They took the core sample out and immediately sent it to the laboratory for further testing with a more detailed examination. This was not a geological survey looking for evidence of crude oil in the region or an ice core sample to study the atmospheric content changes over hundreds of years, this core sample was from my liver!
My name is Johnny Delirious and I authorized the Doctor who was head of gastroenterology at the University Hospital to perform my liver biopsy. My reasoning: “a closer look was in order.” When the laboratory submitted their findings, the reality of my liver condition was 96% scar tissue. That meant that my body was operating and surviving on only 4% liver tissue. No wonder I was tired all the time and I did not have an appetite. A yellow death camp prisoner vision was all I was.
The doctor, her assistant and I reviewed the lab report together and the assistant told me I would be lucky to be alive in 8 months. The Doctor said she did not know how I am surviving right now with only 4% liver function. They both said I had 8 months to live and that I better get on the liver transplant list right away. They recommended interferon and some other drugs; what they referred to as “the cocktail”. The cost was astronomical! I had no insurance.
For me their recommendations were equally as grim as the prognosis itself. I asked them to please give me the research material that supported the “drug cocktail” and the liver transplant. They looked at each other and sort of hesitated; then I said, “Well this is the University Medical Center, right”, they said, “yes”, well I want to read all the research you can provide about these two courses of action.” I believe they were stunned that I would question their recommendations; however I was polite but firm and determined to read up on anything that supports this particular treatment therapy.
A week or so later, after I went to several other doctors seeking different opinions but they all gave me the same conclusions, I came back by to pick up some stacks of copied material with flyers all about Hepatitis C, liver transplants and interferon combination drug cocktails. I read everything; dove in and studied the reference material with the vigor of a wild hungry dog finally getting his long awaited meal. The doctor told me to return in a week so we could get started.
What I found in the research was not very encouraging. The cost of drug therapy treatment was outrageously high and it could last up to 6 to 10 months and the side effects are “likened to the flu on the better days.” Wow, what is it like on the not so good days? This was my big question about the drug therapy. Shoot, I already felt bad and I certainly did not want to feel worst. The liver transplant information and statistics were even more grim; at best most liver transplant recipients only lived four or five years, if their body does not reject the new organ. There were a few cases that lived 6 or more years, but none made it passed 7 years. There is also a regiment of several anti-rejection drugs and regular clinical monitoring during this period. Gosh, all that plus the three drug cocktail combination on the best days I would feel like I had the flu? I do not have to say what you already know; the cost of this treatment and transplant is way out of sight; more than a $500,000. After reading all of this I felt that it was the wrong way to go. Check that, I thought it was totally ridiculous and jokingly I thought “I would be better off going to see Dr. Mingela”.
When I returned to the Gastroenterology Center or the GE as they called it, I met with the treatment team; that was my doctor, her assistant and an intern. As soon as I walked in they started talking right away telling me things like: “Well you have the most common blood type O+, and so the wait for a liver with that blood type is much longer it could be about 10 or 12 months since there are so many recipients like you. Of course you will need to meet with our donor planning committee in order to get the paper work going to get approval, but we can get you on the drug therapy right away…” I said wo wo wait a minute, I do not want to do this.” They were stunned and speechless; it was like I zapped them with a ray gun from Dr. Who!
Then my doctor snapped back and said, “so what are you going to do? You are not thinking right - you are delirious!” I said to them, “I really think I will be better off using herbs.” My Doctor got red in the face angry. “You are going to die if you do not get this treatment.” And then I said, “I know cancer survivors that used herbal cleanses and they are healthy today. I do have a choice don’t I? I do not want to do the liver transplant or drug therapy.” She said “we are working so hard to help you, etc. etc..and you are so sick you can't make these kinds of decisions.” I kept thinking how she was not giving me a choice and started singing when Johnny comes marching home again, ha rah, ha rah and repeated that I was not going to do any of their treatments and as I walked out the door, she said "alright Johnny Delirious, you are going to die."
For me, there were several fundamental hard core principles at stake here. One, is you should always have choices when making life and death decisions about yourself. Two, and probably more importantly is, I am God’s child, just like you and I am going to fight to survive and I should always be able to follow his lead in my choices. As God’s child, I do not see myself as an automobile where you take out the carburetor and put in a new one. If I chose the liver transplant that would certainly guarantee my mortality less than 6 years. But why would I do that if they gave me only 8 months to live and it takes 10 to 12 months before I get another liver? While I am waiting, the drug therapy on good days would make me feel like the flu; bad days are worse. I felt like with their treatment, I would start dying as soon as I started it because I would feel rotten from the 1st day on through the whole time and things would get only worse. I made a hard core decision; I did not want to be another medical statistic and later the treatment team would be talking about cases like mine….“yea, actually Johnny did good, he lived a little over 5 years before he died;”
NO THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
A little background on me, my father was a medical doctor who graduated from Tulane where he taught Pharmacology at that University Medical School before he started his practice where I grew up near Pensacola, Florida. I knew a little bit about the profession and I respect it. I also know of some people who did the drug cocktail and are doing better. But I do not know of anyone who got a liver transplant and lived more than 6 years and I do not know anyone to truly verify they are virus free after a decade. So we all have our choices to make, however, I felt like I no longer had a choice with the doctor who gave me the liver biopsy. My family and friends ridiculed me for just walking away. Today, I am so glad I did.
My book tells about my journey through the Natural Health World of healing. I don’t mention any of the hype, treatments and potions that did not work. God knows I tried many things, I focus on what I did that does work. In my book, Hepatitis C, CURED you will read about my Hepatitis Support Group and how the ones that made up their minds to get well did; and many of them used only one or two of the numerous treatments that I applied to get my healing accomplished. Interestingly enough, the ones that healed did not use the same therapies. Individually they chose the therapies they were comfortable using. You see, when you are fighting for your life and you make up your mind to get well, you choose the treatment that feels right to you by your understanding and you will succeed with your own Hard Core Cure, just like I did. For over 17 years I have had no viral load or antibodies of any type of Hepatitis A, B and C. All I want to do with my book is to give you hope, some information of the right natural healing modalities out there that work and remind you that YOU are just like me; you should always have choices, you are one of God’s children and you should fight for your life. Take it from me, Johnny Delirious, "natural recovery from Hepatitis C is a choice not a myth.
For more information go to: www.johnnydelirious.com
In my high school, class of 1971, I contracted Hepatitis A and B. In 1981, I contracted Hepatitis C. In 1991, the Doctors gave me 8 months to live and said my only hope to survive was to get a liver transplant and interferon drug therapy. I did not have health insurance and could not afford the conventional treatment, so I had to heal myself with natural therapies that did not harm my body and were more affordable. In short, for several years, my body became the test site for alternative products and natural therapies of every imaginable variety in order for me to find what worked to promote liver wellness. The experiment yielded positive results. For over 17 years, I have no viral load of Hepatitis A, B and C with no antibodies or markers. My liver enzymes are also normal. In fact, my immunity response got so strong that even warts and moles have fallen off my body. The best news is, that I still have my own liver and today medical experts say, I have the liver of "a twenty year old." As you can see from my picture to the left, taken in July 2009, I am a vibrant 56 year old man. My book, Hepatitis C, CURED, gives the step by step blueprint of the recovery protocol that facilitated my healing and it is published in 5 different languages. Russian translations of the book are available by electronic download. My goal is to help the people of the world achieve good liver health and not be the prey of the Hepatitis Dragon.
Take it from me, Johnny Delirious....
Natural Recovery from Hepatitis C is a Choice, not a Myth!