first shot

[joey48]

took my first shot today any words of hope are what to expect; not sick yet . its been 5 hours

[lahowell]

I kept almonds, and cashews on hand for the 20g, w/ a small glass of milk. That was about all I could tolerate on some days. It was quick, and I could go lay back down. I didn't really feel bad til' about the end of the 3rd mo. I worked 2 jobs until then......Then I actually started to feel like a chemo patient, and my hair started getting thin. I'm almost a month off of tx, and still have some side effects. I donated 2 ft. of hair at the beginning, because it was better to do that than just to see it on the pillow. I had alot of hair to start, so even though it's noticeably thinner, I'm not bald. Tx worked though!!!! And my Dr.'s were awesome!!! My attitude was great going in, and that has alot to do with tx.... I wish everyone the best, and a lifetime SVR!!!!!

[lahowell]

Yeah...I usually started feeling flu like symptoms between 3-6 hrs. after injection....ran a fever too.....Sleep is the key!!! I've had an SVR since 4 wks. so best of luck to ya!!!

[HippyHal]

Well, looks like I have a start date brother..  I took my first Pegasys injection Sat the 31st around 8am, (I had already taken the Incivec and Ribasphere around 7am).

True to form, about 6 - 7 hours later I was feeling pretty rugged.. really achy, sore, tired, just kind of laid in bed the rest of the day..  and Sunday was much the same.  Today most of the pain is gone.. had an early bout of vertigo that cleared up and I was able to get 20 minutes on the elliptical.

I am going to move the shot to Friday evening instead and hopefully sleep through the worst of it..  just praying the vertigo does not return.  I can handle a lot of pain, but a spinning room is pretty brutal.

Good luck, sounds like you are getting the lighter side.. so that is excellent (and I am jealous :) )

[lahowell]

Good info. I just finished almost 3 weeks ago, and I got the rectal issues too. BLAH...lol...My Dr. was on top of all my side effects. My skin is still dry, and my hair is still thinning, brain still foggy. I have a little more energy(but still get tired) though. I used Eucerin calming cream for my skin(and a good moisturizing body wash), Zofran for nausea, pain meds for the bone, and back pain, had a really good cream made up by a compound pharmacy for rectal issues. I wish all the best of luck w/ tx.!!!

[willbb]

Best to always take the advice of your doctor,that knows your past history in regards to any medication to take ,especially with liver disease.
Here is a thread you may find interesting on the subject.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Article-on-pain-meds/show/1552015?personal_page_id=1837989


Best..
Will

[joey48]

I meant to say the pharmist specialist for this medience said do not take tylenol.

[joey48]

Ok I did talk to the doctor and he said tylenol is a big NO so i going on that note

[hrsepwrguy]

As always you should discuss all meds being taken while tx with the tx doc.

[hrsepwrguy]

When taken at recommended doses, acetaminophen, the medicine in TYLENOL®, is the preferred pain reliever for patients with chronic, stable liver disease.

If you are under a doctor's care for any serious condition, or are taking any other drugs, you should talk to your doctor before taking additional medications. If you are not sure if your medication contains acetaminophen, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Do not use TYLENOL® with other acetaminophen-containing products. Always read and follow label directions. Taking more than the recommended dose (overdose) of acetaminophen may cause liver damage.

The warning section of the label states:

Liver warning: This product contains acetaminophen. Severe liver damage may occur if you take:

•more than 8 caplets in 24 hours, which is the maximum daily amount
•with other drugs containing acetaminophen
•3 or more alcoholic drinks every day while using this product


http://www.tylenol.com/getreliefresponsibly/index.jhtml?id=tylenol/getreliefresponsibly/aceta_liver.inc

Stay within recommended dosage and you are fine.

[brianmo]

I have not been effected by the shots. no fever, chills and I sleep like a baby.  I do them on Thursday night and saturday and sunday are DOWN days for me. I LOVE tues/weds/thurs I feel somewhat normal.  I have had the blurry vision my whole treatment. I see the eye doctor every two months and he says my eyes have Anemia. I LOL.  My plan going into tx was to get all my books read...little did i know...so, I now do audiable books.

[joey48]

Was advise not to take tylenol will do liver damage take ibuprofen instead

[joey48]

I was told not to take tylenol due to it cause liver damage take ibuprofen instead

[stormy456]

www.hep-free.com.  One thing we've learned about the nausea is that it's really a catch-22.  You don't eat because you feel nauseous, you get more nauseous if you don't eat.  I've been reminding my husband to eat all day, even when he doesn't feel like it.  Small, healthy meals seem to keep the nausea at bay.  We were out today and he suddenly felt sick, and I found out that he hadn't eaten since 7:30 when he ate breakfast with his morning does of Incivek.  As soon as he ate, he felt better.  Hope this helps, it's awful to have them feeling bad.

[mizrush]

May I please have that URL? My husband is quite nauseous and has no appetite, so the required 20 grams of fat is becoming quite difficult. Thank you.

[joey48]

they are talking about greek yogurt  is high in fa gram where do u buy it everything i see is low fat

[orphanedhawk]

Add me to the list urging you to get labs, cbcs, more frequently, at least every other week, weekly would be best, at first.

Be careful driving.
SIde effects can sneak up on you.
I thought I was fine until I went to pick up a friend and missed the road, three times.
That's when I realized how my mind, my mental focus, was being affected.

Good luck.
OH

[MelvynB]

Your first shot will be your worst if you are like me. I had fever, chills, aches etc the day after. I take my shot with the Tylenol given mentioned above. I take the shot Saturday night at 9 pm and basically hibernate on Sunday. By mid day Monday I'm about 70%. By Thursday I am 90%. Week 2 and beyond i felt a lot better on Sunday but still pretty beat up. Good luck bro, I started my therapy 11/18 and it is not as bad as I thought it might be.

[stormy456]

You've got some fabulous advice here.  One thing I cannot recommend enough is taking 15g of water soluble fiber at night.  Stopped the "anal discomfort" dead in its tracks.  Prep H also helped once it had started, but I am hoping that if you take it right away you may be able to stop before you need the Prep H.  Husband on week 5, side effects not terrible.  He has some good info on his blog.  If you're interested let me know and I'll send you the url.  Just posted some ideas for food for 20g, which gets to be quite a drag.  Wishing  you the very best.

[flcyclist]

" if the time comes that they put you out to pasture cuz your wood and iron just isn't connecting with your balls, we're here. :) "
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My wood hasn't been connecting with my balls for a long time....  Time to head to pasture?   :o(

[slideman]

If you have a cell phone with alarms, set them as a reminder. For me brain fog was an issue at about 4wks. I took one dose of inc 15 minutes late before I set my alarm, never was late again.

[screaming48]

just be very careful and get bloodwork every week. I tanked my first week and when doc checked my blood I was already hgb 8.1 I was his first patient to do triple tx the analrectal problems, I went through hell with the incevik. do make sure like everyone says get prep h cream and suppositories and the aloe vera baby wipes are the best. You for sure want to keep that area clean. Mine got so bad at one point I would spend two hours in the tub, or I would take crushed ice in a towel and sit on it.
For the nausea get zofran which only worked a couple times for me, I started taking zantac 150 and the nausea stopped, so might want to try that one as well. I also got the rash and it looked like I had measles, chicken pox and shingles on my chest, gold bond powder for itch really helped but I should have gone to the doc.
If you feel like you are not doing well by all means see the doctor its better to go in early and not late like me. I really hope your sides will be very mild if at all. The first shot I felt like I had the flu, since then not a problem just a little tired, once I went off the incevik it was wonderful. Welcome to the club and we have really great support on this forum, I don't think I would have made it through without the laughs and descriptions of the anal thing, you gotta laugh or you will go crazy. Sorry i wrote a book:) good luck
meant to say triple tx up there.

[eureka254]

"so good even went to driving range and hit a few balls"
-------------
Congratulations on starting and feeling good!  Keep on driving... the treatment's only a few rounds longer than that golf course.
And don't worry... if the time comes that they put you out to pasture cuz your wood and iron just isn't connecting with your balls, we're here. :)
Best of luck. ~eureka

[flcyclist]

The first 2-3 weeks I felt fairly normal, but as the weeks go on you may feel an increase in fatigue as your Hgb decreases some.   You might breeze through this, but too early to tell.  Just keep doing what your doing.  

My golf balls usually went into the woods or the water anyway, so a little blurry for me wouldn't matter.  Amazing winter so far, eh?:o)

[joey48]

  Thank for all your comments on first shot -  its day 2 and sofar so good even went to driving rang and hit a few balls , i do feel a little week and my eyes feel like they have oil in them    a little blurry at times ,