HCV Questions

I had a blood transfusion almost 20 years ago , and believe that is when I contracted HCV.I was made aware that I had the disease when I gave blood years later (90

[Kevin Pho, MD]

To answer your questions:
1) The side effects such as fatigue vary from patient to patient, thus making it hard to say what is "normal".  

2) There are many reasons for fatigue.  Of couse, the hepatitis itself can lead to fatigue.  It is possible that they may be unrelated to the hepatitis and its treatment.  Easy things to check would be a thyroid test and a blood count.  Fatigue and flu-like symptoms occur in up to 90% of people who are on interferon, it may take some time for the effects to fully diminish.

3) If this hasn't been done, you may want to inquire whether a combination of ribavirin and pegalated interferon can be considered if the initial treatment has failed.

4) It is possible that the mistake in dosage may have contributed to treatment failure.  

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

[thanbey]

Your side effects were probably average. Some people experience fewer sides and others have far worse.

It will take your boidy time to recover from the treatment, which is a very toxic one on the body.

New treatments may be availalbe in the next few years, however, most of them will have interferon as a component.

the most important thing for you to know is that hepatitis C is not a fatal illness in the majority of people. With rigid lifestyle habits and continued monitoring from your doctor, you can expect to live a long and full life. Managing your hepatitis C symptoms, if any, will become part of your lifestyle.

For more informaiton on this, check out the website: www.hcop.org

The homepage has a dropdown menu where you can read about a wide variety of topics, including those I have mentioned here.

Also, "thanbey responds" talks about a lot of issues in frank language.
There is also a blog where you can contribute comments.

I hope this helps and you are feeling stronger each day.

thanbey

www.hcop.org