It's done!

Last night I injected the last of 48 Pegasys syringes. A call to the doc the previous day yielded orders to stop everything after that last jab. No more ribavirin, no more Procrit, no Neupogen. Still got 3 Neups left in the fridge, but I took the last Procrit the day before. Tonight my cell phone alarm went off to remind me that I'm not taking any ribavirin pills. Cheering from the kids. I'm done with this part. I have a Cohiba cigar that I've been saving for a special occasion. This qualifies, although it will probably make me sick. Just as well. I don't need to get into a cigar habit.

Today feels much like any other post-shot day. Foggy, tired, a little down emotionally, and an incessant, accursed roaring and ringing in my ears. I'm long-used to some ringing, having tinnitus from a lack of ear protection in my immortal youth, but this is getting to be a bother. What's especially annoying is the low-frequency roaring that goes in time with my pulse. But that's okay.... This too shall pass.

We're going up to central Arizona to see friends for Christmas tomorrow. She has ovarian cancer that's come back after six months of brutal chemo and a year of remission. She showed up sick the year before my virus kicked up. Certainly does place things in perspective.

Now starts the wait. I'll go in sometime next week for a viral load test (PCR), and again in June. That's the one that counts.

To all who read this, be well. Be grateful. Be strong. Hold your loved ones close. If you're contemplating treatment or fighting the bug, know that there's an end to it. I may have done harder things than this treatment, but I can't think of one.