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Hi Lloyd,
As you
suggested I called the lab regarding my viral load blood work.
They gave me the correct prescription:
[
NGI HCV Superquant, If greater than 5 million do REFLEX 1:10
Dilution ].
I am hoping
now after 6 months to finally get an exact number. I literally
had a verbal fight with my doctor on the phone to get him
to order it for me.
I just
don't understand his rational, I mean wouldn't it be better
to have a base line? All he keeps talking about is biopsy
and Rebetron treatment. I'm
Type 1a, ALT at 14, and viral load greater than 2,000,000
UL/ml.
Everything I read says I'm not a good candidate for Rebetron
treatment yet he keeps pushing it. Among other distortions
and misrepresentations I've herd from him over the last 6
months (I usually don't challenge him) he told me 70% of patients
with genotype 1a respond to treatment, I almost fell off my
chair, when I made him aware of the fact that I knew the real
numbers he said what he meant was 70% of his
patients, not the national average, had sustained remission.
I know what he meant, he means to say anything true or untrue
to get me to do what he wants. I feel like I'm being
hustled, he puts the hard close on me every time I see him.
He's got
to be getting kick backs from the drug companies, he's pushing
so hard. It's not just Schering-Plough, it's sleeping pills
because you can't sleep, anti inflammatory for the muscle
aches, pain killers for the headaches, anti depressants to
elevate you mood, I'm sure the list goes on and on. I felt
like telling him, listen buddy I'm not interested in being
your new income stream for the next 15 years.
However
it is difficult, I have mixed feelings whenever I see him,
I feel like I'm looking medical science in the eye, turning
up my nose, walking away and maybe I should be listening.
I've always believed in my intuition, my gut feelings about
things and I just don't feel right with his recommendation
to ingest that mega load of toxic crap.
I know
this is a difficult disease but my body has never let me down,
at least not yet and I want to give it the chance to save
my life for me. I think my body has allot better idea of what
to do for me than any of the doctors I've talked too in the
last 6 months.
I'm going
to bet on the body God made for me, on my immune system to
figure out what to do. In my gut it feels right to me. So
I'll remain patient and keep doing what I've been doing, the
program has dropped my ALT from 61 to 14 and my AST from 47
to 35 over the last 6 months with no side effects. But I still
have allot of fatigue, muscle aches and I'd really like to
see my viral load numbers come down, it worries me.
Well it's
time for my nightly quart of dandelion tea. I'll email you
my exact viral load numbers when I get them. Thanks for all
your help.
Take care,
B.
B's
initial message
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