treatment

[worried1414]

how  bad and what are the worst side effects of treatment?

[burned74]

if you read through past posts you will see that it varies quite a bit. some poeple are able to live pretty normal lives with maybe a small amount of fatique (that would be me) while others have a hard time just getting up in the morning.
for me the worst  was that I could not bike up a couple large hills and do long sprints with my soccer team. then again I did not clear the virus

[nygirl7]

Definitely it was the anemia.  Even though I had the lethargy, rashes and thyroid issues for 72 weeks (and currently still) the anemia was absolutely crippling in its severity (not everyone gets it as bad as JD and I did though).

But as said by newleaf - it would all be like nothing compared to being end stage........so we learn to deal and to be proactive about having blood counts done, etc.

Make sure your doctor will prescribe the rescue drugs of Procrit and Neupogen if needed.  If they are you will be glad you were on top of it later for CERTAIN.

[justme53]

Severity varies with each of us. My worst sx would have to be the fatigue because it's the longest lasting sx for me. But right up there would be the anxiety/panic issues I'm dealing with now late in tx (week 54). I have meds to help with it, but it was frightening at first. Now I can pretty much anticipate one coming on, kinda like people with migraines, I guess, so I feel a little more in control.

Pam

[jdwithhcv]

The worst for me was the anemia, my hgb crashed earlly and hard, and stayed in the low-to-mid 9s even with procrit.  Also, the brain fog was pretty bad.  The rest is a crapshoot - side effects come and go,and everybody has a different adventure.  Its tough dealing with this kind of uncertainty, but you will get through it.  Best of luck to you.

[newleaf09]

Bad but a WHOLE lot better than dying of liver failure.  The treatment is a form of chemo, so the patient has to be closely monitored for hematological disturbance (blood counts can go down to life-threatening levels). Since the red blood cells, hemoglobin, are the oxygen carriers for the body, low levels mean fatigue and you should expect that.   I just slogged through treatment and accepted all the bloodwork, low blood count side effects, etc. but in hindsight, am a little pleased at making it through the personality upset caused by the main drug, interferon, unscathed.