It's beginning to...

I waited for a few days after my cidery Saturday to go and have blood drawn for the last batch. So far, everything except for the viral counts (the most important one) is back and is normal. Of special importance are liver enzymes: perfectly fine. I guess I'll have to wait until Monday or so to find out the final results. I will hold my breath and sit in the corner, building up blood pressure and popping capillaries. On second thought, I'll have a drink of dry cider.

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

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.