sides

[simcha511]

I am on week 10 of tx and und at 4 wks 2a genotype. I am on hold with my procrit as I am up to 12 yah! however I feel absolutely horrible. The negative side effects seem to become increasingly worse. I am becoming concerned about my ability to continue tx as I need to work and fulfill other obligations. I really thought that after 2 months things would begin to look up instead of getting worse. Not sure if there is a question in this - perhaps just wondering if anyone else had awful sides at this point.

[Kristina538]

Once you pass week 12 things start to plateau a little.  Week 6 - 12 can be the hardest hitting.  Good luck.

[spectda]

Getting to the end of everyday is an accomplishment. keep your eye on the prize, you don't want to have to do this again if it is not necessary.
I wish you the best,
Dave

[portann]

You're running into the wall many of us encounter during tx. (And I think you're a runner, right?)

Sometimes it can seem like cutting and running is the better choice. It isn't, not usually.

It is so worth it to fight on, unless you're required to stop for medical reasons.

My own worst weeks were weeks 20, 24, 31 and 32. I came very close to quitting. Really close. :(

Now I'm SVR and I can't convey how good it feels, knowing that stupid virus is no longer shacked up with my liver.

Try to set your sights no farther than your nose and not think about what tomorrow holds. Deal with the right now.

For me, it was up and down, some days bad, other days, okay. On the bad ones, I never believed they'd get better but they did.  

If you put HCV behind you this time, you'll  no longer have it to truck around in your baggage. You can do all the grad courses you want and never need another medical note from your doc!

And the first post-tx run you do will feel like no other, exhilaration and loads of hemoglobin to carry you across the finish line.

Susan

P.S. There are journals some members kept that may be useful. I think Marcia kept a week by week account that may help.

[eureka254]

Glad to hear your hgb is rebounding... too bad you don't feel better, though! You deserve a lot of credit (and not just the kind your profs give!) for taking all of your challenges head on -- no doubt this treatment makes for even the easiest tasks challenging, and it's certainly normal to feel like you might want to give up...

But weigh what you have to deal with in the long-term, on both sides of the scale.  Whether you defer treatment or education is certainly an idea to contemplate, but it should be purely 'academic' :) ... you're halfway through treatment, and it will long be over before the school year's out.  If you quit now, and the virus returns, will you be able to focus on your studies...?  Hopefully your doctor will be forthcoming with a recommendation to your prof to be extra lenient and make it more workable for you...

As far as the side effects worsening, my husband found it doable until about 20 weeks, and things got really rough... but it got even rougher at around 36-42 weeks and 68-72 weeks... but you having geno 2 will not have to look that far out into the distance... hang in there... the days turn into weeks before you know it! ~eureka

[carol411]

OOPS!  I take shot 15 tomorrow.  I'm closer to the end than I realized.  It's all so confusing.

Carol

[carol411]

I'm 2b and will take my thirteenth shot tomorrow.  My first PCR was at week five and I was undetectable.  The last few weeks have been very difficult with an occasional OK day thrown in to mix things up.  My hemoglobin is at 12 too, but I'm a smoker and it started at 17.  I feel sick most of the time, and the itching is a challenge.  But I'm still working and letting almost everything else slide.  I'll catch up when this is over.  I don't want to have to do this again, so I'm going to finish.  It's very difficult, but we are among the lucky ones with only 24 weeks to suffer.  Try to hang on if you can.  I'm sure you don't want to have to do this again either.

Carol

[CoStudy]

There are 2a around here that have stopped treatment at around 15 weeks and are svr. Unless the sx are unbearable I would not recommend though. I am 2b and took my 12th injection Monday. Although my sx are few, what I do have seem to get worse every week. I am sure others will give a better detail and odds of stopping early. Good luck and I hope things get better.