2011_10_22 Chugging along...

So it's been a while. A lot of life has been very repetitive these weeks. Every 8 hours, 2 alarms go off for me to take medicine and eat. While I have grown to hate the sounds of these alarms, I try to remember to be grateful for what they mean. I have been healed. I do not have Hepatitis C. But I do still have 3 more months of treatment to be sure it is gone and stays gone (it is , and it will).

It's like those first few weeks of taking meds were "lay away". We had something to look forward to, a goal. Well, we reached that goal 4 weeks ago. So now, it's like paying off a credit card. Not quite as motivating. And the fact that some side effects are just showing up now makes it harder. My sense of taste is all messed up. Nothing tastes right. I have itchy rashes all over. And it is an understatement to say I am cranky, and I've allowed that crankiness to ooze out rather than stifle it. I'm not much fun to be around these days.

I've also battled anemia these weeks. Normal hemoglobin is 12-16. I've always been on the low side, and began with a count of 11.7. As the weeks went by, it dropped slowly. Once we got to 9, I was just wiped out. Any walking did me in and I just felt woozy all the time. I did figure out that keeping very hydrated helped some. Two weeks ago, my # hit a low of 8.5. We dropped the dosage of Ribivarin from 6 pills daily to 5 pills daily. That first week, it went up to 8.7, and this week it's back to 9.7. I am feeling so much better. Blood and oxygen are good things. :)

And since we weren't dealing with enough, Hubby had his spinal fusion surgery 10/4. He was in the hospital for 3 days, and my wonderful sister came to stay with Son and our dogs at the house. Don't know what we'd have done without her. Well, I do know. I wouldn't have been able to stay at Hubby's side watching and praying over him. It was a break for me in a very real way. All I had to worry about was keeping me hydrated, and keeping him comfortable. All seems to have gone well in surgery, but it'll be a long healing process. His first post-op check up will be Tuesday.

Friday I will go to NOLA for my check up. I don't expect any surprises, just basic touching base about side effects. I'm not looking forward to being weighed, as I think I've gained. You'd think that taste being off would make me quit eating, but no. I just keep trying to find something that tastes right.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11