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Stopping the ribavarin/interferon
My husband had to stop both drugs after 8 weeks of treatment. He is now experiencing heavy phlegm and his head hurts, like the bone hurts. Also very weak. He still can hardly eat or even drink water, everthing taste like a "sewer."
4 days since the meds were stopped. Can anybody give advice??
4 days since the meds were stopped. Can anybody give advice??
You said he can't eat or drink, but I'm thinking he needs to drink LOTS of water to flush the meds out of his system--and anything else that bubbled up during treatment. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. It's really crucial.
You might try something with electrolytes like Smart Water.
You might try something with electrolytes like Smart Water.
I had to stop after 5wks. Some ppl just can't handle the tx period as these are some very powerful drugs. Sure I'm bummed out about it, but you gotta get better as the world just keeps turning. I've been able to eat rice or oatmeal, then step it up from there. Oh he may have to force himself to eat and if he was prescribed an anti-depressant then he really needs to take it and if not, he may need one. The tx drugs created alot more problems for me then I would ever imagine. These are after all, cancer patient drugs. It's a good thing that they can work for some ppl, but they just don't work for everyone. I can only guess that his hemoglobin is down way low and unfortunately it takes time to get that right. Also as gross as it may be, he needs to drink plenty of water and eat something, anything. He should start feeling better soon, also it may be a good idea to see the doctor. Good luck to you and husband. God Bless
Not to downplay.the problem...but he may also have a real bad flu of cold...get it checked out for sure right away
Sorry about your husband's problems. the good news is that all probability they will be feeling better soon.
It takes some time for the treatment drugs to leave your system, so hopefully in a few weeks to me feeling much better. Many of us have had problems in terms of not being able to eat many different types of foods because of the strange way the treatment drugs make them taste. My only suggestion, is to experiment with different types of foods. Comfort foods seem to work for many of us, and when things got pretty bad with me I was pretty much on applesauce, white toast, and soft boiled eggs. Others have found that protein shakes work and then there are those that have a lot of luck with ice cream. If all else fails, try and make sure he gets at least some calories down, to keep up the strength. There are products like Ensure that are designed for this purpose and I believe you can find them in many drug stores and supermarkets. As to the heavy phlegm and had pain, why don't you speak to your doctor for vice in terms of the painkiller. My doctor told me to avoid anything with aspirin in it during treatment, but that allow Tylenol. The phlegm could be symptomatic of a kind of reflux and you therefore might ask your doctor about taking some antacid medication. I found pretty good results with Pepsid Complete which is sold over the counter. I do not recommend Pepsid Complete for someone still on treatment but since her husband is off treatment there should not be any problems. If the heavy phlegm doesn't resolve in a week or so, you might want to get a referall to an ENT doctor.
-- Jim
It takes some time for the treatment drugs to leave your system, so hopefully in a few weeks to me feeling much better. Many of us have had problems in terms of not being able to eat many different types of foods because of the strange way the treatment drugs make them taste. My only suggestion, is to experiment with different types of foods. Comfort foods seem to work for many of us, and when things got pretty bad with me I was pretty much on applesauce, white toast, and soft boiled eggs. Others have found that protein shakes work and then there are those that have a lot of luck with ice cream. If all else fails, try and make sure he gets at least some calories down, to keep up the strength. There are products like Ensure that are designed for this purpose and I believe you can find them in many drug stores and supermarkets. As to the heavy phlegm and had pain, why don't you speak to your doctor for vice in terms of the painkiller. My doctor told me to avoid anything with aspirin in it during treatment, but that allow Tylenol. The phlegm could be symptomatic of a kind of reflux and you therefore might ask your doctor about taking some antacid medication. I found pretty good results with Pepsid Complete which is sold over the counter. I do not recommend Pepsid Complete for someone still on treatment but since her husband is off treatment there should not be any problems. If the heavy phlegm doesn't resolve in a week or so, you might want to get a referall to an ENT doctor.
-- Jim
Sorry to hear this...what was exact reason he was pulled of the tx...was it because of this what you just described/
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