for Elaine and all new treaters

hi Elaine,

hope you are doing well! good to hear from you.

this is for your son.

is this his first treatment?

from what i learnt from my own experience...heres a list of do's and donts

MUST DO:

-eat high antioxidant foods, like 1 pomegranate a day.  this helps to keep you fresh and keeps from getting you down.  pomegranates are also reputed to help your hemoglobin.  this is the most important fruit of all, plz get it fresh and eat it raw.

- My japanese doctor told me that taking vitamin B complex daily can help to mitigate the effects of ribavirin on hemoglobin.  vitamin B complex can reduce the rate of decrease in your hemoglobin.

-drink carrot juice.  an old lady herbalist told me that drinking carrot juice daily helps your hemoglobin. extract it yourself at home, dont trust those big companies.

-eat an apple and an orange too.  believe me, and i'm not just sayin this:  diversifying your fruits can help you in places you never thought they would. eating 5 a day was never so important as it is now, on treatment.


-drink milk twice a day, this helps to keep your energy levels up and fights interferon effects

[niceguy2007]

- eat at least 150grams of chicken (preferably organic) a day.  this keeps you strong and fights interferon related muscle wastage

- WATER WATER WATER. forget what they say about weight-based water intake.  drink as much as you possibly can.  when you feel really bad, go straight for the kitchen. boil a chicken breast, and gulp it down with water. and then drink some more.

- KEEP TRACK OF YOUR URINE: note your daily urine color and quantity.  try to maintain it as close to colorless as possible. (by drinking more water). Also, try to maintain a high urine output every day.  **** in excess, with ****, the more the merrier.  You will notice that if you urinate more, you will feel better.

- FRUIT JUICE. when you're not drinking water, drink fruit juice.

- SEX: yes, it helps.

- SLEEP: try to get a full night's sleep

- CONSTIPATION: if constipated, eat psylium husk in warm milk

- DIARRHEA: eat psylium husk in cold water


DON'TS

- DONT DRINK SODA OR FIZZY DRINKS...they will screw up your stomach lining and exacerbate the effects of ribavirin on your stomach

- DONT DRINK CAFFEINE: it will mess up your circulation system and interact with the drugs, even if the doctors tell you its okay. stop drinking coffee and tea, as outlandish as it may sound.

- DONT SMOKE AT ALL: it will make you feel like ****.

- STAY AWAY FROM AIR POLLUTION: please do yourself a favor, and stay away from fumes and traffic

- stay away from eating high iron foods like liver and beef.  eat beef in moderation if you must

- NEVER cut back on your protein intake.  don't neglect your chicken intake or you'll be sorry


i'll post more soon...

[nygirl7]

Oh my God.  We have to call you Dr. Niceguy now!

I am just SO IMPRESSED!  That post is a DEFINITE keeper for people who are just starting or will be starting treatment.

GREAT job Niceguy - really.  :)

[jmjm530]

Thanks for the thoughtful and intelligent tips for those treating. How would you modify that list for those finished treating, as for example with the caffeine? Also, I am watching my triglicerides (triglycerides) so probably would have to cut down on five fruits a day.  I'm still having some gastro problems -- bloating/possibly IBS -- so any tips would be appreciated. You've certainly come a long way  -- from someone that some folks initially made fun of on MH to one of our best contributors. I know you're near the end but how many weeks left?

-- Jim

[pln]

Hi,Elaine
I missed the post about nick having cirrhosis. But don't give up hope, I just read a study of 20 people who cleared hcv, then all had biopsies 10 years later and their liver's were all almost normal.
I am very sorry you are going through this now. Take Care Pam

[antman]

that sounds like good advice. i would say taking a centrum silver wouldn't hurt either. it has no iron so it's ok for us. my only vice is a cup of coffee in the morning-ok a big cup! but i read where coffee may cut liver cancer so there's my justification!

[mauilady]

Great post!  Couple of questions, though, pertaining to milk and fizzy things: can soymilk be substituted for milk?  I don't drink milk, as dairy seems to screw up my intestines.  (I've had diverticulitis; that's how I found out I have HepC)  I do eat yogurt, though.  Should I cut Perrier from my diet?  I generally drink a couple of small bottles a day, to cut the monotony from plain water, which I drink tons of. (My pee is colorless, unless I've just taken my vitamin B's or nutritional yeast...)

[Htownwife]

It sounds like you're doing better. Even though I know next to nothing about cirrohsis, I do know there are varying degrees of it. It certainly is a good thing you had the ultrasound........now that you know what you're dealing with you can go forward with your knew found knowledge. Again, Nick is blessed to have you for a mom! There are many who are dealing with situations like this alone.
Please take care of yourself, too!
Hugs from me to you!!  

[niceguy2007]

jim,

i have 2 shots left.

post treatment is a different ballgame altogether, or so i'd tend to believe.  

for one, the lingering inflammation cauesd by interferon probably doesnt go away till a month or even more after ending treatment.  however, i wouldn't want it to go away anytime soon: the beneficial effects on the liver probably remain a while after ending interferon.  that's why i wouldn't take steroid-containing drugs even after finishing treatment.

My doctor prescribed NSAID diclofenac sodium for me to take before my injection.  i'\ve done once that every week during treatment.


==============================================================

However, people who have already achieved SVR 6 mionths post should be treated as belonging to a different category.  I think these people can be given anti inflammatory agents without compromising SVR.

a strong natural anti inflammatory is aloe vera gel for ingestion.  jim, you should definitely take it...it has multiple effects on different levels both on your digestion, for bloating, and skin inflammation.  for bloating, mix aloe vera gel with carom seeds, or, if carom is not available, mix aloe vera gel with a pinch of oregano.




will post more...