Long time no hear eh??

My Hep C has really taken a ‘backseat’ in my life these past few weeks. I’ve had so much else going on that I just haven’t honestly had time to give it much thought at all.

Has that been a good or a bad thing? I think it’s been good. I’ve now got an appointment to see a consultant, (although I’m sure he’s a gastro-enterologist & not an hepatologist) on 14th December, so let’s wait & see. I’ve managed to speak to the specialist nurse at my local hospital & she told me that the treatment for Hep C isn’t compatible with rheumatoid arthritis, so I probably won’t get offered treatment at all if my liver biopsy doesn’t show too much damage! That’s scared me a bit, I must admit – the thought of having to live with this indefinitely & what the long-term is going to hold for me. I’m also waiting for an appointment for a colposcopy as I have “pre-cancerous” cells on my cervix, so it’s all systems go with my health at the moment!

Positively though, I’m trying to get into a more healthier lifestyle. I’m eating a good diet, avoiding alcohol like the plague, reducing smoking & trying to organise my time to do more exercise (although at the moment, that’s easier said than done!) And I’ve now told my 2 daughters about it, & although understandably upset, they took the news very well.

I’ve said I’ve had no time to dwell on things, & that’s no lie. Since arriving back in Telford on 9th October, I’ve kept myself extremely busy sorting out an income & finding myself a job. I started temporary work on 23rd October for 2 weeks & then managed to get myself a full-time, permanent job, which I started on 6th November, as a senior administrator. Although I’m finding full-time work very tiring, I’m loving it. It’s taking a lot of getting used to, working full-time, Monday to Friday, as I haven’t done that for over 3 years. I’m not getting home until 18.45hrs each evening, so am too tired to do much except have dinner & rest. I’m just going to have to organise my weekends well & find time for some sort of exercise; once or twice a week is better than not at all, right? My employer will pay towards a gym membership, so I want to look into that & maybe try to join an aerobics class too.

I’ve also had to sort out my car. I drove over to the UK from Germany, with my old, left-hand drive Mitsubishi Colt & have been driving that these past few weeks. However, it was going to cost me a small fortune to get it legal & re-registered over here, so I went & bought myself a little Ford KA last week, which is (hopefully) going to prove cheaper on insurance, tax & running costs than my Mitsubishi.

My friends are also keeping me busy. I’ve been in touch with a lot of people since I’ve been back in Telford & have been out a couple of times to have a sing-song on the karaoke. I also went to a friends wedding the other weekend & there have been plenty of cups of coffee & chats. There are still a few people who I haven’t managed to get to meet up with yet, for one reason or another & I have vowed to myself that I will make a conscious effort to get together with them as soon as possible.

So, life is far from dull & boring at the moment. I’m managing to keep smiling, with a positive attitude, which is very important. Internet access is still a problem & will be for some months yet, so my log entries will continue to be a bit hit-and-miss for a while, but better that than not at all, eh? So, till next time ………