6 Week Lab Results (It's now week 8/48)

As you can tell, I've not been very good about keeping the blog updated. It really only is due to the prodding from my 2 treatment buds, KennyG and TerryL, along w/the news of my vl, that I was able to get my butt in gear and give you an update.

It's just that with feeling so tired, along with doing stuff with my 8 year old and trying to keep the household chores down, I'm finding little leftover energy or enthusiasm for posting or reading on the computer :) I do keep up with my blogging buds and try to read a bit of the forum (that is getting overwhelming - so many posts).

I'm trying though...so here are the lab results from my 6 week visit (plus the prior wks - beginning, 2 and 4, for comparison).

HGB - 14.1 - 11.1 - 10.6 - 10.3

HCT - 40 - 33 - 34 - 33

RBC - 4.5 - 3.7 - 3.5 - 3.2

WBC - 6.19 - 3.45 - 2.78 - 3.21

NEUTS - 3.41 - 1.45 - 1.36 - 1.58

PLATELETS - 335 - 293 - 326 - 274

VL - 10.8 mil - 1.5 mil - 7,910 - 1,530

So there ya have it. Of course, I was hoping for undetected, but I guess this is still okay....maybe after next week's lab I'll get that elusive number!

I've been having a couple of new sides that I thought I'd share. One is regarding the inteferon shots. I'm still not having any of the typical flu symptoms. My reaction last week (7th jab) was that the first afternoon feeling more wiped that usual, then the following day all my body muscles (especially in my shoulders and legs) clenched up tight as a tick. This, in turn, caused a tension type headache that I could not get rid of for about 24 hours. I tried extra strength tylenol, motrin, body massager/cushion, hand-held massager, and a soak in our jacuzzi tub but nothing was touching that sucker. I finally thought to take a xanax and maybe that along with everything else, finally began to loosen my body up.

I also had my dermatologist appointment this past week. She thinks the itchy bumps along my collar bone, shoulders and along my hairline and a few places in my scalp are related to these meds. Doesn't really look like a 'rash' just because I think of a rash as being closer together. These are spaced out....whatever it is, she gave me a rx for an anti-itch, anti-steriod cream called triamcinolon, which seems to be helping.

Also, she took a look at some patches on my face and they turned out to be old sun damage - again - actinic keratoses. The stuff she rx'd for that is solaraz and costed a whopping $164 (and that is with my rx discount of $40 off the top!). Luckily, we get another reimbursement after sending the receipt in to the insurance company but still...I'm blown away at the cost of drugs today!

Oh, also I have to make an appoint for minor surgery w/ her to try to get all of the basal cell carcinoma she discovered on my back. It will require carving a notch out of my back and stitches, but I know I need to get this taken care of. I guess now is a good time to do it as my platelets and wbcs should still be good for the healing process if I get on the ball and do it soon.

The last thing, is I'm feeling very parched inside and out although I drink lots of water and other liquids and am trying to be vigilant with lubing up my body :) Heard it The Body Shop's Shea butter is nice for this, so will see if I can get over to the mall next week.

Yesterday was shot number 8. I felt fairly well this morning and played in the pool with Em until around lunchtime, being sure to stay in the shady area. The pool is so wonderful when you're feeling so tired and weak - the water helps you feel refreshed and weightless - lovely! The sun chased us out around noon so we headed in for lunch. We'll get back out there this afternoon when the woods throw shade on the pool. ARGH - it's been hard to go from a sun worshipper to a sun avoider!

I was feeling pretty darned good and thinking/hoping that last week's muscle clenching reaction might have been a fluke -- but no such luck, darn it all! During the making of lunch, I noticed my muscles tightening and the headache creeping back in :( I've taken some tylenol and 1/2 xanax and am going to go lie down for awhile while Em watches Liberty's Kids :). She's pretty patient with me on the day after the jabs, my little nurse, but she's telling me she's going to wake me up in an hour so we can read some more in the book I've been reading aloud to her (Avi's Poppy series - soooooo good :) so I best not waste my nap time any longer :)

Oh, I did want to mention that Em's birthday party a couple of weeks ago was lovely and everyone had such a good time. It was like a hundred degrees so we quickly decided to move it indoors, which I'm sure made all our guests very happy :) I'll try to get it together to download some piccies from the afternoon soon.

I did have a lovely surprise a couple of days before the party. I was stressing a bit about getting ready for the party, the cleaning, the errands, the cookings, etc., when a very dear friend who moved away following Katrina popped in and after a few tears and hugs, started cleaning our house. I was so very touched! She had flown into the city from VA for a board meeting and called me in route to my house and told me her plans.

I feel so blessed to have this wonderful woman as a friend. Not too many people around these days who would come over and do all she did - even cleaned up cat puke from my poor dying Melee. When she left a couple of hours later, she'd also left a turkey breast in the oven roasting for a delicious dinner. Amazing and lovely woman! Love you, Jeanie!!

I saw it mentioned on another hep c blog that their early support seemed to fade fairly quickly during the long treatment time. I can see this, too. I was telling Kevin (dh) a couple of nights ago...I'm sorry if I seem to talk about it so much. The treatment is so all-encompassing while you're involved in this....watching to see what is going to happen to your body, waiting to see if all of it is going to be worth it. I find myself trying NOT to talk about it as much despite the fact that I do think about it a lot.

There's a thing in the South, or maybe it's everywhere... where when most people ask how are you doing, they're really just to trying to make 'polite conversation'. They probably don't want to know 'too much'...like me going into details of 'the symptom of the week', for example *smile*, and most of them don't understand the blood work so they get this kind of glazed look on their face :) They'd much rather hear something simple like, "Oh, I'm doing fine" and then move onto other more 'pleasant' things - LOL. This is what I've found with my 'local friends'...not so with most of my 'long distance' friends. But then, I think a lot of people down here are still suffering from PTS post Katrina and are still in that 'self-preservation/survival' mode, so are understandibly still preoccupied with their own lives.

The treatment is going to be going on for a long time (40 more weeks!) and I guess it does get old to some people pretty quickly. Well, or I guess, you just find out pretty quickly the ones who are genuinely interested and are willing to give you a moment of their time to offer support and compassion during this time in our lives (those undergoing HCV treatment).

I have another close friend, Ellen (from WA state), who has called to check on me and chat with me at least once a week. She's another one whom this has shown me, can be counted on and I just wish we lived next door to each other! As a close friend, a compassionate woman, mother, and fellow nature lover, El just blows me a way constantly! I'm so glad you're in my life, Ellen!

On another note, like the wonderful Mr.T said, this whole process is also bringing many good things, too. It's funny to have such brain fog, yet at the same time be able to see some other things with a new clarity. Very unexpected but welcome :)

Again, this post seems all over the place, so hope you can make sense of it all :) xxxx

Have had my 5th shot, but here is BIG NEWS....

I just got a call from Margee and Sadie (the study nurses in charge of me during this study), and my 4th week viral load is.....drum roll!!!!! down to 7,910! That is more than a 4 log drop in 4 weeks! Right??? From 10.8 MILLION at the beginning, to 1.5 million at 2 weeks, to now 7,910 at week 4. WOO HOO - I am so very, very pleased with those numbers!

Here are the other numbers (the first number is my beginning number, second number is labs at 2 weeks, third number is labs at 4 weeks):

HGB 14.1 - 11.1 - 10.6

HCT 40 - 33 - 34

RBC 4.5 - 3.7 - 3.5

WBC 6.10 - 3.45 - 2.78

Neutrophil 3.41 - 1.45 - 1.36

Platelets 335 - 293 - 326 (go platelets :)

I'm also feeling much better now that I stopped taking the Lexapro (anti-depressant) two days ago. I started taking them at 10 mg a day almost 2 weeks ago and had an absolutely horrible reaction. After the first night, I sensed from the sides that it was just too strong a dose and dropped the dose for the next 4 days to half that. I still had awful sides continue. The first night I felt totally psychotic...disoriented, crying jags, felt helpless, severe stomach cramps and diarrhea. Heart pounding through my chest and ears, brain all swirly/throbbing, clenched jaw and other muscles, and blurred vision :( Suffice it to say I felt just awful.

Then after advise from Dr. dropped doseage once again to 1/4 dose, and STILL felt awful. They advised stopping, saying that I am either sensitive to it, or that the lexapro added to the other strong meds was too much for my body. They are going to discuss it all with the Dr. (today is his surgery day so he's out of the ofc all day) and they'll call me back tomorrow with feedback.

I've suggested Prozac according to what TerryLee has reported from using it, and also from some info I read about it on the internet suggesting that it might be better for me.

Other news re the combo therapy and me :) I used to live in the Virgin Islands and then in Puerto Rico in my late teens and through my 20's. I did a LOT of sailing and hanging on the beaches and well, I don't think any of us had even heard of sunscreen back then :( The result has been that for more years than I can now count, I've been a regular at a dermatologist due to all my years of severe sun exposure AND starting out already with very fair and freckled skin. I've had skin tags, basil cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis, moles, and other things to pop up that we subsequently scrape, slice, burn or freeze away :)

Anyway...these usually occur once or twice a year and it's been a routine thing to go in when that happens and nip it in the bud. But now, with this treatment? I've all of a sudden had a huge breakout of, what I suspect is basal cell activity. I've got at least 15 or so spots that have blossomed all along my collar bone and shoulders, as well as more along my hairline and above and beside my eyebrows. Got an appointment with my dermatologist, Martha Stewart ;) on June 20th to see what's up with that and to take care of whatever it is. I'd heard of skin rashes with treatment sometimes, but these are definitely not a rash, but something I've seen before. Just weird to see such a profusion of it all at once, like fireworks or something.

Fun stuff is that Emma will turn 8 this Saturday and Kevin and I are in the throes of planning a small family birthday party for her on Sunday. It'll be a pool party and picnic on our property. We're planning barbecue chicken on the grill (marinating and then grilling w/recipe I love from Lee Bailey), my famous potato salad, a platter of tomatoes and avocados with fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar...Rustic artesian bread loaves with olive oil/garlic/herbs dipping sauce. Relatives will be bringing salad and hors d'oeuvres to the backyard birthday celebration. Emma has requested a double chocolate cookie cake that says, " Happy Birthday Princess Emma" :)

She is so excited and it should be fun for all.... and with the guest list comprised of only very understanding and wonderful relatives, I'm not worried about being able to pull it off. They will all jump in and help do everything! And of course, my darling Kevin will be working his behind off to get the house and yard in order - he's an amazing guy!