Dear Lloyd,
My name is V.S. and my husband L.
has hepatitis c...genotype 1a. He was diagnosed in February
2002 and then only because a friend in the insurance
business happened to ask us if we had either one ever had
a blood transfusion. Yes, we had. L. had surgery
in 1978 and the following year during his annual physical
he had high level liver enzymes. which he continued to have
every year thereafter when he went in for his annual check-up.
EVERY DOCTOR said "nothing to worry about."
I had adult acute lymphocytic leukemia in 1990 and had several
transfusions of washed red blood cells and platelets.
After our friend told us about type c hep we felt alarmed
and when we went in for our physicals told our PCP we wanted
to be tested. His response was, "you guys?
You aren't drug users." Well, no we aren't
except a little peace pipe now and again. (We are 60's people...both
nearing 53)
We insisted on being tested anyway and L. was positive whereas
I was negative. We then had to wait from February until
the following Sept. to see a hepatologist at UVA in Charlottesville,
Va. The "exam" showed no swelling or enlargement
of the liver, the labs showed a viral
load of 725m.
Next we had an ultrasound and biopsy. During the biopsy
the Dr. "missed" and had to go in again. My
husband is 6' 3 and weighed about 250. He's a John Wayne
kind of guy... big chested and muscular and has always been
healthy as a horse. He came out
of that biopsy in excruciating pain which to this day has
never gone away. Three Dr's said oh it could
be anything ....... they probably hit a nerve... it will go
away eventually. It didn't and after a month they ordered
an ultrasound which only revealed one large gallstone which
was nowhere near the duct.
Next, in order to get ready for the BIG DAY when he could
begin Pegasys and Copegus we had to see a shrink. We
see this resident young Muslim "boy' who asked if my
husband had any hobbies and was he ever depressed.
Well, yeah we've been depressed, heart broken and devastated
though functional and coping since June 28, 1994 when a drunk
driver murdered our 19 year old youngest daughter. And,
yes, my husband drank too much after she was killed but walked
our eldest daughter down the aisle a year later and have since
welcomed two grandchildren while coping with our son becoming
a major pothead and drug abuser. Wife survives
cancer, daughter killed, son screwed up over losing sister,
eldest daughter pretending to be okay but she's not and now
Daddy might die from hepatitis.
Fortunately, I am a rock, very spiritual, and have held everyone
together with band aids and prayer but I am now at my maxed
out breaking point. After seeing the shrink boy and
leaving with a script for paxil we were about to face the
holidays and decided to start "Daddy's Cure" the
first of January. Thus we did.
The night of my husbands first injection
I sat and literally watched him do a Jeckyl/Hyde number.
That entire night was HELL.... as you well know. Interestingly,
prior to the BIG DAY I had done some research and had him
on milk thistle and aloe juice, vitamins c, e, b12, selenium,
and pygnogenol plus every prayer chain across America.
Did this from Sept. til Jan. when we started the poison.
His viral load prior to treatment
was now 340m. I asked the Dr. if the vitamins and herbal
stuff could be healing him and I believed totally that the
prayer was working. No, he said, the viral load numbers
mean nothing. Eight weeks later
we had zero viral load.
We were ecstatic and thought okay, this is hell taking this
shit but it's working. Shortly
thereafter L. began to experience major side effects.
His whites and platelets were dangerously low ( I monitored
everything) but they didn't take him off the treatment.
He was covered (legs, arms, hands, abdomen) with a rash that
itched in spite of sarnel or anything else recommended.
Hair started falling out, profuse sweating, weight dropped
50 lbs, heart palpitations, blurred vision, high blood pressure,
and he had developed hyper thyroidism (which is now permanently
hypo). I am very psychic and from day one did
not want him to do the treatment but after 6 months I felt
in my spirit that if he continued he was going to die.
It was killing him.
Now we have an endocrinologist plus our hepatologist. (We
kicked the shrink out of the melting pot)
Also, my gentle teddy bear husband became a true psycho and
had thoughts of throwing me across the room and, in fact,
for the first time in our married life became physical with
me in the form of violence by slamming me down on the couch
and told me he could, "take me out."
After 24 weeks he agreed on the anniversary of our daughter's
death to stop treatment.
Four weeks ago he went in for labs
and guess what. "IT'S BACK! !!!!!! SHOCK!!"
He can't see well and has never had anything but reading glasses
so now we have an eye Dr. appt. The Dr. told us there
are 2 or 3 other new and exciting treatments in clinical trials
1 to 2 years away and since we are at inflammation level 1
and fibrosis level 3 we're cool. Just kick back and
take your vitamins and we can start you back on the interferon
in a year if you want. Is he F.........kidding??????
I had ran across your website a year ago, mentioned it to
L. and the Dr. who said you were just a lot of "hocus
pocus" trying to scam a buck with your pharmacy.
This past Friday night I had a dream and in the dream were
the words Wright, Natcell Thymus, and dandelion. Then
I saw Barnes and Noble bookstore in the dream.
All day Saturday I could not figure out what the dream meant
and then while watching an old I Love Lucy rerun it hit me.
I fled to the computer, found you, bought the book at B&N
on Monday... began reading getting angrier by the minute and
called your # yesterday. I talked to Nastaja today.
I have called our Dr. and asked for an order for labs and
then I am going to get with the program. We are in financial
distress, had to refinance our house and borrow on it because
our medical bills have been staggering and my husband is a
commision salesperson. We are still paying monthly payments
on these bills. Our life is turned upside down but like
I told your little gal on the phone I am a fighter and can
be tough as nails.
I will find a way to get the money to do your treatment and
we ABSOLUTELY want to get involved
in your class action suit as do a D. and P. in Florida. I
have some connections and I want to work with you on getting
this out in the media aside from Naomi and Pamela. It
isn't talked about enough, people don't know they have it,
and when they do they think they have to be sheep lead to
the slaughter with pharmeceutical poisons.
Let's talk. I am a get things done kind of gal and
a major cause person. By the way I went to UCLA and
was once a California girl.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR BOOK AND WHAT I HOPE AND PRAY WILL CURE
MY PRECIOUS HUSBAND.
Warmly in Gentleness,
Vicki S
Sorry if this is a bit rambly. I am very
tired and it's late here.
A touching ture life story. Do you really want to use interferon?
Lloyd
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