LIFE AFTER INCIVEK!!!!

[GrammyA]

Yes, my friends - my condition has greatly improved since being off that horrible Incivek for almost a week now.  I know there are some of you that do not deal with many side effects of treatment.  I was not one of those chosen few and had EVERYTHING starting the 2nd day until the end of the 12th week.  I had read many places that the sides got better after the Incivek stopped and for me that certainly is true!  I am not a 10 by any means yet, but certainly at an 8.  I can function as a human--- cook for myself, do laundry, go to the store and even manage my own drugs.  Compared to the first 12 weeks when I took it hour to hour of wondering if I could make it from the bed to the toilet.  Now, I do not have a crystal ball and do not know if this is going to last- but for me having the past 5 days of a life back has been huge!  I think the fact that on the last day of my Incivek I also got 2 bags of blood helped get me up and running again and they have reduced my Riba to 600 a day.  Hope this gives some of you hope to hang onto!

[Advocate1955]

I am sending you good wishes for SVR!
Advocate1955

[Idyllic]

This is terrific news. It is so encouraging when the original poster follows through on an old post. I hope you continue to do so in the next few months. Congrats to you for hanging through this hellacious treatment!!

[garrygee]

Thanks Bill.  I did peg/riba ten years ago for 48 weeks and it was nothing like this.  I'm sure I can make it now and that takes a big load off.  There have been a few days over the last 11 weeks that I wasn't so sure.  Garry

[GrammyA]

UPDATE - at 24 weeks my Hep Dr. stopped treatment (even though I am stage 4 cirrhosis) because the side effect of body tremors was increasing and he had concerns with the drugs starting to do damage in other ways.... anyway, I TESTED NEGATIVE at the 24 weeks!  Labs again in 3 months then at 6 months and if still Undetectable they can declare it a SVR!  I have only been off all the drugs (including ones for all the side effects) a week and a half now so I still feel pretty icky- he tells me that it will continue to improve and do not expect to feel normal every day until 3 months post tx.
This treatment has actually appeared to work - even though daily I felt like I was on the edge of death.  I failed tx on just Riba and Peg in 2001...... it feels great to think I might have succeeded this time.
Hang in there, stay in bed if you need to, follow all the ucky rules taking and timing of the drugs, scream to your doctors the minute you see a side effect.... and feel free to whine - you deserve to!!  BEST OF LUCK TO ALL OF YOU!

[Bill200]

Hey Garry, "enjoy" the last couple of days of pain.  I know I did because I knew I'd be getting off that stuff then.  And sure enough literally the next morning when I didn't have to do the 20 grams and get up at 5:30, I started to feel great.  

[garrygee]

Thanks for your post.  I have four more days of incivek and it's good to hear it can get better.  I'm pretty whipped right now.  I can do anything for 4 days.

[LookingForward12]

I am happy for you! i know just how you feel because the Incivek whipped my little patootie too! I also had a riba reduction from week nine until week 24...I was only on 400 mg a day. My 12 week EOT labs show me as still undetected.
Hang in there...it's going to get even better for you!

[working dog]

its great your feeling better but be careful reducing doses unless you need to to be able to stay on tx.......i felt great for a few days post incivek and then hgb tanked again...who knows you might have already beat the virus with the symptoms you had the first 12 weeks...good luck....billy

[Dawn703]

Glad to hear it. I felt better immediately after ending incivek. It truly is a great feeling.

[nonsensical]

Glad you're feeling better.  Incivek is like hitting yourself in the head with hammer; once you stop it feels so good.