San Antonio Doctor

[anafromtexas]

Where can I locate a list of best Drs. or specialist for Hep C in San Antonio?  I'm upset that my gastro doctor, or should I say the PA, who is my only contact, has let my HGB drop to below 8.5 and should have caught it sooner since I was doing blood work every week.  She won't give me my second week CBC and you can see the drop in my 1st week and third week already <8.5. Tomorrow I find out if lower than that at 4th week.   Couldn't do shot 5 and had to stop Ribavirin over weekend.  Tomorrow I go to blood specialist.

[Bill1954]

At this rate, it sounds to me like your doctor

[anafromtexas]

My HGB started at 15.1 and fell in one week to 12.1; three weeks to 8.5 - four weeks to 9.5 but WBC slowing lowering, also at 4 weeks Serum Ferritin 1801;  HCV A/b w/Flx to RIBA 60.8; WBC 2.7; RBC 2.92; Hemotocrit 29.1; MCV 100; RDW 22.0.  For some reason Gastro PA won't reveal second week #'s where I believe it should have been caught.  Blood doctor will work with me to continue treatment but will be monitored closely with weekly injections of whatever they decide to put me on.  Waiting on 4 wk viral count.  Dropped my own numbers from 250,000 in December to 135,000 in February, and 75,000 after 1st shot.  I'll e-mail you when I find out more.  Thanks for giving me your e-mail address.  No one to talk to who understands and sometimes find these posts intimidating!!!

[l-horn]

I'll be interested to hear what happens. But yeah, you may as well stop the tx for now. If your hgb fell to 8.5 in 4 weeks you're gonna need a new plan. What was your baseline when you started ? Maybe it was low to begin with and there is some other underlying problem.  I've heard that some people just can't do riba. Clearly you're gonna have to be taking procrit from the get go.

I wonder if there is anyone else here that has had the same problem or has been riba-adverse. I'm  almost certain I've read about here. I'll check the archives but it would be an interesting question to post on the other side if anyone else is or has heard of it and what your options are if in fact you can't take ribaviron.

I do have a friend that cleared just doing 72 weeks of interferon with no riba but I think he was one of the lucky ones. I think they dosed him pretty hard. Two or three shots per week if I recall. This was back in the 90's.

keep in touch and drop me an email sometime l-***@****

[anafromtexas]

Thanks for your comments and input.  Blood specialist took more blood - that is 10 vials of blood in 4 days!  Go back next Monday to start some treatment in meanwhile no interferon or ribaviran until #'s up.  Heck!!   I-horn:  I will be calling your doctor next week!!  Thanks!

[l-horn]

that's my doc. I really like him. He wouldn't let your HGB go down to 8.5, I assure you of that.

[anafromtexas]

Thank you I-Horn!

[l-horn]

Shailesh Kadakia, MD

Sonterra Medical Park II
225 E. Sonterra Blvd., Ste. 215
San Antonio, Texas 78258
Phone: [phone]

[anafromtexas]

I can barely walk from one room to the next without getting breathless and heart pounding.  I managed to work four days after that diagnosis but got so sick by Friday - dizzy all the time - had to go to primary care - personal friend who helped me.  My gastro was out of country and PA wouldn't take any action!!

[cruelworld]

i dont have any answers about docs but wanted to know how far you can walk at hemo 8.5. you must be one tough cookie.
can you bend over at all? how do you make it through one day?