Hi everyone!

[texasgal]

Hi everyone!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I may not post often, but read every day.  Truly, I have had no news to post.  But now, 3 months after taking myself off daily infergen and riba, I am still undetectable.  I went to see the doc on Dec. 19 and he gave me the news.  He tells me that this is wonderful, but to keep up with the bloodwork for the next six months just in case of relapse.  Anyway, since being off the meds, my hair has begun growing back.  Mind you, it looks like a newborn baby's hair with little fuzzies sticking up everywhere, my energy level is unbelievably high.  My headaches are gone.   I am starting to get my appetite back.  My mental state has improved.  My vision is still very impaired and doubt it will ever be back the way it was during treatment.  I do want to thank everyone for the support and valuable information you have provided throughout my ordeal.  I read your stuff every day and still take in every piece of information I can about this horrible disease.  I am not out of the woods yet, but perhaps in the near future, if I do have to go back on meds, maybe there will be something different and not so brutal.  Happy holidays everyone.

Linda

[mikesimon]

That's great news Linda. The hair will definitely get back to normal. I don't know about your vision, but all in all it sounds like you are doing very well. I wish you continued good health and happiness. Mike

[strator]

That is great-really glad to hear your feeling better, physically and mentally, Stay Well. Glad you updated us.
Don

[scruffy]

Hey-three months! I think you've arrived in the promised land Tex. Be well. Frank

[texasgal]

Hi Rocker,

Just wanted to let you know, I was (or am) a genotype 1.  Not a 3.  I couldn't be so lucky.  But, still appear to have kicked this thing at least for now.

Linda

[Moniker]

Wonderful! Now you're like a light at the end of the tunnel.

What genotype were you? I'm 1a. I know a lot of the genotype 1 people have made SVR. Cuteus was 1a and has been SVR for a very long time now.

I'm doing well so far. My 12 week, and 24 week PCRs showed undetectable. As I said, I am 1a, and that means I'm only half way home; I still have 24 more weeks to go. I have a riba rash like poison ivy on my back (in all the spots that I can't reach to scratch), I take Xoloft for the depression, Neupogen for the low WBC. I have sinus problems, sometimes I can't sleep, have joint pain, but it's all worth it because the treatment seems to be working - I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Congratulations to you and enjoy your new life. From now on, every day, in every way, you'll grow better and better.

Bob

[Moniker]

Hi again. I just saw your last post. You too are genotype 1. That gives me a lot of encouragement. Great!!!

Bob

[NYgirl]

Wow how wonderful you are seeing HAIR again?  YAY that's almost as good as the wonderful news about you still being UN-D!!!!

:)

You KEEP ON GOIN' GIRL!  News like that makes everybody want to jump for joy!

(I'm at week 15 on Friday and well hair is starting to fry off and fall out.  Yesterday I took scissors to it in a rage...now I look like a chicken in the back with log pieces everywhere else...do you THINK I could be more foolish?)

Time for a good wig!  ;-)  I know you know what I mean!

Debby

[texasgal]

Well, Debby, I am so glad you took the hair thing so well.  I just about went insane over it.  It was like one day, I woke up and I watched it all fall out.  I doubt it will ever be as beautiful as it used to be, but it is growing back and yours will to and hey, the chicken look is in.  You hang in there.

Texas

[NYgirl]

Hey girl if I was taking it well do you think I would be whacking it off with a week whacker?   ;-)   :-p

I tell you this is bizarre. i went from having long blond/brown hair and being nice and fit to being a skeleton with stringy pieces of brown hair in a matter of weeks.  If anyone says that I am vain so be it but...I am having a major problem with vanity right now and just keep saying Well Bones...hang in there you can have fun gainning the weight back and picking out different wigs and guys will just think you are some hot Kate MOss type supermodel ;-)

I wish! HA!

I'm glad to hear you sounding so great and you really do you know that?  It always makes me feel good when someone posts who hasn't in a while and you can hear a smile in their voice when they do.

baby chicken hair is a great thing you know...a GREAT thing and I am really happy for you that it's coming in. do you know how healthy it's going to look and be? man oh man it's going to be FABULOUS!

:)

[dodger1]

How long were you on the meds before you took yourself off??  I am a geno 1 also and very curious to how long you treated.  Thanks  Sheila

[Stephanie2002]

Hi all, I am new to the website...just found it yesterday.  I am 4 months post treatment and am beginning to be very anxious about my test results in 2 months....can anyone offer advice on how to de-stress????

[NYgirl]

I just wanted to come in and say hi welcome to the looney bin!

There are a LOT of post treatment people in here who will come on and let you know their secrets.  As I'm still in tx I'm not much good at advice on that!

HOW FANTASTIC that you are done and achieved SVR!  Since it's all of our goal in here...that shining freaking STAR that is so far out of reach for some yet reachable by others...we know how nerve wracking waiting for ANY test result can really be!

Stay positive Stephanie...keep willing those stupid bugs out of your system for good!

Again..welcome! You'll find the guys in here are FABULOUS the best wealth of knowledge and caring that I've ever found on an internet community ANYWHERE.

Debby

[texasgal]

Alright, you guys have given me a laugh for the day.  People always told me that I was the only one that noticed the hair loss because I have to live with it until one day when I was sitting at my bosses desk and he asked me if I got my hair thinned.  Imagine my horror.  If he noticed, then the whole world noticed.  One of you has the Mohawk look, one has the chicken look and I have the helmet head look.  My hair is so baby fine that when the wind blows, it sticks straight out and is very unmanageable.  Very embarrassing.  Then when you try to pull it up, the pony tail is pathetic and so not there.

Well, I will tell you this.  My hair is growing back so rapidly that I have to get it colored every three weeks instead of every 6 like before and even though it is costing a fortune, at least it is a way to measure the growth.  It is amazing to wake up each day and try to figure out what chicken, mohawk or helmet head you are gonna wear today.  Just keep plugging along.  I am just waiting til I get that horrific 70's look back.

Vanity, vanity, vanity.  It is either that or lose our sanity!!

Linda

[Forseegood]

So glad to hear you are doing better, you guys are such brave souls, you think youre vain, try living in W. Hollywood! Ironically, so many people have hep here or other diseases, that you do see the "spare hair" look around here from time to time, and actually, people are pretty nice about it all.

Don't be embarrassed that you care about this stuff, in this culture we are conditioned (excuse the pun) to care about our hair like nothing else! There's a hair care commercial on every 4 minutes! But so glad that it is growing back and all, glad to hear you were able to work as well. I know of a few women who were devastated about their hair and now it's better then it was previously for them. So glad youre doing better!

[beamishboy]

thanks for the uplifting post-sorry 'bout hair  issues,but what about the 'vision problem'?--hey sounds like you beat the devil--May your post-treatment hair get so dang thick you have to thin it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stephanie2002]

Amen to that!!!!

[texasgal]

Hey guys,

I am a geno 1a and was a non responder to Peg and Co-peg, so after 3 months of that hell, I was put on daily infergen and riba.  Then the hell began.  I stayed on it for a little over 6 months before I couldn't hang any more, but I consider myself lucky to still be un detectable.  There is hope.  Just hang in there.

Debby,

Yes, chicken fuzz is great if you are a chicken.  Let me tell you about vanity.  I even checked into hair extensions until they told me it would break off the hair I already had.  There wasn't anything I didn't look into, but couldn't bring myself to do the wig thing.  Now, that is vanity.  So, I just stayed home for 6 months and still am hard pressed to go any where that people may know me and that is tough living in a small town like I do.  I don't want to hear "Oh, my God!  What happened to your beautiful long blonde, thick hair".  Anyway, it is slowly but surely coming back.  

This chicken is right there with you.  Stay away from the weed whacker.

Linda

[NYgirl]

Thanks for making me laugh!  :)

I have to admit I actually own a few cheap wigs that I used to use just for fun.  Of course NOW I can't find them anywhere doesn't that figure?  Did I will this on myself?  :-O

My daughter actually said to me yesterday what about extensions and after I said well I really don't have a thousand dollars in the first place...what are the going to be extended FROM? I mean the cracked off hair is bad enough but the missing hair...can't attach anything to it and that is the problem!

Of course you have to realize I work for one of the biggest beauty companies in the entire world - while some people know others dont and I am just waiting for someone to comment on my appearance holy COW are they gonna get slapped with a DISCRIMATION SUIT! ;-)

haha.  Things like that while not reasonable make me smile. I am a sick person.

D

[Stephanie2002]

The hair thing is still an issue for me---it is starting to grow back now and I have the mohawk look on the top of my head where the new ones are growing in.  But, they are growing back and for this I am thankful.  I am trying to keep positive thoughts regarding post treatment issues but am still dealing with depression.  I hope this will go away soon as well.  I just am too afraid to get on with my life while I am in this state of limbo regarding SVR!!!

[NYgirl]

Just remember....you are making a fashion statement!  :)  At least yours sounds cool...how would you like to say you look like a long stringy haired chicken like me? hahahahaha

I try to tell myself nobody cares except me over and over and over but it doesn't REALLY work.

I hope you find an answer on the stress thing - stress is not going to help you a bit.  Aside from mega dosing on valium like they are vitamins...I don't have any advice whatsoever I am always a nervous wreck lately!  ;-)  (Just kidding I am sure you know).

Debby

[Stephanie2002]

Yes, xanax is my new best friend.   I want to get back to walking but the treatment caused asthma issues that have not cleared up yet.  So exercise is out, alcohol is suppose to be out, so...XANAX WORKS!!!  I need a t-shirt or something that says that.

After my treatment I moved in with a friend who has a VERY large cat.  My hair did not start falling out until after treatment so the joke at our house now is who is shedding more--me or the cat?  There is blond hair everywhere....we found hair in the fudge that I made for Christmas...that was embarrassing!!!

[NYgirl]

You know I didn't even THINK to say that and since I've been on tx I've been on Paxill.  Has it helped? I didn't chop off ALL of my hair in my scissor frenzy so I am assuming so!  ;-)

[Stephanie2002]

Unfortunately...I am already on two AD's--and yes they do help some but I'm sure y'all all know how hard this stuff is!  

And NYGirl, LOL they must be helping!!  

But ok, enough whining, thank you guys for welcoming me...this may be what I need is to talk to other people going thru the same things.  It has made me feel better to be able to laugh a little bit about the hair issue!

[debdeb47]

I'm at 18/24 with very little hair breakage and loss.  I was told not to color it, so my 48 y/o patches of silver are peeking through.  I want to color, but then some days the hair is very brittle and mineral-like, so I'm afraid it will all shear off in one cascading catastrophe.  It's shoulder-length+.  

Sorry, no manners, deb