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.
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.
" I'm afraid you have Hepatitis C "
As I write this blog about having hepatitis c, I thought best start at the beginning & build a picture. The who, what, where, when & why ? A very familiar story for a lot of people I'm sure.
I was tested for HCV & HIV, without my knowledge or permission. I went to my Dr's one day & she told me what was going on, that I had been tested for hepatitis C & it had come back positive. As I was a heroin user & on a script, facts which available to the government but in an anonymous form, or so we thought, I guess was the reason they tested us...The people who were deemed to be in the "at risk" group. Anyway they seem to have just blanket tested all people with a drug history. We could look back & think that it was out of order or just be thankful to have the knowledge, all be it minimal. Just being aware that there was a problem ahead for our livers was enough to help us make what turned out to be very important lifestyle decisions, decisions that would determine the future condition of our liver, giving us a better chance of doing treatment (not even an option then) many years later, when it was discovered & later marketed as a dual treatment. Also we could look back & wonder why did they bother testing us then, they must have had something in mind or why bother ? After all hep c was & is still a very little advertised health issue & is only recently being brought to the fore thanks to the Hepatitis C Trust & the selfless bravery of a few celebrities like Natalie Cole daughter of singer Nat King Cole & Anita Roddick RIP, founder of the body shop. who went public about being infected with a virus, usually thought to be a virus caught by drug abusers or gay men, ( actually there are many ways, innocent & reckless ), the main reason most tend to keep it quiet. Respect to a brave Lady for her decision to go public & putting HCV firmly into the public domain.
My Dr was quite clued up but reading between the lines & after hearing others diagnosis stories, it sounds like the general party line handed to me & my fellow Bio hazards was... that it would or could affect our livers but could take many years to get to a problematic state. I remember saying " just get me to 60 brick & I'll be happy ". Easy to say when your in your mid twenty's.
So that was it I had hep c & it was no major trauma, besides your liver repairs itself, right ! ( wrong ! the biggest misconception ) So whats the big deal ?
Peace.
I was tested for HCV & HIV, without my knowledge or permission. I went to my Dr's one day & she told me what was going on, that I had been tested for hepatitis C & it had come back positive. As I was a heroin user & on a script, facts which available to the government but in an anonymous form, or so we thought, I guess was the reason they tested us...The people who were deemed to be in the "at risk" group. Anyway they seem to have just blanket tested all people with a drug history. We could look back & think that it was out of order or just be thankful to have the knowledge, all be it minimal. Just being aware that there was a problem ahead for our livers was enough to help us make what turned out to be very important lifestyle decisions, decisions that would determine the future condition of our liver, giving us a better chance of doing treatment (not even an option then) many years later, when it was discovered & later marketed as a dual treatment. Also we could look back & wonder why did they bother testing us then, they must have had something in mind or why bother ? After all hep c was & is still a very little advertised health issue & is only recently being brought to the fore thanks to the Hepatitis C Trust & the selfless bravery of a few celebrities like Natalie Cole daughter of singer Nat King Cole & Anita Roddick RIP, founder of the body shop. who went public about being infected with a virus, usually thought to be a virus caught by drug abusers or gay men, ( actually there are many ways, innocent & reckless ), the main reason most tend to keep it quiet. Respect to a brave Lady for her decision to go public & putting HCV firmly into the public domain.
My Dr was quite clued up but reading between the lines & after hearing others diagnosis stories, it sounds like the general party line handed to me & my fellow Bio hazards was... that it would or could affect our livers but could take many years to get to a problematic state. I remember saying " just get me to 60 brick & I'll be happy ". Easy to say when your in your mid twenty's.
So that was it I had hep c & it was no major trauma, besides your liver repairs itself, right ! ( wrong ! the biggest misconception ) So whats the big deal ?
Peace.
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