Hey guys, a while back I posted about my Dad and his diagnosis with Hepatitis C and Cirrhosis. I just wanted to give you a quick up date.
They did some blood work and found his viral count to be relatively low at a 100,000. It is not uncommon for people to be in the millions and still recover. They also did a liver biopsy, and found his liver to be actually quite healthy, no cirrhosis at all. This is a big relief as it shows that the hepatitis hasn't done much of any damage yet. My Dad has been entered into a program here in Tucson at the University Medical Center. It is a study and they are experimenting with different treatments. He will undergo treatment for 48 weeks, during which he has to take a lot of different meds. The program is free, which is good as his medical insurance would not cover treatment. The side effects of the treatment are similar to having the flu, but for 48 weeks. Depression is also common. He has been on the treatment for about a week now, and so far he doesn't feel as bad as he thought he would. He will probably lose a lot of weight though, which isn't good as he was already pretty skinny.
Some more good news is that my Mom has made a huge turn around and has stepped up to help him through all of this. She has been taking him to all his appointments and giving him his meds and cooking for him with organic foods to try and build his immune system up. My Mom was a RN for ten years, so she really is the best person for this. They have really be getting along well, spending the evenings together, going for walks and wathcing movies. Though they are divorced now, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up remarrying. I'm not really hoping for that, just as long as they are on good terms I am happy.
I just wanted to keep you guys updated, and it had been a little long since my first post. Thanks for you prayers and thoughts.
Matt
