Ron Metcalfe's been taking a break ... and so have I
I was playing around, googling my name, and came across an old post from my British friend Ron Metcalfe.
Ron started the Hepatitis C forum that was a great source of comfort and information during the days when I was undergoing treatment -- and I will be forever thankful for his companionship on the journey. So, I headed over to his Web site and saw his post Taking a Break. I read it, and again I don't feel so all alone.
Ron's been taking a break from posting about his Hep C journey; I knew I had, and figured I was all alone in not knowing what else to say. It again was a comfort to know I was not alone in this part of the experience.
As I shared with Ron, I had a viral load done last week and am waiting on the results — actually, not really “waiting” in the same manner as I did so many times before. I have tested negative at least twice now. (It's great not to remember how many times!)
Like Ron said, Hep C rarely crosses my mind; however, I occasionally have a strange experience. It's an experience where my immediate thoughts are elsewhere, but my senses quickly respond.
For instance, there are some eyeglass wipes that I use every once in a while to clean my glasses. This past weekend, I tore open a pack, pulled out the wipe and it registered a familiar smell: the alcohol swabs I used to prep my injection area before a shot of Neupogen or PEG-Intron.
Every once in a while this summer, while wearing shorts, I'll absent-mindedly rub the areas I used as injection sites on my thighs. During treatment, they were even more bald than my head; now, they have hair. Still, lest I forget, there is the scar near the inside of my right knee where the largest of the knots (the previously unknown side-effect known as Erythema Nodosum) was biopsied.
I have felt guilty at times for not being part of the Hepatitis C Forum. Like posting on this blog, as well as The Pastor's Buzz, it's partly a lack of time. I must confess, with the Hep C Forum, it's also something of what Ron noted: I'm taking a well-deserved break from Hep C.
Even when you test negative, you are well aware that there is no known cure. In the back of your mind, you know it can surface with the next test. Who can take for granted testing negative for something that only a year ago consumed my life?
So, for now, I will enjoy the "undetectable" status, and every once in a while check in on my friend Ron .. and Paul ... and Martin ... and the many others with whom I have journeyed ... and still journey with, even from afar.
In the meantime, I am hard at work at the newspaper, as well as the church, and am enjoying life with my family.
Thanks be to God!
Grace and peace ...
Ron started the Hepatitis C forum that was a great source of comfort and information during the days when I was undergoing treatment -- and I will be forever thankful for his companionship on the journey. So, I headed over to his Web site and saw his post Taking a Break. I read it, and again I don't feel so all alone.
Ron's been taking a break from posting about his Hep C journey; I knew I had, and figured I was all alone in not knowing what else to say. It again was a comfort to know I was not alone in this part of the experience.
As I shared with Ron, I had a viral load done last week and am waiting on the results — actually, not really “waiting” in the same manner as I did so many times before. I have tested negative at least twice now. (It's great not to remember how many times!)
Like Ron said, Hep C rarely crosses my mind; however, I occasionally have a strange experience. It's an experience where my immediate thoughts are elsewhere, but my senses quickly respond.
For instance, there are some eyeglass wipes that I use every once in a while to clean my glasses. This past weekend, I tore open a pack, pulled out the wipe and it registered a familiar smell: the alcohol swabs I used to prep my injection area before a shot of Neupogen or PEG-Intron.
Every once in a while this summer, while wearing shorts, I'll absent-mindedly rub the areas I used as injection sites on my thighs. During treatment, they were even more bald than my head; now, they have hair. Still, lest I forget, there is the scar near the inside of my right knee where the largest of the knots (the previously unknown side-effect known as Erythema Nodosum) was biopsied.
I have felt guilty at times for not being part of the Hepatitis C Forum. Like posting on this blog, as well as The Pastor's Buzz, it's partly a lack of time. I must confess, with the Hep C Forum, it's also something of what Ron noted: I'm taking a well-deserved break from Hep C.
Even when you test negative, you are well aware that there is no known cure. In the back of your mind, you know it can surface with the next test. Who can take for granted testing negative for something that only a year ago consumed my life?
So, for now, I will enjoy the "undetectable" status, and every once in a while check in on my friend Ron .. and Paul ... and Martin ... and the many others with whom I have journeyed ... and still journey with, even from afar.
In the meantime, I am hard at work at the newspaper, as well as the church, and am enjoying life with my family.
Thanks be to God!
Grace and peace ...
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