Me and Hep C.

Maybe you know, maybe you don't know, but the reader's digest version of my medical history:

22 months old - diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. things involved: years of chemo, mediport, blood transfusion

6 years old - considered cured from leukemia/ mediport out.

15 years old - tonsilectomy/wisdom teeth out

23 years old - diagnosed with Hepatitis C -- contracted via blood transfusion (see 22 months old)

Intermingled in this were lots of other standard and nonstandard illnesses including but not limited to: chicken pox, fifth's disease, strep throat, etc.

So now, at 24 years old, I've decided to undertake the medical treatment for Hepatitis C. Just recently, they came out with a third drug for the treatment that's supposed to increase my chances of kicking hep c drastically so now seemed like a good time. My professors are understanding, my job is flexible and hopefully my youth makes me slightly more resilient than the average Hep C patient.

In case you don't know, Hep C attacks your liver and while slow-moving, can potentially be life-threatening. The most common way of contracting it is through sharing needles, but it can also be acquired through any sort of blood-to-blood contact. Shockingly, having someone else's blood pumped into your body, seemed to do the trick, but it was before the Hep C "epidemic" in the 90s, so nobody tested for it. From what I've read, most people realize they are Hep C positive later in life, when they are already having problems. Fortunately for me, my biggest problem right now is that I can't drink. 

So while I'm waiting patiently for my medicines to come in, here's what I'm looking at:

Treatment is 24 - 48 weeks. At week 4, they decide whether it's going to be 24 or 48. Cross your fingers.

There's three drugs: ribavirin, incivek(new drug) and interferon.
Ribavirin -- twice a day pill -- i'm assuming swallowable.

Incivek -- three times a day for 12 weeks -- taken every 8 hours, on the dot -- must eat 20g of fat before taking it...three times a day -- talk about a sick joke.

Interferon or peginterferon -- one injection once a week. small needle though, so i'm not too worried.

So, all that being said....maybe this blog will help somebody, maybe it will just keep my family informed -- either way, it seems like a productive venture. I'm going to try to post at least weekly, so hopefully I can maintain that.


Cross your fingers that I get the meds in soon.
Until then.