Hi all

Been lurking here for months and months and the brain fog has cleared
enough (thanks to the epogen) to figure out how to join in and post. I
have to say great thanks to all of you who particpate, it has been so
informative and helpful. Got most of my best info right here thanks to
all of you! :)

Age: 53
Diagnosed Nov 05, much to MY shock
Type: 1a
Viral load  prior to treatment : 1.2 mil/3.6 mill depending on which
measure you use
Liver enzymes were elevated but not extremely - back to normal range
within 3 weeks of starting treatment
Liver Biopsy: fibrosis Stage 3 (oh boy, more surprises!)
Pegasys-alpha 1a, 180 units a week
Ribavirin 1200/day
Citalopram 40 mg/day
Epogen shots once a week
Ativan for inability to sleep anymore

Liver enzymes back to mid normal ranges within three weeks of starting
treatment
Undetectable at 12 weeks and ever since so far

Serious low blood counts sunk in real fast and continued
                                 Currently    Normal Range
WBC    6.3  --->   1.9    --->   2.10        4.2 - 10.0 K/ul
RBC    4.29 --->    2.32  --->   2.76        4.2 - 5.4 M/ul
HGB    15   --->    7.8    --->   9.9        12.0 - 16.0 g/dl
HCT    44.1 --->    24.5   --->    33         36 - 48
PLTS    220  --->    86.8   --->   136        140 - 440

So the weekly epogen shots with their Elephant Needles that I started a
couple of months ago has helped bring things up a bit, tho still not
near norms.
No problem with thyroid either. I have to get bloodwork every two weeks
because of the low blood counts. Boy I'm sick of needles!

Wow been a long year! But only eight weeks to go. At this point I have
lost a total of 35 pounds, and about half of my hair, which keeps me
entertained thinking up "Creative, Fun, and sometimes Downright Wicked
things to do with little red hair balls,,,,Only took one package of
hair color to do my hair last weekend and THAT was a first - it always
took 2!

I don't have any wild and crazy items to add to what treatment is
like, that probably hasn't already been said 100 times -  I have
managed to keep working thru all of this, but I'm one of the "lucky
ones", since all I have to do is sit at a computer and wiggle my
fingers ;) Being on my feet is still tough. I'd rather sit. I'd PREFER
lying down.

And THAT is pretty much ALL I have done for the last 8 months - sigh!
And mindless computer games, haha!  I will be completing treatment at
Thanksgiving, and hopefully my Xmas present this year will be that I am
starting to feel human again, the part I an REALLY looking forward to!

So folks, I'll be around and checking in along with the rest of you -
Hey Russ, I lived in Kodiak in the 70's when Terror Bay was just a wink
of a thought in the planning stage - like your pix on your website.

One Day At a Time, One Foot in Front of the Other. The only thing I
have to finish by tonight is today. And this is IT for today

~dBo