it's not the IFN, but the Riba that causes anemia, from what I've read. I"d take another 2 wks ,because under 10 HGB is bad for anyone, esp. a man, and if his hematocrit gets a little high, then you know you don't need it anymore.
Your best advice would be to have blood work in a week and, depending where it is, the next week as well. Base the decision on where the hgb and hematocrit are then. I taper down from 120 a week to 80, then 40 and then nothing. You don't want your hgb to rise too quickly but there isn't anything wrong with a little help getting back to normal either.
Glad you hubby finally finished! He must have really suffered with the low hgb if I remember correctly.
miss
That's what I was thinking too...blood work next week to see where he's at and then go from there. If he has his CBC done next Friday he'll have two more doses of Procrit and a week without Riba/IFN, so hopefully it should start to go UP.
He did have a tough time with the anemia. When his hgb was in the low 7's he really wanted to stop tx. However, the Marine in him would not let that happen and he stuck it out and I'm so incredibly proud of him. Fingers crossed for SVR!
I agree with missmiss, get the weekly labs and check them before stopping procrit. Also the tapering idea is a good one! Congrats!
You should be proud! He toughed it out with a Hgb in the 7's! Way to go!
Thanks for all the great input. He's decided to continue with the Procrit for this upcoming week and then have his CBC done next Friday to see what his numbers are. JoAnn, you and your hubby hang in there...8 more days, that's great!! I was in such a good mood today just knowing that there would be no shot tonight. We actually went for a nice walk this afternoon and are going to a Super Bowl party on Sunday. Life is good!
Maui lover
Congrats on his completing tx. At the end of my first round (24) of tx I stopped the epo with the last shot. It took 6 months for the Hgb to return to normal. This round of 48 weeks I continued with the epo for 4 weeks after tx and the Hgb returned to normal within 4 weeks. I was taking 40000 unit once a week. My doc had no problem with the extra 4 shots. With a Hgb of 9.8 it should help him feel better sooner. Of course a cbc each week to be safe but at 9.8 he has a long way to go back to normal levels.
goo luck
Rock
I only had one vial left when my tx ended and I took that about a week after the last ribavivin pills. I never got as low as your hubby. I was 11.1 at the end of tx, 12.8 two weeks later, and 13.3 1/2 months post tx .
I would suggest continuing the Procrit for at least 3 weeks, but I think he should also get weekly CBCs
Congrats on finishing tx, hubby of maui!!!!!!
My husband is also geno2 and is 1 week behind yours-he has 8 more days of riba. I have watched your progress closely-my husband did not have to take procrit, but his hgb has hovered around 10 for several months. He is SOOO tired, but almost done. Best Wishes for a HAPPY VALENTINES and SVR in August for us both. Regards, JoAnn
My doc told me to chuck the Procrit with my last shot. I don't see how another week might hurt but beyond that I'd be cautious. Keep in mind that the riba will be leaving his system after the last pill which should start raising the hemoglobin on its own right.
If the doctor doesn't know and we're going to play a guessing game, I'd take it for one more week, stop, and then do weekly cbc's. As long as the hemoglobin doesn't keep dropping, leave the Procrit alone.
I have nothing medically to base this on except what my doctor told me to do. My hgb was around 11 at EOT and slowly crept up toward normal (high 14's) over the next couple of months.
Congratulations to both of you on finishing treatment!
All the best,
-- Jim
I have heard that once off IFN the HGB should go up fairly quickly. That being said I also would (personally) do 2 more weeks of Procrit, just to be sure it got up as quickly as possible.