Day 17, Fog Has Lifted

The thing about these kinds of therapies for treating HCV is the roller coaster ride of emotions, feelings and side effects that one must endure. Yesterday was a "not-so-fresh" kind of day for me, as I woke up with a headache, feeling icky and my smashed finger throbbing from pain and keeping me awake all night. But today, it's a little different, I woke up fully rested with over 8 hours of sleep last night, and I feel refreshed. Another thing I've started doing is documenting my water intake, daily calories and activities via the FitBit Force wrist pedometer. Something I've always intended to do, but fail on a daily basis is drinking 64 ounces or more of water, especially now given the daily medication therapy I'm on, I need to flush my system and stay hydrated. I recently found out from my online HCV/Sovaldi support group, that Ribavirin alone will dehydrate your body, so that may have been why I was feeling jacked up over the weekend, I wasn't drinking fluids properly. So now, I've made it a personal goal to drink 64 ounces of water a day during therapy, and hopefully continue that habit after therapy ends in July. If you're on FitBit, add me, Here is my Profile Link.

So, yeah, feeling much better today, looking forward to 4 days with my lovely wife over the weekend. I hear murmurs of Disney or Universal Studios in my distant future calling (or both). It will be nice to be in the parks again, walking, getting exercise and enjoying fresh air and a day in the theme park capitol of the world, Orlando. Continue to pray for me, continue to comment, send me messages, it really does help knowing I have an army of dragon slayers by my side, and we're all slaying these beasts together.

Before I go for the day, I want to leave you with this text my best friend and Christian mentor, John Durham, said to me yesterday that really lifted me up. He said, "I know right now you're going through a lot of pain, intensity and a lot of questions out there with this new medication. Often sometimes, we have to be refined in the fire to truly appreciate the change that God is making in our lives. Just remember, when you come out of this thing, you'll be shining like a diamond brother. Strap on your armor and ready yourselves!" It seems no matter what we face, the fire refines us, molds us, and when we come out victorious. The scars are healed, the wounds may have been deep, but we're better men/women because we've fought the good fight, and surely we've kept the faith as Apostle Paul once so eloquently put it.

Another person that reached out to me and stepped up yesterday was another best friend, Arnie Davidson, I honestly don't know what I'd do without this brother. My dryer was broken, and he came over to my house, sweat like mad crazy in the Florida humidity and fixed my dryer. Turns out the belt and bolt vibrated off the blower, simple 10 minute fix. But I can't lift and move heavy machinery from long term injuries of having severe hemophilia. Not only did Arnie fix it, but once again, he lived the example of what I strive to be, and that's a Christian brother helping others out in time of need. I feel so incredibly blessed today people. You have no idea.

Thanks John and Arnie! It's awesome to know we fight in this battle together, and with God's grace, mercy and healing, we'll slay this dragon once and for all! Remember, I'm not praying for a cure, I'm praying for God's Will, big difference.