I read yesterday and have decided it is my new "blame it on the brain fog" excuse for everything I do wrong. ;) Just trying to make light of yet another damn thing we have to deal with. So much that nobody really even knows yet how it does affect us to have this disease and why perhaps we don't get over it even after we are SVR - maybe not the interferon as everyone always assumes.
memory loss, trouble concentrating, apathy and depression.
Gosh, and I was wanting to blame it all on old age! It is nice to hve some confirmation on how many body systems are impacted by this virus. We already know it has a lot to do with the lungs. Now the brain. Isn't anything sacred?
Hi mike Hi nygirl. How is it going?
frijole
Hi Kathy. It's always great to see you.
I am doing well and I hope that you are as well.
Mike
Hey Kathy every time I see you post I want to go FRIJOLE just like the olden days! It makes me smile when you pop up. Always has always will. :)
And yes here I was wondering how I had old age in my 40s...it seems we now have concrete assurance that we aren't really THAT old after all. I'm not sure if that is a pleasant thought or not. ;-/
That explains a lot. Lately I doubt I even have a brain.
Diane
So that explains it. And all these years I thought it was just too much partying in my younger days.
More hope for the cure!
Hope it dose not affect the capacity to laugh at all this! what an ugly thing.
Sonia
wow, sure am glad i treated finally as i didnt have any gray matter to spare...or was it green? yikes drowning in garbage, whew!
We've known that the virus passes the blood brain barrier, so this does in no way surprise me.
... and then you do tx... then the meds go chasing after the virus (passing the blood brain barrier too???) and kill some brain cells on their path. It's called collateral damage.
Go figure....
Over 1 1/2 years passed tx, I'm still not back to normal. Gotta find a way to regenerate some of that gray matter.
Hmm. Studying hcv is looking more and more like studying the occult in more ways than one.
I would venture to say that there is not a single cell in the body that Hep C does not infect.
Like it or not, there's nothing that can be done about "occult" infections. As long as the damage stops, that's fine with me. For some of us, the choices that brought us here were made long, long ago in a far away land. I for one ain't gonna worry my little gray head over it.
Thank You for the study. I hope they look into it further, I think it will explain a whole lot of post TX issues. I think there is going to be more and more issues exposed as time goes on.
Denise
I googled HVC and brain impairment and found a ton of studies going as far back as 2002. Maybe the "brain fog" has an actual reason for happening.
I didn't find much after SVR tho
Wow all the more reason to attempt to clear virus, sooner rather than later
"Now if they can just tie hemmorhoids, ED and flatulence to the hep, all my troubles will be explained. "
No, unfortunately, those things have already been tied to .... advancing age. Sorry brah.
I was going to make a comment...dammit, it's on the tip of my tongue...
smaug
no green dots for Goof, I totally missed the misspelling - had to read it twice! Well, at least now I can worry less about AD and blame the HCV.
Interesting article. Yet another factor for the implications of treating sooner than later, at least to me.
This part makes me think:
""The second issue is it underscores the importance (of) developing new treatment for hepatitis C so we can prevent infection of the brain," said Power, whose research is funded by Alberta Innovates — Health Solutions and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research."
What happens once infection of the brain has occurred? Does eradicating the virus with SVR also cure the infection to the brain? Can they measure this? Makes me wonder.
I do believe that some years ago these were the same "theories and observations" that I raised on multiple occassions. Although my ideas seemed to be roundly rejected back then, they may just be revisited these days. And do we have any idea at all what effect the interferon has on the "brain" infection?? Could there also be other organs or cells that the virus also infects, and may remain within long term??? Questions that I no longer try to get answers to....the answers will come along on their own. Since our blood is now considered "virus free" (for the SVR's), does that mean that there is absolutely no virus acting on any systems or organs in our body? We don't have those answers yet....but we will in time.... Still SVR after 7 years....and working at getting back to "normal".... my brain often doesn't want to cooperate......and maybe there is a reason.... Anyway, I am going to make the best of whatever this SVR consists of....Hello to all my old friends and (not so friends) on the forum. I hope you are all doing well!
DoubleDose
I totally believe that both the HCV and the 10 TX's have had a large impact on my brain. One of the reasons why I qualified for SSDI was due to the fact that I couldn't pass that psychologic/neurologic tests that their own psychiatrist did on me when he was evaluating me. In the state of Florida is did not qualify for SSDI based on my Hep C because I had not yet developed cirrhosis. It was based on the effect that all of this had on my functioning and not the Hep C. Anyhow, I don't expect many of you will understand why it is that I can't work. I did try to go back to work once, when I was in the waiting stage of trying to get the disability and it was a disaster. I totally could not absorb the instructions/directions that they were giving me when they were trying to train me and the very next day I had a melt down. This, I might add, was when I was NOT on treatment. Now, whether or not that would improve with SVR, I would be very interested to know. Because, believe it or not, I truly want to be cleared of this and be back to being a working person and a productive member of society. Take Care ya'll.
Susan400
This thread also is pertinent to the recent thread on HCV Brain Damage, and would provide additional information to anyone curious about other organs that may be directly infected by the virus. Food for thought!!!
I am not surprised t-hat- t-he virus kills brain cells.I became impotent and depressed aft-er just- 1 year wit-h HCV.I doubt the doct-ors can find whats the matter with me.
And i am not- even depressed anymore,i manage to dont see t-he ignorence of t-he docto-rs, who maby t-hing i deserve what i am suffering.There are st-ill many- things t-o be discovered about how HCV affects us .But i dont have any- hope it- will be soon.Here in t-he forum i found anot-her who had my simpt-oms (depresion,low libido) but in his last- post-s before 3 y-ears he was talking about- suicide.I really- hope i learn to- live wit-h my- disabiliti-es and never t-o th-ong or t-ry- suicide , like i did a y-ear ago,
Giving them a simple spelling test might shake out the problems.
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Now if they can just tie hemmorhoids, ED and flatulence to the hep, all my troubles will be explained.