Guest Book

Good Evening all. I’ve been thinking about this post for a while, so here it is. I consider a bunch of you friends, even more so after 2 years of Beacon and that great BtoP last year. A lot more I know from talking here and trading and stuff. You guys really don’t know what you mean to me. But maybe wondered, Bird is a little edgey and cranky these days, and opinionated, even for him. Sorry, I just can’t take much more Dickey badmouthing. Fine, there is new music. Fine, they’ll never play together again. But Dickey slams, now, are so pointless. Sorry to those I got heavy with. I’m cranky and uptight because I’m about 2 weeks away, give or take, from a year journey I’ve never been on. I am afraid my soul may be a bit black and my cheeriness gone, it has faded. I don’t want to share that here, while all are in great spirits from the music. I need to focus on me also, so I’ll be taking a break from here, with one little exception, which I’ll explain. I am “coming out” not in that way, but another. Some know, probably more than I realize, but here is the deal. First, I am talking to share knowledge and to maybe encourage others here with this to talk and be strong together. There is a stigma with this. “This” is Hepatitis C. I gave blood after 9/11 and they didn’t want it. What? And for the first few months I was misinformed and ignorant about what that meant. I actually thought I had it, was a carrier, but it was in remission or not active….. that was easy to deal with. It has unfolded, biopsy (liver not too bad yet) and now a year of Interferon treatment. That can be a tough ride, or just mildly really bad, from what I hear. But I want at least y’all to know the Readers Digest on Hep C. It is estimated 4-5 million Americans have it. If you don’t, you know someone. It is blood transmission. Not sex, not food. There are a couple people on here I know of, but I suspect many more. They couldn’t test for it until 1988 I believe was the year. So anyone with a blood transfusion prior may have it. Tattoos done with bad hygiene could do it, but that is probably not the big culprit, medical practices prior to “blood awareness” could be to blame. In my case, being 18 and playing with heroin probably did it. Haven’t done that since 1975 and I pay now. Hep C, as I take it, can take years to surface. I have been “burned out” feeling progressively for 3 years now. Thought it was mental burnout, but no mindset I tried could take it away. That is the first real problem, fatigue. A bit of mental clarity loss, and the next thing is getting a bit depressed as a result of being sick and tired of being tired. Other than that, functional. But the Hep is working and multiplying in your liver. It is a liver disease. That is what “Hep” means, inflammation, I believe, of the liver. It starts scarring, and causing fibrosis. The cirrhosis is if it continues past that. Not all do. Viral intensity is a factor. The confusing thing to me was all the Heps. None are related. The all are called hep because they affect the liver. I think it is 5% of Hep C people have liver failure. You can live with a pretty trashed liver before that point. Not well, but live. FYI, the Interferon in my Genotype 1 is a 40% success rate. 50% in other genotypes. So many have to live with it. I want to encourage anyone with this to get a hold of me and let’s talk. There is a real embarrassment to this thing, and we can be private about it. This is my last post for a bit. I will keep in touch with some of you, and will trade a bit. But I WILL be back. In a year, sooner if I drop out. PLEASE, if you have hep, consider talking. If you are tired a lot, maybe get tested. I got complete (I mean complete, yuk) physicals for a couple years prior, and they never tested for it. God bless all of you, long live the Brothers, and Dickey Betts. I will spend the next couple weeks a busy bee. No damn sympathy e-mails, PLEASE! I will be at whatever damn Dickey and Brothers shows are in Sept 2003. I will get a Harley Sportster in 2003, so all is not bad. I love you all.