Remission, or feeling like a "normal" person

So, I went through treatment for my Hepatitis C over last summer.  I was on Sovaldi and Interferon (chemo-like drugs) for 3 months, from May to July of 2014.    The Sovaldi was $1000 per pill, but my insurance covered it so that I only had to pay $5 per month.  The Interferon was in the form of a shot once a week, performed by my husband (thank goodness- there's no way I could do it to myself).  Side effects of treatment for me included extreme fatigue, weight loss, and hair loss.  Basically, I slept for 3 months and acquired 2 bald spots and rapidly thinning hair.  The hair loss did not start until August, AFTER treatment was finished, and it continued until December.  At that point, I had to cut my hair down to about 2-3 inches long.  I got a fun haircut, so it turned out okay.  I also lost about 50 pounds.  The weight just melted off, probably because I was barely awake long enough to eat.

After treatment, my blood tests showed that my liver enzymes were NOT elevated anymore.  HEY . . . REMISSION!!!!

In order to explain the way I am feeling now, 6 months post treatment, I have to say how I felt before.  Since I likely contracted Hep C as a 3-month-old baby, I can say I've had it my whole life.  31 years.  I have always been tired, and more so the older I got.  It was a feeling of heaviness that never let me go.  I never had much energy (and less as I aged), so I stayed out of physical activities like sports.  As an adult, I needed a nap every day and plenty of sleep at night.  As a teenager, I became depressed and withdrawn from life.  I was finally diagnosed with clinical depression and social anxiety disorder at age 19.  The chronic fatigue and depression are typical side effects of Hep C.  

I have never known another way of life.  I have always been tired, ALWAYS.  The fatigue was just a part of me that I did not realize until it was gone.

That's right.  It's gone now.  The saying that you don't know what you've got until it's gone is true.  I did not realize that I had been so tired my entire life until I suddenly WASN'T.  

It's weird to have all this energy.  At first, it seemed excessive, but now I know it's just how normal people feel.  I actually look around my house and notice things that need to be done, like laundry and dishes and sweeping.  I don't know what to do with myself when I'm home alone- when the kids are at school, my hubby is working, and my own work is done for the day.  So I pace the house a lot.  My favorite thing to do has always been reading, but now it's difficult to settle down and concentrate.  This energy is so new to me.  I feel restless.  I don't need as much sleep, and it's difficult to nap.

Is this how healthy people feel?