Aa
What should I do?
My baseline viral load was extrememly low = 60,000 or 60 copies/ml. This is almost unheard of says doc. Anyway, my genotype is 1a. I have had depression all of my life. Being on the pegasys and riba have been hard but bearable until now. I am currently at 34 weeks! I have been nearly perfectly compliant with meds, missing a few ribas here and there totalling about 20 ribas the entire time.
Lately, I am freaking out from the depression because stress at work is compiling and the fatigue is really a problem. Every time I take the procrit I have what feels like bone pain. I just really cannot continue like this. I feel like I need to stop treatment or stop my job. Something has to change and I am not sure what is has to be. Thanks for your feedback.
-Polly
Lately, I am freaking out from the depression because stress at work is compiling and the fatigue is really a problem. Every time I take the procrit I have what feels like bone pain. I just really cannot continue like this. I feel like I need to stop treatment or stop my job. Something has to change and I am not sure what is has to be. Thanks for your feedback.
-Polly
Forgive me if I am confusing you with someone else: but arent you the person who posted some time back that you were a teacher and were attacked on the job?
If that is you, then possibly your anxiety would be there even if you were not on tx.
Before I go any further, I need to make sure Im not mixing you up with someone else,...is that you?
lilmoma
If that is you, then possibly your anxiety would be there even if you were not on tx.
Before I go any further, I need to make sure Im not mixing you up with someone else,...is that you?
lilmoma
Forsee: youre a fellow *controversial* member here
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Yeah, that Aloe Vera controversy you started is really beginning to get out of hand :) BTW just had Edemane and Yakitori for lunch. Got to cleanse my body of that Bacon Cheeseburger last night. Maybe I should go buy one of those Opus Dei ankle bracelets?
-- Jim
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Yeah, that Aloe Vera controversy you started is really beginning to get out of hand :) BTW just had Edemane and Yakitori for lunch. Got to cleanse my body of that Bacon Cheeseburger last night. Maybe I should go buy one of those Opus Dei ankle bracelets?
-- Jim
yeah, youre a fellow *controversial* member here, to be sure (and also a voice of intelligence, reason and cool temperament (the cool temperament especially after you've gotten off the drugs, I see you with my little eye....)...and I'm sure youre one of the only guys to wear bell-bottoms in your high-school freshman class as well...
had a Unagi and Super Maki Combo last night that would of knocked your socks off...
had a Unagi and Super Maki Combo last night that would of knocked your socks off...
Forsee eventually says: My point being, and I do have one... That if I was a young, healthy, person right now, say 28, and I could more or less pinpoint when I got infected..I would not treat with the current drugs...by the time a person like this would incur any damage, they will have much better treatment drugs...all things being equal...
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I agree with your conclusion that a young, healthy person (assuming little or no liver damage) should watch and wait, especially in today's climate of potentially exciting drugs in the pipeline. I'm not sure however, if someone with say stage 1 at let's say seven years post infection has more time to wait then let's say someone else at stage 1 who has been infected say 30 years. In fact, I believe I read that the latter would in all probablity never progress to significant liver damage because of the very slow fibrosis curve, especially if female. Frankly, I'm becoming more *unwilling* -- whopps that moniker is on reserve by someone we know :) to recommend treatment to anyone now unless they have significant liver damage or other extenuating circumstances. What really bothers me though is that no one here is talking about tomorrow's Federer/Nadal match at the French Open. I mean that Federer -- talk about hitting something hard and early :)
Hope you're getting more rest, you've mentioned several times you've been groggy lately. Hope you aren't smoking that Aloe Vera plant. I'll tell Goofy on you :)
-- Jim
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I agree with your conclusion that a young, healthy person (assuming little or no liver damage) should watch and wait, especially in today's climate of potentially exciting drugs in the pipeline. I'm not sure however, if someone with say stage 1 at let's say seven years post infection has more time to wait then let's say someone else at stage 1 who has been infected say 30 years. In fact, I believe I read that the latter would in all probablity never progress to significant liver damage because of the very slow fibrosis curve, especially if female. Frankly, I'm becoming more *unwilling* -- whopps that moniker is on reserve by someone we know :) to recommend treatment to anyone now unless they have significant liver damage or other extenuating circumstances. What really bothers me though is that no one here is talking about tomorrow's Federer/Nadal match at the French Open. I mean that Federer -- talk about hitting something hard and early :)
Hope you're getting more rest, you've mentioned several times you've been groggy lately. Hope you aren't smoking that Aloe Vera plant. I'll tell Goofy on you :)
-- Jim
Hi, yeah, maybe I didn't make myself clear. I said that if she had it from birth, then of course, she will have had the infection 28 years, other then only 5 or 6. Which is a different matter entirely and she would have to factor this longer infection time into her treatment decision.
I just meant, that I have spoken to or read several young people who had experimented with drugs (the usual ages I guess, even for our generation, though some of us kept on going) when they were 19, 20, 21, 22 or whatever....then got away from it due to being scared off, or plain old maturity setting in, or realizing they have a problem and they went into recovery, etc...., and they end up being diagnosed when they are say, 28. A relatively new phenomena because these young people can be diagnosed within a relatively short time, a question of only a few years...
Not the same for our generation. The vast majority of us didn't even know we had a problem till well after 20 years, because back then they didn't even have a name for the disease or knew next to nothing about it...
This might be controversial to say, but for myself, I am dang glad I didn't know I had the disease way back then, when I had it only, say, 7 or 8 years....because even though I had the virus, I was perfectly healthy, and they really didnt even have anything for it back then besides interferon.
Luckily for me, I quit all that crazy lifestyle way back in the early 80's and I have been living a very healthy lifestyle since then...which I firmly believe is a big reason why I don't have a more advanced case of this disease now, over 30 years after having been infected.
Of course, you can have the disease along with a healthy lifestyle and still be bad off, that can happen to *some* people, but I do think the healthy living gives you a BIG advantage in dealing with this disease for the most part....My opinion...
My point being, and I do have one, ha ha!...That if I was a young, healthy, person right now, say 28, and I could more or less pinpoint when I got infected, and I knew I had this say, only 7 or 8 years??....I would not treat with the current drugs...by the time a person like this would incur any damage, they will have much better treatment drugs...all things being equal...
Unless you don't think they'll have better treatment drugs by say, 10 years from now, and even the biggest naysayers don't believe that...
This is just my opinion, but I can't see how a doc would prescibe these drugs to a young person only having this disease 7 or 8 years...
I just meant, that I have spoken to or read several young people who had experimented with drugs (the usual ages I guess, even for our generation, though some of us kept on going) when they were 19, 20, 21, 22 or whatever....then got away from it due to being scared off, or plain old maturity setting in, or realizing they have a problem and they went into recovery, etc...., and they end up being diagnosed when they are say, 28. A relatively new phenomena because these young people can be diagnosed within a relatively short time, a question of only a few years...
Not the same for our generation. The vast majority of us didn't even know we had a problem till well after 20 years, because back then they didn't even have a name for the disease or knew next to nothing about it...
This might be controversial to say, but for myself, I am dang glad I didn't know I had the disease way back then, when I had it only, say, 7 or 8 years....because even though I had the virus, I was perfectly healthy, and they really didnt even have anything for it back then besides interferon.
Luckily for me, I quit all that crazy lifestyle way back in the early 80's and I have been living a very healthy lifestyle since then...which I firmly believe is a big reason why I don't have a more advanced case of this disease now, over 30 years after having been infected.
Of course, you can have the disease along with a healthy lifestyle and still be bad off, that can happen to *some* people, but I do think the healthy living gives you a BIG advantage in dealing with this disease for the most part....My opinion...
My point being, and I do have one, ha ha!...That if I was a young, healthy, person right now, say 28, and I could more or less pinpoint when I got infected, and I knew I had this say, only 7 or 8 years??....I would not treat with the current drugs...by the time a person like this would incur any damage, they will have much better treatment drugs...all things being equal...
Unless you don't think they'll have better treatment drugs by say, 10 years from now, and even the biggest naysayers don't believe that...
This is just my opinion, but I can't see how a doc would prescibe these drugs to a young person only having this disease 7 or 8 years...
As usual your empathetic words cut to the heart of the matter. Only Polly is in Polly
chevy says: Let me tell you something, for instance (sorry JIm to use you as an example)-- one of our members that just has show clear after 12 wks of POST tx... was UNABLE TO work full time - you HAVE...
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But I might also add that I was a stage 3 (significant liver damage) and age 59 (how do you sing "It's the last dance") LOL.
Had I had Polly's stats, with no or mild liver damage (we still don't know how much liver damage Polly has) I probably wouldn't have treated and if I did, I probably would have dropped out due to MY sides at some point. I hung in there in large part because I felt it might be Custard's last stand.
Again, going back to my first post, I'm not advising Polly to either go-ahead or drop out, just to consider the options, including talk therapy if ADs are ineffective, as she says they are.
To paraphrase "sjl" Polly is the only one walking in Polly's shoes and at least for me, it's hard to know how much mental pain she's in. Maybe it might be as simple as taking time off from her job. And, yes, if suicide ideation comes into play, talk to your doctor immediately.
Forsee,
Very possible I'm reading you wrong, but I think you inferred that if Polly had gotten the disease at birth it might progress faster? Anyway, from what I understand, the earlier you get the disease, the better your chance of SVR. So, in other words, a stage 2 who got infected at age 20 and treated at age 40 would have a better chance of SVR than a stage 2 who got infected at age 39 and treated at age 40 -- everything else being equal.
-- Jim
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But I might also add that I was a stage 3 (significant liver damage) and age 59 (how do you sing "It's the last dance") LOL.
Had I had Polly's stats, with no or mild liver damage (we still don't know how much liver damage Polly has) I probably wouldn't have treated and if I did, I probably would have dropped out due to MY sides at some point. I hung in there in large part because I felt it might be Custard's last stand.
Again, going back to my first post, I'm not advising Polly to either go-ahead or drop out, just to consider the options, including talk therapy if ADs are ineffective, as she says they are.
To paraphrase "sjl" Polly is the only one walking in Polly's shoes and at least for me, it's hard to know how much mental pain she's in. Maybe it might be as simple as taking time off from her job. And, yes, if suicide ideation comes into play, talk to your doctor immediately.
Forsee,
Very possible I'm reading you wrong, but I think you inferred that if Polly had gotten the disease at birth it might progress faster? Anyway, from what I understand, the earlier you get the disease, the better your chance of SVR. So, in other words, a stage 2 who got infected at age 20 and treated at age 40 would have a better chance of SVR than a stage 2 who got infected at age 39 and treated at age 40 -- everything else being equal.
-- Jim
So sorry your having a hard time. just curious if your doc knew about your hx of depression before you started tx. I was just told by my therapist that she is wrighting a letter to my hepc dr. to let him know that she strongly reccomends I don't start tx because of my emotional state, which is pretty funny because i'm in this state because i can't make a decision about tx. I guess it was taken out of my hands. anyway I was very angry about it until I read your post and realize its probably for the best. Sorry to vent but if it makes you feel at all better you did help someone today, sorry it was due to your discomfort. If I were you Id do all I could to treat the depression and try to go on.
thanx
thanx
Hi, I think Flguy, Jim and some others gave you some good advice...do you by any chance know how long you have been infected? To me that factors in as well, I've spoken to some younger people like you, who think they prob got it through say, drug experimentation, (the way I got it) and it had only been say, 5 or 6 years since they had done that...
Then, we're talking about having this, rather slow moving disease for 5 or 6 years at this point, and their docs told them to go ahead and treat anyway...this makes no sense to me...just reading these boards, and in general, the vast majority of people do not become particulary sick with the disease for at least 15 years (if they have been taking relatively good care of themselves SINCE the drug experimentation) many here didn't start getting symptoms, or markers there was something wrong for 20, 25 years into their disease...it can take that long before the disease starts to do damage.....if I was that young, feeling perfectly well with great labs and no liver damage, FOR ME THAT IS, I just wouldn't risk the sides, possilbe long term effects (autoimmune diseases, etc.) for the odds of cure...
Of course, if you think you've had it from birth then you have had it awhile...and then some people can't pinpoint when they got it, it's more complicated for them...
Course, there is something to be said for treating at a younger age, your system can handle it better (in some cases) and there's thought to be a higher SVR rate, etc...but this all might be moot anyway, you might of already cleared this sucker! with a starting viral load like that...maybe talk to your hepatologist, or maybe a few for extra opinions if you can, about some of these issues we've spoken about here on this thread...good luck to you whatever you decide, in the end, these decisions are personal...
Dog_Lover: if spending all your time with your dog makes you certifable, sign me up...so nice to be with a creature that is just there for you - and you for it, silent and caring, both watching the world go by...I LOVE DOGS!!! ha ha
Then, we're talking about having this, rather slow moving disease for 5 or 6 years at this point, and their docs told them to go ahead and treat anyway...this makes no sense to me...just reading these boards, and in general, the vast majority of people do not become particulary sick with the disease for at least 15 years (if they have been taking relatively good care of themselves SINCE the drug experimentation) many here didn't start getting symptoms, or markers there was something wrong for 20, 25 years into their disease...it can take that long before the disease starts to do damage.....if I was that young, feeling perfectly well with great labs and no liver damage, FOR ME THAT IS, I just wouldn't risk the sides, possilbe long term effects (autoimmune diseases, etc.) for the odds of cure...
Of course, if you think you've had it from birth then you have had it awhile...and then some people can't pinpoint when they got it, it's more complicated for them...
Course, there is something to be said for treating at a younger age, your system can handle it better (in some cases) and there's thought to be a higher SVR rate, etc...but this all might be moot anyway, you might of already cleared this sucker! with a starting viral load like that...maybe talk to your hepatologist, or maybe a few for extra opinions if you can, about some of these issues we've spoken about here on this thread...good luck to you whatever you decide, in the end, these decisions are personal...
Dog_Lover: if spending all your time with your dog makes you certifable, sign me up...so nice to be with a creature that is just there for you - and you for it, silent and caring, both watching the world go by...I LOVE DOGS!!! ha ha
To keep the virus that low you probably have a 28 year old immune system. I had one once. There will never be a good time to do this treatment. You could either turn thirty with SVR or turn 30 still having the hep and your immune system getting more tired every year. You have 34 weeks in the books. Get it over with and get rid of it for good. You were probably clear at 4 weeks if you started at such a low level - head for 40. That gives you 6 weeks left. Walk in the park.
By the way, I hate ADs too. I also laughed about your destructive comment because I was at my sons little league game tonight and came within an inch of knocking some guy out - wanna know why? He was eating peanuts! Shells on the ground. Talking too loud. Friggin peanut smell makin me sick. I wanted to kill this sunfabich and just about every other chair totin fat as! kid worshipin non hepc assho!e out there. And get this - I finished tx three weeks ago! So even if you stop you are still going to be miserable as sh!t so might as well keep going LOL! Just my two cents. Good luck.
By the way, I hate ADs too. I also laughed about your destructive comment because I was at my sons little league game tonight and came within an inch of knocking some guy out - wanna know why? He was eating peanuts! Shells on the ground. Talking too loud. Friggin peanut smell makin me sick. I wanted to kill this sunfabich and just about every other chair totin fat as! kid worshipin non hepc assho!e out there. And get this - I finished tx three weeks ago! So even if you stop you are still going to be miserable as sh!t so might as well keep going LOL! Just my two cents. Good luck.
I do agree that her treatment for this disease is more important than any job, get FMLA, or whatever to see you through treatment n terms of finances....but if there are real bad depression issues present, some things she hasn't spoken about, and she really can't take AD's (some people can't, they actually make them worse)
I would think she needs to talk to more professional people besides us re whether to quit or not, given the scant info she's already given us...
we can only give our opinions, for what ever they are worth regarding these issues, and of course we won't all agree...I think she should really speak to some professionals, some things are really beyond our ken...
I would think she needs to talk to more professional people besides us re whether to quit or not, given the scant info she's already given us...
we can only give our opinions, for what ever they are worth regarding these issues, and of course we won't all agree...I think she should really speak to some professionals, some things are really beyond our ken...
I've been staring at this blank box for some time at a loss of words for you. The emotional drag with this stuff is great - almost too much to deal with at times. We all have options, and you may have more than most. With your age and no liver damage you could exercise the option to stop, regroup, replan and go at this from another angle. That angle could be to wait a few years and give it a shot with less rude drugs that should become available and will likely have a higher success rate that what you may be facing now. With your low vl, age and mabye a younger immune system, maybe you've already won the battle. The info Jim gave you about the 4-week undetectable, maybe it applies to you - without having a 4 week pcr. You did not have that many to kill in the first place and you were conscientious about med compliance. It's tough that you face all these risks with a disease that seems better suited for us older types. There is no shame in walking away to face a battle another day when you may be better equipped (emotionally and with better drugs). I hope you make a decision that's right for you and I hope you get and stay well. Wish I had better answers, but I have good wishes for you. By the way, my daugther loves Polly Pockets - they are all over the house and they all have names too. But I don't think she has named any of them Peg or Riba.
Just a thought about depression - this is not necessarily a comment on Polly's problem but something it made me think about. In my first go round with the combo I became "depressed." It was not the blues or some sadness or irritability kind of thing. I thought I knew what it was like to be depressed but this was a whole other level. It was the darkest and scariest place imaginable. It was so dark and so frightening that it kicked the as! of every stinkin AD I took and made me feel like some robot zombie man and I knew it was stop or that I would kill myself and I knew I was capable of doing it and was having some fun thinking about it. I stopped tx. I did not ask anyone's opinion. Didnt call the help line. No advice from my friends. I had to get out of there to save my life and I did not care one bit about hep or tx or anything. My feeling is that if your asking about whether it is wise to stop - you shouldnt stop. The stuff that will stop you, will stop you so hard and so cold that it is not an elective thing, it is mandatory and takes precedence over everything else. And the clue about when you are there is that if you are about to die from the tx, you should probably stop and take your chances with the virus. For everything else hang in there, it will get better.
Just a little good cheer from the sidelines. I still have some Riba in me so this may be a little hard edged - I really cant tell yet just how nutty I am at times. Just dont eat peanuts around me!
Just a little good cheer from the sidelines. I still have some Riba in me so this may be a little hard edged - I really cant tell yet just how nutty I am at times. Just dont eat peanuts around me!
Polly,i do understand,its the riba/interferon.What kind of work do you do?I aslo dranked alot of H2o at work,close to a gallon a day which i brought with me.People always comented about it but i said it was a healthy habit,which it is.My point being it helped with massive daily hydration,seemed to flush the system and clear the head a little.Also try ambien CR,sleep is so important and the sides do not help your sleep at least it did to me.I slept with nightly ambein thru treatment and seem to be able to work those 40 hrs with alot of mondays off to pace myself with the treatment / pegasys 1.8-1200...hang in their
You have received good advice, but when it gets right down to it, you are the decision maker.You know how your body feels-I know depression is at the top of your list,BUT, are their any other bad symtoms you are experiencing? If so, maybe we all could give you some solutions that have worked for us. Depression is a horrible disease-yes disease-but, it is controllable. I can't imagine going through this therapy without an aide. Have you spoken to your Doctor about this and the extent of your depression? I would definitely look into FMLA,you will find that your work is not as important as you once thought it was. Give yourself a break from work, you deserve it. You have come so far that I can't imagine quitting-but once again, you know your capabilities. I am sure with the right medications coupled with some time off from work (by the way this is what FMLA was created for) to help people in crisis, and I believe that Hep C falls under this category for most of us. My wish for you is the endurance to finish the therapy and I will keep you in my prayers, as I have been exactly where you are during treatment. It will get better!
Sandy
Sandy
Wow, so many good thoughts expressed here, I can agree with so much, one thing in particular, as my depression goes really deep & I am bi-polar anyway, so I had to get a 'permission slip' from my psy before I could even start tx. Even with the AD's, my depression still comes out & usually in the form of anger. I have found as someone else said, a good week of complaining helps, exercise, even with the fatigue, I can mow my small lawn. I have pushed over chairs, not broken furniture yet, don't plan to, but if I get destructive, I've planned ahead to make sure I don't have a big mess to clean up. (way back when I used to break glasses in the sink)
Therefore as silly as this might sound, there is a lot of good advise being said here on this particular thread. I know it's not easy, I feel like crying, whinning, and yelling..oh yeah, a good variety of music that lets you 'belt out' some vocals is also helpful. and knowing that this will end, that it won't go on forever....right?
Therefore as silly as this might sound, there is a lot of good advise being said here on this particular thread. I know it's not easy, I feel like crying, whinning, and yelling..oh yeah, a good variety of music that lets you 'belt out' some vocals is also helpful. and knowing that this will end, that it won't go on forever....right?
Polly, do you do any exercise? Are you able to? That kind of agression could be mitigated by a serious walk up a big fat hill. If you are unable or I missed something very obvious I'm sorry.
Dog_Lover
Dog_Lover
I decided not to take anti depressants myself, but I did see a shrink. I found spending an hour a week non-stop complaining about my side effects, doctors, family, friends, etc, was very therapeutic :) Something you may want to consider. Also you might look into Hep C support groups in your area or just general support groups for folks in crisis, and to a lot of us that is exactly what hep c treatment is. Hope things work out whatever you decide.
-- Jim
-- Jim
Thank you for your responses. To answer your questions, no I am not taking any antidepressants. I have tried everything and nothing works, in addition gives me more side effects. I have depression coupled with PTSD so that is a difficult combo since PTSD sends your nervous system into wack on occasion.
I am not a veteran or anything. I am 28 years old. I do not take anything except for the occasional ibuprofen for pain and tend to stay up if I cannot sleep. I occasionally take benedryl to help me sleep. I was undetectable at week 12 and he did not check me at week 4. I have no liver damage at all. My liver enzymes were high before I started treatment.
I dunno. I feel like I am losing it. I want to be destructive. I won't do anything but I feel that way a lot. I know I am doing this to help myself. I can deal with any kind of physical pain but this psychological **** of anger, anxiety, paranoia and depression is really pssing me off. I have investigated options at work for taking leave but I really don't want to. I love to work. I may have to. I don't want to go thru this **** again and maybe I should just finish to 48 weeks. My doc said that I could go to 40 but we will see.
I am not a veteran or anything. I am 28 years old. I do not take anything except for the occasional ibuprofen for pain and tend to stay up if I cannot sleep. I occasionally take benedryl to help me sleep. I was undetectable at week 12 and he did not check me at week 4. I have no liver damage at all. My liver enzymes were high before I started treatment.
I dunno. I feel like I am losing it. I want to be destructive. I won't do anything but I feel that way a lot. I know I am doing this to help myself. I can deal with any kind of physical pain but this psychological **** of anger, anxiety, paranoia and depression is really pssing me off. I have investigated options at work for taking leave but I really don't want to. I love to work. I may have to. I don't want to go thru this **** again and maybe I should just finish to 48 weeks. My doc said that I could go to 40 but we will see.
It's strings like this that make me wish we were all in the same town and could run errands for each other. I know that there are probably local volunteer organizations that may handle this but if they all shared a common problem it would make a big difference. I seem a bit spacey today, well anyone who spends all his time with his dogs is probably in need of some kind of counseling. Hope you all have a safe and restful weekend
Peace
Dog_Lover
Peace
Dog_Lover
I have always thought that for all the stress and angst it causes that doctor's should be able to prescribe money. I guess that's really not practical but think of all the grief and stress it would eliminate. OK, back from Fantasyland and to the real world. Do you have spousal support? Family? Church affiliations? Are you a Veteran? Have you looked into some kind of paid leave from work? Does your job allow you to have people donate sick leave to you? Have you been in touch with the Liver groups? Are you getting your meds for free? Is your boss cool? Really sorry for the third degree but I just hoped something might jar loose as I rambled on ... No, OK, do you have any support? My situation is a little less tenable since I'm in the Veteran's program, hell, I haven't started treatment yet and I'm scared stiff over it. I'm not going to tell you to buck up, I have no idea what you are going through and I have support up the ying-yang, including this forum. I know I haven't said much but I hope something jarred loose. Just one day at a time and it's now the weekend and hopefully you can get some very well deserved rest.
Peace.
Dog_Lover
Peace.
Dog_Lover
Have you cleared the virus yet? If so, when?
I want to encourage you to hang in there as long as you can unless you're feeling suicidal. Have you talked to your doctor about your antidepressant? Maybe he can adjust it for you. He might also be able to give you something for the pain.
I am so sorry you're having a tough time. You have come a long way and you don't have that much longer. Try to keep you chin up and rest as much as possible. Come here anytime you need to vent.
Are you getting enough water?
I want to encourage you to hang in there as long as you can unless you're feeling suicidal. Have you talked to your doctor about your antidepressant? Maybe he can adjust it for you. He might also be able to give you something for the pain.
I am so sorry you're having a tough time. You have come a long way and you don't have that much longer. Try to keep you chin up and rest as much as possible. Come here anytime you need to vent.
Are you getting enough water?
Sorry you're having a hard time with side effects.
I assume you're on anti-depressants, seeing a shrink, and have discussed increasing dosage or even a change in meds. If not, you might want to see someone.
That said, it's really a hard call to advise anyone what to do regarding cutting treatment short. Of course, we can just cheer you on to the finish line, but personally I think it more complicated then that. A lot has to do with how serious your side effects are, how much liver damage you have, and how strong did you respond to the medications.
For example, if you were non-detectible at week 4 via a sensitive test, as well as having a pre-tx viral load (you did) then one study suggests 24 weeks of treatment is enough for geno 1's. If I had those stats, difficult sides, plus no significant liver damage, then I might consider 24 weeks being enough. On the other hand, if I had significant liver damage (stage 3 or 4) I might try and gut out the 48 weeks because I'd have more to lose if I relapsed.
If you weren't non-detectible at week 4 (or weren't tested) then you're more or less flying blind when you cut treatment short. It becomes a real judgement call where you weigh the risk of continuing (sides, work, etc) against the risks of cutting treatment short (less chance of SVR).
So no real opinion here, just some thoughts. If you do decided to continue, maybe you can take some time off from work as that seems to be a problem.
Looking back at my own treatment, I also started thinking about quitting around week 36 but fortunately things got better from week 42-54. So things do not necessarily have to keep getting worse. So one strategy is not to make a treat for 48 week or quit decision now, but to take it one week at a time and keep evaluating. By the time you make up your mind, you might even be finished :) All the best luck.
-- Jim
I assume you're on anti-depressants, seeing a shrink, and have discussed increasing dosage or even a change in meds. If not, you might want to see someone.
That said, it's really a hard call to advise anyone what to do regarding cutting treatment short. Of course, we can just cheer you on to the finish line, but personally I think it more complicated then that. A lot has to do with how serious your side effects are, how much liver damage you have, and how strong did you respond to the medications.
For example, if you were non-detectible at week 4 via a sensitive test, as well as having a pre-tx viral load (you did) then one study suggests 24 weeks of treatment is enough for geno 1's. If I had those stats, difficult sides, plus no significant liver damage, then I might consider 24 weeks being enough. On the other hand, if I had significant liver damage (stage 3 or 4) I might try and gut out the 48 weeks because I'd have more to lose if I relapsed.
If you weren't non-detectible at week 4 (or weren't tested) then you're more or less flying blind when you cut treatment short. It becomes a real judgement call where you weigh the risk of continuing (sides, work, etc) against the risks of cutting treatment short (less chance of SVR).
So no real opinion here, just some thoughts. If you do decided to continue, maybe you can take some time off from work as that seems to be a problem.
Looking back at my own treatment, I also started thinking about quitting around week 36 but fortunately things got better from week 42-54. So things do not necessarily have to keep getting worse. So one strategy is not to make a treat for 48 week or quit decision now, but to take it one week at a time and keep evaluating. By the time you make up your mind, you might even be finished :) All the best luck.
-- Jim
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