TELL ME THIS IS JUST A DREAM......

MY NAME IS SKY. I LIVE IN A SUBURB OF CLEVELAND, OHIO. I AM 52 YRS OLD. I AM SITTING HERE, JUST AMAZED AT THE STORIES I JUST READ! WE ARE ALL SO SIMILIAR. WE ALL GOT THE SAME RUN-AROUND. I AM A GRANDMOTHER OF 4 BEAUTIFUL GRAND CHILDREN, AND TWO LOVABLE ADULT CHILDREN, AGES 30 AND 32. THEY ARE NOT GOING TO LOSE ME.

I AM NOT SURE WHERE MY STORY BEGAN. I HAVE BEEN TIRED FOR ABOUT 7 YEARS. I HAVE RAN TO THE DOCTORS, AND LEFT FEELING LIKE THE BIGGEST HYPERCHONDRIAC ALIVE! BUT, OF COURSE, THE DOCTOR'S HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.

I HAVE ASTHMA. SOMEHOW I CAME DOWN WITH THAT AT THE AGE OF 33 YRS. OLD. I WAS GOING THRU A DIVORCE, AND HAD THIS COP IN THE WINGS WAITING FOR ME. I HAD A REALLY BAD MARRIAGE TO AN ALCOHOLIC WHO DABBLED IN OTHER THINGS, I DOUBT HE EVER DID NEEDLE STUFF. HE SAID, HE DID THE COKE THING AFTER OUR DIVORCE, BUT, HE WAS SUCH A LIAR TO BEGIN WITH. WHO KNOWS? THE COP I WAS GOING TO LATER MARRY, HAD A NEEDLE STICK FROM A PRISONER, AND CAME DOWN WITH HEPATITIS. HE WAS OUT OF WORK FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS OR SO. I RECENTLY CONTACTED HIM, AND ASK HIM IF IT WAS HEP A, B, OR C. HE COULD'NT REMEMBER. WE HAVE BEEN DIVORCED SINCE 1991. I REMAINED SINGLE, ALL THESE YEARS, DIVORCED AT 40. STARTING OVER. HE HAD THIS HEPATITIS IN 1984. I MET HIM AFTER HIS RECOVERY IN 1985. (GOD, THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN MY CURSE FOR CHEATING ON MY SOON TO BE EX.) HE DENIES BEING SICK TO DAY, BECAUSE IT WAS NEVER LABELED HEP C. SO, I GUESS HE NEVER HAD HEP C..........? OR DID HE? I'LL NEVER KNOW.

AFTER WE DIVORCED, MY FIRST EX DECIDED WE SHOULD BECOME FRIENDS AGAIN. OKAY....WE'LL TRY THAT. THAT DIDN'T LAST LONG, HE KEPT TRYING TO GET ME IN BED. THAT WASN'T ON MY WISH LIST. NEVER HAPPENED. BUT, I NOTICED HE SEEMED SICK. HE HAD A HORRIBLE COUGH. WE WERE SHOOTING POOL, AND HE COULDN'T STOP COUGHING. SAID HE HAD BEEN ON TONS OF ANTIBIOTICS. I TOLD HIM TO GO BACK TO THE DOCTOR AND HAVE SOME MORE TESTING DONE. HE WENT TO METROHEALTH IN CLEVELAND. WHILE WAITING ON THE RESULTS, I MET HIM FOR A POOL GAME, AND WENT BACK TO HIS PLACE. HE WANTED TO KISS ME, AND TRIED TO FORCE ME TO "JUST LAY DOWN" WITH HIM.........MIND YOU...THIS GUY IS SICK, NOT GONNA HAPPEN. HE PUT HIS TONGUE IN MY MOUTH. I GOT PISSED AND TRIED TO LEAVE, IT TOOK ME 20 MINUTES TO GET OUT. HE WOULDN'T LET GO. NOTHING HAPPENED. A FEW DAYS LATER HE FOUND OUT BY HIS TEST HE HAD CANCER WITH 6 MONTHS TO LIVE.........I STILL DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS CANCER. SIX MONTHS LATER HE WAS DEAD. I AM SUSPICIOUS. NEVER SAW A DEATH CERTIFICATE.

I STARTED BECOMING TIRED ALL THE TIME. LAZY IS THE WORD. I TRIED SO HARD TO KEEP A SPARKLING HOUSE........IT WASN'T TOO BAD, JUST ON CERTAIN DAYS. THAT WAS IN 1995.

I HAD TESTING FOR HEPATITIS,,,,,,,,ALWAYS NEGATIVE. FOR YEARS.

THEN, IN 2002...ALLERGIES, SINUS PROBLEMS, ETC. SICK ALL THE TIME. I ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL WITH PNEUMONIA....STILL NEGATIVE FOR HEPATITIS. I STARTED FEELING BETTER HALF WAY THROUGH THE WEEK. THEN, I GOT THIS ROOM MATE......THEY WERE FILTERING HER BLOOD. SHE WAS SICK AS A DOG, ONLY GOT OUT OF BED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. I START BITCHING AT HER, BECAUSE SHE IS ON HER "PERIOD" AND BLOOD IS ON THE TOILET, AND THE FLOOR IN SMEARS. THEN, I AM BITCHING AT HER VISITOR FOR SMELLING LIKE A FRENCH WHORE. I AM ALLERGIC TO PERFUME....WHAT ASS WOULD COME TO A HOSPITAL SMELLING LIKE THAT? THEY HATED ME! I WAS A CRAB! SHE JUST THOUGHT I WAS AN UPPITY BITCH. THE STIGMA OF BEING A TALL SKINNY BLONDE! IT DIDN'T MATTER, I WAS RIGHT, SHE WAS WRONG, TO BE SO NASTY, ABOUT HER PERIOD. I MADE HER CLEAN IT UP. THREE DAYS LATER, LOW AND BEHOLD, GUESS WHO CAN'T GET OUT OF BED? ME....! MY BLOOD PRESSOURE DROPPED, I HAD NO ENERGY TO EVEN LIFT MY HEAD. WHAT IS HAPPENNING HERE? I FIGURED IT WAS THE DOCTOR'S PUMPING ME UP WITH MEDICATION FOR THE PNEUMONIA!

I LEFT THE HOSPITAL SICK. MORE SICK, THAN THE DAY I ARRIVED. THAT WAS NOV. 7TH, 2002. NEVER GOT BETTER. JANUARY 30TH, I WENT TO A GASTRO DR. COULD'NT EAT MEAT. KEPT THROWING UP. BLOATED. LOOKED PREGNANT. TOLD HIM THAT FOR 2 MONTHS, I WAS SHORT OF BREATH, COULD'NT WALK FROM MY CAR TO MY JOB, WITHOUT WANTING TO COLLAPSE. TOLD HIM I WAS ONLY THIS SICK SINCE THE DAY I LEFT THE HOSPITAL 2 MONTHS BEFORE. THAT ASS-HOLE CALLED ME TWO WEEKS LATER, FEBRUARY 4TH AT HOME. AND, CASUALLY SAID, "YOU HAVE HEPATITIS C" OUR OFFICE DON'T SEE HEPATITIS PATIENTS. AND HUNG UP! I HAD A FIT! TRIED TO CALL HIM BACK, HE WASN'T IN. I CALLED THE NEXT DAY, READY TO RIP HIS FACE OFF. I ACCUSED HIM OF NOT LIKING AMERICANS. (ARABIAN) I WENT BALISTIC. HE APOLOGIZED. AND, REFERRED ME TO METROHEALTH. BEST THING HE EVER DID. I DO HAVE A TOP-NOTCH DOCTOR...AND NURSE. THEY RAN MORE TEST......ALL THOSE PERSONAL ONES, YOU GUYS KNOW ABOUT. YUK! TEST CAME BACK....POSITIVE HEP C....GENOTYPE 3A. REAL HIGH VIRAL LOAD.......WELL, NO SHIT. LET ME SLEEP THIS ONE OUT!

THEN, CAME THE INSURANCE BATTLE..........THEY TURNED ME DOWN. PEGASYS AND COPEGUS WAS NOT ON THEIR LIST! (WHAT?...........SHE GOES CRAZY AGAIN!) SO, I CALLED PEGASIST..............(I DON'T KNOW WHAT GOT INTO ME THAT DAY.....BUT, I WAS ON A ROLL!) I STARTED CRYING AFTER ALL THAT FRUSTRATION.......AND I ASK THE GIRL........."SO, MY INS. TURNS ME DOWN.......NOW WHAT? ARE YOU PEOPLE GOING TO LET ME DIE? I HAVE 4 GRAND-KIDS AND I WANT TO SEE THEM GO TO JUNIOR HIGH............AND GET MARRIED.........I CANNOT DIE!" WELL, GUESS WHAT? SHE HUNG UP ON ME TOO! SO, I HUNG UP AND CRIED............GRABBED THE BIBLE...BLEW THE DUST OFF OF IT.........AND STARTED TO CRY AND PRAY! OF COURSE, HE GOT YELLED AT TOO! BUT, I SETTLED INTO A NICE SOFT PRAYER.

THE NEXT DAY, AS I LAY LIKE A BEAR...........SLEEPING MY LIFE AWAY, THE PHONE RINGS...........IT IS MY NURSE. SHE SAID, GUESS WHAT I HAVE? (FROWN) PEGASSIST OVERNIGHTED MY SUPPLY FOR 6 MONTHS, TOTALLY FREE. THEN, I HAD TO GO IN AND HEAR ALL THE BAD STUFF AND GET STARTED. FIRST SHOT WAS A BREEZE......SLEPT LIKE A BABY.......UNTIL 1:00 AM......WOKE UP SHAKING ALL OVER.......CHILLS, ETC. THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. FELT FINE FOR THE NEXT WEEK............NEXT SHOT............ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE.

SO, I JUST HAD SHOT #8..........STILL UNBEARABLY SICK. HAVING A HARD TIME WORKING AT ALL, CUT BACK TO 4 DAYS....30 HRS. STILL CAN'T HANG WITH THE PROGRAM. THEN, I GOT THIS NEWSLETTER FROM HEP C. I WALKED DOWN TO GNC AND BOUGHT SOME MILK THISTLE AND SOME CAT'S CLAW. (I HAD MY CAT DECLAWED!) I COULD HARDLY WALK BACK. I HAVE BEEN A BUNDLE OF SWEAT THESE DAYS EVEN AFTER GETTING A FULL SENTENCE OUT OF MY MOUTH! I CAN'T BREATHE, ETC. AFTER TWO DAYS, THIS IS MY FIRST DAY OF FEELING FINE, AND STAYING AWAKE FOR MORE THAN 5 HOURS! I'VE BEEN UP 12 HRS. AND I STILL FEEL OKAY.

I GO TO THE DOCTOR ON WEDNESDAY.......I AM AFRAID TO TELL THEM WHY I FEEL BETTER....THAT IS IF I STILL DO BY THEN!

SO THAT IS MY STORY. WHO KNOWS IF THEY THINK MY VIRAL LOAD TELLS THEM I AM A RECENT INFECT AS OF NOVEMBER 2002. THEY SEEM TO BE POSITIVELY SURE.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL............WE NEED FRIENDS!

SKY

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