It's been 3 1/2 months since I finished treatment and thought that I'd have this head of glowing hair. Well, I didn't wake up and feel like it was blowing in the wind. Not quite yet. I was expecting too much too soon. My physician assistant said it will come back. I was using extenstions, but was getting to the point that it was more of a challenge than I wanted any longer. Hanging on to my hair in the wind was a bit unnerving. Fortunately, they never left my head! Yeah! So I finally bought a human hair fall and looks great. It's wonderful to throw on and go on! Someone had told they heard of a woman who stopped treatment because she was losing her hair. I have no idea what happened to her and this was such an easy fix. This past week I gave 10 - 1/2 vials of blood. Can anyone say vampire?! April 25, which happens to be my birthday, will be my 3 month check up. Like I've said before, the Lord has taken me through this health journey will relative ease. I have read about, spoken to and heard about numerous people who have gone through the interferon treatment with horrible side effects. The Lord has for whatever reason allowed me to get me through this with relative ease. I am extremely greatful for this and believing that my check up will be a positive one showing that my levels are still coming down. This has been the never ending winter with the never ending cold in central New York. One day the sun will shine in the land of dreariness and plan on a really beautiful day on my birthday. I'll let you know the good news...

Feb. 12, 2011

So, as you can see with God's unmerited favo,r I excaped the side effects of the dreaded interferon. I had the nurses at work do my injections for about 7 weeks and and then figured it is about time that I do it myself at home. I was a bit nervous the first injection and went off with no problems.

When I first started my levels were around 4.5 million and in three months had dropped to 10,000! Oh, was I doing a dance of joy. On my next 6 week visit they were undetectable!! This was such great news. I was shouting with a very thankful heart.

I was still feeling well, tho I was loosing some of my hair, especially around the front area of my face. Thank God my daughter is a hair stylist and she made great extensions for me that were totally unnoticeable to anyone. I am still wearing them as my hair is sill thin.

Over the summer I did have about 6 weeks of fatigue. It was not to the point of being unable to work just enough to take the wind out of me doing stairs and doing much that was anything exerting. I would climb the stairs at home and at half way have to stop and rest and then when I got upstairs would go right to my bed to lay down for 5 minutes and then was fine and would get up.

I know a few people who have hep C and of all that I have read or spoken to I am the only one who has skated through this was relative ease. My Physician Asst. said that it does happen, but is rare. Why the Lord has let this happen to me and not to others is a question that I don't have an answer for. Of course, I am greatful that I am that rare individual, yet it breaks my heart and have shed many tears for others. All I can do is pray and let them know that no matter what our eye sees God is in control and He has a specific plan for each of us. He is never surprised by things that happen in our lives. We are and must learn to trust Him no matter what each situation looks like in our lives. I hope that even if the levels did not come down I would still testify of Jesus's unfailing work in my life.

There is much to share more on my continued journey with hep C and until next time....still standing on still waters

If you have never read my blog before please start at the bottom and work your way up.

Well, it certainly has been far too long since I’ve blogged and have much to share. So, I started taking the celexa 3 weeks prior to starting the interferon to help with the onset of possible depression and had no side effects from it. Now the three weeks have passed and it is the week to begin treatment. I wasn’t depressed before I took this so guess I’m really not depressed by taking the celexa.To say I was scared was putting it mildly. How will I function? Will I go to work every day? How exactly will I feel? I had the house cleaned, groceries bought and was as ready as I could be. I am blessed by wonderful friends and family who were all offering to bring meals, clean my house or meet whatever need I had. I almost felt as if they thought I was dying.
I have a clerical position in a doctor’s office and everyone was so supportive to me. I was nervous about giving myself the Friday injections and all the nurses were so willing to give it to me. That was at least one relief. Ok, now it is Friday night Feb. 5, 2010 and I take a sleeping pill in the hopes that perhaps I sleep longer and feel the effects a bit later. Sat. morning I wake up and lay there and evaluate myself. Hmmm, I don’t feel anything. I waited all day for something to come on me. Now, it is Sun. and again lying in bed evaluated myself and still nothing. Everyone at church was surprised to see there and least of all me! I’m thinking is this stuff really working on me? I had prayed that God would spare me from the dreaded and grueling side effects and thus He did. I called my NP on Monday that nothing had happened and she said you are probably very lucky. She said I could still get anemia, rash and irritability. I’m blessed by trusting the Lord with my life and looking to Him for strength. He will never leave or forsake me.
I have no side effects at all. I felt fatigued for about 6 weeks over the summer and that is it! Never got the opportunity to take advantage of the offering of meals and cleaning my house! Oh that part would have been the only good thing.
Much more to come….still standing on the still water