The Black Forest of "Inner Fear On"

We've been circling this forest now for two years. Ever since I became a bit fatigued at work and my legs felt like jell-o and I couldn't walk to my Bible study at lunch and Jeanne suggested I go see my doctor. I did. Dr. Yana Finklestein said my labs showed that my liver enzymes were off the charts and she didn't know why. I suggested that it was likely due to my Hepatitis. She was a bit shocked and surprised but sent me straight to Dr. Victor Yang who proceeded to draw enough blood to keep the bats at the Houston Zoo alive for 2 years. He also did a liver biopsy and an upper GI. He suggested we get on the AMA approved prescription for treating Hepatitis C which was Interferon and Revivarin. After reading the "side effects" and talking to others who had gone that route we decided not to go there and to seek alternative methods. My wife, Windy, did the HUGE amount of research and we tried just about EVERYTHING imaginable. Nothing worked for very long to keep the viral load count down to zero. Not even prayer. Imagine that. Oh, well. That brings us up to date, July 11, 2008. While eating lunch today, I get a call from Dr. Galati who is known by all doctors in the city for his expertise in dysfunctional livers. Known in some circles as the "Golden Boy" of the liver trade, we had gone to see him at the recommendation of Dr. Jorge Luengas, our PCP. I liked him but when he told me they were going to start up a new research on a drug to kill the HCV and that it also involved Interferon and Revivarin PLUS a "new" drug, photophase or something like that, we slowly backed out of his suite of offices and ran away as fast as we could. However, I did leave him my phone number in case he wanted to use me in his new drug research. I can't tell you why I ever said, "Maybe" to him. Well, after trying IVs of Vitamin C, colloidal silver and hydrogen peroxide, and realizing that it wasn't working for me, we figured this was going to be our "last straw." The "side effects" are NASTY with a capital 'N' and leaves the patient without some mental reasoning powers that he went into it with. So here I am. Staring at that black forest and realizing that I might have to go in there alone. Or not. Maybe Jesus will go with me. Or not. Windy will have to stay outside and holler and shine a flashlight so I might be able to find my way back out. From what the nurse told me on the phone today, I'll be part of a "3 Arm" study group. Or 3 groups. All 3 will receive the traditional treatment of Interferon and Revivarin but 2 groups will receive the "new drug" and 1 group will receive a placebo. No one will know who's getting what until after 3 months (12 weeks). The treatment will involve 1 injection per week for 4 weeks plus 10 pills a day every day. Then the shots will be reduced to 1 every two weeks for the next 4 weeks and then 1 shot in the final third month. The pills intake will remain the same. At the end of the 3 months, if my viral load count has not gone down significantly, that will mean I was one of the patients in the placebo group and that I will then go onto the "new drug." I'm still not sure of this. Something still doesn't feel right about it all to me. Can't say exactly but being a guinea pig for Big Pharma isn't my idea of how to get cured of a chronic disease.