Living With Hepatitis C, Day 1

We found out in February of 2007 that my husband might have been exposed to Hepatitis C.  Within a month, blood tests confirmed that he does have the virus in his blood.  We will never know how he got it, but we do have to find ways to live with it. 

He is living with Hep C, not dying from it.

We were lucky to find out he had before any damage had been done to his liver--he wasn't showing any symptoms at all, thankfully.  I began a journal on his first day of treatment.  This is day one.

Friday, April 23, 2007

Today is day one of Mike's treatment.  I went with him to his doctor.  He wanted me to learn how to give him his weekly shot.  The treatment involves a weekly injection of Interferon and twice daily pills of Ribavirin . 

You should have seen the look on his face when the doctor said he needs to give himself the shot--nobody else can do it for him.  He did really well when it came time to do it.  He seemed pretty tense while giving himself the shot: his face was a purplish-red color.  Afterward, he said it didn't hurt at all, but I still don't think he remembered to breathe until he pulled the needle out.

He has to alternate between different spots on his abdomen and thighs every week.  He also started the pills today: twice a day with a meal.

I was hoping he would suffer only mild side effects, but they started in on him this afternoon.  He started ahving hot and cold flashes, a headache, and couldn't stop shivering.

Tonight, he had a fever and felt achy all over .  It's like he has the flu.  He slept on the couch for most of the evening.

At one poing, he felt so bad that he just wanted to hold my hand.  I sat next to him, listening to him making small moaning sounds, wishing I could make him feel better.  It was hard to watch, but we are hoping the first time he takes it will be the worst when it comes to side effects.   I really hope he doesn't have to go through this every day!

While it is awful to see him in pain, it feels good to know that he's started the treatment.  We are fighting this virus.

For more information on hep c, check out what the CDC says: Hepatitis C FAQ