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Hep C Itching

My husband itches from head to toe and the doctors say his viral load is too low for this to be occurring. NOTHING stops the itching, NOTHING. Does any one else have this syptom?
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Avatar universal
I have Hep-C  (no treatment) and experience a lot of itching on my shins and on my calves  and also around my ankles.  One small recommendation I would make is something I was told by anogther hep C patient.  When this itching becomes too severve to ignore, "scratch" with an ice-cube, NOT your fingernails. The fingernails merely increase the severity of the itching while the ide cubes tend to lessen the urge to scratch more.


Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I went to a dermatologist a few years back with the same problem and got it cured!....Here is the answer...Allegra 180mg daily, along with triamcinolone cream.  It solved the issue within a day!  Give it a try
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Avatar universal
A little bit of interferon and who NEEDS Miss Clairol any longer!...... I do, never had miss clairol before but im sure id enjoy her more then this interferon.

Fisheress, now just why did you go and do that? Blondes have more fun...... Whats with you gals always changing the color of your hair. GEEZ you change hair styles more then i change the oil in my car.
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92903 tn?1309904711
Regarless of the competency of this doc, you are clearly not comfortable with the information he is dispensing. That is key.  My advice: beat feet for a hepatologist. Post your geographic area and someone might chime in with a recommendation. There are plenty of knowledgeable and compassionate Hep C specialists out there, and your husband should be seen by one if at all possible.

Best of luck.
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Avatar universal
Something else you might consider while trying to get into a hepatologist or a good GI that has had many HCV people is to have your doctor order a fibrosure test. Its a simple blood test that is done by Labcorp. Its a quick way to give you an ideal where you might stand as far as liver damage goes. Its not as good as a bx is but might ease your mind because sometimes getting in to a GI/hepatologist takes a few months. The fibrosure test will give you results in a week to 10 days.

I had one while waiting to see my hepatologist.
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116701 tn?1210259164
I've never met a doctor who has taken this treatment so their experience level is based on zip. You will itch and breakout. Drive you nuts. I think its the riba. New doctor would be my prescription and they should be specialized. Have him drink a lot of water and use lotion. That did it for me or at least most of the time. Good luck to you and especially husband. Dale
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Avatar universal
How you doing? kymmiz husband isn't on tx. his doctor seems to think because is viral load is low no problem. Good luck to ya
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116701 tn?1210259164
Hey buddy. I guess I need to study the post a little better before responding. Brainfog is a real issue. I've been doing pretty well except for the joint and muscle pain. It's turned off cold here in Memphis again and this treatment doesn't seem to do well in cold. This Friday night I will have 30 or 31 weeks left. (this is the first time I've forgotten the number) The Nupogen has kept my feet out of the grave so to speak. What's going on with you. You went MIA there for a day and we don't do well with that. If a regular goes silent it sort of makes for a pause ha! You need to coordinate your out of pocket adventures with NYgirl. She keeps the day planner:) I hope you're doing well. Dale
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Avatar universal
Ha fellas, how are the sx's treating younse today? I'm pretty good today but shot 4 is friday (yikes) so it will be sickville again this weekend.

Dyce
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Avatar universal
Not to bad here today. Glad your over the bug so you can be sick again this weekend.

Dale, Yeah nygirl is like our mother hen, always worried about what us kids are up to. Shes a real sweetheart though. Just don't tell her i said that. Wouldn't want her to think i was going to quit giving her a hard way to go. :)
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Avatar universal
Fellow Memphian here.  :wave

As for the question about skin, I am on interferon and NM283.  My legs are raw from scratching them.  I'm pretty sure it's the interferon bc I've never had this problem before.  

To soothe my skin, I take a warm bath and rub a little baby oil on my legs while they are still wet.  I also use Palmer's and it helps a lot.  It is the best OTC lotion around.

Your dh could also try some Benedryl.
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Avatar universal
wow, so NY girl is a "mother hen" and I'm an old goat.... man, what did I do to deserve this!  hey dyce, hope your #4 goes well.  #5 and #6 have pretty much wiped me out, but I feel up to giving the can man a hard time today, and its actually snowing (dryest winter in recorded history here in NM), so all in all, life is still good.  HHmmm, the can man, and he calls me a goat....
><((((
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Avatar universal
Thanks there fishdoc, so are you from n.m. A little northwest and your in the land of cando. Hope yer sx's improve, ha the fish and us need ya around!

Dyce
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Avatar universal
Just go to this site. BTW i bet giving you a coloring book and crayons keeps you busy for hours. Nice little fish you drew there.

http://www.geocities.com/~butt79/goatmania.html
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Avatar universal
Said w, so NY girl is a "mother hen" and I'm an old goat.... man

Yeah I'm just a real mother.....'er huh?  ;-)  (Don't want to have CanDo think I'm goin' soft over here I'd NEVER hear the end of it!)

Boy wouldn't it just be fantastic if us guys COULD have some real life adventures?  I can just see it in the newspapers you know?

A group of emaciated balding scratching crazy people were seen walking through Central Park today, as one passerby said "I could have sworn the one fellow kept saying "I'm a moth, I'm a moth NYGirl get the glue" as another was claiming the good effects of healthy eating and trying to make the others drink cider vinegar while the crazy girl kept screaming but no it's not a fudgicle! and a man with a little dog was trying desperately to find out which state he was in while another crazy man was laughing at him saying "I'm the CanDoMan yes I am"

Something like that. yeah sounds like we'd end up in the slam.
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Avatar universal
says..... (Don't want to have CanDo think I'm goin' soft over here I'd NEVER hear the end of it!)

And all this time i thought you was a girl. Hmmmmmmm
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Avatar universal
Hey babe it's the internet...I can be anybody I WANT to in here! hahahahahahahhaahhahaha

Darn should have made myself a rockstar or an exsupermodel dang I screwed up only making myself a GIRL :)
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Avatar universal
ny said....Darn should have made myself a rockstar or an exsupermodel dang I screwed up only making myself a GIRL :)


Heck i would have made myself a brain surgeon, Wouldn't that be a hoot.
Helpful - 0
73878 tn?1214053207
Ya'll are right, you can make yourself anything you want!  Well I made myself a burnett last night!  Now only the meds to blame for my brain fog!  Lots more hair gone and NO GREY!  LOL!
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Avatar universal
HA that is one way to get rid of the greys huh?  A little bit of interferon and who NEEDS Miss Clairol any longer!  :)

My hair is such straw that I put in conditioner before I go to sleep and hope that this will perhaps keep a little bit from falling out in the morning. Hey if it's cummulative...LOL

Going to order my wig next week for real. It's time. I mean I HAVE some hair but it looks B-A-D bad. Especially since I'm afriad if I had it re-streaked it would explode off of my head!
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Avatar universal
CanDo is right - viral load has NOTHING to do with anything really it's just a number...the grade and stage of the liver that is determined at a biopsy is EVERYTHING. It's quick and painless believe it or not (we all freaked out at first thinking it'd be horrible).

Knowing your viral load is like knowing your age - it doesn't really tell you anything about where your liver is at though at all.

Only your Grade and Stage and liver panel can really effectively do that.
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Avatar universal
Can do: love the web site.  Only thing lacking was a nubian.  They are the kind with big floppy ears (actually very pretty goats), and lots and lots of volume... scream all the time..  Have you ever wondered where all the old biker ***** go?  I found em.  Goat shows.  You have to show in dairy white clothes, and tattoos show through.  Never saw so many tattooed women in my life....... a little scary...

dyce-we talking utah?  went to Moab a month or so ago, via salmon air... next week I'll be in vancouver, wa...
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Avatar universal
http://www.ics.uci.edu/~pazzani/4H/GoatSounds.html check out the nubian..
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73878 tn?1214053207
Fisheress, now just why did you go and do that? Blondes have more fun......
_______________________________________________________________

Rog & I had fun last night :} :)!  Gonna go out tonight to dinner w/friends and Sat nite to a party at my best friends new home she just had built, so see i am busy socializing and having a blast......yea right!  Besides, I needed some color, I was looking all washed out, just no color to me at all (although i am a colorful person!)  I am sure after meds and I can get back out in the sun, the sun and chlorine will bleach it right back out.  Just a temp thing......like tx, RIGHT?

nygirl, so tell me all about your new wig!  Short, long, blonde?  Good idea, if you like it well then "YOU GO GIRL"! I am sure it will make you look and feel alot better.  Mine still pretty long just thin, thin, thin.....

OH, and i actually made it a full day at work today.  No one said anything about my hair color.  Men just don't notice things like that......too busy looking down at the (o)(o)'s

Later ya'll!
Fisheress
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