2 weeks post tx, starting to feel better

[JasmineT]

I haven't seen much on how people improve the first couple weeks after tx so just wanted to share how my recovery is going.  The last couple of months tx became progressively hard on me, I would guess that recovery will vary depending on your state toward the end of tx.

By the end of tx I felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck, 24/7.  Week 1 that reduced to a bus. Still very bad.  Week 2 though it dropped to a step van early on and then a high pressure fire hose.  Even that is reducing now and is less constant.  I did end up going on Prozac at the end of tx and I should have done that week 8 of tx, I just didn't realize how bad I was and I don't like taking so many drugs.  Hope others will not resist that as much as I did and do what you can to help yourself through.  It was silly of me to try to be superwoman and the last few months as well as recovery may have been easier with ADs earlier in my system.

I still tire easily and the emotional issues are worse after being on my feet for a while or towards the end of the day.  The volcano of rage is gone but still have a moment here and there of being short.  Instead of thinking i don't like this or that, i now often find myself saying i like something, yippee! The feeling like every cell was vibrating and dispersing while on tx is reduced to a shaky skin crawl that is much less intense ( the fire hose). The painful headaches I had towards the end of tx are gone.  The lead brick in my chest is now just pellets. The anxiety is greatly reduced but unfortunately not gone.  I still have a degree of physical tenseness at all times but its definitely going in the right direction.  I have periods of almost not feeling the meds when I can think and talk of other things and just enjoy.  I smile at people and mean it instead of going through a polite motion wishing they would stop talking to me and tiring me out further.  The brain fog and focus is a little better, I can read a book, my brain is not getting stuck in loops, and I am less often forgetting what I was doing or saying.  The metallic taste is still there which is nasty but some of my taste buds are returning.  My appetite is still low.  I am having periods of pain in my right side below the rib cage, may need to get that checked out.

I probably need one more week off work to heal and get more of me concentration and energy back but i can't afford more time off.  Hopefully I can do ok with it this week.

Tx has been one heck of a ride but it looks like the ride is slowing and coming closer to the end.  I am still in here and the dragon is not!  I don't think I would have had the strength to get through this without this forum and the good people on it.  Many thanks to all and hope you all do well and have great health and happiness.

[JasmineT]

Thanks flcyclist.   I have heard that it takes 80 days for interferon and 6 months for ribaviron.  I am grateful that the end of week two has improved.

Pooh and stormy, I am glad this is helpful.  It's helpful for me to hear from the others on this thread with their details too.  Its hard not to worry at moments toward the end that you may get stuck like this or it may drag out longer without relief.

Thanks gerbil and working dog for sharing updates on your progress and your support.  It's very helpful.  For the stomach issues, I am finding avoiding fat and drinking apple juice seems to help me.  Might be all in my head but am sharing in case it helps.

Thanks slideman.  I am trying ard to avoid the germs.  I was had my ears plug up and could not hear for about 3 weeks.  Ears take a while sometimes.  Hopefully the tubes are just closed and it will open up again soon.  I am finding I feel worse after eating carbs, I kind of crash and the fog gets heavy.  It may be coincidence but think I may test my blood sugar before and after eating just to check if it keeps up.

Sandysf, it's been hard but yes, it was one worth fighting and I am glad I took this road.

Suezeeque, that is fantastic news!  Keep healing.

Leebambee, I am sooo looking forward to the beach too!  Sunshine, warm breezes, and cool water may provide the final healing I need.  Spring is coming.  It's going to be a mich better year.

Best wishes to all, day by day we'll all get there.

[leebambee]

Can't wait to get there too! Just keep visualizing the summer on the beach ahhh.....

[suezeeque]

I stopped SOC on January 19.  Yesterday, for the first time in months and months, I realized I felt -really- good.

It's all relative, I suppose, but I'm feeling a zillion times better...  :)

[stormy456]

Thank you, Jasmine, for the update.  It give us all something to look forward to - praying for SVR for you - you, along with everyone here, definitely deserve it.

[sandysf]

Great to hear from you and that you are on the recovery mode.  I think we all agree that treatment is tough but so worth the fight and before you know it it will be a distant memory and the virus will be gone forever!

[slideman]

Thanks for the posts. I am now a little ways from my 3 month vl test. Your post tx results sound exactly like mine. I still have moments of brain fog, but they dont last long. I have also had to fight colds and the related issues that go along with all that. A month ago my hearing suddenly got real bad, and has not recovered very well yet, despite going to Dr's as I should. Most of them dont know about our tx, and admit that. After tx I dont have any desire to take another pill again in my life...LOL. But I'm on prednisone for my ears. Hope it works. Right now I have a head full of locusts!!

[working dog]

your doing good....i had pretty much constant headaches for 3 weeks...thought they might be a side i wouldn't get rid of....but just like that one day i woke up to no headaches..they went away so fast...the pains in my guts and liver area are still there sometimes...i'm 3 months post tx..but all pains and itching are slowly going away...i figure if i'm left with light sides thats fine with me...hope to svr...i wouldn't get too anxious on a speedy recovery it might be a let down...the drugs are so strong to kill that virus..its really interesting to read post on how folks are doing after tx so please keep us informed..good luck...maybe the ad will help with the anxious feelings...billy

[Gerbils]

Thank you for doing this post. I tried to post updates but honestly my ability to think at that stage was really effected. My first two weeks off of treatment were really bad. Sorry, I am just being honest. My body hurt so much, I couldn't believe it. I also had something else I couldn't really articulate at the time which I think is what you are describing as physical tenseness and that sounds like what I had. There were simply times that it felt as if every muscle in my torso was clenched. That probably contributed to the pain. I also had and sometimes still have very mild pain on the right side below the rib cage.

On the upside. My energy came back pretty fast. It was really sucky that I had so much pain because the energy level and alertness was good and I was happy about that. I too, had lost the ability to read a book (or anything longer than a short paragraph) due to lack of focus mentally and visually. Both are fine now and I can use the glasses I used before treatment. My brain fog has lifted completely (week 4, I believe). Still have some joint pain but nothing like before. And finally, in the last few days, I think the rash has gone away.

If you are considering treatment  please don't let these reports about the side effects stop you from treating. The treatment and recovery are doable and worth doing. I am glad to see the honest descriptions about what people are experiencing with the treatment.Incivek and Victrelis are both fairly new and reading the studies done on them gives the medical doctors and researchers reports (and perspective) on the treatment. (It is much more than that but it is not the patient's account of what occurred.) What you see here is the personal accounts of the patients during treatment. And most of the time it is the people who have side effects that you are hearing from. You should also realize that you could be one of those people who experience little or no problems. I wanted to go in to treatment with an open mind but an educated one so I wouldn't be completely unprepared.  I truly thought I would not have much in the way of side effects. Oh, well. The support I have received from the people on the forum has been invaluable to me. Following their personal stories of their treatment made me better able to handle what was and is happening to me. You should also notice that we are still alive and the vast majority are conquering the virus and moving forward. It is too early to know if we have beaten it for good but we had had at least a good break from the illness and the hope of long term success. Get well and stay tuned. Thank you to everyone on this forum. Good luck JasmineT! It will get better.  Blessings to all and everyone, keep us posted.
G

[pooh55811]

PS: I am very hapy you posted to let us know how the recovery from treatment is going. It gives me (and I am sure everyone else) hope that we, too, will gradually feel better after treatment.

[pooh55811]

It is great that you have finished treatment and are starting to feel a little better. Best of luck to you.

[flcyclist]

Congrats on making it to the finish line.  It sounds like you are recovering quickly the last two weeks and hope it continues.  It takes a month or more for the meds to completely leave the body, so you should feel better as time goes on.  Best to you.