Treatment

[jt57]

Can you guys give me an idea of what i will be dealing with?

Will I be able to work?  Will I gain/lose weight?  Will I be a B---- to live with?

What am I to look forward to?

[hotnicks27]

I have geno 1a, have been on IFN-Riba therapy for 9 weeks.  I have itchy elbows, restlessness in the early morning, and a little less appetite.  I have lost 10 pounds.  But it's all bearable, dude.  You just have to try and get through it because it will be worth it if you achieve SVR!!!  I haven't missed one day of work, and I'm a dealership mechanic, so you can make it man!!!  Good luck!!!  PS- I find out my viral load in two days!!!

[kcrandy]

i cant answer the anxiety drug question.  but i know i did not need them thru my tx, but you will find there are many in here who did need them.  if you keep posting your question it will update and keep it active and at the top so that you can get more responses to your questions.  as you can see this is a pretty active group and you will see that someone will help you out.  hang in there.  :O)

[sldb]

forgot to add, lost wt. and I did work the full 96wks which helped my mood . No rescue drugs used, HEP wouldnt give them, although i felt i needed them.  

[sldb]

As stated above tx is different for everyone.  I did 96 wks., at the begining everything was pretty good.  The first 48wks were easy not too many sides, joint pain relieved, I actually felt better. The last 48wks were hard towards the end, anemia showed its ugly head, WBC'S dropped, mood b/c ugly.  I was not easy to live with the last 3 mths of tx.  I must say it was all worth it SVR now, 18mths      

[jt57]

I am so thankful I found these boards.  you guys are great.

I really anxious an scared.  Do you know if there are any anti anxiety drugs that you can take that will not affect the liver?

[kcrandy]

tx is different for everyone.  as i progressed thru tx it became more tolerable.  i did lose weight ( yay ):O), but as hippy says try to keep busy and or as active as your body will let you.  tx is a work in progress as you will see by the responses from many in the group.  you are definetely in a good group for getting support thru tx so hang in there.

[hippygem]

Treatment is different for everyone, you may not have any side effects.
You will probably lose weight, but make sure you do some form of exercise because you lose muscle while on treatment.
You may want to read my journal entry "treatment story", which will give you a better picture of what can happen and what you should do to prepare yourself.

Linda