Week 12: <43 ~ Week 17: UND

[beeblessed]

Good news -- I am back to being undetected :-)

Other news -- I may have to continue treatment for 30 more weeks, instead of just 10; my doc just informed me that she is leaving but.....I will be assigned to the head of the department, who has already been consulting on my case; the (possible) extension of treatment has to do with the 12 week <43 and the African American factor.  My hemo is currently stabilized (with the help of Procrit), my platelets are fine.  My neutrophils, however, are fluctuating so we are keeping a close eye on that.

Question......for those of you with neutrophil issues.....what did your doc do/recommend?  How long before a difference was noticed and was it lasting?

[oceanblue701]

beeblessed, I am so glad to hear you are undetected again and still continuing with treatment! Keep on keeping on. Good Luck with neutrophils. I have no advice with that, but will see here what others say and learn the answer too.

[pooh55811]

I am happy that you are back to UND status. I wish you the very best. I also know nothing about the neutrophil issue.

[JasmineT]

So glad you are UND!!  Wonderful new.

[zako7]

congratulations on your return to been undetected. I am also African and I am also concerned about the African America factor. I am on the same path of victrelis with you (but I am G4) and have done only 2 weeks.
But for you I am almost sure you will be SVR. Just take it one day at a time. You are in my prayers.

[suezeeque]

I don't know the answer to your question but I just wanted to say how happy I am for you on the UND.  Not so much on the additional weeks but hey, you're UND!  :D

<3

[hrsepwrguy]

Just wanted to say congrats, wishing you all the best moving foward.

Keith

[indy531]

Congrats on UND again-hang in there!

[willbb]

Good stuff Bee.. what is the neutrophils  level? It may be referred to as the ANC (absolute neutrophils count.) The part of the white cell that is an important infection fighter.
Many doctors will start a patient on the rescue drug Neupogen if it gets too low usually <500 or possibly 600.
It is fairly fast acting and may need to be taken regularly for awhile and with some until the end of treatment.
Best to you..
Will

[aj7538]

sooooo happy about the.und. I knew it. I felt it. My friend I am celebrating with u.

[can-do-man]

Depends on what your doctors comfort level is. Some RX neupogen and others dose reduce the interferon. My doctor wasn't to concerned if mine got to 0.3 while others would be at 0.5.

Mine seemed to bounce around alot so i was lucky i didn't have to do either.

BTW, congrats! I kinda figured you would be und...:) Best to you.

[Advocate1955]

Congrats on UND! My husband was prescribed Neupogen when he became neutropenic during treatment #2.
Advocate1955

[can-do-man]

"I will be assigned to the head of the department, who has already been consulting on my case; the (possible) extension of treatment has to do with the 12 week <43 and the African American factor."

Sounds like a wise move on your doctors part, i'm sure not news you wanted to hear though............ Give it your best shot and be done with HCV.

Best;
cando

[working dog]

great news bee !! hang in there...good luck...billy

[babs824]

glad to hear of your status bee. as for the potential longer tx this is disappointing but if it buys you svr  it will be worth the extra weeks. hang in there and wishing u all the best. babs

[eureka254]

Well, there's 'good' news, and then there's GREAT news... congratulations!
Don't have any input on the neup question, as my husband never went below his doc's <500 red flag... but just wanted to say: YAY for you!

[Mary4now]

congrats on the UND, but yuck on another 30 weeks, but whatever it takes right?   good luck
mary

[beeblessed]

Wow.  THANK YOU EVERYONE!!   The doc did mention the possibility of further Peg reduction first, then Neupogen IF needed.  No Procrit for tomorrow, will see if my HGB continues to rebound on its own over the next week.  She also mentioned that 500 red flag for the Neutrophils.  The labs I did this morning say: 0.8 (x10E3/ul).  The preferred ratio is: 1.3-7.0.  

CanDoMan -- Not too upset about the doc change, as I will still have the same team (and my tx nurse) looking out for me.  Plus, this isn't a doc I expected to keep forever, as once I am SVR......I never wanna see that place again!!

As for the possibility of longer tx time......I want to reach SVR.  I only want to do this once, so I'm in it to win it.  My New Year's attitude will be to move forward and do more to get my life back, instead of letting this continue to be the focus.  The support, education and encouragement in this forum is a much needed blessing and makes this easier to process.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ALL.

[screaming48]

Great news Bee! So very glad for you.

[Dee1956]

Hi I am so very happy for you, great that you are UND, during a trial I had the same issue, at the time no rescue drugs were available so they dose reduced me, mine went under the 500 about 4 times during tx, I was not aware until the day they called and told me to stop all tx.  Mine had goten to low and a paper cut could have been serious.  I really did not want to stop however it was not my call, that was Nov 2008, I relapsed New Year's eve 2009
I wish you all the best.  I know how hard it is to have to change doctors, I had a pretty good guy, the someone related to the trial came in and said he was not doing it properly so he left and I had 3 more clinical coordinators the last few months.  Having the Head of the Dept is wonderful and I wish you nothing but good wishes into the New Year.
Dee

[frijole]

Bee, I am in it for the long haul too.  Just glad you got that UND back.

As for the low ANC, my doctor rxed Neupogen at one every 4 days when my ANC dropped to 600.  I balked at that and did one shot and waited until my next CBC.  The neupogen brought ANC up so hgih -- like 4.3(300) that I have not done another one yet and I think that was a month ago.  Wednesday my ANC was 1.0 (1000).  I don't like that stuff either -- it makes me really achey all over and I have never been able to see that I really needed it in the first place.

I hope the head of the departments takes good care of you and is not too busy.  They do seem to be keeping pretty close tabs on you and that is great.

[hcvJames]

Just realized your avatar is Calvin & Hobbes! I love reading them in the original ancient Sumerian cuneiform format, don't you?

“Who was the first guy that looked at a cow and said," I think that I'll drink whatever comes out of those things when I squeeze them?”

I mean that's priceless in Sumerian. It gives a contextual vibrancy that awakens the whole Sumerian civilization. Sure by todays standards clay tablets are a bit cumbersome but the pictographs are still crisp after nearly 6000 years. Who knew Sumerians were so funny? and invented the forerunner to todays tablet PC? A people misplaced in time. ... Anyway! Pip Pip Cheerio!

[beeblessed]

Whaaa? Hunh?  I looked that up but.....never heard of Sumerian cuniform.  I do, however, remember that quote from Calvin & Hobbes.  Priceless!!  LOL.

[eureka254]

Wow James, thanks for reminding me of that old format, yes, they were great... it was so long ago, I'd almost forgotten it started my son's fanaticism for C&H.  He used to have those comic page clippings all over his room... as a mother, I was sort of relieved when the books came about... easier to pick up books than newspaper strips all over the floor! :)

Though I loved C&H as much as my son did, being that he was reading them  by the time he was 5, you can imagine how interesting my early years of motherhood were :). ~eureka