Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Side Effect Alert!

Since I've been off treatment now a full 8 days, my body has slowly been readjusting to some sense of normality, if there is one for me. I have noticed subtle yet different changes in my body since I've come off treatment. I've always suffered from mild forms of acne, and around 4 months into treatment that slowly started to fade away and I haven't had any more issues since. This has been a problem for me since my teens, and I thought it would clear up at some point, but it never did. I am not certain if Hepatitis C causes acne, but I am certain not having it anymore has cleared my face up 100%.

Also, another interesting note: I've had incredible amounts of energy. Even so much, my wife has to tell me to calm down and stop working around the house and in the yard. I've mowed the lawn, trimmed my entire property with a weed trimmer. The following day I painted an entire bedroom, ceiling, walls and trim all by myself. My wife was sure I was done for after that for the weekend, as the painting spree was last Friday. Sure enough, come Saturday I was ready for the mall and long walk through IKEA to get some furniture. It's been astounding how much energy I have now. I hit a sluggish spell around 3:30pm in the afternoon, but if I'm busy doing something, usually only lasts briefly.

There's no denying it, being on treatment has done something life changing in my body. It only took just a day or two for the side effects of Ribavirin to totally fade away, and that's when I started noticing pep in my step. I obviously take it as a good sign, a good prognosis for my future SVR and that I've finally beat the dragon. One cannot help to feel almost like a super hero at times. The picture above was drawn and painted by me just before my treatment began in January 2014. I remember actually drawing this in the exam room at my first liver doctor appointment, a visit prior to the one of me being put on Sovaldi, before I knew the drug was FDA approved. It was at my next visit, around January 10th, that I found out about Sovaldi being approved and me being put on the drug shortly after. I can't help but feel lately like Superman, all this energy I now have, up... up... and AWAY!

I had labs drawn on July 9th, and will go in on 28th to my liver doctor to get my 24 weeks post treatment results and HCV RNA reading. Fingers crossed dragon slayers!

7 comments:

  1. Finally, positive side effects of medicines! Usually it isn't that way!! I'm glad to hear you are doing so well. So happy for you :D

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  2. WOW!! Congrats.on getting your life back. Thank you for sharing

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  3. My acne has disappeared since I started treatment as well. Hoping it stays that way afterward. It was one of the first things I noticed.

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    1. Isn't that wild? I guess a sign that the toxic liver destroying virus is gone. Let's keep our fingers crossed for that 6 month SVR!!!

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  4. Praise God and many more thru the door!!!!

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