Tidings of great joy from Ron Metcalfe ...

As I was penning the previous post, I wondered where Ron Metcalfe was in his treatment. I jumped over to his blog and discovered he finished this week! Thanks be to God! There is a sense of joy that rises within me, at times feeling on the verge of tears. I feel as if I should pick up the phone and call him -- rejoicing!

Is it possible that such a sense of community and connectedness can come from mere words across the cyberwaves? When you've journeyed with someone for nearly a year ... well, they become a great part of your own journey.

And what a blessing it's been to have journeyed with him! Ron's offered words of encouragement to many of us who are part of Hep C bloggerdom, even as he has struggled with the combo treatment's side-effects. For me personally, it's at times been a life-blood connection as his posts on Gathering Wool have occasionally come at just the right time for me.

As the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica: "We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing." (2 Thess. 1:3)
Grace and peace ...

Week 39 ...

Well, I finally let myself recalculate the remaining weeks of treatment. Lord willing, I will do my last PEGIntron shot on December 11, with the final Ribivarin dosage the evening of December 17.

I am in Week 3 of resuming treatment and, strangely enough, I would have to say the side-effects have been less than minimal; very, very slight flu-like symptoms. The edema remains about 85 percent cleared up (Dr. Scott's estimate about a week and a half ago), with a similar response on the cellulitis.

I would note, however, that the sleeplessness is pretty much non-negotiable; however, I am not convinced it is all treatment-related.

I will definitely say this: Whether it was the break in treatment, or the prednisone, I have been fairly well energized and have gotten loads of work done the past couple of weeks.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, eh? After all, my behind was dragging for months.

Grace and peace ...