Well, here it is, 3 months since I last saw the Doctor already. It's been so nice being off treatment. I've been enjoying the heck out my granddaughter, who is now 11 months old. I have been babysitting her daily and she does tend to wear me out, but I nap when she does so I catch up on my energy.
I've gained back about 15 pounds since stopping treatment. Everyone says this is a good thing, but I look like a bubble-butt now! Too much sitting and eating ice cream! I must say it has been great to be able to taste my food again and actually eat a real meal again. My hair has been growing, ever so slowly, and it isn't near as thin as it was a year ago. I look at pictures from then and am amazed at how thin it actually was. Good thing I had those hats and that wig! I have noticed that my eyes aren't quite as good as they used to be. Prior to starting combo, my glasses were perfect for me. They are no longer perfect. I need to get in and get a new prescription.
I have kept pretty busy getting things organized for my support group. We have decided to file for Non-Profit status this year. Luckily, I found a great book that has a program that includes all the necessary forms. We won't need an attorney to do this for us and it will only cost us around $300 to get the filing all done. California sure is expensive! Our support group is participating in Ventura County's Veterans Stand Down this month. We are going to offer free HCV testing for every homeless Veteran who attends. This has been a goal of mine for quite awhile and I figure if Miss America can do it so can we. We are using the Home Access Test Kits and Schering Plough provided them for us.
My latest bloodwork looks pretty good actually. My ALT is only at 64. Everything else looks real fine and in the normal ranges. I was shocked when I got the PCR back. In April it was over 1 million, and now it is 430,820. It just goes to show you that these numbers do fluctuate, even if you are not doing any kind of treatment.
My doctor called and asked me about my feelings on the HALT-C study. This is a long term, (4 yrs), Pegesus (Roche's not Schering's) + Ribavirin study being done at USC. He contacted them to find out if I am qualified and apparently I am. I would do the Peg-Riba combo for 20 weeks. If at that time, I am undetected, I would continue for 48 weeks. If I do not respond, I would either be put into their "observe" category and do nothing for the next 3.5 yrs, or be put on Peg alone for 3.5 years. Biopsies would be done at the 2 and 4 year mark.
This is a very tough decision. On the one hand, I hate the thought of treatment again, yet, if this one works....I will be jump upand down happy to be a responder at last. Larry doesn't want me to do it, but I'm leaning more and more to the side of treatment. I want to see my granddaughter grow up. I've seen several friends going through hell either with end-stage disease or transplant problems. I don't want to go there. SO....I put in a call to USC and am waiting for a return call. We shall see. If I do it, there will be another journal here! Wish me luck in my decision.
Well, as of July 25, 2000 my decision has been made. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to be on treatment for such a long time, but after the devestating loss of a fellow veteran and hepper, I decided to go ahead and do it. I don't want my family to have to go through what my friend Susan and her children are now going through, trying to adjust to the loss of their wonderful husband and father. If I can get even 15 more years before having to make that transplant decision, this will be worth it. I want to see my grandbaby graduate high school. This could be the thing that helps make that happen. SO....here we go again! I'll probably get started sometime in the beginning of September so look for a new journal.