Aa
Soon starting Pegetron
Hello there.....
I am a 24 year old woman and I have Hep C... I got this virus by performing emergency first aid on a stranger. Its tough but I try to look at it positively..the person was hit by a truck and could of very well died if not for the first aid....and Hep C is treatable so it could of been worst...right? I have a difficult time talking about it to my "friends"...I have told them and they are not really supportive..if I have a common cold its the "hep C"...they dont understand and I try to be open and honest but regardless they treat me different..has anyone else experianced this? I start Pegetron Nov. 23..I have been on antideppressants for a month now..I have my little pegatron book, a list of "possible" side effects...and I am scared. My bestfriend has researched pegetron on the internet and has mentioned something about bone marrow...no where in my book does it mention bone marrow anything. Im sorry I guess I am rambaling on....I know that treatment is different for everyone but I would really like to hear what I can possibly expect and any suggestions to fight the side effects.
I am a 24 year old woman and I have Hep C... I got this virus by performing emergency first aid on a stranger. Its tough but I try to look at it positively..the person was hit by a truck and could of very well died if not for the first aid....and Hep C is treatable so it could of been worst...right? I have a difficult time talking about it to my "friends"...I have told them and they are not really supportive..if I have a common cold its the "hep C"...they dont understand and I try to be open and honest but regardless they treat me different..has anyone else experianced this? I start Pegetron Nov. 23..I have been on antideppressants for a month now..I have my little pegatron book, a list of "possible" side effects...and I am scared. My bestfriend has researched pegetron on the internet and has mentioned something about bone marrow...no where in my book does it mention bone marrow anything. Im sorry I guess I am rambaling on....I know that treatment is different for everyone but I would really like to hear what I can possibly expect and any suggestions to fight the side effects.
sorry to hear your news,
but welcome to club med. : ))))))))))))...the one club med no one wants to come to......: ((((((((((
at least in here you will find no stigma and be able to learn and get support on the long road to OZ.
but welcome to club med. : ))))))))))))...the one club med no one wants to come to......: ((((((((((
at least in here you will find no stigma and be able to learn and get support on the long road to OZ.
Sorry that you contracted HCV. The good news is that you are young, and hopefully have minimal damage, so that your odds of beating this are better than most. Like NYgirl, I also only tell close friends and told others that I was doing chemo while on treatment.
Best of luck to you.
Best of luck to you.
When I found out I had hep c & told my family & friends some treated me like I had the plague. Some just faded away. I am 55 & I found out I had it 2 days after I got married. My husband is not an understanding man but he endured both treatments with me. I did 42 wks of Peg-intron & 70 wks Pegasus. Still not cured but am hoping for a study of a new drug they are coming out with. It should be approved from FDA in 3-5 yrs. My husband said we'd try anything to keep me above ground. I pray everyday. I have a 12 yr old daughter. I stay very active even though I don't feel like it. Thru all this I have 1 true friend. I know some nights I sounded like a broken record. I thank god for her and my husband. Having an illness like this will weed out the so-called friends. Some of my family members was interested enought to learn about hep-c. Some kept their distance but I decided that they were narrow minded and I didn't need their grief anyway. I am geno1 also. Hang in there. Some days will be better than others
First thing is nygirl is spot on. Read her post well.
It looks like they gave your VL in a log annotation and I hope one of the brainier people will come along and translate it into IU/ML or how many virons in international units per milliliters.
To bad about being a geno 1, I was hoping you were a 2. How long ago was it when you were in the acute stage? I ask because your doc may not want to do a biopsy if it was a recent infection.
It looks like they gave your VL in a log annotation and I hope one of the brainier people will come along and translate it into IU/ML or how many virons in international units per milliliters.
To bad about being a geno 1, I was hoping you were a 2. How long ago was it when you were in the acute stage? I ask because your doc may not want to do a biopsy if it was a recent infection.
I have a difficult time talking about it to my "friends"...
MANY MANY of us know how that feels - remember you are no longer alone in any of this, we all understand how shocking it is and then the stigma that seems to go right along with it. I personally just told most people I was on "chemo" and when they asked for what I told them I didn't like to talk about it because it might jinx me LOL.
Make sure every time you get a test done that they fax you the results ASAP and then put themin a folder or a binder. Very shortly you will know how to read your test results even better than a doctor and well we heppers get a bit obsessed with our numbers and they give us endless grounds to take the binders out and look.
Make SURE when you start that this doctor:
1. Will give you a 4 week PCR
2. Will prescribe "rescue" drugs such as procrit and Neupogen
Those I think are the two biggies you should check out and if you get a no - switch doctors fast.
I was geno 1A and 1B and I did 72 weeks of treatment. I can't say it is fun but I can say I am cured. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
First though may I ask if you have had a biopsy? Being so young you might not have any liver damage (a low level) going on and you might not even HAVE to treat right away if you don't want to? The biopsy sounds painful but it's really not it's boring mostly. Did you get one done? Do you know the numbers to your grade and stage?
It sounds like we are being nosey but the more we know the more we can tell you. Now you start to see why we all get copies of all of our paperwork...waiting for numbers to come in becomes a part of life.
Good luck!
MANY MANY of us know how that feels - remember you are no longer alone in any of this, we all understand how shocking it is and then the stigma that seems to go right along with it. I personally just told most people I was on "chemo" and when they asked for what I told them I didn't like to talk about it because it might jinx me LOL.
Make sure every time you get a test done that they fax you the results ASAP and then put themin a folder or a binder. Very shortly you will know how to read your test results even better than a doctor and well we heppers get a bit obsessed with our numbers and they give us endless grounds to take the binders out and look.
Make SURE when you start that this doctor:
1. Will give you a 4 week PCR
2. Will prescribe "rescue" drugs such as procrit and Neupogen
Those I think are the two biggies you should check out and if you get a no - switch doctors fast.
I was geno 1A and 1B and I did 72 weeks of treatment. I can't say it is fun but I can say I am cured. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
First though may I ask if you have had a biopsy? Being so young you might not have any liver damage (a low level) going on and you might not even HAVE to treat right away if you don't want to? The biopsy sounds painful but it's really not it's boring mostly. Did you get one done? Do you know the numbers to your grade and stage?
It sounds like we are being nosey but the more we know the more we can tell you. Now you start to see why we all get copies of all of our paperwork...waiting for numbers to come in becomes a part of life.
Good luck!
Hello..
I just found out my Geno type is 1a and my viral load is 8.10 E+5...what does this mean..could anyone break it down for me?
I just found out my Geno type is 1a and my viral load is 8.10 E+5...what does this mean..could anyone break it down for me?
You are quite welcome. I hope it helps.
As to genotype, you will need to know that for you tx (treatment) length. The 2’s and 3’s mostly do 24 weeks while the 1’s and 4’s do 48 weeks,
In the modern tx world, you will need your VL just before starting tx so you can know how much and how fast your VL drops. Make sure your Doc does a sensitive PCR at the 4 weeks mark after starting tx.
thank you for all your help and support....I am unsure what my genotype is or my viral load..I went in to my specialist and then I went for the blood work and then they call me and told me I need to start treatment..I havent seen the doctor since my blood test.I have only told the ppl that are suppose to be close to me..The good thing about all this is that I now know who is truley a friend...my best friend has taken it in stride but she is soo demanding. What is Tx?
Sun spot....thank you very much for that link.
Sun spot....thank you very much for that link.
Welcome to the forum. You will get lots of support and great information here. You were so good to help that stranger who was in the accident at great risk to yourself. The Lord will reward you. Please don't tell people about your illness unless they love you. Otherwise they usually don't understand. I finished 51 weeks of tx 8 weeks ago and I'm 65 years old. I did the pegintron also.
Hi Kitty and welcome. I tell the world I have Hep C and I'm on treatment. You find out who your friends are soon enough, for sure. I'm 27 pegintron shots into treatment and it's been doable so far. You'll never know how you react to the meds until you start. I had no side effects for the 1st 6 weeks and then they came. Around week 20, my body and mind have gotten used to the poison and I'm doing OK. All my best and wishing you an easy ride.
Hello kittychaos. A sad welcome to our group to you.
Please don’t worry about sounding negative. This is, after all, a support group.
Sorry to hear about your ‘friends’. At this point you might try to educate them as they might not know how Hep-C manifests on a person.
I posted a link to side effects for you. It’s rather wordy but it has lots of good information.
http://www.projectsinknowledge.com/init/G/1628/1628-Handbook.pdf
May I ask what genotype you are and your viral load?
Please don’t worry about sounding negative. This is, after all, a support group.
Sorry to hear about your ‘friends’. At this point you might try to educate them as they might not know how Hep-C manifests on a person.
I posted a link to side effects for you. It’s rather wordy but it has lots of good information.
http://www.projectsinknowledge.com/init/G/1628/1628-Handbook.pdf
May I ask what genotype you are and your viral load?
re reading what i just wrote I realize I sound very negative and want to apologize. Everyone here is going through or has gone through what I am.
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