Jim what do ya think?

[Myown]

Hey Jim!!
I went to the doctor and while there, I asked him if I can taper down at the end. He said sure. For some reason (stupid I guess) I forgot to ask him how long does the tapering go on and how much do you cut back each week.

No big deal - I'll find out next visit, but I'm curious. Do you know the formula that the doctors are using that have begun to do this? And what's your opinion on the taper down?

I was going to try to start tx beginning of March, but have to do some studio work for someone and I don't want to take the chance of not feeling good,,,so it will be more towards the end of March that I start tx as long as I finish what I have to do - just incase you are wondering if I have a start date.

I have to go somewhere with my husband, so if you are around I won't be back on forum until tonight (maybe ) or tomorrow - I don't want you to think that I asked you something and then never got back to you.

Thanks Jimmmmmmmmie!
MO

[Myown]

http://www.esqlimo.net/limousine_in_the_bay_area_article.html
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"I am so paranoid, I have no idea how I ever said this about you! LOL  
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HAHA!! You are too funny!

If you get that stressed, don't drive - its not worth the worry and feeling sick over it.

There are other limo's on the net in your area too- google it, maybe you can find a better price than $65 an hour. I don't know how far it is from your house to HR - but the price is worth it if you are that nervous. Check out a regular taxie too and compare price. Much cheaper to do the cab I would think - but so much nicer the limo:)
love you too,
MO

[alagirl]

I was in LA in June.  Have you been there before?  Its really not that bad - no worse than any other large city.  I mean, traffic is traffic.

[sfbaygirl]

Okay, guess I am old school, used to drive all over Europe. How do I hire a chauffeur? I would be happy to do so. That sure would alleve my fears!  So where do I go to get one?  I know you are on the right coast, but I am sure the left coast has some of these guys...where do I go?  I am so paranoid, I have no idea how I ever said this about you! LOL  I am leaving tonight, so I don't blow it in the morning.  I can't believe I am so uptight.  Driving in Germany for a year all over Europe and Morroco?  C'mon, I was never a wuss until now!   Okay,  Calm down Linda, you can do this....get a shuttle, a cab or preferably a limo.  Still I have been obsessed about this all week!  What the  hell is wrong with me?  Help MO, I know you can!  

Love you sweetie...taking my laptop and will check in the morning.

Linda

[sfbaygirl]

Okay, guess I am old school, used to drive all over Europe. How do I hire a chauffeur? I would be happy to do so. That sure would alleve my fears!  So where do I go to get one?  I know you are on the right coast, but I am sure the left coast has some of these guys...where do I go?  I am so paranoid, I have no idea how I ever said this about you! LOL  I am leaving tonight, so I don't blow it in the morning.  I can't believe I am so uptight.  Driving in Germany for a year all over Europe and Morroco?  C'mon, I was never a wuss until now!   Okay,  Calm down Linda, you can do this....get a shuttle, a cab or preferably a limo.  Still I have been obsessed about this all week!  What the  hell is wrong with me?  Help MO, I know you can!  

Love you sweetie...taking my laptop and will check in the morning.

Linda

[Myown]

Oh my MO, you are just so paranoid sometimes, you crack me up.
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LOL its not paranoia.I would have 48 weeks of all this interferon and now I would be tapering off - if anything comes out of the wood work, the Alinia would grab it-hopefully(?)and that would give my own immune system time to get back on its feet - who knows.

I don't like the "Trolley Track" and I am happy my doc is letting me do all this and is very open to my suggestions. He's a doll and we get along great.

Good luck with your fibroscan!

Driving scares you?? I'm surprised. I like to drive - except in NYC. It is very aggravating to drive there. Public trans is so much better. A chauffeur (full time) would be my first choice though.*grin*

Thanks for your encouragement!

Nitey-night...

[sfbaygirl]

Oh my MO, you are just so paranoid sometimes, you crack me up.  You know what is the cool thing?  The Alina could reduce your VL and make you much more suseptible to a low VL at the start!  I hope so. you are my hero going at it again.  I don't have your courage.  I just can't do this again soon.  Thankfully you have the Alina and the SOC, going the full 48 weeks, huh?  You are going to SVR for sure this time. I know it.  

Hope you aren't getting that flu, if so those anti virals will kill it.  

ALL MY BEST!  I am off to see HR, scared to death of LA and driving....uggggh. Going to get a fibroscan. Not scared of that, but driving scares me to death.

Linda

[Myown]

Thanks guys!
I was so happy my doctor said okay. I'll now ask him too and see what his taper off method would be.

I am on the Alinia now - para's are gone, but will continue to take Alinia and take it right through tx. I also asked him if I could continue the Alinia beyond the 48 weeks with the taper off and he agreed to that too. I gave him my opinion of why I wanted to and he said fine - no problem.

He did a VL test today to see if Alinia mono is doing anything at all. I told him that the para doc said all my blood work is back, but he did not receive the VL test back yet and would call me when he does. That VL test at para doc was after taking Alin. for 6 days.

So I said to my hep doc, the first VL test for Alin was done last Thurs and I still haven't heard word cause the doc is still waiting on that - wouldn't that be something if it went below and now needs that second test..... I'm trying to think postive and then I start thinking the lab may have lost it and thats why the para doc is still waiting. Who knows - I just have to wait. But it is weird that I get the bone pain now and then just like the interferon did to me - but not painful like SOC was - but its still there. It also makes me feel woozy sometimes - like right now. I took it an hour ago. So feeling all this makes me think it is doing something to the virus - but who knows? I will see soon I guess. Other than that - no sx effects at all and the ones I mentioned are not all the time.

That problem I have with my ear, I can feel things breaking up - moving - ya know how when you are conjested in your head and it starts to leave and you can feel something inside your throat moving down - not post nasal - its more like under the skin -in the tissue. So it may be helping my ear problem too - hopefully. I get a Cat Scan tomorrow.


Jasper, how nice of you to offer. I would like that very much. You can PM me whenever you want and I will give you my regular email address and cell phone if you would like. Thanks so much.

[geterdone]

I’m kinda busy at the moment but if I’m still around when you’re close to ending treatment I would be glad to correspond with you about the subject at that time.

jasper

[jmjm530]

That is also my understanding of how it might work, but to clarify -- my personal decision not to taper had nothing to do with starting the taper before or after the prescribed EOT.

[FlGuy]

If I remember correctly, and I might not, I think HR suggested that the taper period would be after the full course of tx and not part of the prescribed tx.

[cruelworld]

it seems like ive seen anywhere from 1 month to 3 months taper off here on the forum.
im doing 7 weeks. i feel that this would give your immune system a minimum of enough time to kick back in.
i wouldnt do less than that but thats just my opinion.
reduce dosage as evenly as you can over the time period to end at zero dose. im speeding up the riba reduction a little  because it stays in your system longer
i dont think any real research is available on this issue. just remember that the day you start tapering is the day you have reached eot. (you are not bug killing anymore) (hypothetically)

[jmjm530]

I assume you're talking about tapering down the Peg, because riba has such a long half life that there's a pretty good built in taper already.

The "taper formula" has been convered in detail previously by "HR" who does advocate tapering.

Personally, I didn't taper down, nor do I have a firm opinion one way or the other on the subject. To oversimplify "HR" postulated that tapering might smooth the "handover" from the interferon-fueled immune system to the post interferon immune system, and therefore prevent what might be considered an immunity system trough (shortly after tx was stopped) where the virus could gain a foot hold again. Of course, this assumes that there is virus still there to gain a foot hold -- which some dispute -- but that's another ball of wax.

When I was treating, I did bring up the tapering concept up with two of my doctors and both said just to stop the meds all at once, so obviously they didn't share HR's concerns.

I also figured, as with riba, that there was a built-in taper -- albeit less than with riba -- even if you stopped all at once as in SOC. And that built-in taper was  due to interferon's own half life.

And lastly, since my tx was going so well -- RVR and UND monthly via Heptimax -- I was reluctant to throw in anything unorthodox for fear that it might actually have a negative effect on SVR for some unknown reason. Had treatment not been going so well -- slow response for example -- then I might have been more open to something different, if that makes sense to you.

But again, no real opinions one way or the other, except that if you do decide to taper, probably best to start the taper at the end of whatever tx period you and your doctor decides on. For example, if you plan on treating 24 weeks, then start to taper at week 25, because if you start to taper earlier, in effect you are cutting short your SOC course.

Curious, is the doctor that said "sure" the same doctor you treated with last time or another doctor?

As to posting on the wrong side, is that like sleeping on your husband's side of the bed or does he just get whatever side is left over?

-- Jim

[sfbaygirl]

Hey girl!  HR suggests tapering down, I think he means after the amt of time you are going to be on tx. Don't want to put words in his mouth, but that was my take. He thinks it is bad to just stop tx all at once. Your immune system and natural interferon are not used to having to work on tx. Once off tx it takes time for that natural interferon to get going again, so therefore it is good to taper off the interferon, like half doses etc.  Anyway, that was my take on the tapering.  

Linda

[Myown]

I meant to post this on the other side.