Finally...I think I found a way...

So all the previous whining has been about suffering the effects of the treatment...being like a rat in a cage of piginterferon and ribaviron. The sudden crashes, the feeling sick...and the return to bed to survive the ravages. The circle was tightening around me, I canceled all my Monday and Tuesdays at work...but now, I think I've found a way.

The problem was the up and down...followed by the clouds of logical decision making while feeling internally exponentially tired and sick. It was then I started to discover that the up's and down's were based on energy depletion and lack of readily available reserves. Having a well rounded meal solved the problem temporarily and also started a feeling of nausea. So... here is the solution I've found.

Eat all day, small portions of good healthy food. Stay way from fat, grease, and snot that will clog you up. Stay light weight, protein rich, and limit the intake. Feeling full felt disgustingly like a grandparent farting on you. So the key is to be able to stop eating as it is to keep eating. Ice cold grapes, carrots, and other crunchy stuff...not only hits the spot..but keeps you from crashing, from going into your reserves, from going back to bed.

I struggled to get the energy right to drive to work. Once at work, I struggled to focus and keep my energy levels from crashing. Having lunch with the group forced me to eat large and centered around one meal. Then having to drive back home. Now I am balanced...headed to work with good energy and enough energy to return home.

I still can't sleep and I haven't figured that one out. But one thing I did notice recently is this... Eating small and often means you have to continue throughout the night. So keep a few carrots ready, a couple grapes, and a bottle of water. I keep it all in the kitchen so I don't disturb the wife too much.

We'll see how this goes over the long run. But I feel much more confident about the next 3 months of treatment. By the way, my tests came back on Thanksgiving and I'm at zero viral load...which means the treatment is working for me... sticking to the treatment has been the toughest part of this good news.

I also refuse to take Xanax or other drugs...for sleep or mood. I believe for one to truly enjoy life...you must embrace the rain as you would the sun.

It's been 5+ years since I've lost my teen aged crush on Angelina Jolie... Now I have a new girl...