Week 8: Wow.. can this suck worse?

[HippyHal]

Week 7 went south, and week 8 has the glide path of an unpowered 747..  Itch, constant cough, constipation, belly swollen, up almost 15 pounds, little sleep, no energy, no nothing! dry mouth no matter how much water you drink, dont want to eat anything..  even cereal in the am is too "dry".  Force feeding this 20 grams of fat is getting to be like walking to the gallows, even opening that little blister pak of purple pills is starting to **** me off!  :)

Ok.. off the rant.. my bad :)  Week 8 started Friday with another 90 of interferon since platelets are running around mid 40's.  HGB is 10.6 and steady.. both red and white blood cell counts are down.. but as the Dr. puts it.. you are bumping along.. take another 90!

My last month supply of incivek showed up on the doorstep yesterday..  Hopefully, it is as saturated in my body as it can get and can get no worse!  I cannot wait these last 30 days or so to hopefully NEVER open another incivek blister pak...  

Thank God I have my wife and friends, not to mention an understanding boss that is giving me the support and air cover I need to get through this without worrying about too much other stuff!  I am (rant aside) truly blessed.

Cheers!

[crossroadsec]

Ditto. Week 33- bleeding gums, cracked fingers, up w itch unless I take ambien. Elephant on my chest. Biotene works n I tried everything. Balneol cream did too for bottom. Has ur dr mentioned Promacta? I got up to 61 n now take it every other day.
Maybe no comfort in this: you're going down a much traveled road. I think ranting is part of the path to success. Hang in there!
About hair... Shedding is getting less. And I'm even wearing my wig for my evaluation at work tomorrow. Don't like it... But it works.
This ALL too shall pass.
Tired n whiney,
Karen :)

[rivll]

I have so much admiration for you all and the strength you have to go through this. I am waiting to start the "roll over"" in 3 weeks, I will begin Riba and the new (formerly PSI ) Gilead oral. I am not on anything but since the virus returned, so have the symptoms-not as horrendous as what you are experiencing, but intense itching, bleeding, swollen belly, sores and fatigue. If I didn't know that the rollover would do it and if I hadn't had those few days of euphoric health (No symptoms whatsoever) I don't think I would have much fight left. Bless you all, you give this wimp a spark of courage just reading the rants.

[TexSunflwr]

I meant "there" not "their". Doh...brain fog!

[TexSunflwr]

Hang in their, buddy! You're not alone!

[mykids247]

everytime I do my hair i feel like I just groomed a golden retreiver. Then I think after I get really sad and and really mad ( l loved my hair)! that its better to lose a few million hairs and live a long and healthy life. I hope that can take me through the next four weeks. Hope this stuff works. Getting very difficult as the end gets closer, so afraid of relapse......at my age that wouldnt be good. But I have been und since week four so...........stay the course  :) fingers crossed and many prayers. Anyone know how long the shedding lasts after treatment stops?

[brianmo]

Hair everywhere is a good way to put it! It's driving me nuts. Even when I sit with morning coffee that still taste like metal but I drink it anyway, I can see pieces of hair in cup. Now I am so paranoid about hair in food.  Besides for the itching this is the worse.  I brought my first wig! It's adorable but have no courage to wear it out.....baby steps.