Moving toward acceptance

[Wilful1]

Reading all of your posts on this site has helped me in so many ways since I was diagnosed with hep C, genotype 1a. I was frantically trying to getting answers to questions about this virus but kept getting the same type of website--what it is, how I received it, treatment options, etc.  I was so frustrated because none of it was personal.  I read your posts, take advice, and now I am getting on board with support, what I should accomplish before I start treatment.  I do smoke so my doctor prescribed Chantrix.  I haven't been using wine as my usual habit for relaxing; I'm eating better and have lost some weight, and now getting ready to quit smoking.  It sure requires a different mind set to change my entire life.  Also, I have begun therapy, which gives me a boot when I start with the "poor, poor pitiful me." lol
Thanks to all.
Wilful

[rita863]

i really dont think pharma want to make you sicker, i think its the chemicals that in you body that are not natural that have side effects.

i know everything is about money, but if they were able to better manage the sides of riba and inter.  i am sure many more people would be treating.  i know of at least three who refuse to treat because of sides.  makes sense to me that the pharm. companies would want them to treat so they pay for the drugs, not make them afraid to treat.

just my opinion

peace
rita

[Rockerforlife]

Most big pharma prescription drugs are designed to give you side effects...to make you even sicker....its all about money...but some drugs we have no choice...like TX for hep.

[meNtoby]

Wanna hear a kicker?  I had 6 weeks clean from the cigarettes after going c/t, and lit up the evening the nurse called with the news of "blood problems" "testing positive" and "Hepatitis C" in the same sentence.  Down to my last pack, and trying it again tomorrow. I start on Friday, and by Monday it's pretty much out of me. Thing is, I have to stay near home all weekend, or I'm too befuddled to figure out why I'm driving, where I was going, or what I wanted. Forget about having a conversation, I don't answer the phone either.  Found a good website for c/t. at whyquit.com.  Good luck to you, and to me both!  I'll letcha know if I make it to tuesday!  My try what you're doing, if not.
c.

[DragonSlayer45]

I also used to smoke...for about 30+ years. I had quit a million times and used to say hell quitting smoking is the easiest thing in the world to do...I should know I've done it a hundred times! LOL Staying quit that is a different story. I had tried everything from gum to wellbutrin to hypnosis and on and on. I will tell you what honestly worked for me.....Cold Turkey!!! I swear by it. I just got my mind made up and got into the "right frame of mind" and I just quit. I had visited a website that is a great resource adn everything they said just made so much sense. bottom line it worked for me and like I said I smoked for a long time. The website is http://whyquit.com/ . Int he evennt that just got zapped it is http with a semi colon, then a couple of backslash followed by whyquit (no www) and of course do not forget the *******. I hope this helps and good luck because it is tough. I find that if I treat myself like an alcoholic (no offense to any out there) and just do not ever even take one puff because I know I will be pulling into the nearest convenience store to buy more. Happens everytime. I also figure my liver has had to deal with enough and once I made my mind up to treat I made it a priority to quit before. I have been quit for a year now. Good luck to you and everyone else who is trying to quit.

[R Glass]

The side effects from tx vary from person to person. As for me, I smoked more during the weekends (I did my shots on Friday).
During the week, I smoked very little. When I lit one up, a couple of drags were all I wanted.
Now that I have finished tx, a pack could last me for days. My biggest problem is loosing the pack. It is almost to the point that I don’t have to buy them any more. If I run out, I just look around and eventually find a pack that I had lost a few days before.
I will eventually quit this disgusting and ridiculous habit. Now is just not the time.
Good Luck and Welcome to the Forum, R. Glass.

[rita863]

Welcome and GoodLuck with quitting smoking,  I am also a smoker, but i decided that i didnt want to take any other drugs while treating.  I am at 25 weeks of treatment.  Once i finish this, then i battle the smoking habit.

I have to agree with Meki on the Chantrix, my doc said it could cause nightmare, or sleeplness, I needed to take of hep c first, but that was just me.

hope you do well

Good luck
peace
rita

[l-horn]

I've thought about trying it but it scares me. I tried Wellbutrin/zyban and I had every side effect listed after 3 weeks. My gums are just now recovering. It was horrible. I'd rather smoke, honestly.

[FloridaMouse]

Chantix be very, very good to me!  I started Chantix 3 months before I finished my first round of tx.  My GI and pulmonologist gave me the go ahead to use it and I have Stage 3/4 liver damage.   I was smoke free within 3 weeks of starting it and I was off it in less than 3 months.  I had tried numerous things to help me quit, the patch, the gum, Welbutrin, and hypnosis.   Chantix made it very easy for me and the benefits far outweighed any risk.

Good luck to you!

Mouse
P.S.  I was a pack a day smoker for over 30 years when I quit on March 4, 2007

[meki]

I hate to scare you but please READ ONLINE about Chantrix...

I'm not exactly sure that HCV pos folks should be taking it.


Welcome to this great group of folks... And yeah - it's about knowledge, support and camraderie.

Nice to meetcha!

Meki

[orleans]

been there, done that, bought the tee-shirt, welcome, this site truly is a life saver. jerry

[nygirl7]

LOL Wil boy do we know what you are talking about!  We all had to go through it too and honestly finding this website was the one essential thing that got me through EVERYTHING.  So many questions with no answers (unless a doctor has been through treatment he can't tell me how it FEELS for all of it) etc. Here - you might get a cascade of different opinions but you'll definitely get the truth!

Everyone in here who do anything they can to help you out, always remember that. Hep is a very isolating disease for some reason and it really DOES help to have people who really really UNDERSTAND.  Even if it's just a day with a case of the pity me's.....once you come in here and talk about it you just feel better and less alone.

Ask all the questions you want - knowledge is power with this *****py disease and we want you to beat it almost as much as you want to!  ;)

Best of luck,
Debby7