Working on week 24 post treatment

This is not a whining post. This is a post to keep track of how I feel 24 weeks past treatment.

I still get the infamous “non existent” liver ache. Yesterday it was noticeable and the throb was vague to OUCH a good part of the day. This throb is not consistently there day in and day out, but it’s there and always in the background of my recovery days.

I struggle with my joints and I am not as spry as I was prior to tx. My knees seem to be the worst only because I need them the most. I struggle with mobility and every action I make I notice a bone ache somewhere within the action. If I inadvertently tap a joint (knuckle, elbow) the ache will throb with the minor touch to the joint. Opening a new jar of goodies is excruciating as my wrists only have so much mobility until the pain sets in to let me know who’s in control.

I struggle to get myself up out of a chair. Getting up off the floor is a major struggle and something I can barely do if I don’t have help. My legs and hips do not have the strength recovery to support my body weight so I know I’m not ready for any structured exercise. I just don’t get up out of a chair gracefully.

I was taking Tylenol every morning to get going and since I have started a new vitamin plan suggested by KK on the forum I have noticed an improvement. It’s not gone, but I do not take the Tylenol in the morning as the extreme stiffness works itself out through the morning.

I try to be proactive with moving and digging into daily work and procedure, but it’s slow going with recovery regarding the joint pain. I do wonder if I’ll ever get back to being my old self.

Contacted the nurse practitioner through email several weeks ago and she indicated that my joint pain was not normal and to contact my doc. Blood tests were done the 19th week of tx and I am happy to have received the results that I don’t have rheumatoid arthritis. I am thankful.

My ALT was 17 and my AST was 33. I cannot read too much into it as I didn’t have high readings prior to tx. However, they were much higher than this (my ALTs seemed to run high 30’s and my AST was around 58 to 108)

My thyroid is on the edge of being high 5.05, but I am hopeful that it will level out as the month’s progress. I did gain back all my weight and I do look healthy compared to what I looked like last year this time. However, this might explain my lack of energy and endurance. I am good, but I should be much better 24 weeks post tx.

White blood cells are still a tad low 3.7 and I am hopeful this won’t be an issue when the swine flu makes its second and third waves of destruction.

I am currently reducing my antidepressant, citalopram. I am taking .5 mg a night and I seem to be getting along very well on this dose. I have been blessed with an increased tinnitus and the howl/buzz is louder than ever. I do hope it's from the decrease in anti-d.

I am also taking ¼ of a sleeping pill which does the trick. I’ll wean off them once I wean of the citalopram. I’ll continue on this dose of citalopram until I get the results of my six months post tx PCR. If I don’t clear, I’ll probably have to stay on it for a longer period of time.

Ironically, I should be going for my six month post PCR this morning before 9 a.m. (Smallville hospital rules) and for some reason I’m not going. I have it planned for next Wednesday morning July 29. Somehow I think that it gives me control of the unknown for another week. Once I “give up” the blood it’s all in someone else’s hands.