Difference since lowered Peg??

[Lady Lauri]

Wow. The difference in me in one week since lowering Peg is amazing!!?? I am not sure if my body has adapted (week 12) or if it actually is the lowered Peg. Can it make this much difference???
I am up and running (okay, faster walking, not running), organizing the garage, even rode my bike 3 times past couple days (have not since week 2). Doing paper work without doing it 3 times! The ‘bad drugs, hazy brain’ is much better. I haven’t been ‘up’ a whole day in weeks!  The 200mg. Reduction in Riba brought hgb back up  (did acupuncture every day for 11 days also, from the one that specializes in chemo/hep patients) . Tx now 600 Riba/ 90mg Peg. (Geno 2b) I have thought all along it was more the Riba kicking my arse, now thinking it was the Peg. more so. (which so does the Dr.)
Without going into all the pros-cons of the decision in reducing, ( trust me, have struggled with that decision on here, with Dr., family, in my head… MUCH ) …..could just 1 week of the lowered Peg make this much difference?

P.S. After last week 90mg shot,  I’d decided to do the 135mg. Peg this week and a week or 2 more! To get closer to week 16 before reducing again !!! Still plan to, but curious on this!

                                                                                       LL

[hairtamer]

Yes I have been driving mixer and dump off and on for over 12 years.  The hair business does not offer any benefits.  My shoulder injury has been the first opportunity to treat this disease.  I do know that when all is said and done I don't have a job.  The company would not even take my injury as work related.  Cemex is the worlds largest mixer company after they merged with Rinker early this year.  I can't even drive some days since I have been on tx.
God Bless,
Rose

[jmjm530]

I can't speak to the vision thing and that is best left to an eye specialist in conjunction with your treatment doctor. Some eye issues -- cotton wool spots for example -- are quite normal on treatment and resolve post treatment. Others may be more serious.

Wish you well,

-- Jim

[Lady Lauri]

  Thank you and hope your feeling better too. How is it going this week? Seems to change weekly in this, LOL. (daily!!)

While feeling better is great, all this lowering is compromising my SVR, so to ALL Geno 2's......don't use me as an example in tx !!!

  Be well :}
                                                                                   LL

[Lady Lauri]

  Forgot to mention (keep forgetting!), one of my sides/concerns is vision problems, and mine is really bad already.....which is more the culprit in harming your vison, Riba or Peg ?
(think it's the Peg.?)

                                                                                    LL

[Lady Lauri]

   The Riba lowered: As you know, no rescue drugs, was at risk of 'holding dose's' , so went down to 600mg. He was comfortable with that as UND week 4, weight, Geno 2, etc.  ( I gather in brain fog memory of our conversations). My hgb rose up a few weeks ago, so that hadn't made this much difference (perhaps, yes, over more time now of being up). Riba AND Peg (to 135mg) reduced at week 6.

  On 'quitting': I had said I wanted labs before doing another shot, 'listed' as some severe sides in trial standards and we had discussed stopping at week 16 a few weeks ago per my tolerance of the drugs, etc.Our discussion last week was per the two options....reduce now, stay on 24 weeks or stop at week 16. He leaned towards lowering, doing full 24. I said I would do a few more 135mg. shots, he said no, lower now.

On going off of trial: Being 'halfway' there, being my insurance covers nothing, starting over, etc. I believe it's a matter of finishing the 12 weeks in the trial, UND week 4 and so on.  No need for procrit now, as hgb in better range. Doing 600mg Riba is allowed, okay'd in trial for 2b.(THO.....I do have 7 more shots in my fridge if there was a time lapse!!)
  And not taken cynical at all. No matter how 'good' a Dr. is, we all need to question things. At this point I have already gone way out of 'trial' rules, etc. other than the no rescue drugs.

I had already decided to do a few more higher dose Peg shots ( all my shots have 180mg in them, I push out for dose!) even before feeling so much better. I can do more than 'reasonable discomfort' , have been, so am concerned in that.

My 12 week labs tomorrow and talking about this again. Am going to stick with 135mg. At least thru to week 16 as long as labs stay 'okay'.  Much as I love feeling a bit 'normal' for 1st time in months :}

                                                                                               LL

[charm27]

Glad to hear your feeling so good. Rode yor bike what an improvement. I wish you well.
ENJOY!!!!!

Charm27

[Lady Lauri]

  Thanks for the post. You drive a mixer truck?? I have days I won't drive my Ford truck!
Good luck ahead on your tx....and God Bless you too.

                                                             LL

[jmjm530]

Sure, it could be the peg reduction, but from what you say -- and what I've read here over the past couple of years -- it sounds like your reduction in ribavirin (and rise in hgb) that is making the major difference.

Which makes me question again why you're reducing the Peg by such a significant amount.

If I remember correctly, your doctor suggested reducing the Peg because he thought you were going to quit treatment?

I also remember that you had no plans on quitting, so I question pulling the plug so soon on the Peg.

It's great that you feel so well, but the point of treatment is to kill the virus while accepting reasonable discomfort. So if it were me, and I was feeling the way you now describe, I'd be on the phone to my doc trying to convince him to go right back on full-dose Peg again.

And not to be cynical, ha, but if your doctor was really more interested in your SVR than the trial, then why wouldn't he pull you out of the trial and give you Procrit (epo) instead of reducing the riba? Something to keep in the back of you mind should another riba reduction be suggested.

All the best,

-- Jim

[hairtamer]

That is wonderful!!!  I'm in my 6th week and will do shot 7 on Friday.  I am 2b 180 interferon and 1000 riba.  I see my gastro on Monday the 17th to go over everything.  I cannot imagine driving a mixer truck the way I feel on these medications.  It is all I can do to fight short term disability and workers compensation.
God Bless,
Rose