i + i = 9 weeks

Well I’m into my 9th week of treatment for my Hepatitis “C” and I have received a Christmas Blessing. My blood results have come back and my viral load is currently undetectable. What a gift that I have received. This treatment so far has been up and down. I have experienced some flu like symptoms of body aches and fever, I have had alot of headaches and some nausea in which they gave me medicine for. I have been extremely run down and tired. That has probably been the worst side affect of them all. Overall it has not been to bad. My problem has been to slow down and take some time to relax. I have alot of commitments in my recovery and I still work 10 hours plus each day. It has been taking its toll on me. I did have between Christmas and New Years off and found time to catch up on rest although I also noticed that I felt the side affects more when I wasn’t as active. Overall I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to go through this experience and to hopefully after 13 years of living with this virus be done with it. More will be revealed and it is still too soon to tell. I have to continue my treatment for 4 more months and have check ups for up to a year before knowing whether it is gone or not. I am remaining positive that it will be successful.

~ Phil

i + i = The day has come, Finally!

Well yesterday was the start of the treatment. I started my Ribavirin in the morning with my breakfast. A few hours after the first dose I started to feel the affects of the medication. My skin started to feel tight and then my face became hot and red. It felt like a burning feeling from a rash. I did my first injection last night before bed. It went well and I went to bed shortly after. I slept very well and woke up to my surprise not feeling all that bad. I had a headache but that was it. Throughout the day today I haven’t really felt that bad. I have been drinking water and switching between ibuprofen and Tylenol every 4 hours to offset the side affects. More will be revealed.

~ Phil

i + i = Pregnant

Well the results are in and Jessica is pregnant. It’s really starting to sink in that there could be a possibility for twins. Honestly that makes me very nervous. I know in my heart though that God is in control and he will not give us more than we can handle. I just worry financially that we will make ends meet. One child is one thing, 2 is a whole other ballpark. I’m hoping for a little Girl, although I would be happy with either. That all I can pray for is that the baby is healthy.
We also have a new addition to our family coming on Saturday. She is a yellow lab which we are naming Sunny. Not sure how I really feal about the name. I’m sure it will grow on me. She is on a three day journey from Texas.
So yesterday I had my appointment at my doctors for a follow up of some blood work that she wanted me to get done for my Hepatitis C. The results came back just like I thought they would. My Viral Load went up from 16 Million to 21 million. I could tell because I have been getting increasingly tired. My body is working harder to try and fight of the disease. So I talked with my doctor and will be start treatment of Interferon and Ribavirin. She ordered the medication yesterday that should be delivered in 2 weeks. So the journey begins. What a big day yesterday turned out to be.
I love my wife. She has been so strong through this all. More will be revealed.

~ Phil

i + i = Stress

Yesterday I was built up with a lot of anxiety. My wife and I bought a house a year and a half ago. It’s a beautiful home and when we bought it we knew it needed some work. Shortly after buying it we realized how much work. Being my first home I was so upset as too how many problems we had to confront in our first year. One month into moving in we experienced a river on our finished basement and our sewage backing up into our downstairs shower. The problem was an object stuck in our main pipe which turned into cutting our basement floor. The river in our basement lead to some patch work to our foundation then curtain and footing drains all around. Now when I think we are gaining ground, Jessica’s uncle came over and told me to get a pen and paper, then proceeded to mention all the areas we need to repair. This really was good because it gave me the motivation that I needed, although at the time I was getting overwhelmed with the list. A lot of the work is in the basement and in the attic. We have mold in both places and with us trying to have a baby it’s time to get the house safe for a new born. The lesson my wife and I learned from this experience is that we will never purchase another house without a licensed inspector. The other stressor is that I had blood work done for my hepatitis and I just called to schedule an appointment. They can’t fit me in until October and I think my viral load is up. The last time I met with my doctor my viral load went from 1 million to 6 million and I’m expecting that it has increased even more. The reason I think that is because I am tired all the time and feel as though I can’t catch up. My body is trying to fight off the virus and is using a lot of my energy to do that.
Well on a more positive note Jessica and I had a good night last night with the injections. Getting better, let’s hope it stays that way. More will be revealed.

~ Phil

i + i = Relief

I can breath again, went well. We decided to move to the back of her arm. No pain inflicted. What a relief. I had some worries about having to be around syringes due to my past being a recovering intravenous drug user. I don’t think of it the same as before. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. I have a strong program of recovery, deeply involved in service and an incredible life beyond my wildest dreams. I’m going to be embarking on a journey myself with the consequences of my addiction…. Hepatitis “C”. I am going to be starting treatment with Interferon and Ribavirin for my Type 2 Hepatitis. I will have to be giving myself injections and thought that it would be a trigger. Time will tell and I don’t want to project. I have a healthy fear. I love being apart of my recovery community, a respectable, responsible and productive member of society. The stigma that I believed for your of once and addict always an addict is a lie. We do recover!!! Thank God.

~ Phil