Weight Gain

Has anyone experienced weight GAIN?  I have not had any tx.

[ringeding]

ONLY WHEN I OVER EAT!!!!!  haha

no seriously, it depends where you feel you are gaining, if you are gaining everywhere you may need to cut back on certain foods...but there could be a connection, that i am not aware of. if you are experiencing discomfort and bloating or swelling in the abdomen, it may well be related.   someone else may have more insight on this....

wishing you well
kimmy

[CARUU]

I had weight gain and deconditioning on tx.  I'm 7 weeks post and condition is improving.  I now need to lose 15 lbs instead of pre tx 10 lbs.  I had a lot of the typical sx with tx, but not much nausea or loss of appetite.  Lack of exercise is what caused me to gain.  I'm now wearing a pedometer and working toward increasing the number of steps taken each day.  I like the idea of making it a lifestyle rather than having to plan specific time for an exercise class. caruu

[friscosue]

I've been living on raw fruits and vegetables; i walk AT LEAST 5 miles a day; swim at least 10 minutes; and do a 45-minute aquatic-exercise class 5 days a week.  Which is why its upsetting that I'm putting on abdominal fat.

[cuteus]

Are sure is fat? you never mentioned if you had a biopsy and the extent of your liver damage. some types of liver damage can cause abdominal fluid build up.

[ringeding]

i imagine that with your regiment of fresh healthy food and loads of  exercise, it is VERY frustrating for you!  when i turned about 41, i began to gain weight and went from 98lbs to a whoppin 125 (that was a weight gain of 1/4 of my body weight,it was shocking!) and have stayed there no matter what i have done. it was for me, my metabilism changing...but that weigh was also evenly distributed, unlike what you have just discribed.

as for the abdomen, as i said earlier, do you have discomfort with this?  i suffered from alot of painful bloating for years which i was 'told' was hep related.  maybe you can get in to see your doctor with these concerns as it obviously is not about your food intake...i wish you all the best.

kimmy

[friscosue]

I don't know what to do.  My first doctor said he'd treat w/o one -- said he didn't see signs of cirrhosis from physical exam.  Second opinion said he wouldn't treat W/O one -- but i'm afraid of needle-track seeding; why open up a window for the virus to swim into?   All to say, no -- I haven't had a bx.  I've never had bloating in the abs like this before.  I've been working out regularly since last Sept.  [I was dx'd in December.]  This website is causing me to rethink my options.  But I really don't want to do a bx.

[cuteus]

the way I see it, the virus is already in your bloodstream and in your liver, the risk of puncturing should be more our concern than seeding.  I have not heard of anyone here with a puncture/bleeding complication.  Biopsy is not a must, but it helps to tell exactly what the virus did.  I did not want to wonder, I wanted to know.   Others will give you their input soon.
by the way, I did not gain or lose wt. I can eat ANYTHING and not gain!  what a benefit!

[MemphisBlues]

I was told I'd probably loose weight on tx.  Not..I've gained about 20 pounds.  Now they tell me I'll probably loose it after I'm off tx.

I'm 1a, Stage 3, Liver- Cirrhosis, Stage 4.  38 weeks into expected 52 on Pegasys/Copegus combination. I also have to take Procrit and Neupogen every week. My absolute neutrophil count is hanging around 300, very susceptible to infection.

I don't eat a lot.  Lately begun to be nauseous more often right after Neupogen.  Usually run fever and ache all over especially in joints from this med.

[friscosue]

Thanks.  Please excuse my ignorance.  I'm new to this.  From what i've read, scarring is the liver's way of protecting itself.  When a bx is performed, the protection is punctured, thus allowing the pathway formed by the needle puncture to seed or further infest the liver with virus that ordinarily would not have entered.  I'll have to research neutophil.  Maybe i should have my thyroid run.  I just read this past lunch hour (instead of eating) that C can effect thyroid function.  As a somewhat vain woman, i thought -- well, at least i have a disease that will keep me thin!  This is where i'll say haha.  Joke's on me.

[audreywald]

How old are you?

[friscosue]

just turned 49

[honey1616]

I know that has to be discouraging putting on weight with your diet and exercise.  Is it possible you are going through menopause?  That can add on pounds to the middle also.

[hopiangel]

Hi, I was type 3a and they assume I had Hep C for about 25 yrs. I was on tx for 6 months.  How are you doing?  I hope well.  Take care. (This is in answer to answer your question from an earlier post.) **Hopiangel**

[friscosue]

Oh great.  Nothing to do then but keep on keepin' on with what I've been doing.

[hepcgetlost]

sorry to jump in, but so happy to see your post audrey...I think of you a lot because you went through so much and were so helpful to me when I had the mouth sores and other stuff. glad to know you're doing better since you got off tx. I must have missed a bunch of posts when I was away...did you clear, or did you have to get off because of all the side effects? I'd love to know how you're doing and what your plans are now.
Judi

[couchpotato]

I just noticed your post from yesterday and thought I would welcome a fellow Canadian to the board. That makes you, me and Ringading. I also gave this site to my medical support team but don't figure they passed it along as nobody else has written in from B.C. Now we are 3 provinces strong!! These people here are great and very knowledgeable but sometimes we (Canucks) are at a disadvantage as we are not tested to the same standards, and we are not always offered the same meds as our counterparts in the U.S. But, we are all fighting the same fight so no difference there! I'll be on the lookout for your postings. Couch

[ringeding]

hahaha ahhhh couch, that means then that there are 4 of us in canada now...wow....its boomin here baby!!!!  derail, welcome as well!!!we have ontario, quebec and bc covered between us now....

cheers
kimmy

[couchpotato]

Spreadin' like wild fire, could it be an epidemic???? Sorry to hear about your tanning woes, I was in Costa Rica 6 years ago, lovely place. So happy you are moving on with your life, go out and enjoy. Couch

[hepcgetlost]

I've been exploring the back of my skull too; mostly because of my itchy scalp...sorry, I know I said I wouldn't mention the itching anymore, but this is in another context. Anyway, I haven't felt any unusual bumps--just the ones that have always been there. Maybe you just never noticed those bumps??

[Xenigma]

The lumps are (Probably)lymph nodes.  Many years ago I had a row across of them swell on the back of my head and down by the hairline on neck. It was very painful.  I was put on antibiotics for it.  They did go down.  There was a name/diagnosis for it but it was quite awhile ago, and I can't remember the name.
Any lymph node swelling means (most likely) you are fighting a virus/infection.
HepC also makes your nodes swell.  I have one on my neck that is like a large pea.  It stays large for many months and then subsides but then will return.  My Rheumatologist said it's from the virus.
Enigma

[audreywald]

Thank you for asking.  I had to stop because of sides. I have been off for almost 2 months, and am slowly getting back to where I was before tx.

How are you?  Did your mouth sores heal?

[hepcgetlost]

thanks for asking about the mouth sores...yes the worst ones healed. Occasionally, I still get them, but they're not as bad as that particular incident was. I'm sorry you had to stop treatment and I know you fought really hard under very difficult circumstances. You're a survivor...and I'm glad to know you're starting to feel better. You're in my thoughts...Judi

[couchpotato]

I'll make room for you and your lumpy head on my "couch". hahahaha

[ringeding]

haha.....ah chevy babe, thats just your brain expanding honey!!!!...no where else for it to go now but out and lumpy!!!! and we all know women have 'larger' brains anyways....hahahaha....yah girl....your welcome here too, once the lumps are under control....i have a spare room for yah!!...i know, you could 'house hop' between us all....whatdayasay??

couch....ya now if only our level of care would rise to that of the americans tx-ing...or sorry guys.....some of the americans tx-ing as i know not everyone is nessisarily in the same boat there either and some must also forgo certain things that should be required...like....oh.....blood work, dr visit, ....etc....and for that i am angry and sorry!  as for sun woes...haha....yah well it sure wasn't pretty there for awhile, but is finally settling down some, just in time for summer!!!!

audreywald.....HEY YOU.....wow, hows things, i am guessing you have had to stop due to your extremely difficult sides.....you are so amazingly brave and couragous for all you have been through, (as are all here)...but i do seem to remember a really few tough and difficult extra surprises and struggles you were faced with sweetheart.....i think of you and wish the best for you...you are one special gal and so kind......sending good thoughts sweetie....miss yah

hugs all
kimmy

[mumsie]

Old Billy Holliday song rocks in my head.Make that 5 I'm in Surrey, B.C.

[derail]

wow very strange more of us arent posting  the amount of info i have gained in less than aweek from the forum is amazing  it sure is god to know others hadto suspend tx due to severe sx
Ive noticed all kinds of varieties and combos of sx  and have developed an idea that the longer the dragon has played the more strange thesx seem to be  icontracted in early 61/62 as a result of a transfusion .. my older twisted sister remembers me being juandiced 2 wks later and in 65 was told i had hepatitus (hepatitis) when i gave blood so approx 46 yrs of dancing the dragon dance feb 2003 was mydx and the battle begins  dr. wants to try pegysis riba this fall pigintron really did me in the one thing tho. igained weight  couldnt walk 10 feet w/o stopping for breathe the eprex(similar to procrit) caused what they thought was an allergic reaction. im not so sure now based on info on this forum i plan to try a dose before the next dance date to be sure . and now it feels better to be able to walk  for hours and enjoy and harvest morels my all time fav. mushrooms
and yes sometimes i wish scotty could beam the ******* dragon to hell only to realize theres always someone suffering more
peace love happiness to all

[ringeding]

hahahahaha....well darlin, i just know what to tell yah to tell the doc, except.....its a damn good thing it isn't 'imploding' i think......ewww......sci-fi makings here,

'the mystrey of the shrinking brain, meets the expanding brain that stole the shrinking one'  

critics choice award winner for best expanding brain....new realse available only on DVD in your stores next week, starring the ever lovely chevygal in her debut film.

hugsssssssssss