It's as close to a cure as I can get ... for now

I quit counting post-treatment weeks long ago, but it doesn't mean it wasn't on my mind.

The blood to check my viral load was drawn on Feb. 5 and I received the report about a week later. I checked the numbers and determined it was in the undetectable range. Even though I was certain I was reading it right, I waited until my meeting Monday with Dr. Scott.

I was down with a cold, but determined to make the appointment.

"So, are you cured?" he asked after looking at the report.

"Well, the virus is undetectable," I replied.

He knew me well enough by now to know that I, too, knew the score. The best folks like me can hope for at this point is "virus undetectable."

"Well, your AST and ALT is in the normal range, and that's great," he said.

"I notice my bilirubin is up slightly ..."

"It's like driving 58 in a 55 mph zone," he said.

He wasn't bothered, and neither was I.

My next stop is an ultrasound. Dr. Scott noted that I haven't had one since 2000, when the Hepatitis C virus was found in my blood and this long journey started. So, March is going to be a big month for me: The 50-year-old colon check, an ultrasound and my annual physical, all in one month. It wouldn't have been this way, except that once my treatment was done, I wanted nothing to do with doctors for a while. I normally have a physical done every September, but I just didn't do it in 2006.

What can I say?

I just wanted to be ...

And so, once again I thank God for his immeasurable grace.

'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home"

Grace and peace ...