Hi Charmed Im in Brisbane also if you need someone to talk to. I go to Royal Brisbane hosp for my treatments. Cheers John
Ok thank you, I have my partner for support although I haven't told anyone else about it. I will post my genotype when I find out. Thank you for your answers it's been quite helpful and I hope you can help me again.
Let us know your Genotype when you find out.
If you are starting treatment next week, then you will be on Interferon and Ribavirin regardless of which Genotype you have. But if you are Genotype 1, you will also be on a third drug, a Protease Inhibitor, and they can add additional side effects.
Some people have milder side effects and other have more serious side effects. Some have only a few side effects and other have several side effects. No one really know how many or how severe the side effects will be until one starts the drugs.
There are remedies for many of the side effects. However, one of the major side effects of treating with Inteferon and Ribavirin is fatigue and there is no real remedy for fatigue except to rest as needed, and that is not a remedy. It is a coping mechanism. Also, brain fog is another problem and temporary memory problems can occur. For those you need a system for remembering and keeping track of things. Alarms, notes, programmable watches, timers, etc.
Do you have any support? Friends? Family? Church members? People who can help you if necessary. You do have a very small baby and you are studying. Both a baby and studying are time consuming and demanding. So if you have a support system of people who can help you, that would be a good idea.
Also, post here about any side effects you get and we will try to offer remedies.
I am not sure what genotype I am I find out on Monday. Also I not going into a study just the current regimen. All I know is I have had hep c for 3 years and last liver biopsy I had everything looked fine.
I dug through my bookmarks so here's something else for you. Three women put this page together while treating...I thought they did a very nice job talking about side effects and how to deal with them. I will cut and paste there intro but you will have to go to the link to see the content as its too much to copy here.
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"The Combo Survival Guide from A to Z"
By: Trishamn, Lacey & Freyja
Since there are so many of us out here suffering from combo/interferon/HCV related ailments, we've taken all the advice we have gathered and put it all together in a simple guide in alphabetical order by ailment. We also try to explain (when and where we are able) why these sides are occurring (i.e.: plaguing us), and what has helped us and other people on treatment deal with these "mild, flu-like symptoms for a few weeks"-har har har!
The following is a list of possible side effects that you may experience on Interferon or Intron A and Ribavirin combination therapy. We have put down a long list of the most troubling symptoms. That does not mean that you will get any of them, and hopefully nobody will get all of them!
If you have any sides/remedies that we have not covered we may consider adding them on a case by case basis. In this way, we can help each other in ways that the drug companies and doctors can't. Also, for those of you not on treatment, some of these tips might help you also since many of the combo sides are also symptoms of the Hepatitis C infection itself.
We are not doctors (although we are intelligent women and Freyja [pronounced Fray-aa NOT Free-jaa] is a former pre-med student with 6 years under her belt), but merely patients like you just trying to find the best ways to get through the next 48 weeks with our bodies, families and sanity intact. We are not suggesting that you take our advice over any given by a physician, homeopath, nutritionist, or anyone with a medical degree. These are only suggestions given with the best of intentions, along with our own wicked, twisted brand of (drug induced) humor.
Lord knows, we need a laugh when we are on this stuff!
http://www.hepcsurvivalguide.org/comboguide.htm#Top
What is your Genotype? The type of treatment regimen you have will depend on your Genotype. Also, is your doctor planning to start you on the current treatment regimen for your particular Genotype, or will you be in a study? We cannot address the side effects until we know which regimen you will be on.
Side effects vary for every individual. Many tolerate treatment well while others have a harder time. There are many on the forum who worked through treatment. Try not to worry yourself about the possible side effects...just deal with them when and if they come up. Here's a link you may find interesting.
Hepatitis C-Managing Adverse Effects and Complications in Completing Treatment
http://hepatitiscnewdrugs.blogspot.ca/2012/11/hepatitis-c-managing-adverse-effects.html