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JUST STARTING NEW TREATMENT
Hi - My name is DeAnna I am a 61 year old single woman with Hepatits C (genotype 3). I had a local doctor but wanted to see someone for second opinion. glad I did, Went to Stanford. Being treated by the Liver Clinic there, under Dr. Gregory.
On Saturday, June 20,2015, I started Sovaldi and Ribivirin treatment. I suffer from migraines and nausea with or without migraines but much worse with them. was unable to complete the dose that day.
Its been four days now. I had some of the side effects mentioned in another site. Nausea, really tired, sweat profusely when I was doing the simplest task of bring in groceries. I live alone and have a minimal support team here. I hate imposing on people and I want to try to do as much as possible by myself. I understand as I take it longer I will become sicker for the first few months.
interestingly, I have had the tight feeling in my stomach and nausea which I have meds to help me treat.
I was so scared to start this alone as I live alone and worried about being alone and not being able to take care of myself. I have a daughter in the area but she is really busy with work and husband. I guess im saying is it ridiculous of me to assume I can continue alone?
I have a history of clinical depression and take Prozac for that.
any suggestions on how to handle side effects. and how severe. I know its no walk in the park but I really really want to get well. I had colon cancer removed in 2005. stage 0 so I was saved from treatments after. they caught it in time. just don't want to be another statistic.
On Saturday, June 20,2015, I started Sovaldi and Ribivirin treatment. I suffer from migraines and nausea with or without migraines but much worse with them. was unable to complete the dose that day.
Its been four days now. I had some of the side effects mentioned in another site. Nausea, really tired, sweat profusely when I was doing the simplest task of bring in groceries. I live alone and have a minimal support team here. I hate imposing on people and I want to try to do as much as possible by myself. I understand as I take it longer I will become sicker for the first few months.
interestingly, I have had the tight feeling in my stomach and nausea which I have meds to help me treat.
I was so scared to start this alone as I live alone and worried about being alone and not being able to take care of myself. I have a daughter in the area but she is really busy with work and husband. I guess im saying is it ridiculous of me to assume I can continue alone?
I have a history of clinical depression and take Prozac for that.
any suggestions on how to handle side effects. and how severe. I know its no walk in the park but I really really want to get well. I had colon cancer removed in 2005. stage 0 so I was saved from treatments after. they caught it in time. just don't want to be another statistic.
Stay connected to this forum. Hepatitis C treatment is very unique. Don't be surprised if other you are close to don't understand what your going thru. It's one of those thing you have to have been there done that. Check in and let us know how your doing. It's very important you complete this treatment and extremely important you never miss doses. Set an alarm and take melds on
times. The alarm on a cell phone is great because you can put it in your pocket. If you don't have one of those you can use rubber bands on your wrist to remind you. Taking pills day after day sometime makes you question if you took the. Set them out where you can always see them.
Hope this is helpful
times. The alarm on a cell phone is great because you can put it in your pocket. If you don't have one of those you can use rubber bands on your wrist to remind you. Taking pills day after day sometime makes you question if you took the. Set them out where you can always see them.
Hope this is helpful
If your having issues with doing simple things like laundry, cooking, shopping etc. you need to let your doctor know. Treatment can be trying and since your alone you can obtain services. You can do this. If you are starting to feel overwhelmed get help. I was offered this service thru my doctor when I did treatment a few years ago. It's very important you let your doctor know your alone. At the time my doctor was unaware I had a partner who could help me. So I declined service when I realized this service was for those alone on treatment. If your uninsured this service is offered thru county services also. You can call an ombudsman working with the county
who can help you.
who can help you.
Oops, hit the wrong button. I'll be back and add more comments IF you want to hear them.
I just wanted to make sure zi said that you are not alone, the Forum is here - usually someone on the site 22 - 24 hrs a day. Sleep patterns messed up, or insomnia is, or van be one of the sides I mentioned. More on that in the next post, along with more diet info IF YOU WANT to hear more!
Also, there are things your daughter can do in a short period of time once every 1 or 2 or 3 weeks, that could help you out.
NOW REMEMBER, not everyone got as fatigued as I did, I am just talking about how to cope with those thing, 'just in case'.
In any event, plan only one or two errands out at a time, then come home, lay down (lie down?) and rest the rest of the day, on errand days.
And, finally, do you have a friend who can drive you to Dr appts, Lab Appts, Pharmacy? That is domething that can be spread around. It is also something that you might not need someone doing.
Again, most folks just need to plan their trips, errands out and around, or at home, not everyone had as much of the fatigue as I did. I will say, that was my only 'real' side effect.
More later, again, if you want, or if someone else hasn't covered all the topics by then.
You are not alone, this is doable, and in many cases, without a lot of problems. You CAN beat this dragon! I am a good example of that!!
take a deep breath, exhale, relax, and take one step at a time. You WILL get there. YOU can do this.
You CAN do this.
You can DO this.
You can do THIS!! : -)
God Bless and on to SVR!
Pat
I just wanted to make sure zi said that you are not alone, the Forum is here - usually someone on the site 22 - 24 hrs a day. Sleep patterns messed up, or insomnia is, or van be one of the sides I mentioned. More on that in the next post, along with more diet info IF YOU WANT to hear more!
Also, there are things your daughter can do in a short period of time once every 1 or 2 or 3 weeks, that could help you out.
NOW REMEMBER, not everyone got as fatigued as I did, I am just talking about how to cope with those thing, 'just in case'.
In any event, plan only one or two errands out at a time, then come home, lay down (lie down?) and rest the rest of the day, on errand days.
And, finally, do you have a friend who can drive you to Dr appts, Lab Appts, Pharmacy? That is domething that can be spread around. It is also something that you might not need someone doing.
Again, most folks just need to plan their trips, errands out and around, or at home, not everyone had as much of the fatigue as I did. I will say, that was my only 'real' side effect.
More later, again, if you want, or if someone else hasn't covered all the topics by then.
You are not alone, this is doable, and in many cases, without a lot of problems. You CAN beat this dragon! I am a good example of that!!
take a deep breath, exhale, relax, and take one step at a time. You WILL get there. YOU can do this.
You CAN do this.
You can DO this.
You can do THIS!! : -)
God Bless and on to SVR!
Pat
Hi, Dee and welcome to the Forum! You will fimd warm, caring, knowledgeable people here, who will help you through this.
First, I was (yes, was!) also Gt3, treated with Sovaldi and Ribavirin for 24 weeks, and am now SVR24 (Hep Speak for 'cured'). You CAN do this. It is a little hander, living alone, only IF your HMG goes down enough to become anemic. HOWEVER, not everyone's does, so you may not have that problem. To be honest though, it does affect women moe than men, againe, not always. Many have worked all the way through tx (treatment).
Since you live alone, I would try to set things up so, if you don't have enough energy to want to takle shopping, etc., you already have a plan in place.
Do you live in an area that has grocery stores that make deliveries? If so, get on their customer list, so they can deliver when you don't feel like shopping.
If that is not available, then next best thing is to find a grocery with the electric shopping carts, and arrange with the manager for someone to bring a cart to you in the parking lot, on the days who must shop. the stores in this area (I expect in most areas, have carry out people to get things to your car, but you need them to pack things in small amounts, so you cang get them into you house when you get home. Get one (or more) of those lightweight insulated bags for refigerated and frozen foods. Bring those in first, as other things won't melt, thaw out or spoil if you have to leave them in the car for a few hours.
Since you really need to eat a liver friendly diet and drink lots of water, you can pick up those little (or not so little, depending on how much you eat) treys of already cleaned and cut veggies, and pack of prepared fresh fruit - at least if you store is like mine.
Do you have a washer and dryer at home? A load of laundry shouldn't be too much - stick to wash and wear, easy to care for, things. When I lived alone (I am not sure I can remember that long ago), I combined whites into one load and colored lothes into another and sometimes had two loads a week, or every 2 weeks. Be neat as you do things in the house, so you don't have a lot of picking up to do, dusting and floors can wait - the whole 4 months, if necessary - you can tell I am not OCD avout housework.
Your FIRST PRIORITY MUST BE taking your pills and drinking lots of water and eating AT LEAST A LITTLE with each set of pills, including a little fat, a little protein and a little fresh fruit or veg, if you can.
My Dr told me that eating with the pills was not necessary but that I could, my choice. I learned here on the Forum, that that is not exactly true. The Sol does not require food with it, but the Riba recommends that it be taken with food. What long timers on the site taught me was that eating even a small amount of 'good' fat with the pills helps the efficiency of their working, as the Riba binds to the fat and is more easily absorbed by the body, so is better able to do its job. PLUS, a small amount of foot in that combination, kept me from getting nauseous, a real plus in my book.
Since you already have a problem with miagraines, you really need to drink the water - one ounce for every pound of body weight, up to 1/2 your body weight every day! That will help you not have additional headaches, and, who knows, might even help the miagraines! The amount of water is so important as these meds are dehydrating and can cause side effects (sides or sx) feom that. Keeping hydrated will counteract that. Tap water is okay. However, I had better luck with purified water, I liked the taste much better and, drinking that much, I needed to like how it tasted
First, I was (yes, was!) also Gt3, treated with Sovaldi and Ribavirin for 24 weeks, and am now SVR24 (Hep Speak for 'cured'). You CAN do this. It is a little hander, living alone, only IF your HMG goes down enough to become anemic. HOWEVER, not everyone's does, so you may not have that problem. To be honest though, it does affect women moe than men, againe, not always. Many have worked all the way through tx (treatment).
Since you live alone, I would try to set things up so, if you don't have enough energy to want to takle shopping, etc., you already have a plan in place.
Do you live in an area that has grocery stores that make deliveries? If so, get on their customer list, so they can deliver when you don't feel like shopping.
If that is not available, then next best thing is to find a grocery with the electric shopping carts, and arrange with the manager for someone to bring a cart to you in the parking lot, on the days who must shop. the stores in this area (I expect in most areas, have carry out people to get things to your car, but you need them to pack things in small amounts, so you cang get them into you house when you get home. Get one (or more) of those lightweight insulated bags for refigerated and frozen foods. Bring those in first, as other things won't melt, thaw out or spoil if you have to leave them in the car for a few hours.
Since you really need to eat a liver friendly diet and drink lots of water, you can pick up those little (or not so little, depending on how much you eat) treys of already cleaned and cut veggies, and pack of prepared fresh fruit - at least if you store is like mine.
Do you have a washer and dryer at home? A load of laundry shouldn't be too much - stick to wash and wear, easy to care for, things. When I lived alone (I am not sure I can remember that long ago), I combined whites into one load and colored lothes into another and sometimes had two loads a week, or every 2 weeks. Be neat as you do things in the house, so you don't have a lot of picking up to do, dusting and floors can wait - the whole 4 months, if necessary - you can tell I am not OCD avout housework.
Your FIRST PRIORITY MUST BE taking your pills and drinking lots of water and eating AT LEAST A LITTLE with each set of pills, including a little fat, a little protein and a little fresh fruit or veg, if you can.
My Dr told me that eating with the pills was not necessary but that I could, my choice. I learned here on the Forum, that that is not exactly true. The Sol does not require food with it, but the Riba recommends that it be taken with food. What long timers on the site taught me was that eating even a small amount of 'good' fat with the pills helps the efficiency of their working, as the Riba binds to the fat and is more easily absorbed by the body, so is better able to do its job. PLUS, a small amount of foot in that combination, kept me from getting nauseous, a real plus in my book.
Since you already have a problem with miagraines, you really need to drink the water - one ounce for every pound of body weight, up to 1/2 your body weight every day! That will help you not have additional headaches, and, who knows, might even help the miagraines! The amount of water is so important as these meds are dehydrating and can cause side effects (sides or sx) feom that. Keeping hydrated will counteract that. Tap water is okay. However, I had better luck with purified water, I liked the taste much better and, drinking that much, I needed to like how it tasted
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