I think I have had hep "C" for at least 15 years the best I can figure.

The name DRSLETMEDOWN came from the following :
I had been to various doctors over the last 15 years trying to do what we all are told to do ! get yearly checkups so if something is wrong you will catch it early.

I had blood work done everytime & always said I want you to check for everything.

I had alot of weird things going on over this time period & was always left with the feeling that the good ol doc didn't take much of it too seriously.
I have GERD, acid reflux & take prilosec daily, Had to get on blood pressure medication, Had alot of back & joint pain that was always eluded to as well your getting some arthritis it's common for that to happen in your 40's attitude.

I had had some major cramping & diarrhea, & then panic attacks & waking up feeling like someone had put a pillow over my head, & couldn't sleep well ect. tossed & turned all night.

Got the feeling from the doctors that they just thought it was in my head.
I started taking zanax & it seemed to make things better it took off that edgy feeling.

In November of 2001 my dr. didn't like my ast & alt's so he had me do the hep test & that's when I found out I had it & my nightmare began.
HOW, WHY, WHEN, all those questions you ask yourself.?
I have been married 18 years, true to my wife, no tattoos. no piercings, didn't do iv drugs ect.

So I went & pulled all my medical records from the last 15 years from all the doctors I had seen plus records from the hospital 2 different ones I had been in for kidney stones & disk probs in my neck & back & to my surprise every single time anyone had done blood work during that time it had always been out of the normal range but I was never once told. (More than twice the level that got this doc's attention)

If I had known I would never have had another beer, instead I drank for those 15 years beer regularly I liked my beer. That of course as we all know now is like putting gasoline on a fire.

I have had it up to my ears with drs that have no bed side manner all they do is try to save the HMO's money. I am on my wifes group insurance company & we pay over $400.00 a month for family coverage & when you use it you feel like you are a welfare patient. Cigna is who we have now & out of a provider book that is small to begin with 200 doctors in that book aren't taking new patients & I had been on a waiting list with one of them that I know is a great dr.for 6 months he called & said I now could see him,called Cigna they said sorry no can do we froze the panel of drs that he is affiliated with & would not explain any more than that.

So that eliminated another 48 drs. out of the provider book. If we would use the ppo version which is $800.00 a month we would have more choices.

The prescription drug company they use Caremark where you mail in your prescriptions re filled my prescription that they had already filled once & that had 2 more refills with a totally different medication & said they had ask my dr if they could change it & it wasn't even the generic form just totally something different.

SOOOOOOOO ENOUGH OF THAT !!!!!!!!!!!!NO MORE PITTY PARTY
Good thing is all my lab work is in the normal ranges, I haven't drank in 17 months ( YEA FOR ME )

I am geno type 1a which doesn't have a good response rate so I am not treating now.

My sonogram looked fine.

I have not had the biopsy which I know is the test that tells the truth but knowing my geno type, & knowing that for 15 years I drank beer daily I don't see the use.

My gastro justs wants to do all the labs yearly at this point. As someone that has had time to catch my breath & inform myself about this disease I am not in the least worried about it anymore I am going to live one day at a time.

Trust in the Lord he has the final say in everything.

Ask, ASK, & ASK Again, you will find that you will learn in a short period of time what most drs. don't know about hep c & when you do you will see a different attitude from your dr. when he see's that you know what you are talking about.

God bless each & everyone who reads this & please feel free to re-post this post any & everywhere you can, people deserve to know the truth.

Please check out my labor of love website to try & give something back to the hepatitis community just click this link.

HEP C SUPPORT GROUP

E MAIL drsletmedown@aol.com

DRSLETMEDOWN

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