LENGTH OF TREATMENT

[dodger1]

Hi everyone.  I just came back from the doctor in Chicago on Friday and after 7 injections my bloodwork came back undetected less than 5. My viral load was 1.5 million when I started. I was excited then the doctor said I had to be undetected for 15 months straight?  I thought everyone only had to be on the treatment for 48 months not 72 months?  My genotype is 1a which I know is the hardest to treat but I thought the treatment was still 48 months.  My hemoglobin was 9 and she said I was anemic and my white blood count is at 1.8 low. I told her I was tired all the time and my legs were sore and felt like rubber and some days I could not hardly walk.  She said drink more gatorade and when I felt like I could not get up in the morning she would give me a shot of procrit. Why cant she give me the shot now?Do ihave to wait because my hemoglobin is not low enough yet?  Does this doctor know what she is talking about???  I am a mail carrier and some days I can barely make it threw the day in this heat we had. I feel like crying all the time. I come home from work and go straight to bed for at least a 2 hour nap and then I am back in bed at 8:00 pm.  I feel so bad for my family that I am so tired all the time.  Is there any vitamins I can take??  Thank you for all your responses and help.  I appreciate it so much.

[1fairygirl]

Dodger,
Whatever you decide to do about your hep doctor, could you, in the man time, get you gp to prescribe Procrit?  That would get you feeling better and give you some time if you decide to find a different doctor.  Good luck and health whatever you decide.
Smiles, Sue

[cquest]

I had to have a blood transfusion when my blood count went down to 8....2 pints...something to think about.
Cin

[iceboy]

Hi Guys

can I jump in with a question of mine. If I would start treatment with hgb below normal should I ask for starting on procrit before treatment. I have been low (11.9)on hgb, and actually low on all blood count as long as I know. It

[jmjm530]

Sure. If your doc will allow. And take your first shot two-weeks before tx.

If you doc doesn't allow, insist on weekly monitoring of hemoglobin levels with a promise to intervene with Procrit should your hemo drop more than two points in any three-week period.

-- Jim

[iceboy]

Thanks Jmjm. Tell me, why does it seem to be such a hassle to get the prescription for procrit. Are there any side effects or does it have straining effect on the liver or other organs. I did go onto the url you suggested for procrit, but I havn

[jmjm530]

There is no good reason. And I'm sure if the docs were being treated themselves the oragne Procrit top would be popped sooner than you could say A N E M I A.

I think it's simply that most docs are either: (1) By the book old school; (2)grossly uninformed; (3) or just simply too slow on the trigger. Another reason is that many of the early trials didn't use Procrit because it might screw up their data and therefore a lot of the tx info on Procrit was slow in coming.

Someone on this board (or another) posted that her doc said, "You'll feel better in a day or two" after prescribing Procrit. Well, it doesn't work that way. It usually takes 2-4 weeks to kick in. And some of these guys go to med school and then get paid to dole out this advice. I don't get it.

Like it or not, when it comes to tx we're often on our own. What's that old song about "the best consumer is an educated consumer". And the other..."buyer beware". Well, we're the ones buying the tx and we had better be educated, beware and a whole lot of other stuff.

-- Jim