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Starting treatment tomorrow
Hello to all! I am beginning treatment tomorrow, ribaviren ?sp? in the morning and evening, and the pegasys shot in the evening. I am scheduling this treatment around school, and am actually do this in the hardest semester of my college career. I am curious is anyone has any tips on how to make this treatment more bearable, and if there are any tips on what to do to be able to concentrate better. I am worried that the medication will hinder my concentration abilities. My treatment consists of taking 2 ~ 200mg tablets of ribaviren in the morning and another 2~ 200 mg tablets in the evening. I also will be taking a weekly injection of interferon (the pen injector). I will be on treatment for 24 weeks, I have genotype 2, and my viral load is consider some what low of 890,000, and I have a stage 2 liver. I do not have cirrhosis. I am hoping that I can conquer this disease, and do it free of side effects, however, I realize that may not be possible. I also know that what ever pain that is involved, it will be worth it, to be free of this disease, and to be able to move on with the rest of my life, and have babies one day!
Good to see you started. You probably are exhausted from the anxiety and preparation to get started...I know I was. I agree with can-do-man about the nerve build up getting started. Well, you are off and rolling now and I'm glad you are taking the breaks you need. That's something I had to force myself to do at first but later on it became necessary as well as beneficial. Good luck and keep checking in!
So I began treatment yesterday, and while taking y'all's advise, it went very smoothly. I got very sleepy after my first dose of riba, and had to go home and sleep it off. I missed a class, but, I will catch my groove! lol I also have been very emotional, I can cry at just about anything. I also have been short tempered. However, the worst has been the sleepiness, and the weakness. I am hoping that y'all are right and that school will keep my mind busy and help this process seem easier. lol If I can stay awake! :)
Glad to see you got started, just think out just what all you want to tell them, there is a lot of stigma out there and unfairly so. There's no putting it back in the bottle once it is opened... As for today, my guess would be just a lot of nerve build up on starting........... Hang in there.
The past 24 hours, I have definitely taken a break, and my husband has been super supportive,( as I have already had some emotional, and snappy moments). After this break from productivity, I have gotten to where I want to accomplish something. I think you are definitely right, about taking a step back, and then the concentration improving. :) Thanks for tip!!!
I do think that I will go speak to someone in administration, just because, after I took the first dose of riba I was so tired, and I fell asleep in class. I then had to miss the afternoon class, and it worries me because I felt like I had no control to overcome the situation. But, I know that with some preparation I can figure out a system. :)
I finished treatment in April of this year. I started in the Fall semester of last year while going to College too. I was taking 9 units at the time. Treatment was very hard for me but I was still able to complete my school work. Looking back, Id say school helped keep my mind of all the things I was feeling at the time. Asle gave you some good advise in that you could talk to the school administrators or counselor and try to receive the same accommodations those with disabilities receive under the ADA. Have your Dr write a letter on your behalf if your interested.
Try not to stress on the "what ifs" Your gonna be fine.
Try not to stress on the "what ifs" Your gonna be fine.
remember to drink TONS of water. it'll help you stay hydrated. good luck to you. belle
Welcome to the forum,
I'm just at wk 14 of 24 wks of the same treatment, (higher dose Ribavirin for my genotype 3) above comments are very true. I can attest to getting many of the symtoms, chills, fever, muscle aches, headache and brain fog very early on, wk 2. I am 53 yrs old. However only the one bad week, where I had to have bedrest. The rest of the time the symtoms, for me, have been mild but annoying.
The worst most definately is the drop in my RBC (red blood count). For me anyway, because red blood carry's Oxygen, I found I was out of breath a lot and had to rest. I was given Eprex for this and it helped. So keep an eye on your blood work, with your team. For me it all hit wk 2, but once I got it under control, with rescue meds, I was okay.
As I'm entering wk 14 I have less of flu like symtoms and more like anxiety and brain fog and a lot of empathy. . I can become weepy watching TV, I can nap in the afternoon, but as with others, I have found that keeping busy is key. I find that the busier I am, the less I am reminded about how I am feeling. Yes the brain fog slows down my thinking and how I exress myself, I have to stop and think a lot, like, Where was I going? What was I looking for? What was that word? But it does come to me, and yes as BoGal said thesaurus up!
It's different for everyone, but you have some things in your favour, so I'm thinking that keeping busy, with lots of rest, lots of water (alway have some with you- you may dehyrate fast), your great possitive attitude and being young MAY get you through with ease.
I'm very grateful for this forum, as I have lots of experience helping me through. Right now I am just relieved to be past the halfway mark and I can see the end. As well I use the journals as a way to help me sift through my feelings.
Best wishes on your treatment, I look forward to hearing more from you, like "undetected!"
Shyrl
I'm just at wk 14 of 24 wks of the same treatment, (higher dose Ribavirin for my genotype 3) above comments are very true. I can attest to getting many of the symtoms, chills, fever, muscle aches, headache and brain fog very early on, wk 2. I am 53 yrs old. However only the one bad week, where I had to have bedrest. The rest of the time the symtoms, for me, have been mild but annoying.
The worst most definately is the drop in my RBC (red blood count). For me anyway, because red blood carry's Oxygen, I found I was out of breath a lot and had to rest. I was given Eprex for this and it helped. So keep an eye on your blood work, with your team. For me it all hit wk 2, but once I got it under control, with rescue meds, I was okay.
As I'm entering wk 14 I have less of flu like symtoms and more like anxiety and brain fog and a lot of empathy. . I can become weepy watching TV, I can nap in the afternoon, but as with others, I have found that keeping busy is key. I find that the busier I am, the less I am reminded about how I am feeling. Yes the brain fog slows down my thinking and how I exress myself, I have to stop and think a lot, like, Where was I going? What was I looking for? What was that word? But it does come to me, and yes as BoGal said thesaurus up!
It's different for everyone, but you have some things in your favour, so I'm thinking that keeping busy, with lots of rest, lots of water (alway have some with you- you may dehyrate fast), your great possitive attitude and being young MAY get you through with ease.
I'm very grateful for this forum, as I have lots of experience helping me through. Right now I am just relieved to be past the halfway mark and I can see the end. As well I use the journals as a way to help me sift through my feelings.
Best wishes on your treatment, I look forward to hearing more from you, like "undetected!"
Shyrl
Your anxiety about starting and what is ahead is completely natural and you are right you will become less anxious as you learn how it is affecting you and how you deal with it. I think you will be fine with your studies but remember to give yourself the breaks you need both mentally and physically. Most of my work projects are deadline driven and require a thorough thought process but I have learned that putting things aside even for a few minutes or longer helps my concentration. Before, I wouldn't stop until done. I think you will be fine and the studies may actually give you a needed distraction from the tx!
Hi Nelley.
Not much to add to the above, except IF you have a lecturer or course supervisor you can talk to, I'd think about mentioning that you are about to undergo a course of treatment for a long standing illness you don't wish to talk about (or something like that), and as you may experience some side effects, you'd just like to let them know in advance in case you have days etc where you feel like crap.
Not much to add to the above, except IF you have a lecturer or course supervisor you can talk to, I'd think about mentioning that you are about to undergo a course of treatment for a long standing illness you don't wish to talk about (or something like that), and as you may experience some side effects, you'd just like to let them know in advance in case you have days etc where you feel like crap.
Thank you all so much for your comments. I hope that once I know what I am dealing with, I will hopefully not be as anxious. I am hoping that I can still study, and so long as I can do that, I will be happy and less stressed about the issue! :) Thank you all so much for your comments and support!
Hi Nelley~ For me, about 4 hrs after I would take the Interferon shot, I would get tired and achey, and I would then take a delicious nap. I loved that part,the nap, becuz normally I cant nap and I am an insomniac, as well.
Sometimes the next day, I would also feel the need for a nap, but all the other days I felt okay. I never actually ran a fever, from the Interferon shots, but some people do,and I felt like I had a fever but the thermometer always showed me to be normal.
I myself, didn't get the "brain-fog" that people speak of, or much fatigue either, but during the end, I would sometimes have a problem finding the word I was looking for, but nothing a thesaurus couldn't help with, etc.
I feel like the Interferon made me feel very sentimental, and I would cry if I heard a sad or nostalgic song, but I didn't see it as "depression"..and besides, once I got a lab test that showed me my Hep C virus was Undetected, I felt great, and so will you!
I want to say that the meds made me, personally, a bit "hyper"..or an "over-active" mind, and others on this forum, who witnessed me on here, while I was treating, may have noticed this also. I was on this giant pink-cloud, and wanted to cure everyone on here, of their Hep C :)
Sometimes the next day, I would also feel the need for a nap, but all the other days I felt okay. I never actually ran a fever, from the Interferon shots, but some people do,and I felt like I had a fever but the thermometer always showed me to be normal.
I myself, didn't get the "brain-fog" that people speak of, or much fatigue either, but during the end, I would sometimes have a problem finding the word I was looking for, but nothing a thesaurus couldn't help with, etc.
I feel like the Interferon made me feel very sentimental, and I would cry if I heard a sad or nostalgic song, but I didn't see it as "depression"..and besides, once I got a lab test that showed me my Hep C virus was Undetected, I felt great, and so will you!
I want to say that the meds made me, personally, a bit "hyper"..or an "over-active" mind, and others on this forum, who witnessed me on here, while I was treating, may have noticed this also. I was on this giant pink-cloud, and wanted to cure everyone on here, of their Hep C :)
My treatment began fairly uneventful with some mild flu like symptoms hours after the shot and it wasn't until about my 8th or 9th week that things became a bit more unpredictable mostly from the interferon. It took a while for the riba to build up and it's main effect was extreme fatigue that has continued throughout my tx (caused by the drop in HGB). This far into treatment and brain fog has been bothering me some but at this point you know when and when not to do certain things. I've worked throughout this whole thing but have had my days where I had to back off. Do as much as you can but remember to rest and eat right...a lot of that brain fog is from fatigue. You are off to a good start by preparing. Again best wishes!
For me the Riba made me at times jittery, and yes it can be hard to concentrate at times. We call it brain fog but that usually don't start till late into treatment as it just builds up in your system... Most of the worse side effects come from the interferon which can be flu like. I have treated twice, the first time I laid around a lot after the shot for a couple days. That was the worse thing I did. The second time I got up and moved around and the effect went away much sooner and was no where near as bad. Staying active helps a lot. Just pace yourself... The great thing is your looking at 24 weeks......
How did your treatment begin, did you get ill from the ribavirin? Does the interferon cause most of the feeling bad, or is it daily from the ribavirin? Thank you for the support! I am hoping that this website will help my attitude stay positive through the treatment. :)
I have also read that staying hydrated is key, does the ribavirin make you sick or have trouble concentrating? How did your treatment begin? Thank you for the support! :)
Welcome and great job getting the ball rolling. I'm also a geno 2 just about to finish up (starting week 22 Friday). Can-do has said it well. I especially want to second the great attitude being a plus. You will likely have a some challenging days but a positive attitude will carry you through it along with the inspiration you can get from many posters here. I will say that the second half has been the toughest for me but the goal gets a lot clearer at that point as well. Good luck and best wishes for a smooth treatment!
Congrats on starting, sounds like you have a very good attitude going in and that is a plus. Since treatment effects everyone different as the side effects go it's hard to tell. Make sure you keep well hydrated, rest when you are able and take it one day as a time. Keep in touch with this place as we have all been through it. Theres a lot of info here to help with whatever sides come your way.
Some people take a couple of Tylenol right before their shot to help, some of us didn't. One just has to kind of see what works for them. One thing that everyone agrees on is drinking lots of water. They recommend at least half your body weight or more everyday............ Hopefully if the sides does get bad it is in the second part of treatment..... Wishing you the best, good luck you can do it.
Some people take a couple of Tylenol right before their shot to help, some of us didn't. One just has to kind of see what works for them. One thing that everyone agrees on is drinking lots of water. They recommend at least half your body weight or more everyday............ Hopefully if the sides does get bad it is in the second part of treatment..... Wishing you the best, good luck you can do it.
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