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.

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!

Psychosomasis

You know, I have gotten to the point where even touching the pills--when I pop them out of their childproof packaging and stick them into my pillbox--is enough to make me shudder in revulsion and have a bout of nausea. Goddamn it! Conditioned reflex!!!

Otherwise, I know why they prescribe incivek for 12 weeks only: any longer than that and it would kill more patients than it cures. I am surprised I can still make it to work. The only time I feel moderately OK is when I am laying down. And then I get itchy. Three more days of it. My elbow rashes are a mass of open bleeding sores. Not infected: more like a clutch of nasty mosquito bites. They are supposed to go away as soon as I am done with incivek, though. I hope.

occupations

Some people may find enjoyment in sitting and watching paint dry; I watch my incivek rash turn red. No, seriously: when I wake up (around 7AM, it is pale pink, soft to the touch, almost invisible except under a certain angle of light. Then i swallow two vile purplish-pink pills at 9AM. Within half an hour, the rash slowly becomes redder, begins to itch, and changes to a dry, eczemous feel, and raises significantly. Fucking horror film. (My sheets are covered with small blood-spots from bleeding rashes: I surely hope that my viral loads are still negative. don't want to be a biohazard any more!!!)

The etiology of rash is heretofore unknown.

Rashy rashes no 1

Left arm rash at 10 weeks. That was one week ago; it's gotten worse since then and I will take some pics tonight.

Interefering rashes

Sundays after my interferon shot are getting to be quite a drag. After shot #11 I am barely able to get out of bed and move around. going out for a bit tonight, because this may be the last Sunday for 13 more weeks that I am physically capable of doing so. It's like battling some nasty exhausting flu: weak, achy, etc. And this persists into Monday and starts wearing off by Tuesday, and by Friday I feel almost human again (other meds considered), in time for the next shot. Ugh!

Meanwhile, the rashes are growing, even though it seems I am rather lucky, overall. I have two really nasty patches: around my elbows (and, frighteningly, scratching them is almost orgasmic in its intensity), and several small ones on my back. Other people started having them 3-4 days into treatment, and by the point I am at, some had them over 60-70% of the body, including their face. So overall, I shouldn't complain.

My platelets stabilized around 55-60, which is pretty damn bad but at least not dropping anymore.

14 more days of incivek: things should get a little better after that!

Too tired to type...:)...will post some pictures of rashes later!

Books of Blood, 8 weeks edition

Eight weeks into the incivek treatment and my anemia is kicking in! WBC/RBC/hemoglobin/hematocrit counts are dropping, although not horrendously low. Liver enzymes are hovering at normal (AST) and slightly above normal (ALT--actually went up 3 points, but that is likely a statistical fluke). The troubling parts are other signs of anemia: slight aniso- and poikilocytosis; and, potentially scary, slight toxic granulation and the presence of vacuolated neutrophils--which could indicate massive bacterial blood infection but most likely are yet another side effect of the damn drug. Yes, my immune system is compromised right now--funny,, considering that some of the meds I am taking are actually immune system boosters--but only in a very narrow way. In any case, since my doctor is not pulling me in to stick me onto an antibiotic regime, I suspect this is all within acceptable limits. Or perhaps they will pull me in today! :)

More on rashes: interestingly, they are apparently fundamentally allergic, and are triggered by overproduction of eosophils. It is funny that my drug cocktail suppresses the production of some blood cells while increasing that of others(and the chances of abnormal ones!). Still, only 3.5 weeks to go on incivek--after that things should get better. If my anemia keeps on getting worse, perhaps they will reduce my ribavirin dosage.

Speaking of ribavirin, reading a batch of monographs I find out that nobody really knows how it works! There are several postulated mechanisms, but none confirmed. The fact that is DOES work is not in doubt--for some diseases, like those nasty hemorrhagic fevers, it often gives the patient the only chance for survival--but it does so in mysterious ways. (As opposed to incivek, the action of which is quite precise--and the side effects, much more diffuse and general).

New developments

I was definitely hoping to avoid the rashes associated with the treatment, but it doesn't look like I am going to be so lucky. First traces exhibited themselves around my right elbow on Friday, almost unnoticeable then. Since then it has grown into a patch covered in hard nodules, no strange colours or anything, only mildly itchy. Looking online, I find that it is common for such rashes to begin during the 7th week of treatment--which I am entering into now. Blargh. We shall see. So far, not red or blistery. Apparently, the treatment is continued while the rash covers less than 50% of the body. I guess there are ways to control it, and associated itchiness. I have an appointment with my GE tomorrow and will report afterwards.