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Michael
I was in my prime when I was diagnosed with HCV. Never did figure out where I got it, but I guess that doesn’t really matter. At the time, I was busy making headway into my career and kind of ignored my HCV. I guess I hoped it would just go away.
Last year, HCV started to make me pretty sick. I went to my doctor, and he did some tests that showed my liver wasn’t functioning very well. He told me it was time to start treatment, or I was at serious risk for liver failure.
Thing was, I didn’t feel so hot. I told my doctor I wanted to wait until I felt more myself. ‘Mike,’ he said, ‘this might be the strongest you’ll be without treatment.’
That was a wakeup call. He was right, of course. So I started treatment that week, almost 6 months ago. My doctor warned me that treatments could make me feel under the weather. The bad news is he was right—there were times I felt just awful—down and defeated. But the good news was I had a whole team helping me, not just my doctor, and they helped me to manage the side effects. They’re better now, and I’ve learned a thing or two about managing them myself.
The best news of all is, after 6 months, my viral count is as low as it’s ever been, and my liver is functioning well. The doctor thinks I have a real shot at beating this thing, and I’m excited. It has been a long, tough road, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
