Hep C Update

Great to see Anita Roddick is campaigning for greater hep C awareness and has become a patron of the Trust – not so good to discover she has the virus; nor that, in her 60s, she’s had the virus for 30 years, and already has cirrhosis. But I can’t tell you how inspirational I found some of the excerpts from her various media interviews… thank you, Anita! (and thank you, Sam, for drawing my attention to the fact the links were on the Trust website).

My personal hep C (or treatment) update is good and bad.
I’ll start with the bad, because it’s brief and I then end on a positive note!
The bloods taken before Barcelona were so low as to prompt yet another med reduction; this time the peginterferon. I missed a message from Sarah to organise collecting my meds and go for more blood-letting; necessitating an unexpected charge back from a work reconnaisance trip - from Bristol to the North Dorset coast and back (via Charterhouse in the Mendips) - to give me time to dive in my car and hurtle off to Bath…
But this week’s bloods were better, and I feel pretty good – which I can only ascribe to the joy of travel and the positive effect of gentle but stamina-testing exercise over four days (of which, at least three are usually required rest days!)
I couldn’t have managed the Barcelona jaunt without Carole, and I’m so glad I went (though I so nearly cancelled through anxiety about whether I was overstretching myself).

Staying positive is hugely enabling – but that is a real challenge to maintain while you feel like a bag of shit. I understand now Jeff’s obvious concern about my support network when we spoke on the trek about my imminent tx (I’m getting fed up writing the long version!).
Work colleagues and acquaintances who know are supportive, but unless they know quite a bit about hep C and tx, it’s difficult for them to fully understand the impact of this experience on an individual.
I understand Petra’s insistence that to get through, the Hep C Trust helpline is a lifesaver (it is - Sam’s regular reminders to give them a call if I needed to eventually motivated action there!)
My specialist nurse is lovely – knowledgeable and receptive, she doesn’t rush me. I know how busy she is, and really appreciate her time, practical advice, insight and encouragement.
I get great support from CAAAD – which includes Anne’s weekly full body acupuncture treatments (making a real difference to symptoms) and a weekly check-in with Nigel (which makes a huge difference to managing symptoms alongside life commitments and stress).

Again and again, I’m reminded that when you commit fully to something you have faith in, the universe moves to support that, as Goethe so lyrically stated. A multiplicity of connections around me to concentrate and support the healing process!

I'm very thankful for the support I've already been blessed with and continue to be given an abundance of along my life journey...

Listening to Satchmo’s ‘Wonderful World’ to close…