HCV Treatment update – things to be thankful for

HCVposter.jpgI just wrote this post on an excellent support group forum I found and made friends at HCVSupport – I thought I would share it with my blog readers:

Sorry all for abandoning you. I have really struggled with this TX and did not want to say anything about it for I had nothing good to say. BUT I thought about it and I do have much to be thankful for. First, being able to even get the treatment. Second, it is working – undetectable at week 4, 8 and 24 so far. Thankful that I have a great wife and family (8 kids) that have really helped me along the way so far. Thankful for my friends that give me the “space” I need at this time. Thankful for my boss at work (he is my pastor too as I work for a church) in being 100% totally understanding about my struggles with this tx. He spoke with some people he knew who did bad on the tx and who it failed for, so he knows. I have been to work only one day or so a week since being on treatment. I get much of my duties done from home on the computer.

Thankful I was able to get to Niagara Falls last week for two days with the family – see my blog post on the adventure:
http://frankbroughton.us/blog/archives/467

Tomorrow will be my 33rd injection, so only 15 weeks to go after that. After week 24 my hemoglobin was low (10.4) for too long so my doctor cut back the ribaviron. It went up (11.1) by the next month but not enough. He cut back the ribaviron once again. It went up to 11.6 but wants it up to at least 12.5. I get some blood work done tomorrow so we will see if the second cutback has worked.

My last day of the ribaviron will be on Christmas day. So looking forward to that. It has been a long road so far with some very bad days along the way and many sleepless nights. There are days when I feel lousy but I am able to pretend that I am not – the days when I cannot even pretend I feel good are killer.

Thank you to the numerous members here who sent me words of encouragement though PM’s! I just answered a bunch of them.

I will add here I too am thankful for all of you who have mentioned to me that you are praying for my treatment and health. I do appreciate it very much. A couple of my aunts have been a great encouragement to me to keep going. They both have had close family members on the same TX, so they know of the ordeal.

Christmas day! What a day that will be if the Lord wills! and then I would turn 50 on January 9! I think I just might shoot off some fireworks in celebration. A word of caution: I have not succeeded yet in this treatment there is a percentage chance the virus can come back – but God is good and He knows of my uprisings and downsitting, knows the amount hairs on my head (getting easier to count these days haha) so He is in charge of my life.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas all. Remember Jesus, he is why we have hope!

The Christmas Gift
by Vicki Porter

It should have been a palace
Where the Blessed Baby lay,
In a cradle’s warmth and comfort-
Not a manger filled with hay,

For He was Himself Creator
Of the heavens and the earth,
But He’d left His Throne of Glory
For a lowly, earthly birth.

There was nothing made He had not made
But most incomprehensively,
He had laid aside His Royal Crown
To save lost humanity!

He knew rejection from the world
When His life had just begun,
For no comfort, warmth, or shelter
Were offered God’s Own Son.

And in His earthly ministry
He received few men’s esteem
Although He’d come to heal and help
and a fallen world redeem.

The Scriptures tell us He was rich,
But became, for our sakes, poor-
That we, through grace, might be rich-
And could enter Heaven’s Door.

Yes, it should have been a palace
Where the Blessed Baby lay
But salvation’s gift was humbly brought
To a manger filled with hay.

Inspirational Song Lyrics: “When We See Christ”

When We See Christ
(It will be worth it all)

Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear,
We’re tempted to complain, to murmur and despair;
But Christ will soon appear to catch His Bride away,
All tears forever over in God’s eternal day.

Sometimes the sky looks dark with not a ray of light,
We’re tossed and driven on , no human help in sight;
But there is one in heav’n who knows our deepest care,
Let Jesus solve your problem – just go to Him in pray’r.

Life’s day will soon be o’er, all storms forever past,
We’ll cross the great divide, to glory, safe at last;
We’ll share the joys of heav’n – a harp, a home, a crown,
The tempter will be banished, we’ll lay our burden down.

Chorus
It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

How Great Thou Art

SK Hine brought to America a hymn that was the final result of almost seventy years of literary activity, involving several different writers and translators. In 1885 or 1886 Rev. Carl Boberg, a Swedish preacher, wrote the hymn, O Store Gud, (O Great God). In 1907 it was translated into German, and in 1912 into Russian. In 1927, the English missionaries Hine found it and stated using it in their ministry in the Ukraine. When W.W.II broke out Hine brought the English translation of the hymn with him to England and added a fourth stanza. He added the fourth stanza just after W.W.II, when many refugees from eastern Europe were streaming into England. The refugees were always asking, “When are we going home?” In the day we reach our heavenly home will we proclaim, with the hymn,”My God, How Great Thou Art.”

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”

Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!