Oct. 1 ~ Oct. 7 ~

Whew...the other shoe dropped. I was SO SICK this week. For the first time in all the treatments I have done, I was not able to even get out of bed. I was totally wiped out all week. Exhaustion, nausea, headaches, fever, chills, diarrhea, you name it, I had it. I even considered cutting back the dosage and going to 5 days a week. I don't know if I can handle this daily regime. I am going to stick with it for at least another 2 weeks to see if it gets better. I have such a feeling that this is the right dosage for me, and I hate to give in to the nasty sides. I'm sure they will settle down again. I'm losing weight again. I started treatment at 125 pounds and am down to 118 already. Hopefully, this will stop. At 5'2 I really don't want to go much below this. It's nice being able to fit into small clothes though!

Oct. 8 ~ Oct. 14 ~

Well this week has been alot better. I'm not near as exhausted, but I do notice I get out of breath real easy. I did bloodwork this week so it will be interesting to see where everything stands. I'm sticking with the 15mcg daily dosage. I don't want to lower it or take it 5 days a week. Since there isn't much else out there right now in the way of treatment, I don't want to risk being a non-responder. I can't feature me doing nothing, so this just HAS to work. The headaches are not too bad. I get them now and then, but not nearly as often as I did when I was on Rebetron. I'm trying to work up the nerve to use my stomach as an injection site. My legs are getting so tough, it is difficult to get the needle in. I just don't know if I have the nerve to do it in my stomach! After receiving my 10/12 bloodwork, I called the doctor immediately. My LFT's are SKY HIGH!! (GGTP=302, AST=367, ALT=172) I can't believe how high they are. The doctor is pretty worried as well. My WBC is 2.5! I have a feeling that I won't be on Infergen much longer. It doesn't appear to be working. This is real depressing because there isn't any other treatment I can do. Pegelated won't do me any good since I didn't respond to Intron.

Oct. 15 ~ Oct. 21 ~

Talk about depression! Boy, I just feel lousy all over. I am so tired that I can hardly do a single thing. Going downstairs wipes me out. I have been lightheaded, no appetite, am suffering from nausea, basically just feeling like I got hit by a truck. Maybe stopping treatment would be a good idea. I feel like I could just sleep all day and night.

Oct. 22 ~ Oct. 31 ~

Well, I'm still feeling like crud. My numbers haven't dropped much. (GGTP=607, AST=268, ALT=136, WBC=2.6, Platelets=38). My head says stop but my heart says go on. I know it isn't working, and I'm only getting sick from it, but it is hard to admit that the last treatment available isn't working. That leaves me no other alternatives. I am already going into Stage 4 and it scares the hell out of me. It's hard to explain how I feel to the family. They either don't want to know or don't understand. I suppose it would be easier if I looked like hell, which I feel like I do, but even then it's hard to explain everything. At least if I stop, I'll be able to play with the baby and hold her without getting tired! I go back to the doctor on November 11 and should have a couple more labs drawn by then. Maybe the numbers will drop by then.