working on therapy

[quiltblond]

I'm just starting the triple therapy this weekend and I noticed hardly anyone talks about going to work.  I hope to continue to work full-time as receptionist.  Any help with what to bring to work (besides the pills)?  lunch? giant water bottle?  barf bag?  idk.

[Advocate1955]

Oh, I would say lunch and small snacks.  Overall, my husband did better with small meals and snacks every few hours while he was at work.  Big meals didn't set well with his stomach, and food begins to smell and taste differently when you're on Interferon.  Sometimes it doesn't smell good or taste good, so it's hard to feel hungry and feel like you want to eat.  Smaller meals, wider variety, different temperatures, different spices, different flavors, can all help you eat what you need to eat to avoid nausea and to help your stomach.  Dry mouth can contribute to this problem because it affects how your salivary glands are working which affects how food tastes and feels in your mouth and even how food smells.  There are dry mouth products (toothpaste, lozenges, mouthwash, spray), etc., that you can buy over the counter that can help.
Advocate1955

[Advocate1955]

My husband has worked full time through 3 treatments between 2007 - 2012.  He may have missed 1-2 days of work during each treatment due to anemia or nausea, but his hepatologist is very good about managing side effects and getting on them right away, so he never missed more than a day or two here and there.  Of course, that's not to say that it was easy.  There were days when all he could do was sleep, eat whatever was needed so he could take the meds, take the meds, go to work, and start over again.  There were other days when he felt pretty good, did some other things when he wasn't at work, like take our daughter bird watching, or do light yard work, or some other light activity.  I would say that fatigue has been the biggest side effect throughout all 3 of his treatments.  Other side effects off and on included rash, anemia, low white count, etc., but those can all be managed with medications.  I guess my advice would be to get yourself as organized as you can, focus on your treatment, set alarms or pill reminders so that you take all your medications at the right times, have the foods and water available that you need at home so you don't have to run out to the store every day, write down a schedule for your meds so that if you get confused you can check it quickly, and buy a pill container that you can fill for the week in advance so that you can quickly see if the pills are gone for that time of day, then you took them, if they're not, you didn't.  My husband was fatigued and he would sleep through alarms and then feel groggy and confused as to whether or not he took them.  Having a pill box with four dividers for each day helped.  Also, I bought him a new cell phone that had a pill reminder function so that I could set it for daily times and he wouldn't have to re-set each day.  He also had a smaller pill box just for the pills that he took to work with him.  Other than food, water, pills, and your alarm/reminder, I can't think of anything you would need to take to work unless you had side effects that required some other over the counter med or prescription med.  My advice to my husband was stay on schedule, listen to your body and rest when you need to, but push yourself to go to work every day even when you don't feel good, because other days may come along farther in treatment when you feel worse and need to stay home.  When you're working and treating, it's very important to keep the job so you can keep the insurance that is paying for the treatment.  Also, even when you don't feel good, it is good to have someplace to go and people to socialize with.  It would be easy to become isolated or depressed on treatment if you don't have to get up, get dressed, and go somewhere.  It's a balancing act I guess, of balancing between pushing yourself and listening to your body.  It's a day to day thing.  
Med schedule, timer/alarms, food with meds, water, rest, light exercise/fresh air, push your self to interact with other people, stay ahead of your side effects, and tell yourself you can do it.
You can do this!  Keep us posted as to how things go.
Advocate1955

[1swimmer]

I worked for my 28 weeks of tx though it was difficult at times. The hardest part was the standing and I would be locked into a post for  an hour or more. But I made it. Also, I deal with the public and had to be friendly. Now, that was the hardest part.
Keeping food in my tummy saved me from stomach issues. I was on Vic and no bathroom issues. Hydration especially at work was my paramount concern. My hgb did drop, but slowly. Later I added the procrit.
Rest whenever you can, but do add a little exercise daily; it helps the attitude.
Best to ya,
C

[uriah1]

I too worked through treatment.  I think I called off 2 days and went home early 4.  It was a good idea for me to tell my boss what I was doing(treatment) in case something happened.  I was kinda scared to tell him, but glad I did.
I kept ginger pieces (from the health food store) in my desk to help with nausea....yes, lots of water  and of, course your foods!  I found it helpful too to jot down (in a word document) how i was feeling week to week, just a paragraph.
I was usually wiped out right after work, so I didn't plan on anything after work anymore, even the grocery store.  I went right home and took a nap.
I think the water thing and eating fiber thing are helpful things to avoid some of the side effects.  Good luck!  Keep us posted on how you do!
You are not alone :)

[Jimeeboy]

Lunch, barf bag ( maybe, hope not ) pills, water, and some kick *** determination would do you well.  I was able to work 6 days a week throughout my tx. Not every day was a "10" but I showed up.  My attitude was not that great some days but I kept showing up. I also napped after work when I could and I ate a banana every morning to help with my "plumbing" issues. I talked to other people who were on tx every day and that really helped.  I told one person at work. He was the person I dealt with almost every day and I had to tell him when I left early to go for blood work. I didn't feel like explaining anything to anybody else.

Good luck to you and remember,you can do this. It's not easy but once you make up your mind to do it, you will.

[frijole]

I also worked full time during triple.  I have a desk job too and that makes it somewhat easy as I could bury myself at my desk.  You, at the receptionist's desk, may have a more difficult time in that you have to greet people and answer the phone and be cheerful all the time (I was anything but cheerful!).  

Nausea was never one of my problems.  I guess you will have to see how you tolerate treatment.  With Victrelis I had a metal taste in my mouth for the duration and had to adapt eating habits to that.  I even had to change from an aluminum deoderant because the smell was so metalic.  At first I put my cell phone on alarm to alert me at 2:00 pill time, but as time went by, I didn't have to do that and I didn't like the alarm going off anyway.  It is important to keep on the 8 hour regiment so make sure you find a way to do that.

You just have to take it easy and see how your body tolerates treatment.  Is this your first time? I did find that in order to work full time, I had to cut out all extracurricular activity.  There was only so much energy to go around and I saved it for work.

frijole

Have you told your co-workers or boss?  I did not and that does make things more difficult, but

[Dawn703]

I continued to work full time and at times overtime throughout ttreatment, with very fews days taken off. Bo gave some good advice. Def giant water bottle and plenty of healthy snacks, your anti-nausea medication (if you need it) and your fat if taking incivek. Good luck.

[BoceprevirGal]

  I did the Triple Treatment with Victrelis, and I found I had less nausea
if I never let my stomach feel empty. So, I would pack stuff like yogurt and fruit, and P.B.J sandwhiches. I had a very hard time tolerating spicy food while taking the meds, so I avoided that.
  Some powder for your butt, because the meds can cause burning  while
exiting.  Make sure to have a very reliable and loud alsrm, I used my cell ph. You want to take your Protease Inhibitor (Teleprivir or Boceprevir)  exactly every 8 hrs, so you will be taking one of your doses in the afternoon, at work.
    Are you going to be taking your Interferon Shot on friday night? That would give you all week-end to recover. Good luck~