April 4 ~ I just crashed after getting home from DC. It took me about 3 days to get back to feeling "normal" again. The diarrhea is coming back, so I haven't been feeling too hot either. I'm also not sleeping again. I kind of feel like I did the first time I did the combo in 1998 & 1999. The up side of this is that I may finally lose some weight!! I'm trying not to nap during the day, so as to sleep better at night. I'm still waking up and then I am up for a couple of hours before I can go back to sleep. I hate that!
    My brain seems to be real fuzzy lately too. I guess I should say it's more fuzzy than it usually is. I'm finding that I'm not interested in food either. I don't know if that is because of a fear of the diarrhea attacks or just from no interest. Of course, I'm still loving the ice cream!

April 11 ~ Well, I only have 1 more shot after this one and the first 6 months will be finished!! I won't know until the 24th what part of the study I will go into next. I do know that even if I am in the part that does treatment for 3.5 more years, that is without the Ribavirin and I can sure handle that. That Riba is so toxic and difficult to manage. I hate taking it. I also can't remember half the time if I did take it!
    My sleep isn't getting any better but it's only a couple of nights a week, so that's not too bad. I'm getting to where I am almost afraid to eat anything. It doesn't stay with me very long. I just keep telling myself that I have all those skinny clothes just calling my name from the closet!

April 18 ~ My headaches are getting to be more and more often. I'm having the diarrhea so much now that I'm avoiding eating altogether too. I can't keep anything I eat and it usually hits about 30 minutes after I do eat. I'm hoping at this point that I get into the "Observation" portion of the study, as I really want to stop taking all this toxic stuff. My body and brain need a break. I'm not sleeping worth a darned either. On the up side....I'll find out on the 24th what part of the study I'll go into next.
    The study nurse called me on the 23rd to let me know that I am still positive for HCV. I still have viral load. I kind of knew that, because this test they use in the study is a much more sensitive test. She didn't do a quantitative test, but only a qualititative one. The viral load is done differently with the Amplicore test too. It is done by IU/ml instead of copies per mil. The breakdown is different too so even though I was at 1.08 iu/ml in January, I have no clue what that means in actual viral load numbers.

April 24 ~ I'M DONE!! I am in the "Observation Only" portion of the study for the next 3.5 years!!! No more drugs!! YIPPEEEE SKIPPEEEE!
   Of course, I still have virus, but I am so happy to be off the meds that I don't really care that much. I know in my heart that Interferon will not get rid of the virus anyway. I had to see the psyche Dr too, and he gave me a script for sleeping pills to help me sleep. I'm sure my sleep patterns will return to a normal state now that I am off the meds.
    I have to have an Endoscopy, as the study calls for one. My last ultrasound, done on Mar. 28, shows my liver to be enlarged, but other than that it looks good. I will now go back in 3 months for blood work. If I start getting worse, they say they would put me back on the meds, but that would take me out of the study. We are to just do nothing now and see if I progress any faster than those who stay on the meds for the next 3.5 years.
    I have to admit that I know I will never take Interferon or Ribavirin again as long as I live. My body can't handle it, my brain can't function with it, and my family needs a break from it!
    I'm going through withdrawals from the drugs too. I've had terrible headaches every day since stopping. If I remember right, I went through this after ending the combo in 1999 too. It won't last too long though. I'm ok with not doing anything now. I want to have a "normal" life for awhile. Larry and I are moving in a couple of months, into a new home, and I want to be able to enjoy fixing it up and just living for awhile.
    SO...I'm off to have some fun. I will continue to post my bloodwork results and anything that comes up while the study is going on.