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Hemoglobin results
Hi everyone,
I just received a call from my nurse with my lab results after 4 wks of treatment and said my hemoglobin count has dropped from 12.8 to 9.5 and my dr. might want to give me a shot of procrit. Does anyone know if there is anything I can do to raise those numbers?
Also my viral count went from 99 to 18 which she feels isnt good because she wanted to see v.c undetected. That seems like such a large drop in 4 wks. that I felt like that was great, but she explained that 4 wks w/undetected v.l. mean better chance of tx being successful.
I just dont know what to feel at this point other than disapointment. Can anyone give me some feedback?
I just received a call from my nurse with my lab results after 4 wks of treatment and said my hemoglobin count has dropped from 12.8 to 9.5 and my dr. might want to give me a shot of procrit. Does anyone know if there is anything I can do to raise those numbers?
Also my viral count went from 99 to 18 which she feels isnt good because she wanted to see v.c undetected. That seems like such a large drop in 4 wks. that I felt like that was great, but she explained that 4 wks w/undetected v.l. mean better chance of tx being successful.
I just dont know what to feel at this point other than disapointment. Can anyone give me some feedback?
Low HGB is a real bugger for TXers. It seems to cause the worst feeling overall, tired and out ob breath.
Don't worry on not being UND at 4 weeks. I felt the same when mine came back with a drop from1,000,000 to 71,000. I thought that sounded pretty good, but the nurse acted disappointed that it was not 0.
As long as you get a 2Log (100x) reduction in VL by week 12, you still have a pretty good shot at SVR. That's your next milestone. That, and being UND anytime before now and week 24. As a bonus, if you are UND by week 12, you may not have to treat as long.
Bon chance!
Don't worry on not being UND at 4 weeks. I felt the same when mine came back with a drop from1,000,000 to 71,000. I thought that sounded pretty good, but the nurse acted disappointed that it was not 0.
As long as you get a 2Log (100x) reduction in VL by week 12, you still have a pretty good shot at SVR. That's your next milestone. That, and being UND anytime before now and week 24. As a bonus, if you are UND by week 12, you may not have to treat as long.
Bon chance!
You almost dropped your viral load 2 log. (9,940). Good job!
It is all relative how you look at it if it is good or bad. You are responding to treatment. That is good. Very good. You have no control over how your body responds to treatment. Just do your part by taking all your meds on time. That is your part. Your body will do whatever it is going to do. As long as you are undetectable by week 12 you still have a decent chance of clearing the virus. Most genotype 1s become undetectable after week 4 and before week 12. So you have as much chance as most genotype 1s. Nothing to be depressed about. We all wish it was 100% but that isn't the case unfortunately. So you are fine.
Stay positive and keep your eyes on the prize. SVR!
As others have stated you don't want to cut back on your meds at lease until your HCV RNA test shows you are undetectable. And at that point only cut back in a step by step manner. Your doc will know this. You don't want to have a "breakthough" were the virus comes back. At that point you would have to start treatment all over again. Talk to your doc let him/her know you don't want this to happen if at all possible.
Keep up the good work! Try to stay focused. Hope your RBC come back up so you feel better.
Hector
It is all relative how you look at it if it is good or bad. You are responding to treatment. That is good. Very good. You have no control over how your body responds to treatment. Just do your part by taking all your meds on time. That is your part. Your body will do whatever it is going to do. As long as you are undetectable by week 12 you still have a decent chance of clearing the virus. Most genotype 1s become undetectable after week 4 and before week 12. So you have as much chance as most genotype 1s. Nothing to be depressed about. We all wish it was 100% but that isn't the case unfortunately. So you are fine.
Stay positive and keep your eyes on the prize. SVR!
As others have stated you don't want to cut back on your meds at lease until your HCV RNA test shows you are undetectable. And at that point only cut back in a step by step manner. Your doc will know this. You don't want to have a "breakthough" were the virus comes back. At that point you would have to start treatment all over again. Talk to your doc let him/her know you don't want this to happen if at all possible.
Keep up the good work! Try to stay focused. Hope your RBC come back up so you feel better.
Hector
Thanks for the info. it's such ashame that we are all trying to kill this virus and have to worry about causing some other major issues after treatment is done, and that is if the virus doesn't come back. I'm going to see a cardiologist soon due to i have been told i have a leaky heart valve and wondering if this is causing the main problems i have been going through. thanks and talk to you soon. Tony
check out a site called labtestsonline dot org I is really a GREAT sigh for interpreting labs.
But here's a quick blurb from the sight. I know that the ranges are different for females and males.
Mouse
================================================================
What does the test result mean?
Normal values in an adult are 12 to 18 grams per deciliter (100 milliliters) of blood. Above-normal hemoglobin levels may be the result of:
dehydration,
excess production of red blood cells in the bone marrow,
severe lung disease, or
several other conditions.
Below-normal hemoglobin levels may lead to anemia that can be the result of:
iron deficiency or other deficiencies, such as B12 and folate,
inherited hemoglobin defects, such as sickle cell anemia or thalassemias,
other inherited conditions, such as enzyme defects,
cirrhosis of the liver,
excessive bleeding,
excessive destruction of red blood cells,
kidney disease,
other chronic illnesses,
bone marrow failure or aplastic anemia, or
cancers that affect the bone marrow.
But here's a quick blurb from the sight. I know that the ranges are different for females and males.
Mouse
================================================================
What does the test result mean?
Normal values in an adult are 12 to 18 grams per deciliter (100 milliliters) of blood. Above-normal hemoglobin levels may be the result of:
dehydration,
excess production of red blood cells in the bone marrow,
severe lung disease, or
several other conditions.
Below-normal hemoglobin levels may lead to anemia that can be the result of:
iron deficiency or other deficiencies, such as B12 and folate,
inherited hemoglobin defects, such as sickle cell anemia or thalassemias,
other inherited conditions, such as enzyme defects,
cirrhosis of the liver,
excessive bleeding,
excessive destruction of red blood cells,
kidney disease,
other chronic illnesses,
bone marrow failure or aplastic anemia, or
cancers that affect the bone marrow.
Thanks Mouse, what should be the HGB level and i guess is this the red blood cells, also i will be getting copies of my labs this friday and will definately keep you posted. I also 2nd time around, 3 years ago i lasted 3 full months and decided to give up due to side effects but no issue with breathing like this time around, the flu like symptoms are not even there only on saturday night for a few hours, of course the fatigue but at least my appetite is good, i just hate loosing the weight. thanks Tony
My issues with breathing were that no matter how hard I tried I could not get enough air. Any physical exertion was making me pant. It's funny but it's not ... one Saturday my husband and I went to WalMart to pick up bobbers for fishing ... I had to turn to him right before we got in line to check out and said "Bill wait a minute, I can't breath I need to catch my breath". The clerk offered to call me a paramedic! The following Saturday I was in a department store buying hats for my shedding head, got to the register, couldn't catch my breath and I was sweating profusely. The clerk asked "Are you sick?". I vowed not to go out in public again until I got this issue squared away LOL.
The other interesting thing for me is that this is my second round of treatment. During my first round my hgb dropped to 10 and stayed there the entire 48 weeks. I really wasn't all that symptomatic from anemia except that I was fatigued and I had that "pasty" look. On this round of treatment the minute my hgb dropped below 11 I became symptomatic. They ordered the Aranesp for me when I dropped to 10.5 and by the time I got it (it took a week of red tape) I was down to 9.
I've heard that treatment can cause breating problems other than the ones anemia causes. Matter of fact there is a warning that if a person has COPD or emphyzema that it can aggravate these conditions.
Did you ask your doctor exactly where your hgb is? Are you getting copies of your labs?
Mouse
The other interesting thing for me is that this is my second round of treatment. During my first round my hgb dropped to 10 and stayed there the entire 48 weeks. I really wasn't all that symptomatic from anemia except that I was fatigued and I had that "pasty" look. On this round of treatment the minute my hgb dropped below 11 I became symptomatic. They ordered the Aranesp for me when I dropped to 10.5 and by the time I got it (it took a week of red tape) I was down to 9.
I've heard that treatment can cause breating problems other than the ones anemia causes. Matter of fact there is a warning that if a person has COPD or emphyzema that it can aggravate these conditions.
Did you ask your doctor exactly where your hgb is? Are you getting copies of your labs?
Mouse
Hi, i started posting about a week ago. I am geno 1b and have been on treatment for close to 8 weeks, on pegintron and 800 mg of riba. i have had nothing but issues with breathing starting after the 2nd week of treatment. I see my doctor this friday for recent lab works, last lab work there were no signs of anemia etc. Can you explain the kind of breathing issues you were having and how long did they last for, i have been having these issue and have had every single test that you could name and everything is ok in the lungs. i did recently was told i have a leaky heart valve which i am told by my doc that not that serious but i don't believe some of these docs now at days, i see a cardio this week to find out if this has anything to do with it. Hope you could shed some light on this with breathing problems you had and when did they start and how long. Thanks so much. Tony
UND at 4 weeks would have been wonderful but you dropped well over a log in just 4 weeks with 8 more to go so I would be very happy with that. I went from 1,290,000 to 100,000 in 6 wks and I'll take it!! I'm a geno 1 so at least I'm responding for now. Good luck with the Procrit and your HGB should come back up after a few weeks of taking it.
Trin
Trin
I take a twice monthly form of Procrit called Aranesp. After 4 injections my hgb got back up 12 and I'm going to try reducing my Aranesp injections down to once a month and see if I can maintain.
Procrit and Aranesp are bascially the same medication (epoetin) except that Aranesp gets injected every other week instead of every week. It did make a tremendous difference for me, especially when it came to breathing.
Mouse
Procrit and Aranesp are bascially the same medication (epoetin) except that Aranesp gets injected every other week instead of every week. It did make a tremendous difference for me, especially when it came to breathing.
Mouse
Yep. Thats a very fast decline in HGB in 4 weeks . I m sure he will put you on Procrit right away , although i beleive it takes a few weeks to kick in.
I started with a HGB of 14.7 and Im going on my 30th week. Its now 10.5 and hasnt gone below that.
Good luck with yout tx.
You must be feeling a little weak in the legs from such a fast drop?
I started with a HGB of 14.7 and Im going on my 30th week. Its now 10.5 and hasnt gone below that.
Good luck with yout tx.
You must be feeling a little weak in the legs from such a fast drop?
That's a pretty steep drop in hgb, procrit is the better way to go, in my opinion. The other option is to reduce the dose of riba but its important (especially in the first 12 weeks) to take as much riba as you can tolerate. Some doctors do a combination of procrit and dose reduction (thats what my doc did.)
The procrit keeps my hgb above 10. BTW hgb of 10 feels a lot better on the way up than it did on the way down. Its amazing how the body adjusts.
You didn't get UND yet but like FlGuy I'm not sure how to interpret your numbers. UND by week 4 is associated with the best chance at SVR, but its not the only chance. If you get UND by week 12 you still have a shot at SVR, so keep your hopes up
I'm not a doctor.
The procrit keeps my hgb above 10. BTW hgb of 10 feels a lot better on the way up than it did on the way down. Its amazing how the body adjusts.
You didn't get UND yet but like FlGuy I'm not sure how to interpret your numbers. UND by week 4 is associated with the best chance at SVR, but its not the only chance. If you get UND by week 12 you still have a shot at SVR, so keep your hopes up
I'm not a doctor.
Hi FIGuy,
Yes and Yes. To be exact my v.l started at 994,000. The nurse interpreted as 99 down to 18 or 18,000. I thought that was good, but she called herself greedy and wouldve like to see as undetected because its a better chance of tx working.
Thanks
Yes and Yes. To be exact my v.l started at 994,000. The nurse interpreted as 99 down to 18 or 18,000. I thought that was good, but she called herself greedy and wouldve like to see as undetected because its a better chance of tx working.
Thanks
Assuming you stay on the same doses of meds, you should assume that taking procrit is probably going to be a regular thing. Maybe weekly or more often. The stuff encourages the growth of red blood cells and the meds (the riba) will continue to kill them off. So, the procrit will likely continue. Once it kicks you probably will not feel so tired and worn out as you probably do. By the way, in a prior post you said that your v.l. started at 900,000 (or some number like that). Is it now down to 18 or 18,000?
Thanks that did give me some relief. My doc called after I posted this question and what he is doing is lowering my riba from 5 pills a day to 4. Hope that helps.
thanks again,
d
thanks again,
d
Procrit is the way to go, when you become anaemic during treatment. It should raise your hb levels and make you feel better fairly soon. I'll let someone more knowledgeable comment on your viral load.
All the best with tx.
Marcia
All the best with tx.
Marcia
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