Back Home — For Now

My business trip to Virginia got extended into the following week (Valentine's week — yeh, that went over big with my wife). I spent the weekend with family, and then returned to the job site on Sunday night. I had a commitment to take my daughter to a university open house this past weekend, plus an appointment for a physical on Monday (today, as I write), so I put my foot down. I had to be in the air going home on Thursday and would not be returning until late this week (the week of February 18), or better, next week. I hope to push the trip out to next week. I have what I need to get started, and all the standing in security checkpoint lines and riding airplanes is time poorly spent.

Medically, I think I'm doing well. This physical today will tell the tale. I've mentioned a few lingering side-effects with how much I think I've recovered. The Recovery percentages are compared with how I felt before treatment. Purely subjective, but perhaps useful for comparison.

• The Itch
  An annoyance. This is actually a recovery from a recovery symptom. I'm taking an anti-histamine (Claritin). When I back off the anti-histamine, the itch starts again. Even with Claritin, I get bumps similar to mosquito bites that come to a head and leave little sore — much like a mosquito bite that's been scratched. I also have gotten a few mild canker sores in my mouth (never more than one at a time, and never especially bad), which I suspect are also related. I never had any significant skin issues on treatment, so this all came as a bit of a surprise. Recovery: 50%
  
  
• Hair
  I don't know whether the nails and hair issues stem from interferon or ribavirin. Since it takes a while for the drugs to go away, and then for the hair and nails to grow out, it's not surprising that these side-effects linger. The strange effects on my hair are definitely present — it's all thin and wispy. But my wife and kids swear that the hair on my head is getting darker. I've read other reports of being able to see new hair with a different texture coming in. I haven't seen that yet, except for my beard which is definitely changing. My would-be mustache is darkening and getting more coarse and the dark whiskers seem to be spreading. It's like puberty all over again. Recovery: 10%
  
  
• Nails
  My fingernails started getting thin and brittle several months into treatment. I just learned that fingernails grow at about 0.1 mm per day, or a centimeter in 100 days. So it will take about three months after the drugs work out of my system for fresh nails to grow in. Again, an annoyance. I have to keep them cut short as they tend to split and the split can work its way down into the quick. Recovery: 0%
  
  
• Brain Fog
  I'm a reasonably bright guy, but I've always been easily distracted and not terribly disciplined. I'm still dealing with that. On treatment I had a very difficult time focusing. I'm still having some of that. Case in point: I'm playing with my blog and really need to get back to reviewing a proposed solution that our enthusiastic sales team has concocted. But that's boring and not nearly as fascinating as my treatment adventure. Recovery: 80%
  
  
• Fatigue
  I think the main issue here is my bad habit of not sleeping enough (five to six hours per night) coupled with a sedentary lifestyle for the past year. One thing I've learned is to nap, however that's been tough while I've been on a Death March travel schedule. Toward the end of the day, I find myself fading and not paying attention well. Recovery: 75%
  
  
• Mood
  I went off my anti-depressant at the same time that I quit the rest of the medication. I was on a pretty light dose anyway. My family says I'm more fun to be with. I certainly do better in social situations. I no longer tear up at the slightest provocation, which is a relief, although I think I'm still a little more emotionally sensitive than I was at the start. I also think that being in a better mood, I may be more creative and more willing to explore possibilities. Recovery: 90%
  
  
• Sleep
  I still have trouble falling asleep. That's normal for me — I tend to ruminate when I go to bed and it's often difficult for me to fall asleep unless I'm dog tired. That has been a fact of life for me for years. Where I've gained some ground is that I'm more willing to take a nap during the day. I'm more aware of performance falling off. If I'm able, I take up a prone position on the couch. If not, I at least shut up, as I sometimes get kind of manic when I get tired. Recovery: 100% Plus
  
  
• Diet and Appetite
  My diet was pretty good going into this adventure and it hasn't changed significantly. What has changed is that the metallic taste has disappeared and I no longer have to force lunch down. That's a relief. I do seem to have a bit more of a sweet-tooth than I had previously, and I don't crave fruit like I did while I was on treatment. That's bothersome, particularly having a suddenly heavy travel schedule. At the very least I need to be aware. Recovery: 85%
  
  
• Exercise
  Not enough! But I'm certainly more capable of exercise than I was back in December and January. I can get on an elliptical trainer and get my heart rate up to 185 or 190 in about 15 minutes and keep it up for a half-hour. I haven't started running yet. I expect to get clearance to run today. I have an appointment for a physical today that should include things like an EKG and probably a pulmonary function tests. Recovery: 75%
  
  
• Aches and pains
  Adding this later. I had nearly forgotten it until I took my daily dose of ibuprofen or acetaminophen. I rarely took either prior to treatment. It isn't bad, but it's definitely there. Joint pain, headache, undefined discomfort that goes away as the analgesic kicks in. Like virtually everything else, I'm not miserable. But I know I'm not all the way back. Recovery: 75%
  
  

So that's where I am as of February 19. I was fortunate to have mostly moderate side-effects all the way through treatment and feel like I'm being blessed with an easy recovery period.

If you're interested enough in this sort of thing to read this far, then you must be dealing with treatment in one fashion or another. Hang in there. There is an end to it, and even if treatment doesn't kill the bug, there are long-term benefits to giving the liver a chance to heal. The fact is that we're all going to die. Winning in this case is defined as not dying of liver failure caused by Hepatitis C. A knockout is cool, where the treatment kills the virus, but it's also possible to win on points. Many people die with the virus but not from it. Thar's a win as well and treatment improves the odds.