Aa
Post tx questions
Okay. I’m a little more than two weeks post tx, and though I feel a little stronger and less fatigued, I am still having troubles. I know it is different for everyone, but what’s the consensus on how long it takes for these to go away:
-scaly skin and hive breakouts
-leg pains and achy bones
-insomnia
-the crazies
And on a vainer note, what about the thinning hair, bent fingernails, and wacky eyebrows? I finally broke down and went to get my hair cut. My stylist freaked out. We expected my hair to thin, but he was shocked that my hair has been growing in darker and completely straight for what he says has to have been 5-6 months judging by the length. My hair is normally super-duper curly. He doesn’t even want to dye it until it grows out some, thinking that the chemicals may mess with how my hair takes the dye. He also told me that my hair may never grow back curly. Now I have short, frizzy, straight, half gray, half dark hair. If it were thicker I would look like Cruella Deville :P
I know I am just being paranoid, but there were a couple of days about a week after finishing tx that I felt downright dope sick. Now I am thinking that my skin looks yellowish. Is it normal to possibly feel a little worse post tx, or would that be the virus coming back?
Gosh this waiting is scary!
-scaly skin and hive breakouts
-leg pains and achy bones
-insomnia
-the crazies
And on a vainer note, what about the thinning hair, bent fingernails, and wacky eyebrows? I finally broke down and went to get my hair cut. My stylist freaked out. We expected my hair to thin, but he was shocked that my hair has been growing in darker and completely straight for what he says has to have been 5-6 months judging by the length. My hair is normally super-duper curly. He doesn’t even want to dye it until it grows out some, thinking that the chemicals may mess with how my hair takes the dye. He also told me that my hair may never grow back curly. Now I have short, frizzy, straight, half gray, half dark hair. If it were thicker I would look like Cruella Deville :P
I know I am just being paranoid, but there were a couple of days about a week after finishing tx that I felt downright dope sick. Now I am thinking that my skin looks yellowish. Is it normal to possibly feel a little worse post tx, or would that be the virus coming back?
Gosh this waiting is scary!
I'm glad you posted this. For all of us on tx now, it is good to be prepared. My husband said something about what we were going to do in May because I'll be done in April, and based on this post I told him, "don't plan on it."
Like you say, I'd rather plan on things going on for 6 more months, and have it get better early than to think I'll feel better right away, and then not.
Did you already stop the rescue drugs? If you were on antidepressants you shouldn't come off of them too fast... that could cause sx too.
Hang in there!
Diane
Like you say, I'd rather plan on things going on for 6 more months, and have it get better early than to think I'll feel better right away, and then not.
Did you already stop the rescue drugs? If you were on antidepressants you shouldn't come off of them too fast... that could cause sx too.
Hang in there!
Diane
Grats on finishing Bobo!
Thanks to all for your input. My sx and blood work haven't been nearly as bad as many I've read about here, and that's why I figured I might shake things off faster. I just wanted to know what others experienced so that I can readjust my expectations. Of course, this freaking tx is so different for everyone that there's no way to know. You guys have given me a better idea though, since there's some agreement.
I will just try to assume that it will take the full 6 months they tell you and then be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't :)
portann: Thanks for the links and for saying you felt worse post tx too. It was really making me nervous that it meant that the virus was coming back, and I couldn't find many threads on how people felt less than a month post.
my curly-headed brethren: Thanks for the reassurance that the spirals will return! Isn't (wasn't) it weird to be able to brush your hair when it's dry?
I promise I don't mean to whine about these wimpy sx. Even if none of them go away, I will treat again with the new drugs if I do not achieve SVR this round.
I'm just a little late on preparing and get my resolve up for post tx life. I was being a little too much of a Pollyanna about what to expect - I blame the rescue drugs :)
Thanks again!
Jelise
Thanks to all for your input. My sx and blood work haven't been nearly as bad as many I've read about here, and that's why I figured I might shake things off faster. I just wanted to know what others experienced so that I can readjust my expectations. Of course, this freaking tx is so different for everyone that there's no way to know. You guys have given me a better idea though, since there's some agreement.
I will just try to assume that it will take the full 6 months they tell you and then be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't :)
portann: Thanks for the links and for saying you felt worse post tx too. It was really making me nervous that it meant that the virus was coming back, and I couldn't find many threads on how people felt less than a month post.
my curly-headed brethren: Thanks for the reassurance that the spirals will return! Isn't (wasn't) it weird to be able to brush your hair when it's dry?
I promise I don't mean to whine about these wimpy sx. Even if none of them go away, I will treat again with the new drugs if I do not achieve SVR this round.
I'm just a little late on preparing and get my resolve up for post tx life. I was being a little too much of a Pollyanna about what to expect - I blame the rescue drugs :)
Thanks again!
Jelise
Good luck Bobo that is great advice - people on treatment just have to listen to their bodies, even if you have to go to work every day you have to remember when you get home LAY DOWN. A body can only take so much...and this is not the time to put on a brave face and just keep going or eventually your body will just put you down itself!
GOOD LUCK TO YOU!
GOOD LUCK TO YOU!
Congratulations on finishing and I wish you very best going forward - SVR!!
Good luck,
Mike
Good luck,
Mike
Well, I haven't posted a comment for quite some weeks now. Luckily, my program is in it's final week which is a short 24 week TX. SVR since week 9!!!! The last 5 weeks have been hell as I guess the drugs have been slowly accumulating in my system.
Hair loss, wieght loss, appetitie loss, and fatigue had finally set in. I entered the program with such enthusiasm and a positive outlook, I tried to live everyday to the fullest and fought the fatigue factor with my mind.
A word of warning to all of you out there, listen to your body!!!! When tired, lay back and rest. I made the mistake and fought on with business life, home life and the likes and burned myself out. Major peumonia and a week in the hospital at week 22!!! Took my 24th. last injection two days ago............. hoorray, I might join the human race once again!!! Have to regain 19 lbs of wieght loss and build muscle mass from scratch as living in mountain country, winter will soon be upon us. Skiing at 59 and for last 40 years still creates a healthy lifestyle that I love to pursue for the rest of my life.
Hair loss, wieght loss, appetitie loss, and fatigue had finally set in. I entered the program with such enthusiasm and a positive outlook, I tried to live everyday to the fullest and fought the fatigue factor with my mind.
A word of warning to all of you out there, listen to your body!!!! When tired, lay back and rest. I made the mistake and fought on with business life, home life and the likes and burned myself out. Major peumonia and a week in the hospital at week 22!!! Took my 24th. last injection two days ago............. hoorray, I might join the human race once again!!! Have to regain 19 lbs of wieght loss and build muscle mass from scratch as living in mountain country, winter will soon be upon us. Skiing at 59 and for last 40 years still creates a healthy lifestyle that I love to pursue for the rest of my life.
............2) re: leg pains and achy bones, my guess is that when your labs are back to normal, especially your WBC's, that you'll see a big improvement. While my whites increased, my bones ached. .............
It does not do anybody any good to guess.. Everybgody is different and there is no guessing about bit. It is what it is and it is not what it is not
It does not do anybody any good to guess.. Everybgody is different and there is no guessing about bit. It is what it is and it is not what it is not
My hair was very curly pre-treatment and went perfectly straight and thinned considerably. 6 months after stopping it was thicker and growing in curly again. It was back to normal in about 8 months. And it does seem to grow faster than before and my nails grow much faster than ever - too fast, in fact.
Mike
Mike
OH PS My hair grew back in completely straight and it has always been very curly. I thought I'd love it since I didn't have to iron it anymore but I hated it! AFter some of the length came back it turned out to be just fine - better than ever in fact. The curl came back and as we chopped off the dead ends it started to grow like a weed.
Hair grows a half an inch a month normally but I swear mine was growing way faster than that!
Hair grows a half an inch a month normally but I swear mine was growing way faster than that!
After treating for 72 weeks I found it took a while to truly get the remnants of the meds and treatment out of my body. However certainly and eventually I did recover back to normal. My hair grew back longer and healthier than ever. My eye brows grew in but unfortunately the llahma lashes fell out. :( I can go to the beach and go skiing and do all the things I ever did before. I can even have a glass of wine!
Plus, I no longer have hepc.
Yes it takes a while to recover, it's not a magical overnight thing after what our bodies have been through but certainly do not listen to some whiner who says it's impossible to do so. Maybe due depression and other critical mental issues they are not able to recover as quickly. It is in the end up to you and your life outlook and your positivity which half you see - the liver half dead or the liver half healed. :)
And remember most people finish treatment and leave here to live their healthy and productive lives and are never heard from again - they have no reason to come back because they've moved on! YAY for them!
Plus, I no longer have hepc.
Yes it takes a while to recover, it's not a magical overnight thing after what our bodies have been through but certainly do not listen to some whiner who says it's impossible to do so. Maybe due depression and other critical mental issues they are not able to recover as quickly. It is in the end up to you and your life outlook and your positivity which half you see - the liver half dead or the liver half healed. :)
And remember most people finish treatment and leave here to live their healthy and productive lives and are never heard from again - they have no reason to come back because they've moved on! YAY for them!
"Respect your own recovery time and don't listen to those who pretend there's nothing much to it."
I don't think anyone pretends around here. It takes some people very little time to recuperate and there are no surprises with their recovery. They just get better quickly and that fact can't be dismissed. It happens.
Trinity
I don't think anyone pretends around here. It takes some people very little time to recuperate and there are no surprises with their recovery. They just get better quickly and that fact can't be dismissed. It happens.
Trinity
It took me about a month to shake the interferon hangover and by about 3 months I felt almost back to normal. The ashen pallor in my face left after a month and my skin tone returned to normal. My hair grew back by six months.
Give yourself some time to recover. Be kind and patient with yourself because you put your body through h-ell. You'll have bad days and good days just like when you were on treatment until the drugs leave your system. Hopefully by six months you'll feel back to your old self or at least I did.
Sorry I can't comment on the skin breakouts because I really didn't have that problem but I did have bone pain from the Neupogen and muscle pain from the interferon. Never had depression but I was extremly fatigued and all that stopped a couple weeks after stopping treatment.
Trinity
Give yourself some time to recover. Be kind and patient with yourself because you put your body through h-ell. You'll have bad days and good days just like when you were on treatment until the drugs leave your system. Hopefully by six months you'll feel back to your old self or at least I did.
Sorry I can't comment on the skin breakouts because I really didn't have that problem but I did have bone pain from the Neupogen and muscle pain from the interferon. Never had depression but I was extremly fatigued and all that stopped a couple weeks after stopping treatment.
Trinity
I recently stopped tx after 13 weeks, my doc said it would take 4-8 wks for the meds to be out of my system. My hair still falls out, and the rash is starting up again. This going into my second week. My sleep is not as deep. Our bodies need to adjust, it takes time. Not sure what the crazies are.
Judy
Judy
it has been a year for me and I still don't feel 100%. I'm beginning to think I may never fully recover. But I'm ok with that as long as virus is gone. I knew there was going to be a price to pay.
I had the same thing with the hair, "I tx'd the gray right out of my hair" , and was straight. It is back gray and wavy so I'm sure your hair will return to normal after about 3 months.
PS, dont forget to get your PCR done at 12 weeks or sooner. Some get it at 4,12 & of course 24 weeks.
Best of luck
I had the same thing with the hair, "I tx'd the gray right out of my hair" , and was straight. It is back gray and wavy so I'm sure your hair will return to normal after about 3 months.
PS, dont forget to get your PCR done at 12 weeks or sooner. Some get it at 4,12 & of course 24 weeks.
Best of luck
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1) re: scaly skin and hive breakouts, my skin is back from those dry, dry days of tx. I didn't pay attention to when it happened (maybe five months post?). It sneaked up on me and one day I realized I'd gone silky again. Sure appreciate soft skin now.
Don't know anything about hives but here's a thread in which someone else develops hives post-tx:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-Social/Does-Interferon-withdrawal-for-Hep-C-cause-Hives/show/41979
2) re: leg pains and achy bones, my guess is that when your labs are back to normal, especially your WBC's, that you'll see a big improvement. While my whites increased, my bones ached.
3) re: insomnia, I had it big-time during tx but once the riba left my system and I increased my physical activity to pre-tx levels, it went away. I really sleep soundly these days and appreciate it more. It's a treasure to sleep well, isn't it?
4) re: the crazies, it took me about six to eight months to get over the emotional stuff and feel myself again. I was lucky to have two solid rocks (aka, guys) to help me.
5) hair: I went right to the bottle, the hair dye bottle, and colored post-tx, just to give myself a lift. The color took differently but it was better than doing nothing. (Quite a few color during tx.) My hair is nice now, not as curly as it used to be but not straight like it was for about a year post-tx. And it's no thinner at all, although I worried that it wouldn't grow in. Some people say their hair grows in thicker but mine seems pretty much the same, just slightly less curly.
Sure it's possible to feel worse post-tx. I did and was totally unprepared for that. I planned to get through treatment and then get my life back pronto but it didn't happen that way at all. Respect your own recovery time and don't listen to those who pretend there's nothing much to it.
You nailed the waiting part - scary for sure but hang in there - the SVR news will be good and your curls will be back forever.
Here's a thread that you may want to peek at:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-Social/For-those-post-tx-Post-Interferon---Ribavirin-Treatment-Symptoms-Survey-/show/303629
Best wishes, best regards,
Susan