med and ins procedure and what ever anyone wants to post

Just curious
My Docs nurse called yesterday and said that we should hear from the insurance company hopefully by Friday ( for approval )
When I got home I got a message from the drug company that the insurance has me using that the script is ready.
If I return the call to have the meds delivered and the approval hasnt been made by insurance will I have to pay for the meds?
Also wondering if after the first shot should I plan to take off a day or so from work?
Just a little afraid of the 1st time sides, dont want to scare anyone (even myself) lol

Please feel free to post anything about anything I just did not want to break a thread

[honey1616]

Yes...I think that is a good idea to take your first shot on your off day....Maybe friday if you have weekend off.  My first shot was a doozy and I had chills so bad...my teeth wouldn't quit chattering LOL  After that first shot....I never had a problem again.  It was like it was a real shock a roo to my system though.  Now...after shot about 2 hours later..I will feel extremely tired and need to lay down and a little queasy in the stomach.  You may not feel 1st shot at all as alot don't....But probably better to plan accordingly so you will be covered if you don't feel great!  Good Luck to you!

[cuteus]

I felt no significant effect on the first shot, I had Pegasys.

the insurnace question can only be answered by your plan, give them a call.

[couchpotato]

I'm on Pegetron and my first shot was also the worse as to sides, but looking back even then it was no big deal, really. Now I also look forward to my shot on Fri. night, knowing that I will feel kinda achy and lazy through the weekend, but because I work daily at a highly physical job, it is then my excuse to kick back and catch up on reading and relaxing. It's a mind set, just know that you are killing the dragon and adjust your expectations at what you can or cannot accomplish on a certain day. By the way, during the week, other than having a headache periodically, I feel absolutely no ill-effects of the tx. GL to you all

[Amerabrit]

Good luck with your RX question:
My first day on meds was just like Honey and Scott, took a couple of weeks for my system to adjust but now I'm doing fine, nothing to complain about.  Good luck to you:)
Helpful hint (I hope:).   I found using those plastic CVS $1.99ea, daily tablet cases really helpful.  I put one on my nightstand with 3 pills in ea day slot for morning doses, and carry around the second case with 2 pills in each day slot for pm doses.   No more questions as to whether or not you took the pills!
Also, I'm finding I sleep a little better taking the larger dose of Riba in the am.
Anyone else have any "helpful hints" to offer?  

[woodbeegood]

my first wasn't all that bad really-similar to couchpotato (except on pegasys)-i think the anticipation was way worse-except for falling labs i really haven't had that hard of time with tx (very, very thankful for that!) good luck to you & keep positive

ps-finally got my viral load-undetectable at 12wks!!!! hopefully another dragon has bit the dust!

[ringeding]

hey there, congrats on starting....wow lots of people beginning tx now, wishing you the best with it.....as honey said i would definately take the following day off as the first injection CAN be difficult....i have also heard that some people do not really react to much...but either way, i'd take the day off or do the injection on a friday.... our thoughts are with you as you begin your journey!!! (there are several suggestions a thread or two down also for another beginning tx this week, that may be useful)

cheers!

E-MAIL....THIS DRIVING ME NUTS IS ANYONE ELSE HAVING DIFFICULTY SENDING AND RECEIVING?????   both my personal and photography addresses are not working properly and this has been going on for 3 weeks at least..just called and they said it may be several more weeks before its fixed...i am losing MONEY as a result and that PISSES ME OFF!!!....does anyone have any suggestions as to what i can do.....any thoughts would be welcomed as i am ready to shoot my computer!!!

'post tx EXTREME riba rage'!!!!!

thanks
kimmy

[Fubarcat]

My first shot caused me to feel like I had arthritis in my hips and wrists and made me sleep a lot during the weekend when I took it.  But I never had the chills and fevers.  Now, other than constant fatigue which I fight off with little "cat naps" whenever I get the chance (even at work, I close my office door and take a snooze for 15 minutes and feel great when I wake up!), I don't think I have any sides from the PegIntron.  My hair loss, itchy skin and occasional nasty attitude are all attributable to the Riba.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Woodbegood:  Congrats to you.  I know the feeling of getting the "undetectable" at week 12!  I was on a natural high for weeks after receiving my good news.  It will do wonders for your attitude and resolve to continue with the meds.  I'm very happy for you.

[Showboat]

Gona:::  I had the same experience as most, I had to sleep the "flu" sx off.  I would take the day off, and take some non-aspirin a couple of hours before the shot.

Woodbeegood::: Congratulations on the 12 week clearance.......Good luck and I pray for your SVR

Ring::::  Yes.....I am having the same problem with my email system....very frustrating.  It seems like a couple of weird things are going on with the entire internet system as well.

[Amerabrit]

Congratulations;  great news:)

[ringeding]

woodbgd.....wow congrats!!!!.....how uplifting....

showboat...thanks! i just spoke to them again and the guy suggested a 'hotmail' account for now as the 'outlook' and  'outlook express' seems to be the worst hit and that for some reason hotmail is not so badly effected.......great..just what i need, i can barely remember the 2 addys i have now....guess i have been not paying attention, he said it has been all over the news for weeks now!!!....

p.s. sorry for taking up non hep related space....but the post tx riba rage was and is real!!!  haha

cheers

[gonagetbetr]

you guys are great
I always feel a little safer after we talk/type
has anyone found this a difficult subject to discuss with friends/family
I keep trying to have serious conversations with my hubby but he just says take the medicine and everything will just go back to the way it was

on e-mail do you have good virus software
not funny but no pun intended
we got a new program that really filters out the viruses
AVG by Griftsoft and Adware by i think lavasoft they are free downloads

If we could only get rid of virus so easy
I wanna download LOL

[hepcgetlost]

Hi, I'm 22/48 and the first was the worst for me too...flulike symptoms, chills, fever, chattering teeth, etc....but that never happened again. I work weekends so I take mine on Monday evening and make sure nothing is scheduled for Tuesday. I'm always tired for 24 hours. Other than that, it's fine and manageable. My doc said to take tylenol pm--I think it has benadryl in it. It works great and basically knocks me out for the night. Drink plenty of water and relax. The anticipation was worse for me than the actuality. Good luck and keep us posted. Judi

[lost and confussed]

pharmacy contacted me today and said that they filled the peg pen and ribosphere the generic.
I know everyone says generic is the same but I havent seen ribosphere on here anywhere.
Has anyone tried or heard anything about it ??
Thanks

[Sujo]

When I took my first shot 17 weeks ago, I was expecting the worst and received the best! I really didn't have any sides at all. And that continues to this day.  The only thing I noticed is week after week I started to get more fatigued and this was confirmed by my blood work.  I have been on procrit for 3 weeks now and I THINK I'm starting to get some energy back.  But I have been blessed.  Oh BTW, I cleared at 12 weeks as well.
I hope you have the same experience that I have had....

[simpleman]

I never had any "flu-like" symptoms. My suggestion would be a Benadryl right before the shot. It would knock me out. Doc said it was OK, it's cheap, over the counter, and for me worked great. I may have had side effects and slept through them. You may be lucky like me and have it easy. I hope so and good luck.

[honey1616]

Has anyone had a sore throat while on interferon?  Is this a side or just so happens I have one?

[TnHepGuy_]

I had a sore throat last week and went to the doc. He pronounced it as a probable low-grade viral infection (somewhat ironic, eh? - what with me being on interferon and ribavirn). Since anti-virals don't protect against all viral types, it's quite possible to pick up something. The doc felt that the interferon might help shorten the length of the infection. It really never amounted to much and faded within a few days.

Also, this time of year is BIG TIME pollen/allergy season in my area (east Tennessee) - and I have noticed that my throat is mildly scratchy in the mornings as a result.

The other possibility is something bacterial (i.e. - strep throat). With our white counts/neutrophils low as a result of the interferon, it's good to be cautious and you may want to have your doc check it out - just in case you might need to be put on an antibiotic.


TnHepGuy

[snook_man]

Email troubles are with servers that were not protected, and got sasser virus..
By the way, I am pretty good with troubleshooting computers, so if anyone has question, let me know..
Go to www.mcafee.com, look for stinger.exe free program.. It downloads in two or three minutes.. once downloaded, run program and wait.. It will check computer for virus and remove and fix if detectable..If only we could get this for the dragon!! LOL..
Also check browser settings.. Some of the browsers and antiviruses, are blocking emails with attachments as spam..
Hope it helps..

[honey1616]

TnHepGuy...Thanks for your reply and you are probably right...Very possible I just caught something while on tx.  I mean...LOL  Its bound to happen this year but I think sometimes while being on tx...Maybe we are overly cautious with some of the sides...thinking everything might be related to interferon.  Thanks

Chevy...I'm so glad that you do list alot of your sides as sometimes alot don't want to be maybe "complaining" but honestly I feel better knowing that I'm maybe not a alien out here LOL  I mean lately with the thinning of hair and the lashes getting some super duper extensions...If this keeps up...I will be a alien haha  You and so many others make me laugh daily,,,,and thats what its all about isn't it...healing with meds, humor, and just compassion of others!

[honey1616]

Thanks for your advice and you are so right about the water...I had been trying to cut down in evening so I'm not up so much during night LOL  But guess...running to bathroom is better then maybe some sides!  I was always afraid that being on tx...that since our immune system is down...it would be more possible to catch alot of things.  I have often when waking since tx...had mild sore throat and as day wears on...its better but this one feels like my throat is all swollen up and could possibly be allergy related also.  Hopefully...this will pass in couple of days as I really don't want to go to a dr AGAIN LOL

[cheriums]

Ah Ha!  The power of the human mind!  My treating M.D. told me, at the start of my journey, I wouldn't catch colds or flu while on these drugs.  I haven't, not a one.  First winter ever. All around me, many people were sick with colds and flu here, lots of coughs and so on -- not me.  I take public transportation, too. I wake with my mouth and throat feeling mildly sore every AM -- I decided it's just because I'm not drinking water during the night, and they get so very dry.  About half-way thru the first quart of water, they feel better.  HOWEVER, I saw a mouth specialist today and learned that I have a mild yeast infection.  It can go down into the throat, too.  That will make mouth and throat sore.  Dry contributes to the risk of yeast infection.  Along with all the body's normal flora and fauna being thrown out of balance (I decided weeks ago).

[cheriums]

Yeh, I know what you mean about going to doctors going to doctors oh sigh going to doctors.  BUT I was so GLAD I saw one more.  I have been tormented by mouth sores since maybe week 3. (i.e. for months) I saw a stomatologist (mouth specialist) at the stomatology clinic, at the University medical school and center -- she looked and KNEW!!  She knew what she was seeing and what to do!  The sores at the sides of the mouth, where the lips meet, which look (and feel) kind of like a paper cut (I know others suffer with these, too, I've seen posts) are YEAST.  The Rx for those is a topical antifungal cream. The canker sores, also called mouth ulcers, medically known as erythema multiform (not sure of the spelling at the moment) are AN ALLERGIC REACTION TO HERPES!! (The herpes I've had for many years, always wondering why the canker sores were occuring more and more often, not knowing the relationship between the two!) FORGET "magic mouthwash."  When I saw that some others posting were getting relief with anti-herpes anti-viral meds, I got support from my pharmacist, who called my primary care doc, and got me a Rx for Valtrex -- to take at a high dose, 2 grams/ day, nonstop.  The stomatologist agreed, the pharmacist and I were right.  And in addition, gave me a Rx for a potent topical steroid.  But only to use a very little bit of, by putting onto a Q-tip and dabbing directly onto the oral ulcer.  I know better relief is on the way, now.  The Valtrex is already helping some.... I used to eat yogurt every day.  But as the weeks went by, the mouth ulcers got more and more numerous, larger and larger, more and more painful, lasted longer and longer without healing ... yogurt was way, way too painful to eat. As most foods were!  (My favorite protein powder for smoothies is whey protein, what's yours?) I have some "probiotic" capsules now, to get the little critters into me without eating the yogurt.  ... I know others also have suffered terribly with mouth ulcers, I will post this again, so bear with me, if you aren't/haven't been troubled with them.  And count yourself very lucky! Oh nevermind that -- I'm sure you have complaints of your own I can count myself lucky not to be experiencing. chucklinghugs

[ringeding]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT SITE AND THE BROWSER INFO......GREAT STUFF!!!!  

take good care
kimmy