TREATMENT

[LD1702]

WILL RIBAVIRIN AND INERFERON GET RID OF HEPC IN THE ACUTE STAGE? IF SO DO YOU THINK IT COULD BE GONE FOR GOOD. IT IS HEP C 1B.

[cuteus]

I was terrified of finishing tx and the outcome on my wt.  I was indulging in everything sweet and fatty for 18 months without gaining wt...that has to be as close to Heaven as you can get!  I had planned to change my habits a week or two before ending tx, but it slipped (conveniently)off my mind.  I just went back to my old wt (pre tx), thank God!  I did gain a little over but has re-settled back, without increasing my exercise too much or giving up my butter.  I am been careful, though, but not over doing it.  So, don't panic too much.

Califia; a clean house...no... I will settle for decluttered house, is in the works, now that the hand has pretty much recovered.  Funny, but the carpal tunnel in the right hand seems to be better this week, maybe I won't need surgery.  I was hoping that once the hcv was gone all the joint/tissue inflammation would be gone eventually...maybe I should have been more patient with the left hand. I wonder what makes it come and go(the discomfort), maybe is the cold weather also...where is SPRING?

[genedog]

to all of you who gave me great info  with my first 24 shots thank you, time to do the last 24

[Califia]

How nice to find yr msg this a.m.!   Yes,  I'm still breathing & entering the home stretch:  shot 39 last night.   This last week I titred up to1400 mgs of riba and the results were pretty unpleasant.   I mean, doable if you're determined to be stoic, but my mind seemed to disappear altogether and I got to renew my membership in the Blank Generation, to quote that old Richard Hell song.   Bad daily headaches and nausea.  More worrisome were the effects on my heart and eyes.  Definite cardiac strain, and fuzzy sight even with a book plastered up against my face.    It's been 3 weeks at 1200 mg (not so bad) and one at 1400 mg, and I'm dropping back down to 1000 mg today.   Yesterday I confessed my tactics to a hepatologist/virologist I trust, and he thought I had a good enough chance at SVR just doing 9 months of "undetection"  at a normal dosage.  That's all I needed to hear.   The science experiment is over.   Well, my arm of it, that is.

I did flip someone off in a parking lot yesterday--stupid woman in a colossus of an SUV wouldn't give me enough room to back out of my parking space, and we were virtually alone in that lot--

and after retracting my digit, I thought affectionately of you!

Silvermoon? Definitely has the stoicism market cornered.   She's in early treatment, has plummeting platelets, Hgb and WBC's, has developed diabetes, and now pneumonia.  Thankfully she's being monitored closely and is not shot aversive, so she's staying on top of her various meds.  Amazing resilience, that one!   I really hope she'll join us here.

Cuteus, what is life like after treatment?

[Docsgold]

I cannot wait to anwer that question on what life is like after tx.  I have 5 weeks left.  For some very strange reason (probably because I can see the light) I feel pretty good, H&H has even come up for the 1st time since tx started.  I am eating constantly--and quite afraid of what will happen when tx is over and my metabolism is "not jacked up" anymore.  Perhaps Chevy and Honey will send me an exercise and diet regime.  LOL

Califia, I cannot imagine the up and downs of the riba dosage--how did you manage that?  What the heck was 1400 like?  Could you breathe at all?  I am glad to see you are in the home stretch of tx.  Good luck to both of us!

[cuteus]

hey Califia! (sigh of relief), I am glad you dropped back the riba...that stuff can be scary. This woman posted at delphi doing 49 weeks with only 3 months at full doses, dropping the riba after the first 3m and still reaching svr. this bug is so puzzling!

Ok, I caught the joke by honey down the bottom on my driving techniques...so what if the middle finger got more exercise than the rest?
The horn was traumatic because my new car has a horrible design that does not allow for you to find the right spot to press with ease...agghh! many souls were saved...
so, now I get it, where your statement of fondly remembering me after your digital experience...not sure if I should feel good about that one.  Ah!  the shade of green comment...TY Honey!

after tx, fog lifted almost immediately, I even forgot how crummy I had felt on the meds...it is now a distant memory(only 4 month post).  Energy is better than before tx, and I have more patience, much more.  This woman at the store does not know how lucky she was that I had no riba in me the other day....
I even feel less of a gloom when looking at the messy house, which used to depress the hell out of me....Add that to a negative PCR in a couple of months and it will be as good as cake with buttercream frosting.
It gets better quite fast if you don't also have to recover from very low hgb.
Thanks for the update!

[Califia]

Cuteus, in honor of your 72 months on treatment, and all the countless hours you've put in assisting other hepatitis patients, someone should really present you with a spanking clean house for Mother's Day!   For starters, that is...   I'm really delighted to hear that you're rebounding so well.  

& Docsgold, here's to the home stretch!  It feels good, doesn't it?

[cuteus]

haven't heard from you in a while, hope you are ok.

also, can you give an update on silvermoon's tx? is she managing ok?
stay well

[Califia]

Uh oh, the puns are only going to get worse now.   Talk about going downhill fast....    (Say, you ever hear from Wrench?)

[genedog]

funny i was just going to ask about him

[honey1616]

Califia,,,Life is good after your tx and you will be there soon. Too bad, we can't all finish at same time as its hard to be feeling so good and see others still feeling rotten and wondering if there is an end. Glad to hear you reduced that dose! No wonder,,you are feeling out of sorts lol and flipping someone off in parking lot is probably mild to what you really could be capable of..haha  You and Cuteus could be dangerous out in the world together in the car or better yet,,,in separate cars in same lane! Ouch!  Hang in there,,,its all good at the end!
Docsgold,,,Diet???  haha I wish,,,Since getting of tx,,,I have been cooking and cooking!  And none of it is non fat!  I'm starting a diet soon lol

Genedog,,,24 already? Seems like that went by fast! Congrats on finishing up!

[Docsgold]

Oh heavens!!  I just realized everyone says the food jags started after tx and I have yet to finish.  Funny how the side effects of tx go away and you don't really notice, everything used to be tasteless.  Horrors--I have been watching ALL the cooking shows, downloading the recipes and trying them out left and right.  My mother told me it's a good thing I'm not pregnant with all the food around.  I am in fear I will not be the next bow flex model but the new Kirstie Alley.......boohoo........hey, they got chocolate cake don't they?

[cuteus]

hello,
You should be aware that there are no physicians answering questions in this forum, it is mostly hep c related members sharing their experience and knowledge of hep c and its treatment.
You should direct your questions to your hepatologist and make sure his/her answers are clear to you.  Nothing online should substitute for a consult with a medical professional.
you can check the janis7hepc.com website for lots of information about hep c to enhance your growing knowledge of hcv.

I don't know about acute stage tx, because most of us are/were chronically infected, but I read that the percentage of cure is higher if caught early, and once you are negative for a period of time post tx, many drs consider that a cure.