2011_11_14 And then there were two...

It has now been 24 hours since I took my last dose of Incivek. No more alarms to remind me to take it and eat every 8 hours. I had ideas of how to mark the occassion: burn the last Incivek box; destroy violently the phone whose alarms have come to make my skin crawl; sell the watch that has felt like a hospital bracelet to me. But I think I'm going to skip the drama. I shared the news with several friends at church yesterday and got many congratulatory hugs. And of course my family is as happy as I am. So I consider the event "marked", and will be moving along.

I am anxious to see which side effects begin to leave me. My anemia should begin to improve, although the Ribavirin contributes to it as well. The worst side effect currently is my messed up taste. Things just taste wrong. Food textures are wrong. It's hard. I am hungry but I can't enjoy eating. I'm also not cooking very well since I am really guessing on my seasonings. My guys are doing a lot of seasoning at the table these days.

But I still try to stay away from the drama of feeling sorry for myself. This has been hard, and I acknowledge that. But in the grand scheme of things, this is a blip in time, a bump in the road. I have not forgotten that I have been healed. I have not forgotten that not everyone will have the opportunity I've had. As much as I hate taking these meds, and as grateful as I am to be done with the Incivek, I am equally grateful to have them. God has continually showed up and carried me through the rough spots. I expect no less in these second 12 weeks of treatment. Thank you Father for setting me free!

UPDATE: The 12 week viral test has also come back Negative! Yay!