Post Treatment

[TeriV]

I am hoping to find some advise that my doctor's cannot or will not address.  From what I see on the blogs, there is hot conversations regarding post treatment symptoms for Hep C.  I don't need to debate the subject.  I am looking for a doctor in the Tampa area that will address the matter.  Having gone through a year of Interferon/Ribivirin and been cured, for which I am grateful, however, I feel worse than I did prior to treatment.  Both gasto and hemo docs state my blood work is within the normal range and they see no medical reason I should continued to feel fatigued six months post treatment.  All of the stats are on the low side of normal.  I work out three times a week and walk 30 min a day, eat properly, most of the time, but do not have enough energy to make it through the day.  After exercise my muscles are sore, achy and stiffen up.  I lost my job because I could not return to work and even if I could currently find a job, I don't have the energy to look.  

Any advise where to look for help?  I read that others have the same problems plus more.  I am not looking to commiserate.  I would like advise on how to overcome it and get better.  I want to be back to normal and want to know what I can do to get there.

Thank you for anything that you might be able to provide.

[jmjm530]

You are not alone, and in fact one of our "Health Pages" is devoted to this topic.

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Hepatitis/Members-Comment-on-Side-Effects-of-the-Treatment-Drugs-During--After-Treatment-/show/530?cid=64

Unfortunately, as you've found out, it's deaf ears from most doctors as the research dollar seems to stop with SVR.

Certainly don't want to discourage you from finding a doctor interested in your case, but what I have found is that it's best to drop the "Hep C" part from the patient/doctor conversation if you want to be taken seriously. This is unfortunate but at least you might get a doctor to address your symptoms as opposed to a doctor challenging your diagnosis.

I've had a number of post tx issues myself, and lately some muscle/tendon problems that go beyond the normal healthy soreness one feels after working out. Right now I'm looking into psoriatic arthritis as a possible cause, a condition possible ramped up from all the interferon I took.

Post treatment symptons vary as patients do, but it seems that if you were pre-disposed to something, the interferon will hasten its appearance, which in effect is an advancement of the aging process.

Fatigue can be a tough nut to crack, but many have found success with exercise, diet and nutritional supplements. I can't say I'm more fatigued post treatment than during treatment, but I can say that treatment did not help my fatigue. While some suggest treatment helps fatigue, that is not consistent with some of the polls we've seen posted here.

Hope you feel better soon.

-- Jim

[DoubleDose]

I have not yet met a doctor who is able to recommend any particular course of action to address these problems.  I could provide the whole list of post-tx sx that I have been left with, almost six years after being "cured", including deep, frequent fatigue, but I see that you have read all of the personal accounts, and understand this subject pretty thoroughly.  

Keep looking for help, and hopefully you will run into some doctor, somewhere, that has figured out a strategy for alleviating the post-tx problems.  So far, I don't see any doctors even acknowledging the long term post-tx problems, much less, suggesting therapies for addressing them.  If you do find someone who has had success in treating these issues, please do let us all know!

The most disheartening aspect of obtaining my SVR was the slow realization that I might never feel very good again, and that "cure" only means getting "rid of" the virus, not necessarily restoring any degree of health and vibrance.  Sorry for not being more helpful, but I will be SHOCKED if you receive a single response that describes any proven method or therapy for treating these post-tx symptoms.  

In a way, if all you are dealing with is 'fatigue' maybe you should count yourself as fortunate, and be happy that you don't have the frequent additional problems of nerve or joint maladies, autoimmune-like illnesses, skin problems, and on and on.

Best of luck to you.

DoubleDose