Use For Any Question

[DallasStar]

Hello All, I have noticed not to many threads have been open for posting, so since I was finally able to post, I just wanted to open one so everyone can use it, pls don't get mad at me for just opening one, but it seems all the post are overloaded. Hope this help....

[mother of three]

Hello, getting ready to do my 2nd shot around six.I hope its smooth sailing , the first one was hell, I've been so tired lateley ,had to take a day off work ,yesterday. the pills don't seem to make me sick, just a little irritable.  Very short fuse , lol going to go stock up on the bottled water .So how are your treatments going?

[Sioux]

good morning all, I hope everyone is doing well. I'm not very good at jokes but I hope that this one will make you all laugh. My cousin sent it to me. hear goes...... Don't ever hold your F*rts in, if you do it will travel to your brain and that's where all your sh*ty ideas come from. (sorry if this offended anyone but it made me laugh)

[ms.star]

Hello everyone!  I've been coming to this site and reding post for about 8 weeks now but never posted before.  I want to thank everyone for all the encouragement and strength to keep going that I've received from reading the many wonderful post.  I am female geno 1b on pegintron combo 6/48.  My red blood cell count dropped really bad 2 weeks ago and I was put on 40,000 uints of procrit, today will be my second shot of it.  I've experienced many very weak and just plain crummy days for about 3 straight weeks now and I'm just wondering if the procrit makes a difference and if so how long before I have strength to get out of bed again.  I've lost 15 lbs in 5 weeks and the Dr says between the weight lose and the red blood cell I should expect to feel weak.  What do you guys think?  Any suggestions?

[berlynn]

sioux, Not offended in the least. I am finding that I'm getting much more than info from this site. I can always use a good dose of humor, especially lately.

willin, as you can see, your coments did not intimidate me, on the contrary. I've jumped right in the pool for better or worst. I would like to say though, that your intro gave me the humor and thoughtfulness that encouraged me to participate. thanks

ms.star, welcome, I can't help you w/info on procrit, but I do wish you luck and perseverance.      berlynn

[mumovsix]

hi everyone hope we r all well my ouestion is if you are infected by someone does it mean your genotype will match or can you be infected by someone and not share the same genotype would really be interested to hear from any one with any info on this matter my way of getting hep c was medically whilst in surgery the surgeon happened to have hep c i was called back to be tested and tested pos they said i couldnt have got it from him as he was a different genotype i have not had any other risk  would appreciate some input

[psychdoc]

When my red count dropped, I was put on Procrit. It took 2 to 3 weeks for it to make a difference. I almost had to stop treatment because I felt so bad. My doc took me off the Procrit in the middle of tx because I was having leg pains. After a month I went back on it to stay. The good news is that you will have good days. Just take things one day at a time. I only have 2 shots to go! I can't believe it. Thank God for the brain fog because I can't remember a lot of my treatment. Hang in there! You can make it!
Barb

[Dave_B]

I've monitered this site since starting pegintron/ribavarin therapy 8 weeks ago. Thanks to all the posters for their insights and valuable information.

I'm a 53 yr old male, geno type 1. Since starting treatment my ALT's have dropped from 300 to 41, so it seems to be working. Recently my WBC and neutrophils have been dropping and my last blood work showed WBC 1.3 and neutrophils 0.8. This has led to a 50% reduction in interferon dosage. If this was week 20 or 30 I wouldn't be so concerned but at week 8 there is a chance that a reduction in dosage might effect my viral load at week 12. If I don't see a 2 log drop I will be cut off treatment.

I've read many posts mentioning Neupogen. I am in Canada and my doctor says it isn't an approved therapy here for treating neutropenia caused by pegintron. It certainly isn't covered under our Provincial Government health plans and there is no private health insurance in Canada.

I am considering trying to get Neupogen prescribed by an MD in the States,  and bear the cost myself.

I was wondering if anyone taking Neupogen could let me know how often they take the shot  and for how long the therapy lasts. It seems it will cost about $250 per injection, so that could add up pretty fast.

Whether or not a doctor in the US would prescribe Neupogen to a Canadian being treated in Canada is another story. Then there is a risk of alienating my Gastro here in Canada by going over his head and getting Neupogen in the US.

Thanks in advance for your help, everyone.

[MichaelT]

If you are infected by someone with hep c, the virus you have will be of the same genotype.

-Michael

[scruffy]

I'm also on Pegintron combo and for me the fatigue and short temper and fogginess all decreased considerably by about 10 weeks.They're not gone but my quality of life is much improved.Try not to assume that the entire Tx will be as bad as it can sometimes be(like at six weeks).Although some others here have had quite a  different experience.

[raheem]

I'm a 1b guy on week 22 of 48. About 14 weeks into tx my WBC was 1.2 and neutophils or ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count) was 516. I'm on Pegasys and Copegus and the product literature indicates a dose reduction of interferon from 180 units to 135 units if the ANC goes below 750. My doc said any dosage reduction lessens the chance of having a SVR particularly with a genotype 1. He said my blood work should stabilize and not drift any lower. Anyway, my current WBC is 1.6 and ANC is 784 which is OK.  I did get on Procrit about a month ago but I can't help you out with the Neupogen question.

[odessit]

I was wondering whats going on with number of threads? It seemed we had priviledge to post 4 threads a day, today in particular only one thread was open and no more are allowed. Why?
--------------

I actually have question for all of you knowledgeable people out there:)
About myself: I'm 1b guys, week 11 Pegasys/Copegus, 180 mcg/1200 mg. At the start of tx was 80 +-2 kg. I put off some weight, I can feel it, but don't know the exact number.
Question: what is the danger of mantaining my Riba dose at 1200 mg if my weight is < 75kg ?!?
I'm feeling good, no complaints. At week 5-6 my HBG stabilized at 115, WBC 2.5-3, ANC 1.2-1.5. I'll see my DR next week for 12-week PCR plus will have my 8-week blood work results.

[oldhippiechick67]

Dallas dont feel bad about opening a thread!  Its the first and only one for today so far!   I am feeling achy, warm, nauseated and just yucky since my Procrit, Neupogen, and flu shots the other day.  But other than that Im okay!  I have been having the weirdest thoughts before I fall asleep, like icky old bad memories keep surfacing, and strange dreams.  I read somewhere here that other ppl have had the same so it must be tx related.
Dave from Canada, its a shame you cant get the Neupogen up there.  I dont know how vital it is for you to take it at this point, and I imagine the doc would reduce your dosage  for awhile.  I know there are ppl on here who have leftover Neupogen and would love to send it to you, but thats illegal...dammit.  Well I am not much help today, going back to the couch!  Happy Wednesday fellow heppers!

[OkieJim]

Howdy,
I was wondering how you new shots were treating you. The Flu is what the Neupogen did for me. I've been off it now for two weeks. Bloodwork tomorrow will see if I have to do more or not. After the WBC came back up I began running the mild fevers. Now there gone just have the <H2><B>ITCHY/RASH</B></H2>. I think I'm going to dress-up as a pin cushion on Friday for work. HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!! Prayer are with you girl, hang in there with all this we all have to make it.
Love,Peace, and Happiness.

[CCgirl]

Ok I feel stupid asking this but is Tx an abbreviation for something, and what is Neupogen? can you tell I am green?  Took my second shot Friday other than still being sleep deprived I am feeling great!  I will take my shots in the evening though from now on, no reason to have to be awake while feeling crappy now is there? I pray this continues & pray that all of you feel well also :)

[Eyedeas]

Just a reminder of the other site when threads get full here.

http://groups.msn.com/HotHeps/messages.msnw

It's mainly people from this site who started it and it's gotten pretty quiet.

Don't forget

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/hepsongs/

for copies of Friday Fight Songs and songs by other Heppers as well.

Kim

[raheem]

I'm a 1b guy and I'm about 165 lbs. and I'm on 1000mg of Copegus. If you feel good and it seems to be working, I don't think there is a serious danger as long as your RBC, HCT, and HGB remain within normal limits and you don't lose too much weight.  The interferon knocks down your WBC.

[willing]

I guess we only get one thread today - thanks for starting it Dallas.

Sioux: thanks for the insight into the origin of riba rage - I'll plan accordingly. Like Pegory, my psoriasis has gone crazy during tx. If you have any predisposition (previous symptoms, family history) to auto-immune disease it's definitely worth keeping an eye  on.
Pegory: do you think the auto-immune issues will settle back down after tx?  I recall reading that they can hang on permanently. Congrats on getting to the 40s

OHC/Seashell : glad you enjoyed the cat - it's Maj Neni's(by way of commdude). I only posted it for her.

DaveB: I start 39 tomorrow and my last neutrophil counts came in at ANC .6, WBC 1.6, They dropped within the first few weeks, stabilized, and now have dropped again. My Dr. doesn't seem concerned yet. I believe GIPA, a physician's assistant who often contributes to this forum, said the alarm started to ring at 1.4 in her practice. A 50% reduction based seems overkill : the pegasys <a href="http://www.pegasys.com/hcp/dosing.asp">dosing guidelines</a> call for a 25% reduction if for anc between .5 and .75 There is also recent <a href="http://hepatology2.aasldjournals.org/scripts/om.dll/serve?action=searchDB&searchDBfor=art&artType=letter&id=ajhep50122">evidence </a> that the neutropenia associated with combo therapy may not be associated with increased risk of infection and thus that the "standard" .75 cutoff is too high. I guess my $0.02 is that this is the time to be aggressive - a 50% reduction at this stage is indeed a big risk.

berlynn: great to see you posting!

[AK - Hepper]

FYI, they are claiming the northern lights will be visible over the whole continental U.S. tonight, at least on the northern horizon. We had a pretty decent show here last night, had some nice red to it, pretty rare. Supposed to be maxed out tonight, just hope it stays kinda clear.

[Revenire]

My WBC dropped about halfway through 48 weeks of tx. I asked for Neupogen. At first, I did it weekly but it felt like a truck ran over me and my counts rebounded nicely. I asked the nurse if I could do it every other week, because how far could the WBC drop in a week? Right? He okayed that. Then the doctor said I can now do it every 3 weeks. It has allowed me to stay on full dose Pegasys, except for 3 weeks when I dropped 25%. I've also had to drop 1 pill of riba, for 2 weeks, due to low RBC. I take 1000mg of riba a day, so I dropped down to 800. I weigh, after tx, 153 lbs so that dose doesn't worry me much at this stage of the game.

[lizzee]

THANX FOR THAT LITTLE JOKE..ACTUALLY I AM HAVING A REAL EEKKIE DAY AND U JUST MADE ME LAUGH!!!!!! :O) HAHAHAAA..
THANKUUUUUUUUU..
BE WELL,
LIZE

[DH Bill]

I've been having really stange dreams lately. Are we sure it's not something leftover from our flower child days? ha ha
Thanks for the info hepper. I will be looking up from here in spokane. It's supposed to get kinda cold here by friday maybe 11 0r 12 degrees.
I need all the distraction I can get while waiting for my results :)

[britgirl]

I asked this question a while ago and Willing gave me links to a site which explained how someone could be infected with two genotypes but only pass one on, and therefore it would appear that the two people had different genotypes. My friend indulged in risky behaviour with her brother, never anyone else. He is genotype 3a and she is genotype 1. They were stunned when they found out. So, mumovsix, I believe you could have been infected by this surgeon. Only one genotype is dominant but the other could be passed on.

[mumovsix]

thank you 4 responding britgirl what you have told me is very interesting do you know where i can get any info on this as it is now up to me to prove this and any info would be much appreciated thanks again

[kennedge]

"risky behaivor with her brother"

does anyone else hear dueling bangos playing?  

shoot i guess we're all cousins here...

alas..the clouds are to roll in this afternoon....but i will make a note to look north anyway...always wanted to see pretty colors