Introducing Callum James........

Yes folks, my grandson finally decided to come out & say hello to the world.

He was born on Saturday 5th January at 13.53 hours, weighing 6lb 1oz & is just the "bees knees"!!

I had no idea that Callum would affect me so totally & instantly as he has. I fell head over heels in love with him the minute I saw him & just want to love him, care for him & protect him -which I always will, unconditionally & to the best of my ability.

So I'd just like to pay tribute to my daughter Natasha & tell her how very proud of her I am for bringing such a perfect little man into our lives & that I love her millions, with all my heart, always.

Nanny Maria x

Things finally coming together....

I've managed to stay quite optimistic & positive through my treatment so far & still am really, although not to as great an extent as before. However, my character has changed quite dramatically over the past few weeks. I'm far less energetic & far less motivated than I have been. I used to be able to give myself a swift kick up the rear & make myself do things, even if I didn't feel much like it, knowing that I'd feel tonnes better for having made the effort.

I'm not getting to sleep till 2-3 am each night & consequently, not wanting to get up till gone 10am each morning. I've never been a person to go to bed early, but have never stayed up as late as I'm doing now without a reason. This is playing havoc with work, as you might imagine. Getting up at 7am for work is a mammoth struggle & I'm constantly tired. Also, it's a struggle getting out of bed in the mornings as my joints are stiff & hurt quite a lot. This makes everything so much more of an effort.

I hate crowds - although I'm ok amongst my friends, I avoid the shops & any other busy places like the plague. I can't tolerate the overwhelming noise when too many people talk all at once - makes me feel like I'm going mad & my heads going to explode.I'm not eating properly either. All my life I've had a very healthy appetite but recently, am struggling to eat enough to survive (but still not losing weight - that must be the steroids, I think!) I'm not enjoying my food at all really - or drink for that matter!

I'm finding myself getting shorter tempered with people, particularly my mum & am spending an awful lot of my spare time up in my room on my own. I keep telling myself that I'll do things tomorrow, but tomorrow never seems to come & then I feel guilty for not doing things & chastise myself for it!I talked all this through with Sandra (my nurse) at my appointment last Thursday & we came to the conclusion that it’d be worth me trying some anti-depressants. I don't see taking anti depressants as being a failure through treatment but was hoping to do without them ‘coz of my added complication having RA. My mum came with me too & found it quite useful. Sandra did tell my mum in no uncertain terms, that all the things I'm displaying are common in people undergoing this treatment (including the poor eating!) which was good.

Oh, & I mustn’t forget to say that my treatment finishes at 48 weeks, as originally planned – isn’t that fantastic??

I had to go to my GP to get the prescription & he wants to see me again in 3 weeks to see how I'm getting on & Sandra has said that she'll phone me in a fortnight to check that I'm ok.

My bloods are ok, apart from my Hb which has dropped a tiny bit (11.5), as have my platelets (111), but neither of these are drastic. All other results were fine.

I've also negotiated more flexible working hours which means I can work from home more or go in later in the mornings if I need to. I can even do a shorter week & make my hours up from home at a weekend if I want! My boss & I will review how this goes in 6 weeks (gives me time for the Citalopram to kick in properly) as she's concerned that I might need to formally reduce my hours until I finish treatment.

I also received a letter from my rheumatologist yesterday. He’s sought advice from the hepatologist & they’ve concluded that I can start taking Methotrexate, which is a disease modifying drug for rheumatoid arthritis but only on condition that I have bloods taken every fortnight as a precaution.

So all in all, I’m on the road to getting sorted & feel a lot easier about things!

PCR results are in.....

Well, bless Sandra, my nurse. She rang me at 08.45am last Thursday to tell me that she'd got my results.

I had both qualitative & quantitative tests done, so rather than just getting a detectable / undetectable result, I got an accurate count.

My viral load is 43. This is not brilliant, considering that I'd done 7 months of treatment when I had the test done, but on the positive side, anything less than 50 is undetectable, so I shall be carrying on with treatment after all. I'm not sure yet whether I'll be advised to do an extra 6 months of treatment - I will discuss this calmly when I next go to clinic on 3rd January. Until then, I'm just glad that my treatment hasn't been withdrawn :-)

I obviously still need to get the arthritis sorted out, but have resigned myself to having to cope over the holidays. I'll chase up my rheumatologist mid-January if I haven't heard from him by then.

Callum, my grandson still hasn't made his journey into this world yet - I don't know who's more impatient, my daughter, my mum or me - LOL!! Still, as long as he & his mum are healthy at the end of the day, that's all that matters eh?

So, for now, I shall wish everyone a very merry Christmas & a peaceful, happy & healthy New Year.

Luv

Maria xx

Am I undetectable, or aren't I???

I went for my regular 28 week check last Thursday & got some bad news.

2 weeks ago, whilst at the Manchester get together, my nurse phoned and told me that my 24 week PCR was undetectable. I was naturally relieved & we all celebrated.

However, at my appointment last week, I was told that my 24 week result may be positive after all, but my nurse isn't certain. Sandra (my nurse) had read my result to me off of the computer screen & reckons it could be that she read my 3 month result by mistake as this was undetectable, but that the 24 week result was actually positive at the time she gave me the result. She said that although she knows she can be dippy at times (her words, not mine), she was sure she gave me the correct result. If she isn’t to blame, then it’s got to be that the laboratory technician entered an incorrect result & then went back into the system & changed it. Because Sandra is unsure, I had both qualitative & quantitative PCRs done again last Thursday to find out one way or the other if I’m undetectable or not.

Shropshire PCR tests have to be sent to Birmingham & results usually take 2 weeks, but with Christmas fast approaching, I may well have to wait for the result until my next appointment on 3rd January. Nice Christmas present for me eh? (Not!)

Our PCT policy is to withdraw treatment from people who are detectable at 6 months. So if this latest PCR comes back positive, they may well make me stop treatment. Sandra can argue that my taking steroids during treatment might have adversely affected the outcome & that I should withdraw the steroids & stay on treatment for a further 48 weeks to give me a fighting chance, which would in effect mean me doing 72 weeks treatment in total (just as I was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel too!) If that argument fails & my treatment is withdrawn, then I can either try registering for upcoming trials in Birmingham or wait another 4/5 years for new drugs to come out on the market.

The scariest thing about this is that I have no idea how this is going to affect my arthritis or what treatment I'll be able to have for it. I've noticed it worsening lately, particularly in my hands which are worrying me more than I'd like to admit. I'm due to see my rheumatologist on Friday 14th December. I shall tell him about the problems I have with my arthritis & the Hep C treatment & will tell him that he’ll just have to find a drug I can take to treat my arthritis. Looking at it logically, whether I end up continuing or discontinuing treatment, I need to have treatment for my arthritis, which is my foremost concern. After all, it’ll probably be the arthritis that effects my life more than the Hep C & may even end up killing me, which the Hep C probably won’t.

When I walked into clinic & Sandra told me to sit down, I just knew something wasn’t right. Nothing could have prepared me for this news though. It came so unexpectedly that I broke down in tears in the clinic. I guess I'd never contemplated treatment failure - I was going to do the treatment, clear the virus & then start long-term RA treatment, simple as that!! In all honesty, you I couldn’t have approached such a severe treatment any other way.

I was on my own in clinic & was planning to go straight to work afterwards as I had a big presentation to make to all the staff. Sandra did ask if I wanted her to call in sick for me – but going home & moping would have been the worst thing for me to do. So instead, Sandra left clinic with me & took me off for a coffee & chat. I went to work, never told anyone about my bad news & just threw myself into my working day. Surprisingly, my presentation went very well & I found being at work quite therapeutic & distracting from my personal thoughts!

I only told one person that day. Steve is a treatment relapser who I've met a few times now. As my luck had it, it turned out that he was working in Wales that day & so, he made a special detour on the way back home to drop by my office for a coffee & chat - how nice of him was that? It did me the world of good talking to him – he helped me start getting my thoughts into perspective & by the time I got home, I felt calmer but had an absolutely splitting headache (maybe through the stress of the day!)

I decided that I would take a couple of days to think it all through before telling anyone else as I just didn’t feel that I could face all the questions & sympathy that soon. Instead, I took consolation in the Hep C forum that I use. Everyone was nothing short of brilliant with me & all of them helped me find my optimism, which had evaded me with Sandra’s words. Some of they're comments made me cry – but then I think I needed to release a bit of pressure build up in my heart & mind.

I don't often think "why me?" as that's not my style (never has been) but sometimes, like then, it's so hard to keep a positive attitude. I've had to fight so hard for the last 15 years to hold on to my health & my sanity with the arthritis & sometimes it seems like the harder I fight, the higher the mountain gets!!

I can deal with not clearing the Hep C - that isn't my biggest concern. My arthritis is my main concern, always has been. That's why I never pondered over treatment, because I was told that if I don't clear the Hep C, I wouldn’t be eligible for RA disease modifying drugs (DMARDs). My life expectancy with arthritis isn't fantastic anyway & without DMARDs, it may well reduce, so this has brought home a sense of my own mortality, if you can understand that?? I know my arthritis is worsening - I can feel it every day - so you see why clearing this bloody virus is so important to me.

It’s been 6 days now since the bad news & I’m definitely starting mentally to get back to being my old self now. I've always been quite an optimist, love a challenge, but always try to set achievable goals & try to find something positive in every situation - and amazingly, I have done this time too……

I am hoping for the best scenario i.e. that it's all a mistake & nothing will change, but am preparing for the worst at the same time. I'm not wasting time thinking about how I'll treat the Hep C if I'm taken off treatment (I'll face that one if my results come back positive). Instead I'm concentrating on what can be done for my arthritis as this is my primary concern.

This has led me to start researching some possible treatments that I can take whilst HCV+ / on treatment & it although there’s precious little research available, it does appear that there might just be one or two possibilities. So I shall print off the research I've found & take it to the rheumatologist when I see him on 14th December. I will have to tell him what’s happening with my Hep C & have every intention of refusing to leave until he at least agrees to try me on some kind of treatment!!I have a 15-year long relationship with my rheumatologist; he knows I'm not a drama queen & don't exaggerate things, so when I tell him how bad I am, I know he'll believe me. My problem will be convincing him that it's the arthritis & not the treatment that's to blame. But then irrespective of that, I'll need to start RA drugs sooner or later anyway, so why not sooner??

I have since talked to my family & a few friends about it & got a good, supportive response & think I've come quite a long way in the past 6 days. The optimism is coming back as I've started to look at the situation more logically & put things into perspective. I've got lots of other things going on in my life at the moment which are keeping me busy, so not much time for self pity anyway (not that I want to visit there anyway!!)

I'll phone Sandra next week & see if she can chase up my result for me - even if I'm positive, at least I'll know what I've got to deal with then!

"Not Me!"

Hepatitis C? No way! Not me!
I am a good girl, I am; that’s me;
No angel, but see….
No tattoos, no drugs, not even a snort!
Hepatitis C? Perish the thought!

What’s that you ask?
Needle stick injury,
Or blood transfusion?
No, not me. See, wrong conclusion!
Shared razors, toothbrushes,
Or body piercing?
Ah, well now, you know you’ve got me listening!
Would never have thought, but now I know
Hepatitis C? Could well be me!

Hepatitis C? No way! Not me!
Had a vaccine, don’t you know,
Way back, long ago.
What’s that you say?
No means? No way?
Was hepatitis B? Ah, yes, possibly!

Now I’m convinced, diagnosis correct.
Where to now? What happens next?
Tests? What tests? Then treatment to follow?
Can’t it just wait until tomorrow?
“Best start early, the fight”,
Yes, I know you’re right.
So what’s the plan? Tablets & injections?
For 48 weeks? Good lord, that’s a sentence!
Hepatitis C? I’m scared! It’s me!

Lots to tell......

I’ve been chastising myself for not updating this blog more frequently, but I just can’t seem to find much time lately, as it seems to be flying by so fast, it’s almost leaving me behind!

As far as the Hepatitis & treatment are concerned, things, although no better, are not really any worse. It’s only the tiredness & the dry mouth that are my real bug-bears now, but I’m resigned to them being a part of my life for the time being. It’s amazing to think that I’m now 26 weeks into my treatment – just another 22 weeks to go! My life seems to go from one injection to the next so quickly, that I’m sure I’d miss it if I stopped to blink!!

My arthritis, in contrast, appears to be worsening. Although very gradual, it is quite noticeable. I’m experiencing more minor flare-ups more often now, some of which have persisted for several days. I had one day where I ended up having to wear a neck support coz my neck was so tender & sore, I couldn’t seem to support my head properly & walking sent pains shooting up to my head. I’ve also been getting a lot of toothache (which I’m convinced is directly related to the arthritis in my jaw) & frequent pain in my right wrist for which I’ve been wearing a support to encourage me to rest it. Having tried to reduce my steroids, I’m currently taking 8mg Prednisolone daily – I’ll not reach the desired 6mg if things continue as they are doing, but at least 8mg is better than 10mg eh? I’m seeing Pixie Dixey (my rheumatologist) on 14th December so will talk things through with him & see if he can come up with an alternative coping strategy. I can’t imagine what he might suggest, other than to work less & rest more, coz there’s no other medication I can take. I need to work & keep busy to pull me through the treatment – I’m sure I’d get depressed if I was at home all the time with nothing to occupy my mind. The flare-ups I’m experiencing are making life more of a struggle but haven’t yet stopped me working or going on my (now fortnightly) walks with my friend & her dogs. So I shall put this to the back of my mind as best I can for now, wait until I see Pixie Dixey (so affectionately called as he’s a small fella with quite pointy ears!) & keep optimistic.

I’ve now received my acknowledgement letter from the Hepatitis C Trust for the funds I raised through my head shave event. We are now trying to plan a formal presentation to get some more publicity – I’ll keep you posted on this.






I went to Manchester last Thursday & met up with a few forum members. We had a fabulous day which was so well organised by Miss Poppy. Having met at the Royal Northern College of Music at lunchtime, we had time for a coffee & chat before we listened to a short concert held by the students. The music was so inspiring & the conductors so animated – a real joy to experience! After that, we all gathered in a Chinese restaurant for a leisurely late lunch. The food was superb, but nowhere near as good as the company. After languishing over our lunch for some hours forging deeper friendships and sharing our individual Hep C journeys, some of us went to the local German Christmas Market. I have fond memories of these markets from when I lived in Germany – the atmosphere was so festive & it was a real treat to see all the handmade gifts & smell the wonderful food & drink. I got home around 9pm, shattered but very happy & content. I do love our forum get togethers. I always find the members so friendly & encouraging- they give me such a good boost! I’d like to arrange a similar day in Telford, perhaps in the spring – another potential project to keep me busy!!!

The photo shows us all having a coffee & chat before the concert.




Whilst I was at Manchester I received news from my nurse that my24 week PCR came back a continued “Undetectable”, which gave us all something to celebrate &everyone congratulated me on. My blood results aren’t too bad on the whole & I’m convinced that this is mainly due to the fact that I’ve carried on eating well most of the time through treatment.

A good percentage of my time at the moment is being taken up with my charity CD which I’m trying to put together in aid of the NHCN. Real progress has been made with this over the past couple of weeks, mainly thanks to Laurie Williams for getting tracks together & Roger Farr for helping me with the graphics – a big thank you to the both of you! I now have 9 original recorded tracks by 3 different bands & am busy learning 3 original songs myself to add to the existing ones to make a total of 12. I also have written a poem about Hep C, entitled “Not Me” which I shall recite as an educational last track. Having the basic graphics in place, I’m now trying to get all the wording together for the cover, to include a comprehensive amount of material, including some educational stuff as well as the required copyright acknowledgements etc. this is not proving to be that easy a job, but I’ve always tackled a challenge head on & am really enjoying doing this. The aim is to launch the CD on WHAD day next year, which is in May. Once the master CD & cover are finished, funds will have to be gathered for its production & a lot of thought will have to be given as to how we can promote the CD as it will at least need to be sold nationwide. See what I mean when I say this is a lot of work?? Not that I’m complaining in any way! I’m more wary about the promotion of the CD than I am in actually managing to complete & produce it, I think, but only time will tell, eh?

Treatment side effects

You know, whenever anyone asks me how I am, like the majority of people, I just say “fine” or “OK”. Even when people specifically ask me about the side effects of treatment, I tend to just gloss over them. I think I do that so that people don’t shower me with sympathy!

Anyway, now I’ve decided to tell it like it really is, so here goes….

Tiredness/exhaustion
My main side effect at the moment is this constant feeling of having no energy or enthusiasm left to do anything. This is by far the worst of things for me as I’m normally so full of life, energy & enthusiasm. Not that I have real cause for complaint ‘coz when I compare myself to others undergoing this treatment, my tiredness isn’t so bad. I have had to stop going to the gym totally now purely ‘coz I just can’t summon up the energy for it (not even at a weekend when I’ve got no work) & that annoys me so much. I used to feel so ‘alive’ (both mentally & physically) after a good circuit of the gym & I miss it dearly! I haven’t been to the gym for about 8 weeks now. Each morning it’s a struggle to get out of bed; I’m finding myself wishing I didn’t have to get up & staying in bed until the absolute last minute, then chastising myself for it! Weekends are worse ‘coz there’s not always a reason to get up early like there is during the week. Despite this, I still can’t seem to get to sleep before midnight!

Dry mouth
My other real bug bare is my dry mouth. I’ve been using BioXtra mouth care products (toothpaste, mouthwash, mouth gel & chewing gum, designed to stimulate production of saliva) for a few weeks now & they do help, but only to the point of making my mouth tolerable. My tongue & roof of my mouth are very sore & when I wake up each morning, my mouth is always so dry that it’s stuck shut with my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. I’ve had to alter my eating habits as a direct result of having this dry mouth ‘coz I find dry foods intolerable due to the virtual absence of saliva in my mouth. I also keep getting cracks in the corners of my lips which, no sooner have they healed, crack again! I must be careful about mouth ulcers – thankfully I haven’t developed any yet!

Drinking
As a direct result of my dry mouth, I’m constantly drinking. I’m drinking more water than anything, as that’s what I find most tolerable. Hot drinks can be very hard to tolerate ‘coz the heat aggravates my dry mouth so much that it can be quite painful. Even drinks such as fruit juice can be intolerable.

Urinary frequency
A direct result of my constant drinking is my increased urinary frequency although I’m not convinced it’s totally due to treatment. I first mentioned this weeks ago & it’s still a major problem for me. I go to the toilet at least every hour during the day & every 2 hours during the night, despite how much I may or may not drink. I tried just putting up with it, telling myself it’s just a side effect & that it will ease once I finish treatment but to be perfectly honest, I just can’t take it anymore. I had an appointment to see a urologist last Monday & he’s ordering tests on my bladder ‘coz he’s not convinced that it’s all down to the treatment. He said I’m very young to be experiencing such pronounced problems as it’s not just the frequency, but urgency too – if I don’t get to the toilet within 10 minutes of first feeling the urge, I can quite easily be incontinent. The consultant thinks I may have a nerve problem & wants me to have an x-ray & urodynamics tests (where they test the capacity of your bladder). He said that there is medication available to alleviate such a nerve condition but that this medication is prone to causing heartburn & indigestion which I already suffer with quite a bit, so I’m not keen to take it unless the tests prove it’ll do me good.

Mucous/catarrh
For months now, I’ve been getting copious amounts of catarrh building up at the back of my nose & throat which is verging on the ridiculous! It gets so bad that I find breathing through my nose quite difficult & so, end up mouth breathing, which exacerbates my dry mouth problem! I forever have to blow my nose & clear my throat & talk with an almost constant rasp. When I do manage to clear it to any kind of degree, it leaves my mouth feeling like sandpaper.

Rash
21 weeks into treatment & the rash which first appeared in the 2nd week is still there. It’s calmed down a fair bit on my legs but my arms are still quite itchy. I’m still using the Dermol bath emollient & lotion which helps keep it at a tolerable level but I do notice the itching gets worse if I shower instead of bath for more than a couple of days. I tend to avoid wearing woollen type materials & anything with tight sleeves. My preference has been to wear sleeveless t-shirts, but it’s getting far too cold for that now!

Bleeding
My platelets have dropped from 250 to 95, the normal range being 150 - 400 (x 10 9 /l). Whilst not at a panic level, I do notice that I bruise & bleed much easier now. I accidentally scraped my skin with the vegetable peeler the other day & the little cut bled for several minutes before I stemmed it & managed to get blood all over my hands, the potato & the kitchen unit… good job my mum wasn’t there to see it ‘coz I think she may have panicked!

Skin
My skin has been terrible since starting treatment. It seems that every bite, spot or bruise I get takes ages to heal & leaves a scar. I noticed it first about 4 weeks into treatment when I got an insect bite which took about 3 weeks to heal & left a nasty dark scar on my leg. Since then, I’ve had 2 more bites which have left similar scars & various minor cuts & bruises which have also left their marks. So now, my skin is a mess, especially on my legs, so I won’t be showing them off in a hurry!!

Hair loss
Since I’ve had my head shaved, my hair loss is a lot less noticeable, but definitely still happening. It’s not falling out in big clumps & I certainly don’t think that it’ll ever get to be too obvious if it carries on at this kind of rate. In any case, my hair loss doesn’t bother me that much – it bothers my mum an awful lot more than it bothers me, that’s for sure!

Dry ears
It’s not only my mouth that’s dry, but my ears as well. I didn’t think this would be a problem but I am certainly finding my ears more difficult to keep clean now. Not the worst of side effects by any means, but nonetheless, something I could do without!

Tingling sensation
I’m not sure if this is directly related to treatment or not, but I’m going to mention it anyway ‘coz it’s yet another thing that I’m having to cope with now. For the past 3-4 weeks, I’ve been experiencing a tingling sensation in my right leg. It goes from my thigh, right down to the sole of my foot & only seems to come on when I stand up. With it, I get an aching, pressure sensation in my hip & knee joints. My GP reckons it’s sciatica & has given me advice on posture & exercise - as it’s relatively mild, there’s nothing else for it at present. I just think it strange that it comes on every single time I stand up, without fail & that I very rarely experience it whilst sitting or lying down. Although having said that, I did have quite a bad pain (& it was a pain, rather than an ache) in my right hip/thigh in bed one night about 4 weeks ago, so I wonder if that was the start of this – to be honest, I can’t be sure!

Poor memory
The memory problem continues too. Although I don’t think it’s worsened over the last 12 weeks or so, it certainly hasn’t improved! If I don’t either set a reminder on my mobile phone or write things down, I just don’t do them - it’s as simple as that! I honestly don’t know how I’d cope if I lost my mobile – I think I’d forget to function, LOL!! It reminds me to take my tablets, do my injections, order/collect prescriptions, make phone calls, meet people – you name it, my mobile reminds me of it! My work is run by reminders that I set on important emails & calendar entries too. Family & friends have got used to my mobile chiming out reminders all the time now & are very tolerant of it, ‘coz I’m sure it must aggravate them somewhat.

I think that just about covers my side effects. As I say, I’m not the luckiest or most unfortunate where side effects are concerned & I must give myself credit ‘coz even if I do say so myself, I’m coping with them pretty well indeed. Let’s just see what the remaining 26 weeks has to offer now, shall we?

Big mercies
Whilst I might have a few side effects, I count myself very lucky that I haven’t really had any rages as such. The couple of minor tantrums that I displayed weeks ago appear to have been isolated incidents as I’ve not shown any kind of temper since, although I’ve noticed that I’m not quite my usual patient self. Out of all the side effects this treatment can cause, I dread the mental ones more than anything. Having coped with arthritis for so many years now, I’m good at dealing with physical problems, but mental problems are a whole different ball game. So I’m thankful for this one big mercy so far!

Rheumatoid arthritis
I can’t write this post without mentioning this. As far as my arthritis is concerned, I honestly don’t think I’m having too bad a time of it at present. I’m now taking 7-8 mg Prednisolone daily, but nothing else. My rheumatologist wanted me to try decreasing the Prednisolone down to 6-7 mgs, but despite my determination, I just haven’t been able to do that. I got down to 7mg daily but found physical activity just generally slower, stiffer & much more of an effort. I did also have quite a bad Sunday about 5 weeks ago where I felt generally stiff, lousy, lethargic & full of aches & pains, so I increased the steroids & am now taking 7-8 mgs on alternate days & am coping ok as I write this. Sundays do tend to be my worst day of the week now & I’m learning to cut myself some slack & take things easier on these days. One thing I have noticed is that the subluxation in my fingers has worsened over the past 4 months. I’m not saying that this is a direct result of treatment ‘coz this could happen anyway, but a few times now, I’ve felt that all too-familiar stiffness, heat & pain in my knuckles, together with a sensation of my tendons tightening & pulling my fingers even further out of line. This is just something that I’ve resigned myself to putting up with. So long as I can function reasonably well & relatively independently. When (not if) I get to the stage that I can no longer function adequately, I’ll consider having my knuckle joints replaced, but for the time being, they can stay as they are. I've put some photos below (not brilliant, but will do) to give you some idea as to the extent of subluxation I have in both hands.

My left hand




My right hand

Photos from the charity nite (1)....

Maria the Punk (the night begins...)

Getting prepared...

The Gathering of the Crowd...

The first snip... Mowing the grass - LOL!!

The halfway twirl...
£1 a snip anyone??
The finishing touches...

"Nothing Compares To You"

What a success :-)

This is me, pre-shave (shame you can't see the colour - it was so cool!)

Last Saturday was the long-awaited charity night. I’d spent the few weeks running up to it worrying – not about having all my hair shaved off, but about how the entire night would go. As it happened, my worries were needless.

It took me an hour & half to get ready for the big night. I turned up looking like a true punk rocker from the 70’s - my hair a mess of fluorescent green spikes! It did look quite dramatic, but not a patch on what I’ve ended up with……

A few forum members managed to make it for the night, as well as some loyal friends & loads of pub regulars – the place was packed out by 8.30pm! Friends & I had a lovely meal to start our night off but I never had time for a desert, which was a shame, ‘coz they do a wicked chocolate sponge at the Queens – LOL!

I got to sing the first song of the evening – appropriately titled ‘The Happening’, after which I made an announcement telling people what it was all in aid of.

The event started off with men’s leg waxing, for which Ian had managed to raise a superb £89 in just 4 days from his work colleagues! We had 3 victims & Darren used his charm on the ladies, selling wax strips for £1/pair – the ladies were like demons, queuing up to inflict pain on those poor guys; but fair play to them, none of them shed so much as a tear!!

Angie did the rounds with the raffle tickets, on which she did a great job, considering that a lot of people had already bought tickets the week before.

When it came to me having my head shaved, Dave took control of the show & I must say, he made an absolutely fantastic compere. He put it to the vote as to how short my hair should go & it was decided unanimously on a No.1. The clippers buzzed into life, the first locks of hair came off & were handed to me. Someone suggested that I keep them & make a green wig – LOL! I heard a few gasps as my hair continued to fall but I didn’t have time to feel apprehensive ‘coz everyone was so full of encouragement, chanting “off, off, off” & telling me how brave I was & that they admired what I was doing. At the halfway stage, I was made to get up & give a twirl so that everyone could see the contrast in the length of my hair. Then, before I realised it, it was all over – the No.1, I mean!!! Everyone was telling me how much the new hair do suited me & how cool it looked. Someone shouted that I looked better than Sinaed O’Connor, which promptedcalls for me to sing her hit song ‘Nothing Compares To You’ – I had to get everyone to sing along with me when it came to the chorus! Before I’d finished that song, Clive had begun his head shave &finished off looking quite sexy; then later on, James unexpectedly had his hair shaved off too.

It was one hell of a busy night, but I still managed to find time to talk to people & hand out leaflets – after all, that’s what the whole thing was about – raising health awareness.

Pauline managed to get the head shave on video which she promises to post on YouTube sometime this week & loads of people took photos of which I’m sure I’ll get copies & will post a couple of decent ones here on my blog when I do.

At the end of the night, my charity fund total stood at a cool £759.50 which I found totally overwhelming.

The following day, I had to pick my parents up from the airport. I don’t honestly think my mum recognised me at first - she did have to look twice! When I told themabout the charity night & how much I’d raised, they were so impressed, that they contributed £60 & raised my total to over £800!!!!

The guys at work have been super too. I had nothing but compliments on my hair & a few who hadn’t already sponsored me have now done so, so that will push the total up even further. I’m so glad I shared this with my colleagues – no regrets there whatsoever.

Heart FM rang me on 1st October (World Hepatitis Awareness Day) & apologised for not covering the event for me. They’ve now added me to their contacts list & have promised to promote any future events I might hold.

Raquel from the Hepatitis C Trust also rang to see how the event went & was very impressed. She has asked if I’d like to get involved with any future events, including next year’s WHAD, which I said I am keen to do.

Telford FM rang me today to get details of the event’s success & whilst not an interview, they have promised to mention it on air either today or tomorrow.

So now all that’s left is for me to collect in all the monies & get that cheque off to the Trust. I’ll make sure I get written acknowledgement of my donation & will make copies of it for work & the pub, which I will put up with a thank you note.

Once that’s done, I shall be concentrating in getting the CD recorded for the NHCN, so watch this space……….

And this is me post-shave (again, not a brilliant photo, but better than nothing for now).