12 weeks

Bloodwork back! First, some not-entirely-awesome news: my hemoglobin is down to 8.7, making it rather difficult to walk...and necessitating an extra unscheduled blood test next Friday. If it drops below 8, my ribavirin dosage may be cut--or I may even be up for a transfusion. I hope not.

On the other hand, the rest of my blood appears to be stabilizing; WBC/RBC are hovering around same values, and my platelets are actually climbing: they are at 67 now, up 10 points from 4 weeks ago (still ridiculously damn low, though). My bilirubin and ALP are on the low end, actually, and ALT/AST are slightly elevated--which can be accounted for by a variety of reasons, from my fibrosis to the fact that I am getting fatter, while losing muscle mass. So my total weight remains pretty constant, with muscle being replaced by belly fat. Urrrgh!!! Of course, due to my low hemoglobin/hematocrits I cannot exercise--as I have said, I have problems walking for more than 5 minutes at a time, and yesterday it took me about 10 minutes to recover from pacing briskly to catch a train--not even running! :(

Anyway, of course, the most important news: viral counts are still undetectable! That makes for total suppression at 4 and 12 weeks, and is reason enough to celebrate--for everyone but me. :( I found out that one shot of booze is sufficient to neutralize interferon's activity for up to 4 days, giving the damn virus a chance to replicate and escape from under the treatment, especially since I am done with incivek now and there are no barriers to replication and mutation for the viruses that are left in my blood--the most resistant ones, of course.

Ribavirin notes: awful thirst and itching, especially in scarred areas and fresh cuts, about 4-5 hours after eating the pill. Lasts for 1-1.5 hours on average. Gah! At least the rashes continue to shrink, leaving scar tissue behind.

Everybody, have a shot for me

My viral loads are undetectable, down from 15 mln 4 weeks ago. Have a drink for me; in a few months it looks like I'll be able to (cautiously) join you:

Hepatitis C Quant Not Detected <=43 IU/mL Final
Hepatitis C Quant Log Not Detected <=1.6 LOG 10 Final

4 Weeks

Had my bloodwork done today for the viral load. Will know in a couple of days, I guess. Blecch. Nose still messed up, even though it seems to be improving. Will likely have to have cautery done next month...:(