Update

[Guest guest]

I'm getting close to being done with the Peginterferon and Ribavirin treatment

for the Hepatitis C. I have 14 weeks to go. As I've told you all before, I was

undetectable after only 6 days on treatment. The lab has been doing the viral

load test that only goes down to 50, though, so they weren't totally sure that I

was completely undetectable. My post transplant coordinator has been trying to

get my local lab to do a different test that can tell if there is any virus left

in the blood or not, but they were always too confused and didn't understand

that it was a different test. They finally took the test last Monday, and I got

the results today. There isn't any Hep C virus detectable in my blood at all.

Yay! Hopefully, it will stay that way when I stop treatment, and especially six

months after I stop. The farther out from treatment being undetectable, the

better chance there is that it won't come back.

I still get the shot of Aranesp every week to keep my red blood cell counts up,

and since they lowered my dose of Ribavirin, my counts have gradually gone up

enough so I'm not as tired or out of breath. They are starting to fall a bit

again, but we'll see how they are next week. At least I haven't had to get

anymore blood transfusions, and I should be able to get through the last few

weeks I have left without another one. In 14 weeks when I'm done, I will still

have to take the Ribavirin for a while since I'm on such a low dose, and I will

have to continue to get the shots of Aranesp until I stop taking the pills, but

I'll be done with the Peginterferon injections. The injections I don't mind

since they have never given me any trouble, except when the needles were hard to

get through the skin there for a while. Actually, every time I give myself the

shot, it makes me feel better, healthier, stronger.

My new liver is doing great, thank goodness. It's been 1 year and 7-1/2 months

since my transplant. I'm amazed every time I see my AST and ALT in the normal

range in the 20's, which it has been for a while now, but it just amazes me when

I see it since mine were always so high for years before my transplant.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Penny