Post Treatment Effects

[Goodbygal2]

My treatments eneded 11 months ago with great success. hey lasted 2.5 yrs. I am currently gaining huge amounts of weith, with no known reasoning. In the last 11 months I have gained 38 lbs. I was never this big before treatment. I also experience knee joint pain, which I had during the treatment. What are the long term effects of the treatment to organs and other bodily matters.

[DebbieDo]

Hello everyone
I will refresh all those who aren't familar with me. I'm a 1b, VL 778,000, mild fibrous, and I've had HEPC for 34 yrs.  I began treatment last yr Dec 29,2003  I was undetectable at 12 wks.  I had some ups and downs during tx, mostly anemia.  Doc for some reason didnt believe in Procrit so at 18 wks he cut back RIBA from 1200 to 800 for a month and following month hemmo went up and i ask to up the RIBA to 1000.  I continue throughout tx with that dose and at 35 wks he cut the Peg  back 1/4 cc until i finished. At 44 wks he stopped to Riba cause my hemmo was now at 7.6 i finished my shots and at 47 wks the virus is still undetectable. NOW, i thought I would get a 3 month PCR but he says not til 6 months.  This will be a long waiting game for me. I feel confident that the dragon is now dead and gone, but, who knows.
After stopping RIBA i began to feel better within 2 wks, hair still seems to be coming out, although it feels healthier.  Skin is not back to normal yet. Engery level is so much better.  People have noticed that sound so much better and i do  :)
I have developed RIBA rash, i guess thats what it is.  I had a small bout of this on my face during tx and also on one of my arms ( the arm itched like crazy)  But this on my face is nasty looking.  It sort of looks like heat rash.  Did anyone have this after tx or during and what did they do for it?  I have been using only warm water on my face and putting Johnsons first aide cream on it twice a day and it seems to be drying up.Well, thats it for now.. Thanks for all the info i received from this site.  Thanks to everyone, you know who you are, that supported me through this ordeal. God grant all of you SVR.  Deb  :)

[lackalustre]

im 15 mos. post tx.  negative  but lasting insomnia.  it worries me that i cant sleep much without some meds.  low dose but still need them.  im a mess without sleep, get depressed and cant function.  the interferon wired me tight and im still that way at night especially.     one thing that has helped me  is strength resistance training.  it was a slow go with some setbacks as id walk a fine line with doing too much.   but i stuck with it and finally have much better stamina and strength.    i find diet helps too.  avoid sugar and refined foods.  seems to help with stability.   drink lots of water still.  i take liquid b vitamins and sublingual b12  for energy as well.    its a pain to do all this but  dont have a choice.     God bless you!!

[Micro2]

I feel just like Sam and Scuffy said and I am 26 wks off tx (which was 92wks before anemia took me out). I am currently taking Provigil at the request of my psych and primary docs. It helps some by reducing my down time but the pain, mental fog, and depression are still very much present. When I feel good, I do too much and then collapse for several days. The CDC calls it the push/crash syndrome. My current physical limit is about 2 hours, then I must rest! I have not been able to find much info on post tx problems but I have read (in hepc magazine) that some are permantly disabled and others are fine after 6 mos to a year or more.

[BarnGoddess]

I also have the post-tx side effects.. I had to stop at 28/48, had cleared at 12 wk but relapsed 30 days after stopping due to immune systom crash.  Eye troubles, joint pain (knees are the worse) and  just had a thyroid check and it's shot.
I tire easy, still have dry skin and sex drive is still way lower than I like.  I've been off TX since August of 2003 !
I truely thought I'd feel better by now.  My ALT/AST numbers are  within normal ranges.

In my case (no fibrosis/cirrosis and  at least 25 yrs of having this) I have to agree with this quote by P. Syrus  "There are some remedies worse than the disease"

49 yr old female, 1a

[cuteus]

Many times I wonder if what is felt is the result of the Tx or the HCV.
I had joint, memory, and hands problems prior to tx. The very symptoms that led me to the hcv diagnosis.
They felt slightly worse during tx and the hands have continued to feel worse post tx.  Maybe some symptoms are so mild and subtle before tx, we tend to ignore them, Once on Tx, everything is heightened? I was hoping the hcv symptoms would go away after tx, but perhaps the damage is irreversible from years of exposure to the virus.
There are some problems that are actually caused by the meds, with no prior disposition to them, but I really believe most were there or the predisposition, prior to tx. The meds accelerated their progression. It is a chance we take when we choose to overcome the virus.  Once the committment was made to start the meds, I stopped reading the complications section of the inserts.

[OkieJim]

The thyroid check is a must. It is an afterburner of TX. I too had the trouble only it showed up during TX. The pill a day has put in control. As far as the memory loss Sam I don't know but I have the same thing. Can't remember little things anymore. I now 52 maybe that has something to do with it. I also have a low stress tolerance now. Work has become harder to take. That also could be the age thing. Who knows. I still feel the TX was worth it. I really didn't like the fact the bug was in me.  Stats: Geno 2B, baseline 1+ mill VL. Did 24 weeks and have been undetectable now for 8 month or so.

[jevs2]

Hey okiejim, didn't you finish tx in february like me. Seem to remember that you work in a hospital. I am returning to nursing this January, doing a refresher course first. Hope you are feeling good. I am feeling absolutely fantastic and still undetectable!
Best wishes
Joanna

[scruffy]

Yes, tx was still worth it to me too and I am still not clear of hcv-The tx though far far from perfect can be a life saver. I see dic(doc) in January and will consider options.

[scruffy]

Hang in there buddy-A lot of us post treaters are still going through some ****-some of it is stuff that did'nt even start till after tx was over but I'm positive is due to tx. I had no problems with sleep before or during tx but now I get periodic insomnia and my sex life would suck if I did'nt absolutely love foreplay. Erectile dysfunction. Also I'm one moody guy STILL and I'm certain all these things are tx caused. I'm about 6 months post and I really do expect these things to pass eventually. But there are no guarantees. My point Sam, is don't feel alone cause we're in the same club.

[doll face]

I agree to have your thyroid checked. I was having some of the same sides that you mentioned and ended up having hypothyroidism due to the effects of tx. With a daily pill now I can control it.

I am now 3 weeks post tx and am hearing more and more about lasting side effects, hope that you start feeling better soon.

[Sam Hall]

I am actually a bit sick of trying to explain to people that despite the fact that i am now 6mnts+ post tx i have not recovered. I still tier easily and as you say my short term memory is not good . I struggle to stand from sitting,i stress really easily and in the most unscientific of terms idon't feel half the man i was (if that was that great). I get to the point where i just have to stop and hide be alone and be still.
If one mor person says "SO IT'S ALL OVER NOW " trust me they will get one good solid kick in the crutch.
Take care Donl and all post txs that aren't jumping for joy.
Thinking of you all Sam Hall

[jonihs]

If you haven't already, you probably should get your thyroid checked. I believe it's hypothyroidism that can cause weight gain, and it is a pretty common byproduct of tx. Joni

[DonL]

I am almost three months post-tx. I lost 15 lbs on tx, gained about half of it back. Suddenly, everything tastes again and I am hungry all the time. I had some tremors in my left hand for a couple of weeks, but they have gone away. The fog lifted although I still cannot remember names or find the right word a lot of the time. Most of my friends claim the same problems as an sx of age. Don't know the medical issues, but others here have had eye problems and some nerve problems.