Friday, July 13, 2012

15 weeks, 6 Days - What A Relief!

  • Feeling better!
    Oh my goodness!  Who knew being off one drug would make such a huge difference!  I do remember the doctor and nurse telling me that telaprevir is a very harsh drug.  Wow.  I really didn't "get" the impact of that statement until I got off of it.  What a difference a pill makes!

  • When I rest, I'm more rested!
    This is definitely a relief.  During weeks 6-12, especially, rest did not equal relaxation.  Rest equalled not enough rest. Now, when I take a break, sit down, or put my feet up for a little while, I actually feel rejuvenated and motivated to get back up again and go.

  • Still not as sharp - forgetting words and train of thought more often.
    Yeah...this hasn't let up that much.  It's not as bad as when I was on telaprevir, but I can feel it accumulating.  On telaprevir, when I lost my train of thought, nothing could get it back on track - not even when a friend remembers exactly what I just said.  It was kinda humorous - kinda... Now, I still lose my thoughts, but with some help, they have a chance of returning - sometimes hours later, though... (I just laugh at it. What else can I do?)

  • Light and sound sensitivity is diminishing! Yeah!
    I didn't need to where my sunglasses at church Sunday!  The spotlights didn't bother me - not one it! I was so happy about that!

  • Should I workout again?
    I think about that a lot, especially as I watch my muscles go to mush.  I hadn't started back yet but hope to very soon.  I'm much, much more active though.  If I need to go to the store, I have the energy to go!  This week, we had a family date night BBQ at our friends' home, went bowling the next night, and dinner the next.  Now, I'm extremely exhausted but still have the mental capacity to "do work." To be active.  And it feels GRRREAT!!

  • No more morning dry mouth, no more dry eyes!
    This was a side effect I may not have reported early but was a common recurrence the first 12 weeks.  Since then, I've had no issues, and it's the hottest time of year!  I do my best to stay hydrated and always keep a liter of water at my bedside at night.  So I can definitely day the telaprevir was the culprit of my dry mouth and eyes.  It's nice to be able to wake up and be able to open my eyes in the morning, without making myself tear-up first.  :)

Well, I'm off to my "16 week" Mayo Clinic checkup.  I get my blood drawn to test my basic CBCs (complete blood counts) and for viral load.  Am I still undetectable?  I'm confident I am, but I'm glad they check every 4 weeks.  I love Mayo Clinic and it's staff.  They take good care of me.

Take care!
Shellie


Living in fear is working hard not to lose in the end. Living by faith is knowing I will win in the end. A faithful life is a free one. A fearful life is a defeated one. - Me

4 comments:

  1. As always I am AMAZED at how our Father works!! so Blessed for these updates and to see how He is working in your life - I love you

    ReplyDelete
  2. I see nothing in her post that says anything about father.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Shelly, it was so great running into you at Amazing Jakes! Thanks for sharing with me what you are going through...I am confident God will use you in BIG way through this because you are so AVAILABLE to His plan. Praying for you, and excited to follow your blog :-) Hugs, Karen (BSF)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Shellie,

    I am so happy to read you are finished with the teleprevir!!! Your journey and your strength through the journey have been amazing. You havea story that will hopefully encourage many to attack the beast that is HepC. May the rest of your journey be swift. Hope you are feeling better and better each day!!

    ReplyDelete