Post Treatment

It's been 11 days since my last injection and 5 since I took the last of my Ribavirin tablets and my health seems to be improving. No doubt my mood has gotten better now i know theres no more pink pills or injections. I know i had trouble finding positive things to say over the last 6 months but i think over the next few weeks my blog will reflect how my mood has lifted. I did have a moment of panic on tuesday night when i considered the fact that my pcr test could still be positive but i suppose it's natural to have occasional doubts. It's not time to think about that now anyway, I need to concentrate on getting my strength back. I went to see my nurse on tuesday morning for my end of treatment test and, for a change, only took up her time for around 5 minutes. It'll be 3 weeks till I get my results and i'm not planning on getting stressed over it.

It has to be said though that I still have the side effects of treatment, its just that they seem to be receding slowly. My head is now clearer, i'd struggled to concentrate on reading a book during treatment and even watching television couldn't hold my attention for long. I've been able to have a more normal time this week, in that i didn't 'stock up' on supplies on monday. I found my naturally impulsive nature had been curbed for the last 6 months since I never really felt like doing anything. The aches and pains i'd felt due to the interferon are fading now and the itchy dry patches on my elbows, legs and back are not so red and irritable. It seems that my eyesight is getting back to normal too, things just seem brighter and sharper now. Also my body temperature has settled down, i'm not counting down the hours now till I can take another dose of paracetmol. I have been using them this week but now i can wait till I need them instead of forward planning all the time. If i'm wiser about anything after this experience it'll be a new confidence in paracetmol, i'd doubted how effective it was before and now i know how much relief it can provide.

It feels good to say that i'm going to have to stop myself from wittering on endlessly just now, blogging for me was hard work during treatment, now i have trouble shutting up! One last thing.. a big big thank you to everyone who contacted me with messages of support, there were times when just reading other peoples blogs gave me much needed moral support and for everyone who contributes either by blogging or posting on the forum, i'm forever grateful. The biggest thanks though (is this the Oscars??) have to go to Ron Metcalfe who 1st suggested I keep a blog, allowing me to find out so much about my health.

Final Week

At last only one injection to go.. I'd thought of a lot i'd have to say as I got to this point in treatment, but brain fog a high temp and irritating patches of skin have been conspiring to put me off. I suppose the important thing is i've got this far, i've had many occasions where i've been sick to the back teeth of this treatment but never really doubted that i'd complete the course. My own motivation as time passed was that the side effects i'd already experienced were not going to be for nothing.

When I started this i found it hard to find people who had completed treatment, now some of the people who gave me much needed encouragement have finished and mostly they are doing well which is great to hear. I would have liked to have made more of a commitment to my blog but I cant apologise for how I felt at times so I do plan on keeping my blog open and contributing after I finish. I think it's important for others to see that there is something at the end of the rainbow, i'll find out if it's a pot of gold over the next 6 months.