May 1 ~ May 7 ~ What a week!! The USHA rally was kind of a let down in that there weren't very many people attending at all. I know there are alot of Heppers up in the Sacramento/San Jose/San Francisco area and I thought more would have come out to show support for Hepatitis C. I guess when people say they want more awareness, they mean they want someone else to do it. BUT...we gave out alot of info to people walking by and that is the most important thing!
Erika went with me and we did have a terrific time. I only got lost a couple times too, so we got the scenic tour of Sacramento! Oh yeah, I'm going to be a Grandma! This was a big surprise. She is due August 5 and we are hoping for a girl. It's going to be a tough road for her, but she knows I will be right here beside her.
This actually was a pretty good week side effect wise. I'm going to take my last shot next Monday and see the Dr on Thursday the 13th. I'm hoping I can switch to Infergen. I know the main reason I want to do this is to get rid of some of these side effects. Neither drug has a real great sustained response rate (9%) and I know that the most important thing is to reverse liver damage.

May 8 ~ May 14 ~ Well, I took the last shot. I've called in the refill, just in case, but didn't pick it up until after my Dr appointment. I'm staying on the Rebetron for another 3 months. I know he is right. I am in Stage 3 bordering on Stage 4 liver damage. The treatment IS helping to reverse my liver damage. I know this treatment isn't the one that will get rid of the virus. I guess I have just been on it so long, I want to quit. I won't, though. I feel like if I quit...I am giving up. And I'm not going to give up. (I'm too ornery to do that anyways!) I'm not going to start again until the 17th though. I have the Liver Walk on the 15th and don't want to have the sides when I'm trying to hike 6.2 miles!  Onward and upward, I guess!

May 15 ~ May 21 ~ I have this really bad rash thing going on. It's on my legs and the backs of my knees, my back on the right shoulder, and now it's on my left hip. It starts out like dry patches of skin, and itches like crazy. I've tried a ton of different kind of lotions. The Gastro says use aloe vera or benedryl. Benedryl knocks me out so that is out. The PCP gave me some kind of topical ointment to use. It helps a little bit, but not for long. I've got bruises all over from the scratching and now I'm scarred!! It kind of feels like it itches on the INSIDE and so I scratch all the harder - even in my sleep! I'm getting back into the insomnia again I think. My sleep pattern is all willy~nilly lately. Sleep for a couple hours, up for a couple hours. (Thank goodness for Nick At Nite! hahaha)
The Liver Walk was a great success! We went the 5K because my daughter pooped out, but I could have made the whole 10K. There were over 300 people doing the Liver Walk. It was in conjunction with another race so there were about 3000 total. It was a nice day and I met my goal of raising $1500. Lots of people, good weather, and a walk in the park ~ You can't beat that!!

May 22 ~ May 31 ~ My legs aren't getting any better, in fact they look worse. I have been using the ointment the doctor gave me, but I still itch like crazy and now I look like a leper. (Dontcha just love these drugs?) I've been eating real weird. Some days I eat like a porker, then other days, I'm not hungry a bit and eat nothing but sugar. I'm amazed my sugar levels stay in the normal range. At least I know I only have another month left before I am truly finished with the combo. Who knows what the doc will do next, but I sure would like a break from this stuff for awhile. My hair has finally stopped falling out! It's actually starting to grow back too. I'm glad it only got real thin and didn't fall out altogether. Thank goodness these side effects aren't long lasting. (at least I HOPE they aren't!)