dose change

[nep75]

Hello everyone.  New here.  I have a story and a question.  

My fiance has Hep C type 1b. Biopsy 1:1, minimal damage.  He has done 26 shots on a 48 week plan.  He's been on Redipen 150 @ .5.   Started with 24 million count.  His 3 month viral load came back undetectable.  His 6 month viral load came back undetectable.  :)  Has had some really bad sides.
He's had 2 jaw surgeries and had been on Vicadin for months.  The last couple months were prescribed by his Dr.  He was feeling really bad!!  He was taking more than he should have and some of the bad sides could have been from that.  
Here's the thing... His dr. pulled him from pain meds.  So my man went off and was going to quit.  Went to see dr. he said he wasn't going to prescribe any more pain meds but could go to lower dose.  We said no, want to stay with 150.  So I called them Monday to let them know he did regular dose and is going to continue with tx.  Nurse said that doc already prescribed the 120 and went on vacation.  Asked why he lowered the dose by the nurse, he said because of the weight loss.  Didn't say anything about the sides.  The Be-In-Charge nurse we called about this said his weight was really too close to be dropping to that dose.

I was wondering if a dose drop happened to anyone else because of weight only.  His labs are fine, wb a little low but not enough to be on meds for.  I'm not liking this dr. at all.

Thanks for listening, please let me know..
~ Niki

[NYgirl]

Can you slide me his emial to my home add? I will email him tomorrow after I deal with this yucky mandatory Christmas black tie event that I do NOT want to go to tonight!

[vegas777]

I just herd on CNN the union leader said the strikers will return to work...Goof has a very good point about asking Cecil..I emailed him about me not treating and he got back to me within 48 hours...

[NYgirl]

thank you so much. don't worry i surely DONT consider it rainning on my parade

I am NOT thrilled that there is a flatline vl going on....I meet with the doctor on the 29th and if he has no words of a treatment PLAN for me if I don't start dropping (which face it I should have...something isn't right) then I am going to have to switch.  I am off all next week and going to start looking into appts right away.

I am an hour out of the city so it's not impossible - but if they would cancel the strike it would help A LOT.  I have to figure there are knowledgable doctors in the other cities in between perhaps.  The area I live in is VERY affluent (although I personally am not) and I am thinking he doesn't see all that much Hep. I would be better off in a much larger environment of a city.

He doesn't seem to KNOW too much to me considering he is good about doing what I ASK him to do - he should be the one TELLING ME what do to right?

I think tomorrow I will email Dr. Cecil or post to him or something.  Then at least I have THAT to go to my doctor with from a worldwide renowned doctor...might be helpful (although I really just want him to be more AGGRESSIVE himself).

Thanks Goofs. As always!

[iceboy]

I

[NYgirl]

Having had a three log drop at week 4 and nothing since - I'm really in a strange spot.

Had I ONLY had a 12 week I would have been happy knowing I achieved BETTER than the 2 log BUT because I know nothing has changed since week 4 having HAD that 4 week...I think it showed me it is CRUCIAL to have as many PCRs to get a REAL FEEL for what is going on as possible.

I really believe it should be every few weeks to get an accurate count of what is what for people who are NOT undetectible.  I mean there is a huge difference between 4 week and 12 week PCR time.

While my results really made me mad/sad/angry etc. I DO have a realistic view now.

It's like saying using the old test <615 I would get that UNDETECTIBLE but...it's NOT really accurate is it?

All the more knowledge the better.

[jmjm530]

Not sure you caught my other posts as things get buried with multiple topics per threads but in summrary -- (1) From your point of view you should only focus on your week 12 PCR and not the 4-week. The 4-week has the most relevancy only when non-detectible.  Not enough studies to conclude from variances between weeks 4 and 12 and; (2) If you do want to be more agressive, you have some great resources in the New York area for consults. If you didn't get the names I posted before I'll look em up again. Hope this finds you well and not too down. You did get over a three log drop at week 12, so certainly there should be good reason for hope.

-- Jim