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Recovering from Hepatitis C and its treatment - an update
Hey y'all, thought I'd stop by and give a holler. Things seems a little different here lately, lots more subdivisions in the hepatitis forums (with hep A, hep B, automimmune etc). Some other new features seem to be added to the board, which I think are stupid. But whatever, don’t want to be too negative.
Anyway, just thought I'd give an update of how it feels to recover from both hepatitis C and its treatment for those either pondering treatment or currently undergoing it. A quick refresher on my stats: 42 yo, male, geno 1a, VL~1.5 million IU/ml, F1 fibrosis, infected from 1983 to 2006, enrolled in Vertex VX950/telaprevir Prove 1 trial in summer of 2006, received SOC+VX950, got bad VX950 rash about 7 weeks in (stopped VX early), eventually underwent 41 weeks of treatment. Went UND by week 2 and have remained UND all the way through and 6 months post tx - SVR.
So what's it feel like to have had HCV for so long, to have been successfully treated and to now finally be cured of HCV after having the virus for almost 25 years? Before answering that let me first preface what I’m about to say by stating the following: For one thing let me say that not everyone has symptoms, or at least no "apparent" symptoms, of having hep C. Over the years I’ve spoken to many people with HCV who have told me that they never knew they had it and that it didn't really bother them. The non-symptomatic folks are the lucky ones, because many other people do have symptoms. I’m one of those people and always had symptoms of HCV. The main symptom I had was chronic fatigue. Crushing fatigue at times that would weigh on me like a ton of bricks. This fatigue was my near constant companion throughout my late teens (infected at 17), all through my 20's, 30's and into my early 40's. So going into treatment I had high hopes, albeit very cautionary and measured, I would be successfully treated…and with any luck finally offload at least some of the fatigue that has plagued me for nearly a quarter century.
So what HAS happened after being treated and ridding myself of the virus? Well, a lot of things. Let me speak firstly of physical well being after treatment. As the drugs wore off late last summer (stopped tx in early June ’07), my body was a wreck. My cholesterol was very high, I was weak, totally out of shape and would sweat and huff and puff with the slightest exertion. Initially I was somewhat underweight as I was during treatment. I started treatment at 185lbs, dropped to about 168lbs during treatment, and then finished off about 175lbs. During that time my body composition changed though, I lost muscle mass and gained body fat around my belly. They call it “intra-abdominal” fat. It’s where fat collects around your organs and trunk and it’s especially unhealthy for you. Well that’s what seemed to happen to me. And it’s not surprising, I didn’t exercise a whit all during my treatment and I ate the worst foods imaginable – ice cream, hamburgers, pizza, sugary sodas, the works. It’s not that I’m really lazy or dietetically stupid, I just couldn’t exercise when I was “drug sick” in treatment. I also couldn’t eat properly and could only eat what tasted good. Hard to explain, but eating properly during treatment was out of the question for me. I planned on correcting for it later after recovering.
Anyway, a few months off the drugs and my weight ballooned right up to 207lbs, which for me is the heaviest I’ve ever been in my whole life. I’ve always been tall and thin and in pretty good shape. But my appetite was voracious and I had cravings for all sorts of things, including heavy, high calorie beers (which some of you may recall me talking about). Somehow coming off the drugs had ramped up my appetite and it seemed as if my metabolism had been thrown grossly out of whack. I figured the interferon had tweaked my thyroid functions in a manner that caused overeating and weight gain. The normal regulatory functions that governed appetite and weight gain/loss seemed wildly out of balance. This state of affairs and my new 207lb fatty body continued into the winter of ’07. I knew I had to do something about it, I couldn’t continue on like that so as my new year’s resolution I decided to get off my fat *** and take action. I stopped all beer drinking and ate a decent diet, I rode my bike every day. Usually this is all it would take for me to lose weight very quickly. But nothing doing. I rode and rode and rode my bike like a madman almost every day and I strictly avoided all beer and ate healthy foods. Weeks and weeks went by and I could not lose any weight. I might lose a few pounds and feel like I was making progress, but then a few more pounds would seemingly magically glue itself right back on again. It was as if 207lbs was my new weight. It was as if my endocrine system had drawn a new line in the sand, and that line was the “207th lb parallel” (just like 185lbs had previously been for many years for me).
I was getting worried, I didn’t want to be fat and I certainly didn’t want the problems of diabetes and high blood pressure that came with it. I just couldn’t believe that after all my hard work exercising and eating a fairly strict diet (with NO beer), that I couldn’t at least break into the 190’s. Something was definitely wrong, there had clearly been some sort of fundamental shift in my metabolic rate, almost certainly brought on by 41 weeks of interferon - there was simply no way around it. So out of desperation I decided to try a low carb diet while maintaining a high activity rate. I fairly strictly avoided starches and carbs, although I would still have a small bowl of cereal in the morning and would occasionally have a little bread here and there. But in general my diet, which was normally pretty high in carbs, was drastically curtailed into low carb-land. Every day I would go for long walks with a 30lb pack on my back walking up and down the hills of San Diego. Then on weekends I’d go to the beach at Torrey Pines and walk and walk and walk. Walk past the naked people at Black’s Beach, walk past the hang glider dudes soaring over the cliffs, walk onward to LaJolla, turn around and come back and do it all over again. And guess what? BINGO 17 pounds flew off, and I dropped right back down to 190lbs within just a few weeks. The low carb diet along with heavy activity did it, but I’m pretty sure it was mostly curtailing carbohydrates that was responsible (something I’ve never tried before).
Anyway, sorry to be too detailed oriented and drone on about this, but I’m sure that others have struggled (or will struggle) with this sorta thing after their own treatment ends. So I wanted to go into detail as to what works for weight management. But that was a few months ago and now my weight is pretty close to my original weight of 185lbs. I’d actually like to keep it closer to 190lbs because I feel and look a little better at that weight. And the strange thing is, is that now I can eat carbs again and even drink a few beers here and there and my weight stays where it is now. It was as if my metabolism needed a kick of a sort to reset it back to where it was before treatment. Which brings me to my point (yes I do have one ;-) – interferon based treatment tweaks your system. It alters your metabolic rate and can shift the way you feel about food (as in how much you crave it and what types of food you want) and the way your body both takes on weight and sheds weight. If you plan interferon based treatment soon, expect these effects and watch out for its effects after the shootin’ match is over. (cont...)
Anyway, just thought I'd give an update of how it feels to recover from both hepatitis C and its treatment for those either pondering treatment or currently undergoing it. A quick refresher on my stats: 42 yo, male, geno 1a, VL~1.5 million IU/ml, F1 fibrosis, infected from 1983 to 2006, enrolled in Vertex VX950/telaprevir Prove 1 trial in summer of 2006, received SOC+VX950, got bad VX950 rash about 7 weeks in (stopped VX early), eventually underwent 41 weeks of treatment. Went UND by week 2 and have remained UND all the way through and 6 months post tx - SVR.
So what's it feel like to have had HCV for so long, to have been successfully treated and to now finally be cured of HCV after having the virus for almost 25 years? Before answering that let me first preface what I’m about to say by stating the following: For one thing let me say that not everyone has symptoms, or at least no "apparent" symptoms, of having hep C. Over the years I’ve spoken to many people with HCV who have told me that they never knew they had it and that it didn't really bother them. The non-symptomatic folks are the lucky ones, because many other people do have symptoms. I’m one of those people and always had symptoms of HCV. The main symptom I had was chronic fatigue. Crushing fatigue at times that would weigh on me like a ton of bricks. This fatigue was my near constant companion throughout my late teens (infected at 17), all through my 20's, 30's and into my early 40's. So going into treatment I had high hopes, albeit very cautionary and measured, I would be successfully treated…and with any luck finally offload at least some of the fatigue that has plagued me for nearly a quarter century.
So what HAS happened after being treated and ridding myself of the virus? Well, a lot of things. Let me speak firstly of physical well being after treatment. As the drugs wore off late last summer (stopped tx in early June ’07), my body was a wreck. My cholesterol was very high, I was weak, totally out of shape and would sweat and huff and puff with the slightest exertion. Initially I was somewhat underweight as I was during treatment. I started treatment at 185lbs, dropped to about 168lbs during treatment, and then finished off about 175lbs. During that time my body composition changed though, I lost muscle mass and gained body fat around my belly. They call it “intra-abdominal” fat. It’s where fat collects around your organs and trunk and it’s especially unhealthy for you. Well that’s what seemed to happen to me. And it’s not surprising, I didn’t exercise a whit all during my treatment and I ate the worst foods imaginable – ice cream, hamburgers, pizza, sugary sodas, the works. It’s not that I’m really lazy or dietetically stupid, I just couldn’t exercise when I was “drug sick” in treatment. I also couldn’t eat properly and could only eat what tasted good. Hard to explain, but eating properly during treatment was out of the question for me. I planned on correcting for it later after recovering.
Anyway, a few months off the drugs and my weight ballooned right up to 207lbs, which for me is the heaviest I’ve ever been in my whole life. I’ve always been tall and thin and in pretty good shape. But my appetite was voracious and I had cravings for all sorts of things, including heavy, high calorie beers (which some of you may recall me talking about). Somehow coming off the drugs had ramped up my appetite and it seemed as if my metabolism had been thrown grossly out of whack. I figured the interferon had tweaked my thyroid functions in a manner that caused overeating and weight gain. The normal regulatory functions that governed appetite and weight gain/loss seemed wildly out of balance. This state of affairs and my new 207lb fatty body continued into the winter of ’07. I knew I had to do something about it, I couldn’t continue on like that so as my new year’s resolution I decided to get off my fat *** and take action. I stopped all beer drinking and ate a decent diet, I rode my bike every day. Usually this is all it would take for me to lose weight very quickly. But nothing doing. I rode and rode and rode my bike like a madman almost every day and I strictly avoided all beer and ate healthy foods. Weeks and weeks went by and I could not lose any weight. I might lose a few pounds and feel like I was making progress, but then a few more pounds would seemingly magically glue itself right back on again. It was as if 207lbs was my new weight. It was as if my endocrine system had drawn a new line in the sand, and that line was the “207th lb parallel” (just like 185lbs had previously been for many years for me).
I was getting worried, I didn’t want to be fat and I certainly didn’t want the problems of diabetes and high blood pressure that came with it. I just couldn’t believe that after all my hard work exercising and eating a fairly strict diet (with NO beer), that I couldn’t at least break into the 190’s. Something was definitely wrong, there had clearly been some sort of fundamental shift in my metabolic rate, almost certainly brought on by 41 weeks of interferon - there was simply no way around it. So out of desperation I decided to try a low carb diet while maintaining a high activity rate. I fairly strictly avoided starches and carbs, although I would still have a small bowl of cereal in the morning and would occasionally have a little bread here and there. But in general my diet, which was normally pretty high in carbs, was drastically curtailed into low carb-land. Every day I would go for long walks with a 30lb pack on my back walking up and down the hills of San Diego. Then on weekends I’d go to the beach at Torrey Pines and walk and walk and walk. Walk past the naked people at Black’s Beach, walk past the hang glider dudes soaring over the cliffs, walk onward to LaJolla, turn around and come back and do it all over again. And guess what? BINGO 17 pounds flew off, and I dropped right back down to 190lbs within just a few weeks. The low carb diet along with heavy activity did it, but I’m pretty sure it was mostly curtailing carbohydrates that was responsible (something I’ve never tried before).
Anyway, sorry to be too detailed oriented and drone on about this, but I’m sure that others have struggled (or will struggle) with this sorta thing after their own treatment ends. So I wanted to go into detail as to what works for weight management. But that was a few months ago and now my weight is pretty close to my original weight of 185lbs. I’d actually like to keep it closer to 190lbs because I feel and look a little better at that weight. And the strange thing is, is that now I can eat carbs again and even drink a few beers here and there and my weight stays where it is now. It was as if my metabolism needed a kick of a sort to reset it back to where it was before treatment. Which brings me to my point (yes I do have one ;-) – interferon based treatment tweaks your system. It alters your metabolic rate and can shift the way you feel about food (as in how much you crave it and what types of food you want) and the way your body both takes on weight and sheds weight. If you plan interferon based treatment soon, expect these effects and watch out for its effects after the shootin’ match is over. (cont...)
Nygirl I love ya to death, and I know everyone needs their daily drama quotient, but you're wrong. You have to actually read everything from start to finish in order to understand my response to magnum and DD. I realize that would be a very tedious and boring thing to do, so I don't blame you for not doing so. But if you have to weigh in and pass judgment, at least read what was said from beginning to end. And if you still feel that way, that's fine you're entitled to your opinion. But I don't feel that way, and I'm also entitled to my own opinion - especially if someone is speaking directly to me in a derogatory manner (as magnum was) or in a quasi-derogatory/dismissive manner (as DD was). That's why I substantiated everything I said with concise logic. And as far as being drunk, I know you're just being facetious and perhaps a little sarcastic. But if you think I've said anything above that's incorrect (which is what happens when you're drunk), then please explicitly point it out to me so I can understand what you're talking about.
I also would worry pretty much that once you are prone to damage it might be easier to have it come back even IF some fibrotic reversal were to happen. I know there is no studies done on that but to me it just seems sensible. Like it could be weakened to a degree.
And you are right the whole point is NO MORE DAMAGE - reversing a grade or stage isn't the issue it's making sure we don't get any MORE damage. We could live a very healthy life with stage 3 all the while as long as it doesn't progress farther - that is the two in the bush I guess! :)
And you are right the whole point is NO MORE DAMAGE - reversing a grade or stage isn't the issue it's making sure we don't get any MORE damage. We could live a very healthy life with stage 3 all the while as long as it doesn't progress farther - that is the two in the bush I guess! :)
I agree with you about no guarantees the liver will go back to normal. Stage 3 means lots of scar tissue and my concern is stopping the progression of damage rather than my liver returning to "normal" which isn't going to happen regardless of SVR. It's functioning fine right now as far as I know and SVR is a guarantee of no more damage. That's far more exciting to me than my liver dropping down a stage. A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.
Trin
Trin
Knocking two of the most experienced and knowledgable members of this forum (Magnum and DD) hardly is a way to make any point whatsoever. In fact I gave up reading all the rambling insults quite a way back and have to say - I don't understand why you are going on in this major tirade over nothing. Let it GO and just enjoy your SVR!
Did you have too much suds or too little before posting? ;)
FL Gator -
"If I achieve SVR and my liver returns to normal in (guessing) 6 months to a year,"
Remember, there is NO guarantee your liver will go back to 'normal'. Be careful. SVR is a precious thing and more than that so if you liver. I'm not saying you "can't" ever drink again but - don't assume that your liver will be able to handle it. A damaged liver is still that - damaged and unless you have certainty it's just not worth the chance (otherwise why bother treating at all)?
Did you have too much suds or too little before posting? ;)
FL Gator -
"If I achieve SVR and my liver returns to normal in (guessing) 6 months to a year,"
Remember, there is NO guarantee your liver will go back to 'normal'. Be careful. SVR is a precious thing and more than that so if you liver. I'm not saying you "can't" ever drink again but - don't assume that your liver will be able to handle it. A damaged liver is still that - damaged and unless you have certainty it's just not worth the chance (otherwise why bother treating at all)?
I only read halfway down on comments before I thought I would add my opinion. Many people mentioned they had "allergy" problems pre-tx. Mine got really bad after Tx, probably becuase of the bleeding that was fairly constant in my sinuses during treatment. But after all the multiple drugs to try and breath and not have snot running down my face while I tried to brush my teeth (sorry), I found something that works!! I use a cold air vaporizer at night and sinal rinse (my pharmasist calls it a sinus enema). But it's amazing the difference it has made!! Maybe it would work pre and during treatment, maybe it could help? Who knows.
Your comments prove my point. Your discussion at this point seems to be with yourself. My original point was only this: some get rid of fatigue, some don't. Its a mixed bag. You manage to make a Mt. Everest, out of a grain of sand. Have at it, and enjoy getting all lathered up over nothing at all. Relax, and enjoy your SVR.
DD
DD
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