4 weeks post-Incivek

..and one week post-transfusion, my blood was patchy. A lot of the changes can be partially attributed to the transfusion, of course. Bad: white blood cells down, at their lowest since April; liver enzymes are up--both by about 15 points. Neutrophils are down. Most of that is probably a reaction to my vampirism, so will pass. Better news: H+H and RBCs both up--partially, but not entirely due to transfusion. They seem to be improving, and even though now that the transfusion had worn off I am feeling a bit crappy, it is not as bad as it was two weeks ago. Looks like I am out of the dangerous zone at least.

The most positive and surprising in a good way result is my platelet levels: they are up to 98, up 30 points in 4 weeks, And they have nothing to do with any new blood: I only got RBCs. So that is good and an indication that as Incivek is leaving my body, my bone marrow function is returning closer to normal.

And I feel better in general: I can do 3 or 4 Tigger-style bounces before becoming exhausted, when two weeks ago I could not do any!

Of course, the effects of other meds are still nasty. For two-three hours after eating my ribavirin I still feel like being thrust head first into a shit-hole while being belaboured about the ribs by sticks in slo-mo. Although, whereas in the past it was baseball bats, now they are rubber-encased metal clubs: hurts a bit less and leaves less memories, at least. And interferon is increasing in nastiness each week. Only 7 of those left, however! Getting there!

I don't know about that awesome-looking rum, but several ciders will be in order when I am done, Again, I will still be under observation for 6 more months, so will not be able to debauch until then at least...but I suggest that at the end of it, everyone should meet me in London for a nice pub-crawl.

No news is good news

Today, I ran to catch a bus and did not black out! Not even close!

A week after transfusion, I am slightly weak, a bit out of breath on occasion and a little pale, but oodles better than I was at the same time last week. What's more, with the new baseline of decay, side-effects of meds are not as nasty either. Like I said, no news is good news. Had more bloodwork done today (and, incidentally, my platelets must be up: my bruising now is minimal) and will know the results in a few days. I suppose that the results are not going to be exactly indicative of the true state of affairs, due to the continuing effects of the transfusion. Initially, it probably bumped my hemoglobin by about 4 points. So at most, I'll have to subtract those 4 points to arrive at the true levels, and actually it'll be less than that since it has been a week since the transfusion and my hemoglobin has probably dropped a bit since then. Anyway, that's all for now. It is weird, feeling at least closer to normal: I'd forgotten what it felt like!

Vampirism is good for you

I am back, having ingested a pint of AB+ and another one of AB- blood. I am not sure whether is was riboflavin-flavoured, but it certainly was NOT carbonated. Minor rash around the injection side that is subsiding as I type this. No other detrimental effects. On the other hand, I am now rosy-cheeked (literally!), bushy-tailed, bright-eyed and with a freshly stiffened frontal member. I can move faster than a snail without panting for air, and my lungs are no longer burning after 10 steps. Also, actually thinking and reading does not automatically make me drowsy. All in all, a good bargain, I suppose. But it took a goddamn long time, will probably cost me the rest of my yearly deductible and will last for 10 days at most. I hope that my hemoglobin rebounds at least a little bit by then: I don't really want to be spending most of every other Saturday at the outpatient transfusion center (which is now located in the cancer center) for the next two months. On the other hand, the nurses confirmed what I already suspected: I am fucking tough. They say that many other people have side-effects worse than mine (including anemia) and that most people with my hemoglobin levels would be whining and demanding a wheelchair rather than hoofing 2 miles to work and back daily. So yes, though I walk through the valley of death, I have no fear because I am the toughest meanest motherfucker in the whole damned valley! Hurrah! :D

Vampirism in reverse and other blood matters

The latest bloodwork results are in; apparently there is no depth of depravity to which my hemoglobin would not be prepared to sink. It is at 7.5 (or was, last Friday) which is well into the region of "severe anemia" and I have an appointment with reverse vampires now. On Sat Jun 9th at 0900 they will pump two units of someone else's red blood cells into my veins. If I do not report afterwards, consider the possibility that I may have exploded like a tick or a mosquito who'd sucked too much blood. But probably not.

In better news, my white blood cells, at least, have begun to climb back up. My doctor thinks that it is a sign that my bone marrow, ravaged by the triple therapy attack and now only forced to defend itself against double therapy attack, is beginning to recover somewhat. The effects of the transfusion will last for up to 10 days, during which time RBCs/hemoglobin will also have a chance to recover to less worrisome levels, Or so the thinking goes.

Finally, in completely bizarre news, my left arm had shrunk! The rash on it was much more severe than that on the right one, and it appears as if incivek had just eaten the muscle mass from under the rash! It still itches as well. Anyway, I'd lost about an inch from my bicep and my tricep is barely detectable. The arm feels like a ramshackle construction of skin, bone, dried-out cartilage, and bumpy rash scars. Whatever muscles are discernible are weak and flabby, and somehow hollow. This means that as soon as I get some oxygen in my bloodstream it'll be weight-lifting (and bicycling, but that's a different story!) time. Hurrah! Damn the anti-matter relativistic torpedoes! Onward, raving lunatics!

I really really REALLY REALLY want an Isestegi cider.

New Horizons of Pain

Haha, now that the deadening pall of incivek has been lifted from my body I can more properly appreciate the special effects produced by the other members of the team. I was already familiar with the icky burning sensation and mild nausea that was the hallmark of brother ribavirin, but uncle interferon had largely ignored me for the first 14 weeks. The few mild production touches had hardly prepared me for last night's full-on wall-of-pain treatment. Mssrs Inter-Phil-Ron Spector woke me up at 3:30AM, about 5 hours after taking my injection, with shuddersome muscle aches, horrifying thirst, some headache and the general feeling of having fallen off a bridge at some point previously. His show lasted for a couple of hours, and still there are traces of ache now. The permanent "flu-like" symptom appears to have settled upon me. Motherfucker! Still, nine more shots only. And, according to the doctors, side-effects are in many ways an indication of the efficacy of the medicine: the worse it hurts now, the better the chances of complete success eventually. Very Calvinist of them, but I suppose I'll take their word for it, provisionally.

Interesting rash detail

Although the incivek rash is almost gone after two weeks, little traces of it (occasionally itchy) still persist in the spots on my body where it first appeared. Apparently, almost everyone gets it there. Mine are oval spots, about 3x1 inches, along the upper side of the elbow: apparently where the extensor tendon is. It is so weird that that particular spot is specifically affected and that it happens with everyone. Fascinating: what is the physiology of it? Why that particular spot and that particular tendon (assuming it is the tendon) out of so many other possibilities? Fucking mystery of the human body; the etiology of the rash is, as I have said, unknown. Makes me want to study, erm, relevant subjects. :) And potentially figure out which part of the incivek biochemistry causes it...

Also, once more, belabouring the point somewhat: I am so fucking glad to be done with incivek. It did its bloody job beautifully, and I would, at this point, certainly recommend it to anyone, but egads! it is an awful poison, and the last two weeks were the absolute worst. I am the shit, however: didn't even miss a day of work! Hah!

More on incivek

Another good thing about incivek (besides the undeniable fact that it works awesomely at clobbering the virus) is that in comparison, ribavirin/interferon treatment is only a mild annoyance. Nausea? "Flu-like" symptoms? Random aches and pains? Vague sensation of having been poisoned that persists for several hours after taking the meds? Bah, humbug: it's all nothing.

Energy levels continue to increase. Walking is easier (but not easy yet!) On the other hand, more insomnia, intermittent and random headaches, and occasional drowsiness are still with me. AND I am getting more and more irritable and short-tempered by the minute. I am sure there will be more in the next 10 weeks. I am only glad that--so far--I do not have to go through the full-length treatment which would add another 24 weeks of riba/interferon on top.