Cured

I just took a look at the postings I had done labeled, "Hepatitis C" and realized that none of them told you that my last treatment had been completely successful. I am cured of Hepatitis C...I don't have it anymore!

The Curtains Open For Awhile

You can't imagine how hard it is to deal with having anxiety problems on top of being Bipolar. Several months ago my medicines started to gradually help me less and less. The last several weeks have been the worst. Don't get me wrong, every now and then the curtains part and I have a good day or two, but then they close again and I'm back to my funk. Today is Monday and it's the first day I've actually left my apartment and gone outside since Thursday evening. I was in my funk most of the day but for some reason about 5:00 the curtains drew open and I've been able to do a few things. I decided I would catch up my journal posts on here while it lasts.

Tomorrow will be my 13th week doing the Hepatitis C treatment with the Ribavirin, Olysio, and Sovaldi. I reached the half-way point last week and had a viral count done. The results showed that the virus is still undetectable and all my other blood work looked good. I still get fatigued and have headaches but I can handle that.

I had been having really bad chest pains when I tried to walk anywhere and even sometimes at rest but finally realized that it was due to my heavy smoking. I tried to use nicotine patches to quit but failed miserably with them. A good friend of mine suggested that I get an electronic hookah that burns flavored oils that contain varying amounts of nicotine and you "smoke" vapor instead of actual paper and tobacco smoke (as well as all the chemicals they put in cigarettes). So I'm using one of those now and I love it. My chest has already started to heal up and feel better. I really think this is so much healthier for me. I'll be able to gradually cut down on the amount of nicotine in the flavors I'm using. Right now I'm "vapeing" a combination of vanilla and smooth tobacco. I plan on getting some cappuccino and caramel flavors next.

I've been working on a script of sorts to use to cast the first circle I've done in a long time on the night of the new moon the 29th....there's a solar eclipse the same day...anyway, I have some pretty cool intentions I want to incorporate into my ceremony. I'm calling this my medicine wheel circle and it's based on ideas I got from The Four Winds Society website. After creating my sacred space I am going to face each corresponding direction and recite the following:

North

Earth

Wisdom

Just as the hummingbird makes the seemingly impossible migration from Canada all the way to Brazil, I too will embark on the epic mythic journey when Spirit calls. Although I don’t know where I’m going or how I’ll get there, I will learn how to follow my soul’s guidance to the flowers with the sweetest nectar to sustain me on my way. I will step outside of linear time and into sacred time in the infinite to heal my past and chart my destiny. I will assume the role of author of my own story and I will burn all my limiting roles so that I can be fully available when Spirit calls

East

Air

Benevolence

Just like an eagle, I will spread my wings and soar high above the world. I will forget the minute details of my life and my old identifications, and I will let myself see everything from a greater perspective. I will come to know that everything that appears to be outside of me in life is really inside of me. I will learn how to own my projections so that I can come into a proper relationship with them and create the world of my dreams. I will learn how to identify and close the “back doors” in my life, which siphon my vital life force and prevent me from making my dreams reality.   

South

Fire

Appropriate Behavior

In the same way that a snake sheds its skin, I will shed the stories that bind me to my painful past and prevent me from stepping into a bright future. I will come into a proper relationship with who I have been, who I am, and who I am becoming. I will create the world I desire. I will visualize luminous bands of protection in my energy field which will allow me to be more present and available for life, instead of wasting my energy trying to hide in fear from a terrifying world. I will follow, trust, and effectively use my intuition as a valuable tool in navigating through the world.

West

Water

Justice

Just as the jaguar has no predators in the jungle, I will learn to have no enemies in this world or beyond. I will leave behind the traditional archetype of the violent warrior and step into the way of the luminous warrior, who speaks only truth, walks truth, and calls truth. I will break free from the grip of fear. I will explore inherited ancestral and karmic patterns that propel me toward my destiny. I will come into right relation with these patterns and I will honor the gifts of my ancestors, so that I can set them free and empower myself to create the world of my dreams.

I guess that's all I had to share for now guys....let's hope the curtains on the stage my life is performed on stay open for awhile this time.

Enjoy life!  

Getting Caught Up

I've just past the nine week point in my Hepatitis C treatment and I'm still undetectable. My hemoglobin has started to drop though. I am extremely winded all the time....even to the point of my chest burning when I try to exert myself....and the fatigue is unreal. I have to go back in on April 1st to have it checked again. The nurse told me that if it has continued to drop then we'll have to take steps to pull it back up.

I'm trying to think of what else has happened that I can tell you about. There really hasn't been too much going on. I've continued my Chakra and Yoga Theory studies. I spent one afternoon meditating on activating my pineal gland and imagining a Divine light shining down from Sahasrara to the gland and managed to give myself chills...(was that a good thing???).

I pulled out an old notebook of Russian Orthodox prayers one day and spent the evening and the next day going through them and missing the Church. I even decided that since my birthday this month fell on a Sunday, I would go to Vigil on Saturday night, make a confession, and hopefully receive Communion on my birthday. I went online to my old parish's website to check service times and found out that they have a new Priest now. That, coupled with the fact that it's the beginning of Lent and Saturday night's service would be full of prostrations, made me change my mind. Besides, I suppose it's best to let sleeping dogs lie. I've found a nice comfortable understanding within myself that explains my seemingly conflicting religious beliefs. I don't need to stir things back up. I remembered that I had a picture of my Prayer Corner or as I like to call it, "My Center For Spiritual Awareness," I had to hunt for a minute but I'm going to include it here. This was taken a year and two months ago and I have quite a few more icons and things on it now but here it is...

I might as well show you some of the other pictures. Things haven't changed too awfully much since these were taken. As you can see, I like to leave my windows without curtains. I like the open and spacious feeling it gives me. I live on the 6th floor so I really don't have to worry about anyone seeing in until after the sun goes down and I simply lower my shades after dark.

I guess that's about it for now....

Enjoy Life!

A Quick Update

Let's see...where should I start? I guess the most important news is how my Hepatitis C treatment is going. It's been a few days past the four week point and so far I've not had any really bad side effects. Nothing that I can't handle anyway. The main thing is the fact that when I had a viral count done at the two week point I had already cleared the virus! I had another viral count done yesterday so we'll see if it's still undetectable. If I am still undetectable after nine months it will mean that I have gotten rid of the virus... The new boyfriend I wrote about in some of my last journal posts turned out to be a big looser user and I think that's all I want to say about all that madness...I have a really cute young hippy boy sleeping next to me right now, but he comes and goes with the wind and nothing could ever come of it. He's bi-sexual leaning more toward being with women. A fun distraction though...I'll write more later guys...

Enjoy life!

Day One

Today is the first day of my new treatment to rid me of the Hepatitis C virus that has plagued me for so long. My doctor's appointment is at  9:30, They want me to take my first doses there in the office with them for some reason. I have been through one treatment course already which failed, but I feel confident that this time it will be successful. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself... I guess I should have said I have high hopes. We'll be using the drug Ribavirin along with the latest drugs Sovoldi and Olysio.

I'm a little scared because I don't know how the new drugs are going to affect me. I've been told the side-effects this time will be less severe. We'll see...I had wanted to go do a bit of shopping after I started, but I'm afraid that I will get out and shit on myself while on the bus or something. Anyway, if you're reading this, say some prayers for me, light a candle, send me some light and love for courage and strength...

Enjoy life!

Were You Born Between 1945 And 1965?

If you were have you been tested for Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a liver disease that results from infection

with the Hepatitis C virus. The disease can cause serious

health problems including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver

cancer and even death. In fact, Hepatitis C is a leading

cause of liver cancer and the leading cause of liver transplants.

People with Hepatitis C:

• Often have no symptoms

• Can live with an infection for decades without

feeling sick

• Can be successfully treated with medications

Why should baby boomers get tested 

for Hepatitis C?

More than 75% of adults with Hepatitis C are baby boomers.

Baby boomers are people born from 1945 through 1965.

Most of them don’t know they are infected.

• Baby boomers are five times more likely to be infected

with Hepatitis C.

• Liver disease, liver cancer, and deaths from Hepatitis C

are on the rise.

• As baby boomers age, there is a greater chance that

they will develop serious, life-threatening liver

disease from Hepatitis C.

• Testing people in this generation will help them learn

if they are infected and get them into lifesaving care

and treatment.

• Early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent liver

damage, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer.

Why do baby boomers have such high 

rates of Hepatitis C?

The reason that baby boomers have the highest rates of

Hepatitis C is not completely understood. Most boomers

are believed to have become infected in the 1970s and

1980s when rates of Hepatitis C were the highest. Since

chronic Hepatitis C can go unnoticed for up to several

decades, baby boomers could be living with an infection

that occurred many years ago.

Hepatitis C is primarily spread through contact with

blood from an infected person. Many baby boomers could

have gotten infected from contaminated blood and

blood products before widespread screening of the blood

supply began in 1992 and universal precautions were

adopted. Others may have become infected from

injecting drugs, even if only once in the past. Still,

many baby boomers do not know how or when they

were infected. 

What should baby boomers know 

about Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is a liver disease that results from infection

with the Hepatitis C virus. The disease can cause serious

health problems including liver damage, cirrhosis, liver

cancer and even death. In fact, Hepatitis C is a leading

cause of liver cancer and the leading cause of liver transplants.

People with Hepatitis C:

• Often have no symptoms

• Can live with an infection for decades without

feeling sick

• Can be successfully treated with medications

CDC now recommends that 

anyone born from 1945 through 

1965 get tested for Hepatitis C. 

Is there a test for Hepatitis C? 

Yes. There is a simple blood test to determine if a person 

has ever been infected with the Hepatitis C virus. 

 

Hepatitis C is not easily transmitted through sexual contact.