52 vs. 48 weeks of tx -- would it matter?

[stan1]

i'm finishing my 48 week treatment today, and due to a prescription-filling snafu, i ended up with an extra 4 weeks of meds that are non-returnable.   does anyone think it would make an appreciable difference in my SVR chances to continue treatment for another 4 weeks?   i am geno 1 and don't know my exact baseline viral load at the beginning of tx (docs used old 2003 figure of about 60,000 as a guide)......the virus became unmeasurable on the "old-school" PCR test at week 4 (the one that only measures down to 650).  at week 12 it was undetectable on a more sensitive PCR test that measures down to 25 IU, and it hasn't "broken through."   ALT has remained consistently above normal for most of tx, though rarely above 100.   if you were in my shoes, would you carry on for another 4 weeks?   i know there's some research showing that tx extension out to 60-72 weeks increases SVR percentages for geno 1s, but this would be a "mini-extension" that probably hasn't been studied too much. truth be told, i'm having a lot of issues with extremely dry, cracking skin and am generally ready to stop now, but am having mixed feelings.   in one sense i feel that an extra 4 weeks would make little difference; if i'm destined to relapse it's probably gong to happen regardless of the small extension, and if on the other hand i'm set up for permanent clearance, it's probably already baked in the cake by the end of 48.

what would you do?   extending beyond 52 is not an option due to expenses, so i either stop at 48 or 52.  opinions, please.....thanks,

stan

[cuteus]

stan; I told my doc that if anything would make me quit the tx extension, it would be the skin problems. Last yearit felt like I had tissue paper for skin. any flexing would make it split, it was painful. one week at a time is all you need to do, like you said, you can stop anytime and once the winter eases off, the skin problems do also. My dry skin is responding to the ulactin well.
"udder cream" is somthing used on cows ****,  and is sold over the counter.
Amerabrit has horses upstate NY, maybe she has used what you were asking for.
good luck in the home stretch.

[DonL]

The psoriasis showed up in 1995. I personally believe that it was triggered by HCV, but no proof.

I am OK. Having a liver biopsy next week. I will be able to decide whether to retreat or wait, based on the results of that. I've been OK physically, still have some memory issues. I scheduled the biopsy and basically let myself forget about tx until then. (Except, of course, no alcohol. Also taking SAMe and vitamins under the theory they might help and can't hurt.)

[honey1616]

Hi Don...How ya feeling lately?  Did you get psorarsis from the tx or had problems before?  Right after I stopped my tx,,,I broke out with something on that order and was differnt from the riba rash I battled during tx. Keeps coming and going so I'm sure alot from what I have read is,,,,That it does have alot with the immune system being down.  Hope all is well with you these days!

[layla]

I think your attitude is very good. One week at a time. I also tried everything for the dry skin. I found just carrying around whatever moisturizer I used (happen to be mostly just vaseline intensive care that worked best for me) and putting it on every half hour or so helped me the most. When I watched tv or was working I just got into a habit of taking a good sqeeze and rubbing it in. I even ket a tube next to my seat in the car for consistent use. I wish you the best. LL

[stan1]

i just posted a long response but it didn't show up -- will try again tomorrow -- i think something is wrong with the forum right now

stan

[stan1]

thanks for the additional opinions posted -- seems like the board is fairly split in its recommendations!   when i went to bed friday i was leaning toward stopping, but on saturday i elected to soldier on and play it week by week.....so i did the injection and gobbled 9 pills that day instead of the 6 i usually take (to make up for the dose i missed.....i know, you're not supposed to do that).   i'm going to try to hang for the full 4, but i can't always quit at any time.  seems like the skin probs peak about 2-3 days after the shot, as the IFN ramps up to peak levels, so i'll evaluate midweek.  to answer a couple of questions that were posed:   my dermatologist categorized my condition as hand eczema (dermatitis) as opposed to psoraisis (sp?).   i think the latter is characterized by lesions that are very distinct in appearance and is an autoimmune disorder.   she didn't see any signs of that, thankfully.   it seems to be just extraordinarily dry skin.   i am applying heavy creams and night and covering up with vinyl gloves.   in the morning there's some improvement but a couple of hours later the hands are literally coming apart again.   i have had some interesting product recommendations here and tried many of them.  eucerin, cetaphil, bag balm, lac-hydrin, am-lactin, etc.   at one point someone (chevygal, perhaps?) mentioned a product that is used to soften horses' hooves or some other livestock use that doe some very intense moisturizing.   does anyone remember what that was?   i wrote it down and subsequently lost the note.   does anyone have some favorites among hand creams that they'd like to post?   how about chapped lip products?   i'm also having trouble finding vinyl gloves that fit relatively loosely -- my hands are large and most plastic gloves i encounter are "one size fits all" and end up being too snug, causing hand sweating at night.  cotton gloves seem to absorb too much of the creams, drawing the potions away from my skin.  any suggestions?   thanks and take care,

stan