cancer?

[DeeCoo]

Anybody finished with Incivek and now has cancer...im only 44 by the way.Been hepc remission since 2013

[Dee1956]

I am really really sorry that you are in hospice though I have heard they can really help people, and some people get better.  Are you being treated in your home?
My Mom used to work for Hospice and she said that people don't go to them soon enough, when they can make the patient comfortable.
I hope you are comfortable.

oh AWM, not sure if you saw it, but before Vertex  announced they would  not be selling here, Express Scripts had announced that they were no longer going to pay for it.  I thought that was funny timing.

[Ekkiemom]

Hi DC... Wishing you only the best while treating your breast cancer. I was on a similar Tx in 2011 for only 5 wks due to SFX that almost killed me.

I am so very sorry you have to now suffer with the ravages of those meds. I will keep good thots for you and prayer

I know sometimes easier said than done but u r strong and please keep fighting
Peace
Deb

[AWorriedMom]

Thanks for the info, Dee. Incivek had such horrific side effects and adverse events for so many, I actually refused to try it. And believe me, I tried everything I could get my hands on, over the years. I even added thymosin, from South America to Peg and Riba. I don't think I could have survived such a brutal treatment.

I do still believe that vertex stopped the manufacturing of Incivek due to the improvement of the newer direct acting antivirals. But with all the horrific side effects the FDA may have pulled it eventually. Who knows!

Glad you got an SVR with it and you are here ńone the worse for wear.

[Dee1956]

just some information.  Take Care :)
.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Incivek-to-end-sells/show/2267816

[dontworry_behappy1]

Please post your question on the below referenced forum.  

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis-C-Post-Treatment-Issues/show/1670

[AWorriedMom]

Hi Dee. I know I can be a bit naive at times, but I do think the reason Vertex is not producing Incivek for the USA is because there are better drugs available. Who would even bother to prescribe it when there are drugs that are much more successful and easier to tolerate? Vertex is actually a very patient friendly company. We had lots of contact with them while they were awaiting approval. They really seemed to care and were thrilled that they were able to add another drug to interferon that made treatment more successful. Unfortunately, it made treatment even harder to take.

[Dee1956]

Hi here is the post tx.  You could cut and paste your question there.
I know that many people who treated back then are no longer here but may be on the Post tx forum or they at least check in.  My heart just breaks for you.  I remember thinking that HCV tx was the worst thing I would go through, then I had to do it a second time.  I was wrong.  The are no longer producing Incivek in the US.  They say it is because newer better drugs are available but I do wonder sometimes if that is the real reason.  They still product Worldwide, just not the US
Take Care

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis-C-Post-Treatment-Issues/show/1670

[AWorriedMom]

Those stats are unbelievable.....287 man-made chemicals??? Horrifying. Yup, sometimes we have to weigh the risks of treatment to the benefits.
As harsh as chemo is, there are better drugs now to help with side effects. Like you, I didn't see any other way to deal with breast cancer than doing that treatment.  I am thrilled that you are doing well and wish you continued good health.

[Dee1956]

Dear Dee I am so sorry to hear about this.  I treated with Incivek, finished in 2012.  I barely made it through.  With the support of this forum, my husband and Aunt I did.
I am sorry to hear you have breast cancer.  It seems so unfair.
There is a post tx forum you could post your question there, you might hear from others who treated with Incivek.

[hepcandme]

Hey Mom, wow, that must have been a terrifying experience for you. I hope your daughters are doing well now and on their way to kicking cancer's ***

A friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was only 36 years old! She is featured in a movie by Sean Penn, called The Human Experiment that focuses on the relation between cancers and the bazillion chemicals in our environment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WvhB5hkIjc

Even the tree-hugging, local, sustainable, never use any chemicals in my house Ever and don't put that in plastic please cuz I brought my own Mason Jar types, even We are exposed to chemicals every single day. In fact, a baby born in the US has 287 manmade chemicals in their bodies from Day 1

http://www.ewg.org/research/body-burden-pollution-newborns

But, with treatment decisions, we are making a choice to undergo these harsh treatments or suffer the alternative

So I am going with the western science on this one and hoping that in the future we can make these life saving treatments not so harsh and not so toxic

Please keep us posted Dee. We really are there for you

[HippyHal]

I was only to tolerate the incivik treatment (with interferon and riba) for just under 3 months before decompensating and was made to quit.  I was undetectable after one month, but the virus came back after 3.  I was diagnosed with liver cancer about a year and 1/2 later..  

Now post transplant and after 6 months of O/S am still undetectable after 3 months..

My liver was in poor shape, and one of the end effects of that is cancer.. so not convinced incivik was the cause, but I can tell you it did not help my body at all and I wish I could go back and have a "do over" on that one.  :-)

I did have some chemo prior to the transplant, and I can tell you, the incivik was worse in my book!  

[AWorriedMom]

Oh, for Pete's sake.  I refreshed at least 3 times and now the first post appears two hours after the first one??? I give up.

[AWorriedMom]

I see that a post I wrote to you guys is not here. I wonder if it is because I mentioned a specific product? I am reposting without the product name.

I just want to chime in and say how sorry I am that both of you have had to deal with breast cancer. Hepcandme, I totally agree with all you have said in your post to DeeCoo.  Both my daughters were diagnosed last year within two weeks of each other. That 1 in 8 risk is horrifying. Hepcandme, you mention chemicals in the environment and that makes a lot of sense to me. Both my girls are now using  products that are totally chemical free. They are a bit pricey but worth it for your health.  Hugs to you both, breast cancer patients are some of my biggest heroines.

[AWorriedMom]

I just want to chime in and say how sorry I am that both of you have had to deal with breast cancer. Hepcandme, I totally agree with all you have said in your post to DeeCoo.  Both my daughters were diagnosed last year within two weeks of each other. That 1 in 8 risk is horrifying. Hepcandme, you mention chemicals in the environment and that makes a lot of sense to me. Both my girls are now using Ava Anderson products that are totally chemical free. They are a bit pricey but worth it for your health. You may want to research that company. Hugs to you both, breast cancer patients are some of my biggest heroines.

[Carlhcv]

I just want to wish you the best in your breast cancer tx. We are all here for you.

[hepcandme]

I am so sorry to hear about your breast cancer, Dee

I went through a bout with cancer a few months ago - no history of bc in my family and no other risk factors. My cancer was not as serious as yours. 2 surgeries and I'm good - for now

But I did ask my oncologist a similar question. Does having Hep C or treating for the virus increase one's chance of getting breast cancer? Her answer was - no, there is no evidence of that and as far as we currently know, there is no correlation" It's just the sad fact that 1 in 8 women will get breast cancer.

Why? Some think that it's because of all the chemicals that we are exposed to every single day. And treating with a very harsh drug like Incivek or any of the strong meds designed to wipe out a killer virus, well, I don't think they know the long term effects of treatment, I'm afraid. A

I wish you well on your cancer treatment. Such great strides have been made in this field in the last 20 years.

[Livelife777]

Just a thought for you Dee.  You will likely never know the answer as to why Cancer invaded your life.  Tx/Not Tx.  What's important is today and the tomorrows ahead.  I hope that you are surrounded with loving family and friends.  If we are lucky enough to have that in our lives we are truly blessed.
I know I am.

[Livelife777]

We can be quite resilient believe it or not.  I have known people that are on their 9 or 10th line of Tx and still going strong.  Our bodies are adaptable to whatever we throw at them particularly when we are young.  I do believe part of how we keep moving forward unrelentlessly is captured in the human spirit.

[LADYMEDY]

I AM JUST SENDING A NOTE TO SAY I WISH YOU STREGNTH AND COMFORT.

`

[DeeCoo]

Yep...i have breast cancer. .stage 3c..idk how much more my body can take

[Livelife777]

Breast Cancer Dee has not been shown to correlate with Hep C Tx, but hey one never knows.  All these toxins we experience in our environment and in our food supplies and/or including drug therapy are all a roll of the dice.
I hope that you have found a good support group that you can share your journey with. It really helps when you can find others that understand what you are going thru.

[Livelife777]

Hi Dee.  I'm so sorry to read that you now have Liver Cancer.  Unfortunately I'm way to familiar with Cancer as I've also been thru Chemo and radiation.
Mine happened to be Breast, and then 10 years later Lung. The Lung Cancer was determined to be radiation induced.  I was also 42 at the time.
It's doubtful that it was caused be the Hep C treatment.  I treated my Hep C as well but not with Incivek which I understand was dreadful. From my understanding of that drug it's likely equivalent in toxicity to chemotherapy.
I really feel for you as Cancer is a terrible thing to go thru. If I can help you in any way please feel free to friend me or even open communication on this forum.  Being so young is really a tuff road to travel.  I hope that you are at a Comprehensive Cancer Center.  I have found that where you treat is the most important decision you will ever make.
Again, let me know if I can help you in any way.
Warm Wishes
.....Kim

[DeeCoo]

Ty for replying: ) it is not liver cancer...it is breast cancer....not genetic. ..not hormonal. ..no reason that we can detect...just makes me wonder..the first hepc treatment i did( interferon and rebetol) didnt work but my thyroid went crazy right after...hypo then hyper...it had to be killed...then shortly after second hepc treatment my gallbladder did the same thing..it became chronically inflamed for no reason. ..had to remove it...now cancer??? Breast cancer

[Livelife777]

Hi Dee.   Are you saying that you have been diagnosed with Liver Cancer?
There is no evidence that indicates treatment causes Cancer. Then again, we never know what the future holds for anyone who has taken any drug down the road.
What may give you Cancer is Cirrhosis.  This is why many of us that have Cirrhosis from Hep C are advised to be scanned every 6 months for Liver Cancer.  If Cancer is then caught at an early stage it can be treated and hopefully cured.
I hope this has answered your question.
.....Kim