Aa
Length of treatment
My husbands viral count went from 8 million to 10 thousand after only 4 weeks of treatment. His doctor told him he would have to continue treatment for 48 more weeks. He has the 1A type and is in stage two. If his viral level returns to a normal level in the next few months why would he have to continue treatment for so long?
Doll face, I am also not hesitant to recommend tx to folks with mild liver damage because the data and personal experiences shared do show that most side effects are not severe and are TEMPORARY. It is possible that had you gone the length the first time, your thyroid could have been spared. We'll never know.
How can I tell people learn to live with HCV because some drs' opinion is you really don't need to treat right away, never mind if you are in fear of infecting others inadvertently or that you have to make sure universal precautions are taken at your providers, and it bothers you each time. How can I say that you should be spared the temporary discomfort and the opportunity to rid hcv from your body because you don't have to.
Dr Palmer, does not attempt to persuade mildly damaged folks to not treat (liverdisease.com) and states: "Therefore, it is of utmost importance to attempt to eradicate HCV from the body in order to stop or slow progression of disease before any liver-related complications develop. The sooner a person seeks treatment, the more likely she is to reap its benefits
How can I tell people learn to live with HCV because some drs' opinion is you really don't need to treat right away, never mind if you are in fear of infecting others inadvertently or that you have to make sure universal precautions are taken at your providers, and it bothers you each time. How can I say that you should be spared the temporary discomfort and the opportunity to rid hcv from your body because you don't have to.
Dr Palmer, does not attempt to persuade mildly damaged folks to not treat (liverdisease.com) and states: "Therefore, it is of utmost importance to attempt to eradicate HCV from the body in order to stop or slow progression of disease before any liver-related complications develop. The sooner a person seeks treatment, the more likely she is to reap its benefits
The best proof, doll face, Layla and I are negative. Good enough for us, and we will share that everytime.
Couldn't agree more. I will never stop telling my story and encouraging people that have made the decision to treat to try to go the distance the first time. I was never given the opportunity to do extended tx the first time (heck I had to wait for pegintron to be approved to even start the 48 weeks) and now I will never know if I could have saved myself alot of pain and heartache not to mention my thyroid or teeth had I had the opportunity, But if we can help others than it is worth it.
and by the way did I miss your 9 month post PCR results ??? I know that it is negative just, wanted another reason to do the little dance. LOL
Couldn't agree more. I will never stop telling my story and encouraging people that have made the decision to treat to try to go the distance the first time. I was never given the opportunity to do extended tx the first time (heck I had to wait for pegintron to be approved to even start the 48 weeks) and now I will never know if I could have saved myself alot of pain and heartache not to mention my thyroid or teeth had I had the opportunity, But if we can help others than it is worth it.
and by the way did I miss your 9 month post PCR results ??? I know that it is negative just, wanted another reason to do the little dance. LOL
First let me say that YES !!! I am clear of the virus and have been off of the meds for 10 months now.
I can understand your being afraid of tx after reading my post however that was exactly what I did not want to happen. I am not in the medical field so don't want to give medical advise I just share my story so others here can here benefit from what I went through. Since I didn't go hypo until 4 months into my second round of tx I really don't know the risks of already having thyroid problems. Suggestion :type in thyroid or hypothyroidism/ hep c into google and you will find lots of useful information. You can also do dental problems/hep c. That is where I found just about everything to prove my case to the health board.
I want to make another few points perfectly clear here. I was not able to prove that my bone loss was necessarilydue to the hep or tx, but add ADs and synthyroid to the mix and for as long as I took them is what they agreed caused my dental problems. I did not have problems with my teeth or gums before.
I did not have any liver damage when I started, I was healthy and active, and had no idea I was hep c positive. I found out during a routine blood test. I have been asked many times "had I known before hand of all the side effects that I would go through would I still have done tx?" My answere is and always will be YES. I no longer have this virus, I am not afraid to give it to anyone else. I no longer have people (family members even)afraid to be around me.
I am not afraid to tell all sides of my story, and by doing so hope to help more people.
I can understand your being afraid of tx after reading my post however that was exactly what I did not want to happen. I am not in the medical field so don't want to give medical advise I just share my story so others here can here benefit from what I went through. Since I didn't go hypo until 4 months into my second round of tx I really don't know the risks of already having thyroid problems. Suggestion :type in thyroid or hypothyroidism/ hep c into google and you will find lots of useful information. You can also do dental problems/hep c. That is where I found just about everything to prove my case to the health board.
I want to make another few points perfectly clear here. I was not able to prove that my bone loss was necessarilydue to the hep or tx, but add ADs and synthyroid to the mix and for as long as I took them is what they agreed caused my dental problems. I did not have problems with my teeth or gums before.
I did not have any liver damage when I started, I was healthy and active, and had no idea I was hep c positive. I found out during a routine blood test. I have been asked many times "had I known before hand of all the side effects that I would go through would I still have done tx?" My answere is and always will be YES. I no longer have this virus, I am not afraid to give it to anyone else. I no longer have people (family members even)afraid to be around me.
I am not afraid to tell all sides of my story, and by doing so hope to help more people.
Kim,
Just read your post about the ribavirin in the closed thread.
Because of my weight loss and GERD (reflux), after trying a number of food/meal combinations, I found the best way to keep weight on and GERD somewhat down is to eat two fairly large meals a day.
But even when I ate three or four smaller meals a day, I was careful to take my riba with the largest/fattiest two meals. Studies show the bioavailiablity of riba can be increased up to 70% with a high-fat content meal.
Lately, the GERD had been getting worse, so I've been eating my two meals around 9AM and 12PM. That way I can use antacids, Gaviscon, etc, from 4PM on without worrying about the antacids affecting riba absorption. (You can probably see by now I'm very focused/anal on riba and continue 1200 mg/day even as my weight dropped from 176lbs to 152. In fact, I'd increase my riba more if my sides would allow.)
As far as the efficacy of my dose schedule, riba has a half-life of around 100 hours so it shouldn't make much difference when you take the pills and in what combination, as long as you get your full dose in each day. Some people, for example, take more pills in the morning and less at night so they can sleep better. My own doctor said I could take all six pills at once if I wanted.
However, I have noticed that the more pills you take at once, the more you feel the riba. For this reason, I'll probably go back to spacing the riba doses closer to six hours apart as before. It is making me jittery.
I respect the passion in your arguments and your truce offer is unnecessary, but I do reciprocate. Hopefully others have found alternating viewpoints informative.
Be well.
-- Jim
Just read your post about the ribavirin in the closed thread.
Because of my weight loss and GERD (reflux), after trying a number of food/meal combinations, I found the best way to keep weight on and GERD somewhat down is to eat two fairly large meals a day.
But even when I ate three or four smaller meals a day, I was careful to take my riba with the largest/fattiest two meals. Studies show the bioavailiablity of riba can be increased up to 70% with a high-fat content meal.
Lately, the GERD had been getting worse, so I've been eating my two meals around 9AM and 12PM. That way I can use antacids, Gaviscon, etc, from 4PM on without worrying about the antacids affecting riba absorption. (You can probably see by now I'm very focused/anal on riba and continue 1200 mg/day even as my weight dropped from 176lbs to 152. In fact, I'd increase my riba more if my sides would allow.)
As far as the efficacy of my dose schedule, riba has a half-life of around 100 hours so it shouldn't make much difference when you take the pills and in what combination, as long as you get your full dose in each day. Some people, for example, take more pills in the morning and less at night so they can sleep better. My own doctor said I could take all six pills at once if I wanted.
However, I have noticed that the more pills you take at once, the more you feel the riba. For this reason, I'll probably go back to spacing the riba doses closer to six hours apart as before. It is making me jittery.
I respect the passion in your arguments and your truce offer is unnecessary, but I do reciprocate. Hopefully others have found alternating viewpoints informative.
Be well.
-- Jim
wow, you have been through so much...do you know if you are clear yet? I had been fighting with the system to get help for my treatment in Tennessee (that's the last state I lived in before I moved to Canada) and basically was told if you don't have insurance you're screwed...I am on Synthroid for hypo and was wondering if it would have any kind of effect on me if I decided to treat, sounds like it had quite an effect on you...the more and more I read about the sides the more scared I get about treating, however, I am 54 years old and wonder if at that age is it wise to wait for more freindly treatments..also, I went for my 3 month dental cleaning last week and was told I have two #7 pockets...I have no idea how the heck that happened, I am anal with my teeth due to having peridontal surgery 10 years ago...after hearing your story about loosing your teeth I am really concerned...
Beth
Beth
You've obviously been through a lot and I now better understand why you "push" for extended treatment.
I'm not against extended treatment for hard-to-treat populations including those with significant liver damage, slow responders, relapsers, etc. In fact, my original plan was extended treatment although based on a new biopsy report, I'm now leaning toward a shorter course.
I am however hesitant to recommend treatment (extended or not) for those with little or no liver damage. It's simply a matter of risk/reward. Why risk all those side effects and possible permanent damage if you have plenty of time to wait for newer, better treatments, hopefully no more than 3-5 years away?
That said, there is no one right answer for everyone. Each of us has to make their own decision. All we can do here is share our thoughts and experiences.
-- Jim
I'm not against extended treatment for hard-to-treat populations including those with significant liver damage, slow responders, relapsers, etc. In fact, my original plan was extended treatment although based on a new biopsy report, I'm now leaning toward a shorter course.
I am however hesitant to recommend treatment (extended or not) for those with little or no liver damage. It's simply a matter of risk/reward. Why risk all those side effects and possible permanent damage if you have plenty of time to wait for newer, better treatments, hopefully no more than 3-5 years away?
That said, there is no one right answer for everyone. Each of us has to make their own decision. All we can do here is share our thoughts and experiences.
-- Jim
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