant & beyond.
MRI Scan ( Magnetic Resonance Imaging ) Into the tunnel,but deeper
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_resonance_imaging
The MRI will be used to clarify any irregular signs picked up in the Abdominal scan.
The only obvious worry is if one is claustrophobic,but there again a dose of diazipam will make for a smoother ride.Needs must & all that.
Always remember to read & follow any eating & drinking requests set out in your appointment info,as this is essential for the clearest results on the day.When in doubt,ring up the clinic your due at & ask them what the procedure pre test is.
Their number will be on the appointment letter,in case you need to cancel.
Always cancel in good time & reschedule.Your diary for your pills & jabs will come in handy for keeping track of these appointments...REMEMBER,missing these,without a very good reason,not only deprives another person of this wasted hour of valuable NHS resources.This will reflect alongside other failures in your conduct during TX & be taken into account,if you should find yourself wanting another shot at TX.
What goes around comes around...
I did all my tests,over the following months.Then,after the question of an apparent hemangioma on my liver had been settled,(it wasn't growing), http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemangioma
I was given the green light for treatment.
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