Joint pain(RA) brain fog before and after TX

[CMcH]

I  was wondering what to attribute all my aches and pains to. I have joint pain in the AM and any time I don't move for more than 30 min. at a time. My doc found RA factor in my blood but when I went to a Rheumetologist he said it was the Hep C. My memory is terrible and I am not able to do the physical activities I used to, because I just can't get up and run like I did 1 year ago. I thought it was Menopause but it seems to be getting worse and I'm nearing the end of Menopause. My vision is also getting worse every day.
My question is did you all have brain fog, vision problems and stiff joints before TX? Or was it brought on by TX, or does it just exacerbate it?

[CMcH]

Thank you for your input. I have no family history of RA.  I had asked for a blood test because I was running in the hills out here in CA and found a tick on me. The site was sore and red afterwards. A while after that my JT stiffness seemed to get worse. So I was having the MD check for Lime disease or Lupus (I have a family HX of that).
The test came back positive for RA factor. As I stated before as soon as the Rheumatologist heard I had HepC he said it was that. I get stiff anytime I stop moving  for @ 20 min I get stiff. The mornings are the worst of course. I can't close my hands or extend my elbows. I walk like a penguin to the hot tub and after about 30 min. I am OK.
I have always been  active and now I am tired, stiff and sore all the time. I do not have the same stamina or endurance I did a year ago. When I get home from work and the kids activities I'm exhausted.
I'm very  worried about making my symptoms worse on TX but I hope in the end I will feel better. I want to have energy and be active again.

[FloridaMouse]

Oh, I forgot to add that I had no symptoms of my Hep C prior to treatment despite having a 3/3 liver.

and ...

RA causes awful fatigue.  It's like the fatigue you experience on treatment .. for me, I never got to get rid of the fatigue.

Mouse
Genotype 1a, Stage 3, Grade 3
Finished tx 4/2007
Relapsed 9/2007

[FloridaMouse]

Diagnosing RA in a hepper is not an exact science.  I actually do  have RA.  The thing that made me a confirmed case was 1) I had tested positive for the RA factor back in 2002 but never had any RA symptoms until I did treatment.  Treatment basically made my RA symptomatic and run amock.
2)  I had a direct family history of RA.  My mom had it.  

Just testing positive for RA factor does not heed to a diagnosis of RA, even in Non Heppers.  If you do have a direct family history of RA (parent or sibling) I would suggest that you get a second opinion on the RA issue.   I'm an advocate for completely ruling out RA when there is a positive RA factor as RA does most of its damage within the first year of diagnosis.

Good luck to  you.

Mouse
Genotype 1a, Stage 3, Grade 3
Finished tx 4/2007
Relapsed 9/2007

[GrandmaA]

A lot of my brain fog lifted the first 2 weeks after stopping tx. I still have some. I am going for acupuncture treatments and taking gingko biloba. My memory is bad. My younger son said I have always been like this. LOL (he's 31 and immature).

[GrandmaA]

Just keep going back it's under 10/16. I found it yesterday.

[elm57]

hi and thanks for your post. where mite i find your post KNOW THIS ? when i search it comes up nothing found
ty  

[elm57]

http://www.maximummilkthistle.com/interview.htm
this link is off the www. hepatitis-central.com site he is dealing with it without the nasty drugs ? do i think its real ? i would just look at this guys story and others like him before jumbing into this horrible treatment
I am now a believer if you can deal with this other than riba and interferon DO.
fact is thinking i would be better off after tx has long vanished.
may god bliss us all
elm
ps i started after christmas myself 2004 actully jan 16, 2005 couldn't keep up with the youngest grandchild that was not the case with the first 2 could run with them til they went to sleep up @ 5 and ready for more. that was 95 /96 . 02/03 had hard time going an hr

[darcar]

hi all..
my bf was on tx for three years straight..yes..3 YEARS !
he stopped tx about 5 weeks ago, and is still feeling very tired, and alot of brain fog...
mood swings...
We are just hanging in there, knowing that after three years of taking interferon/ riba..
his chemistry and whole system is not gong to adjust overnight.
taking it one day at a time..but its a bumpy ride..
i am giving him lots of space and time to deal with it..
his changes in sleep patterns as well.

[merryBe]

thank you!!
It's not all that far fetched or "silly" as someone said when you realize toxins are stored in fat.
Not everybody know this.
toxins can be viruses as well as heavy metals etc. the body tries to put bad stuff where it will do the least damage. this is also why sudden weight loss can cause sudden unexplained rises in toxins in the blood stream.

come to think of it, maybe one reason Riba may cause itching more in the skin is because it is A doing it's job there, attacking the virus, and B. the skin is loaded with nerves so all this activity oversensitizes it. However, the skin is composed of a goodly amount of fat now isn't it? so the riba is trying to work in that layer of fat right under the skin.

I guess its a good thing we don't have as many internal nerves or we'd all be going crazy!!!

like in that Scanner movie, with K Reeves...bugs all over...

come to think of it, there's still a piece of lead in my hand from 2nd grade!! hasn't moved. who's to say a virus a million times smaller couldn't hide out for a long time too and not move?

anyway, it was just me trying to think through WHY more weight means less chance at cure....there has to be some reason the virus comes back in these instances more than others. It could be not just rerplicating but hiding out.  Billions od organisms on the planet hide out....who can say a virus cannot?

[geterdone]

I like you’re refreshing take on other the tissues and organs of the body harboring minute amounts of hcv or their distorted by products left after the on sought of the two drugs now being used to fight the virus. Could be a very good reason why relapse occurs for some and the lingering post sx after the long duration of tx.

jasper

[merryBe]

check your buger level? boy should this thing have spell check!! sorry!!! good for a laugh, at least!
you might want to read my thread KNOW THIS, is could be the treatment nobody wants to give you, that will save you........it was a tough fight to get on this, but worth it I think.

[merryBe]

treatment can cause autoimmune things to occur or worsen. My thumbs and elbows are yelling more.

I'd be more concerned with the vision thing. Start by calling and asking for an RX for a blood sugar meter and start testing your bugar level before and after meals.

Since tx works to boost the immune system, this means that immune things OTHER than fighting the liver virus can occur. Autoimmune diabetes as well as insulin resistance can occur.
Make sure you take a vitamin A and D supplement, helps to not form catarak and also help the immune system to not attach the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. (even modern medicine knows this and they test diebetics now for Vit D level, although both are necessary.

also, you can form cataraks quickly if no Vit D, and when sick, who gets enough sun each day?
Hope that helps.

Ask your GP for a referral for a dialated eye exam to rule out damage being done to the eye.

Also, is the vision blurry all day or just in the morning?
If you are sleeping a lot, and sick, it could be that you will experience an hour or two of blurriness upon arising.
this is caused by the tear ducts not producing enough fluid and mucus. (they shut down each night when we sleep). A little morning blurriness is easily remedied by a tears solution you can get from any eye glasses store....or pharmacy. My doc gave me a bottle at my eye exam.

So don't get alarmed, but if it's an all day thing, you need to start with blood sugar checks ASAP.
Last thing you need is to create more diseases. try cutting back on all sugar and carbs for a few days also, see if this clears things up at all.
hope that helps!

[beamishboy]

i treated 1b sucessfully and i was infected for 35 yrs...i didn't know about my infection until i was having symptoms very similiar to yours..the trx is tuff and the drugs sux,but they do work...this is The Place for support,understanding,sympathy,empathy ,informed opinion and cutting- edge knowledge...keep posting and GOODLUCK

[CMcH]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I am type 1a, the most difficult to TX and I have probably had it for 30 yrs. I have a very physically and mentally demanding job  and a family with very needy 11 yr old twins. So I have been putting off TX for many years until this last yr when my joints began getting so stiff and I was noticing a physical and perhaps mental decline. I have always been very active running 60 miles a week and doing marathons. Now I can hardly run 5 miles 3x a week.
So I decided to take the next step and am getting a biopsy on November 16th and if it is grade 2 or higher I will probably TX. It is very scary and difficult for me to volitionally make myself feel much worse so I can feel better and hopefully run again. It's quite frightening to read about people feeling worse post TX and having lingering sides when completed w/TX.
My plan is to  start TX after XMAS and feel like S*** for the new year. I am so glad I found this forum to prepare myself and find others I can commiserate with because no one else, friends or family can understand the knot I have in my gut about this.

[elm57]

i did not have them pre tx but i have them and many others post. i think it exacerbates whats there ,brings back what was there ,and creates new ones. and i do mean the virus and tx both. after 20 months they are worse but there are days or hrs that they are  better .  now i just cant seem to pin down a pattern to them or a way to keep them better. doc said 1 out of 100 get  long lasting sides bad and your the 1. i hope  and have come to believe one day they will vanish and this will just be a nightmare in the distant past
my ur god go with u
elm
ps my dragon is dead :-) typt1 48wks tx 20 mnts post tx had it at least 30+ years  

[meki]

Yes - yes and yes.

LOL!

But I have to say - I'm getting much better 8 months post tx. I think all will be good in the long run.

I'm hoping - and standing on a prayer.

Your conditions prior tx and during tx are standard (normal) --- so hang in there... OK?

Meki

[Susie2007]

MmCH, your story is exactly the same as mine as far as joint pain, etc. My rheumie tells me it is brought on by long standing HCV infection. She explained that over time, the antibodies from the HCV go awry and settle in the joints causing pain and swelling. Mine tends to flare periodically. I have taken plaquenil at times which is a drug for autoimmune arthritis and lupus. It was a big help but unfortunately I developed itching as a side effect and can no longer take it. I have had to take a dose pack of steroids upon occasion when it was so bad it was painful to just walk. Interferon does not seem to make it better or worse. There is no rhyme or reason as to when it flares.

I also test positive for rheumatoid factor, ANA, lyme and parvo virus. These have all proven to be false positives due to HCV. I really hope you feel better soon. Perhaps if a person gets an SVR it will eventually go away forever. I've never been undetected.

[Whrose]

i can certainly relate to your symptoms.
i was dx with hcv in 2004. probably infected for about 20 yrs upon review of risk factors. i had a liver biopsy after diagnosis and had F1G2 damage. not bad and i decided to wait to do tx as i was afraid of the treatments with interferon and ribavirin and thought i would probably be able to live with it considering i was already 50+ with so little damage. in 2005 began with arthritic sx that sent me to a rheumatologist. i then re evaluated my need to treat the hcv in view that now i had another condition to contend with. i decided to treat and after 6 months reached SVR. it was tough but doable. my arthropathy did flare post treatment and i am now treating with a new spectrum of meds.
yes hcv can cause arthritis symptoms and myopathy and cause a positive RA test. often these symptoms may be benign when due to viral infection and known to improve after successful treatment for hcv.  
there is another consideration here to get the very best diagnosis of your sx. there are several arthritic conditions that are auto immune related (RA being one of them) in which treatment for hcv may worsen. it is very important to know when considering treatment for hcv as these conditions may flare and need close medical supervision should you decide to treat and also as long as you have hcv.
infection with hcv also modulates the hosts immune response that may provoke other auto immune diseases or exacerbate a genetic predisposition for them. another reason to make sure you have a firm diagnosis of your arthritic symptoms.
that you have been diagnosed with hcv i would encourage you to follow up with a hepatologist asap to get full awareness of the status of your infection, liver damage, genotype, predicitve factors and treatment options. it will be important to advocate the consultation with the hepc doc and rheumatologist for your very best advice on disease management. primary care docs are usually unable to give the best advice for treatment with these decisions but may certainly be good to discuss the whole picture of living with hcv and your whole health picture needs, monitoring, and referrals.
i wish you the best in your journey and please do expect the best and settle for nothing less as you make your individual choice for treatment!
hugs,    Whiterose

[cosmo23]

I just joined yesterday. I don't have Hep C, but my husband was diagnosed 10 years ago. His most recent blood work (a few weeks ago) indicated high l levels and the need to see a specialist. He has been having serious pain in his left knee for the past few weeks. he's even crawled up the stairs on all fours to bed. He cannot recall any injury to his knee. He is often in a fog, lately too. The doctor adn I first attributed that to a serious car accident he had last year where he was in a coma for 3 days and suffered brain injury. but after reading these posts, i'm wondering if it's not the hep c kicking in. any speculation?

[beamishboy]

i had similiar experience from trx drugs-and no menopause....exacerbate isa nice term for quantum jumps,but i am SVR now for 1 whole year!

[copyman]

all the symptoms you mention are on the ala carte menu of HCV and can present without TX