Follow up from last weeks post..

[52TELE]

Hello again everyone. I posted last wk for the first time and it wasn't long after posting I started to reap the benefits of the Forum. First , my stats.
49 yr old male lives in Dallas area.
Diagnosed  11/04 - HCV 1a ( infected 1975)
2.1 million IU/ml
ALT 187-AST 109
Bx 3/05 (mild activity grade 2)(bridging fibrosis stage 3)
Started Peg-Intron 150mcg /Ribavirin 1400 mg tx 3/24/06
baseline hgb 16 dropped to 12 in  2wks
ALT/AST dropped to normal levels in 2 wks
have completed shot 5 of 48

When I posted , I felt ,as all of you have felt at one point , near death. My PA wasn't returning my calls or email and I was distraught. One of the post comments from nygirl snapped me back to reality  (brain fog) and made me realize no one was going to do this for me and I could continue to fade waiting for the PA to help me. I called the Dr(himself) immediately and within 30 min. the PA called me back and started running  interference with the insurance company and got approval for Procrit that afternoon. She was suppose to start the process 4/14 and as of 4/19 hadn't faxed the info to the pharmacy yet. The pharmacy sent the Procrit package and I took my first shot yesterday(40,000/wk) .

Thanks to all of you , I'll stop this post for now , but I am looking forward to getting to know all of you better.

52TELE
"come in she said I'll give you, shelter from the storm"
bob dylan 1974

[susan400]

Re the yeast infection problem.  Use plain acidophilus culture yogurt daily as a preventative.  I used to get the yeast infections all the time, but now that I'm doing the daily yogurt thing I don't get them often.

Susan

[dyce]

Sounds like plantar facsitis, I had it on both feet about 4 years ago. Did 1 cortisone shot which took the pain away temporarily but what really worked were stretching the tendon 4 or 5 times a day at 15 to 20 seconds a stretch.

[GoofyDad]

<i>That means loose boxer shorts during the day and nothin' at night.</i>

Filed under "More than I needed to know"

[can-do-man]

Technically I shouldn't respond because you were excluded from this mini-thread but I did get quite a chuckle.
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Like i could hep myself, tell a kid theres a present in the closet and he has to peek.

[jmjm530]

CDM: Not quite sure where your putting that stuff but might be the reason your having yeast infections.
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Technically I shouldn't respond because you were excluded from this  mini-thread but I did get quite a chuckle.

But more seriously about the yeast -- anyone on treatment is more suspectible to yeast infections, including thrush, which thankfully I didn't get.

The problem is too much bathing/washing/soap dries out the already dry skin on treatment -- but too little allows bacterial and yeast infections to develop.

I won't go into too much detail where I got some of my other yeast infections LOL but keeping the parts dry after showering plus airing them out as much as possible seems to help. That means loose boxer shorts during the day and nothin' at night. Medicated talc from time to time also may be a good idea.

-- Jim

[can-do-man]

Sorry to hear about your yeast infection. and if (creme de NUT) helps, well just use it. as for, other creams and lotions and less pore clogging than vaseline. Not quite sure where your putting that stuff but might be the reason your having yeast infections. What happens in a persons bedroom or bathroom is none of my business. I'll always consider you a friend and remember the man i used to know. Take care, or now is it tah tah?
For got to ask, seen where your having a tea party, didn't get an invite but thats ok i'd have to buy a new outfit.

[jmjm530]

Thanks for the response in the closed post, below. The Lac-Hydrin lotion mentioned contains Alpha Hydroxy Acid. While this often can be beneficial for healthy facial skin, it has the potential to further irritate sensitive or psoratic skin, not to mention increased sun sensitivity for all skin.  

Anyone who wants to try similar lotions, including retinoids, might test them first on a small patch of facial skin before applying full coverage. They also can usually be diluted with vaseline initially and then staged up. Always wear sun blocks with these types of products, again because of sun sensitivity.

I just got off a two-week stint of a mild cortisoid and current plan is to use a hypoallergenic night cream* during the week for moisture and hydrocortizone on weekends if necessary. The doctors are recommending Elidel which I've tried, but I'll hold off on that for awhile. Elidel is effective, but is occasionally associated with upper respiratory/sinus infections that are problematic for me right now. As mentioned earlier, my current plan is to stay off ALL drugs for awhile to see where I'm "really" at. Then add medications back when I feel they're necessary.

*Calming Senstive Night Cream by Babor Cosmetics (creme de nuit)
http://www.babor.de/ (overpriced but nicely packaged LOL) I was reluctant to post this because I realize it just fuels the Can Do Man Express. Still, I have noticed some benefits during the last week and it does appear to be less irriting than other creams and lotions and less pore clogging than vaseline. I also use Cetaphil  non-soap cleanser at least twice a day. Very important to keep all skin surfaces clean as many on treatment can become very suseptible to yeast infections.

-- Jim

[Chriskid]

Hey Zero,

About the guitar playing.  I

[52TELE]

Actually I was fortunate enough to see Dylan last Saturday night at Nokia Live(Dallas). This leg of his tour was opened with Merle Haggard and the Strangers. It was a great opportunity for some of the younger folks that came to see Dylan to experience another American Icon. I'm a Dylan fan to the death , but like you , I prefer the older Dylan. His voice has become so distressed that he is unable to sing the songs that we have come to know and love , the way that he did when he recorded them and for the most part they sound nothing like they do/did on the recordings. But regardless ,he is still Dylan and it was a great thrill to see him on stage from row 12. I got my first real taste of how bad things could get for me during tx when I could
barely make it from the parking lot to the theater.

Zero Limit , I do have a 52 , and a 72 and 90.There is a definite
romance between the older guitar players with the old strats and tele's. I am an engineer (PE) but run a guitar shop out of my garage.I have absolutly no time now to enjoy it. If I have time that I feel good enough to play , I feel like I should be doing something else that I have had to let slide. When I feel the worst , 2nd day after my shot , it seems as every joint that I have ever hurt in anyway and the arthritis in my hands and fingers really keeps me from playing as much as I like to. I noticed yesterday that I could not hold a pick without it turning in my fingers or dropping it all together.I suspect that this is why somewhere along the line,some  of the older blues players stop playing with picks and play with bare fingers.
My guitars are one of the things that I think help keep me going. I keep a few in my office and a small amp and try to break up the day by playing a few minutes at a time.It helps keep me in touch.

Thanks for asking.

[cuteus]

it would not hurt anyone over 40 to learn a new instrument or language, according to some studies of mental decline in the aging population. They encourage people to "challenge" the brain in order to create neurons pathways to replace or aid the existing aging ones. The problem with tx, is getting the motivation to do things, you really have to push yourself to continue exercising both physically and mentally.

[can-do-man]

cuteus says...... They encourage people to "challenge" the brain in order to create neurons pathways to replace or aid the existing aging ones
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Think theres any hope for me then? Be honest, i can take it

[zero limit]

Not being to hold a pick sounds like a drag.  I've been pickin' since my youth.  Genre's have been all over the map.  I seemed to have settled in with Bluegrass, Americana, Acoustic Blues, that sort of thing.  I've been learnin' fingerstyle of late and can't help but wonder how much impact the tx is going to have on my ability to play and continue to learn. I believe I'd be a mighty depressed if I found I could no longer play "Whiskey Before Breakfst!" ha ha...  

Back to the quality of life vs quantity dilema.  For some it's a no-brainer, go for the 50/50 chance of SVR.  For others it's the 50/50 shot that you'll die from some other industrial disease.    

My hats off to you Tele and everyone else who have chosen to go for the cure while you can.  You've made the right choice, because it's your choice.

zero

[52TELE]

Thank you Zero , it seems that often there IS no other choice.
For me , it was all about family. I couldn't take the chance that I wouldn't live until all of my earthly responsibilty was through. Especially now that I dont have any life insurance with fat little chance of ever getting any. Second , there was no way I was going to be able to justify to my family not taking the treatment.
Actually the decision to treat was not born out of fear of death , but the fear of NOT dying and becoming a great burden to my family. There is a guy up the street that just last month finally came up for a liver transplant ( and all is well) , but the 2 years waiting for a liver was devastating for he and his family.
Sometimes , it all seams so bizarre. I try to face it with as much grace and stoicism as I can bring to bear.I tried the
"one day at a time" , the standard response to lifes problems, but it made completion of tx seem even farther away than it is.

Back to the guitar... I think we use two different areas of the brain for playing and writing/learning. Even with "The Fog" , I dont seem to have any problem playing at all. It becomes second nature and you dont even have to think about it. Writing and learning however are another story. I haven't actually tried to write or learn anything new since I started tx , but if the way my work related thought processes is any indicator , it aint happenin.
I got stumped by a fairly easy work related problem the other day , so I kept putting it off to give my brain time to process it. It took 3 days before I could finally sit down and work through it. This is stuff I typically do in a day. It scared me.

Take care Zero , and play loud whenever you get a chance.

[can-do-man]

you said in a post under friday fight songs this.....I would be blowing and going
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Care to explain that one girly?

[fishdoc]

I just bought the martin scorsese DVD of Dylans early years, big on history, short on music, but definitely insightful into D. the boy.  I love amazon... man you can find ANYTHING!!

[OnAPrettyPoison]

Can I ask you a fishy question?  I have a cichlid species tank, and my big ole mouthbreeder ate the tale off of a smaller fish.  He seems to be doing alright inspite of one gimp looking eye and no tail - happened several weeks ago and I treated him with a topical antibiotic.  Will he grow his poor little tail back?

[fishdoc]

depends on how far back its chewed off.  If you can see scales, and then a line where there are no scales, just the start of the fin, maybe.  If its down to scales, he's a gonner... cold blooded animals become what my vet friend and I call the walking dead.  It just takes forever for their body to realize theyre not gonna make it.  And if the big boy did it to him once, he'll keep at it.. cichlids are really not known for playing well with others, although they are pretty fish..If you like cichlids, look up Lake victoria cichlids, species flocks, one of the best documented species radiations, they have cichlids that only eat the left eye of another species, and species that only eat the right eyes.... absolutely wild example of sympatric speciation.

[OnAPrettyPoison]

I would say he probably is the walking dead then.  He has gotten really FAST in the tank and good at hiding, else he may have already been gone.  He lost all of his tail, and now has a big white butt. I kind of inherited the fish with the tank, and big boy was an inch long - now he looks like a brim and is about 7".  There is a Jack Dempsey and a red cichlid almost as big as big boy, but he runs really fast and makes big boy bump his head on the tank.   Mine are all South Americans, best I can figure. The Lake Victoria are the ones from Africa that have some true blue colorations aren't they?  No Cichlids don't play well with others!  I guess since they have been in the tank together for a long time and haven't killed each other yet, I'll have them awhile.  Gonna research that though - very interesting about only attacking one side.

[OnAPrettyPoison]

Oops, I meant to say thank you for the information!  Where are my manners????

[Fisheress]

When I went into the clinic on Thursday, I told my coordinator I was have the bad rashes and showed her.  She asked what I was doing for it and I told her cortizone.  She almost freaked untill I made it clear I was using Cortaid lotion.  She told me under no circumstance not to take any Cortizone (excpet the lotion) or steroids.  Not liver friendly?  Sorry did not ask why....Hope your foot feels better......

Don't know why but last nights shot kicked my butt! I was horrible all night and this morn.  Perhaps a fresher batch of meds I just picked up?  Woohoo knocking it down! 33/48 last night!

Fisheress

[OnAPrettyPoison]

I can tell you this much about steroids - they accelerate viral replication.  I had eye infection they thought was bacterial but it was viral.  They had given me a steriod eye drop and told me to come back next day.  Next day it was much worse - doctor told me steriods accelerate viral replication.  GI said same thing - no prednisone shots if I got the super crud while on treatment.  Thankfully that hasn't happened. You are off treatment but not to SVR mark yet.  Talk to your liver doctor before you do anything!   I hope all else is well!

[zero limit]

52TELE - Seems by your login that you are a musician.  My question is (if I'm correct) how is the tx effecting your ability to play your instrument and focus on your music.  I've wondered if studying music and playing an instrument would be of benefit during tx, or  simply be an exercise in futility and frustration.  I suspect the latter is truer than not consierering everyone speaks of suffering from "brain fog".

Someone posted on a previous thread regarding "quality of life vs quantity".  That seems to be the dilema, and of course neither of which are a certainty with this business we find ourselves in.

I think many folk want to be rid of the virus at any cost.  Others are conflicted on this issue and have to weight out the sacrifices of tx.  It's the perverbial "rock and hard place" for sure!  

Last Question: Do you really own a 52 Tele?  

zero  

[Forseegood]

hey Califia, if youre reading this, maybe you could comment, not that we are at Goof's feet (strange thought) and you would know what exactly is going on with him, but you could tell him of your post tx woes?...if youre around and not enjoying youre nice good weather, that goes for the both of you....

Tele: hey, I'm a Dylan fan too, we'll Dylan from the old days, did you read his autobiography? Chonicles? one of the best I"ve ever read....really glad youre feeling better and it's great that NY Girl inspired you....

[giddyup]

whats the cause of your soreness?Your post sounded like you might have cryoglobulinemia. As for cortizone I don't know much. I think it's not liver friendly but if it stops the pain then sometimes you have to do it.Cryo often couses pain in the feet and ankles.