nervous but ready

[jciswithme]

in reading about the fat intake, is that with every dose of incevik? I will be starting treatment after the Dr. gets my blood test results, so he knows my platelet count.

[Idyllic]

I second what everyone says.
I encourage you to obtain copies of every lab you have as well as the labs & reports you have had in the past.

I know you did not ask this but I was wondering what the situation (if any) could possibly be with your platelet count? Not sure exactly when you are going to start treatment but it a baseline CBC, CMB, TSH & VL at minimum are handy to have the closest to the date of your first shot (I had mine on the day of my first shot).

That way you have a basis to compare possible changes that typically occur as treatment progresses. It is a good idea to know your starting haemoglobin level, absolute neutrophil count and TSH. Even though we have labs more often during the beginning (with Incivek) this does not always mean your doctor is on top of everything. I am not trying to freak you out I am just saying it is a good idea to advocate for yourself :)

[Asuncion]

Hi, it is very important to take fat with every meal, but it is also important you choose a balance diet, don´t eat to many hamburguers and fries:
Pharmacokinetics
Telaprevir is most likely absorbed in the small intestine, with a maximum plasma drug concentration achieved four to five hours after administration of a single 750-mg oral dose of telaprevir in healthy volunteers.[14] Compared with fasting conditions, the area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) of telaprevir has been shown to increase by 117%, 237%, and 330% with low-fat (249 kcal, 3.6 g of fat), standard fat (33 kcal, 21 g of fat), and high-fat (928 kcal, 56 g of fat) meals, respectively.[14] In Phase III clinical trials, telaprevir was administered within 30 minutes of consuming a meal or snack containing approximately 20 g of fat; therefore, telaprevir should not be taken with a food low in fat.

[HectorSF]

Your doctor should be watching more than just your platelet count. The only people that need to worry about platelet counts are those with lower than normal platelets before starting treatment. Such as patients with cirrhosis of the liver. Your doctor should be monitoring for anemia and low white blood cell counts.

I hope you are seeing an experienced gastroenterologist for your hepatitis C treatment who has successful treated many patients.

Have you had a liver biopsy?
What genotype are you?
Are you working? What will happen if you become too ill to work?
Do you have any other conditions that will complicate treatment?
Are you aware of possible side effects and their treatment?

You might want to read a guide on getting ready for treatment to make sure you have all your ducks in a row, so to speak.

"A Guide to Preparing for Treatment"
http://img.medscape.com/pi/adv-handouts/hcv2012/preparing-for-treatment.pdf


Good luck with your treatment!
Hector

[working dog]

always eat your incivek on time ...the fat intake is very important too....i ate blueberry pancakes with lots of butter...2 tbs= 22 grams of fat.... i would put lots of butter on toast and eggs...billy

[uriah1]

I got used to the whole diet thing a bit....I was a little spacey though, forgetting stuff a lot, so I was sure to set the fat-gram times as alarms on my cell phone...that helped....
I didn't gain much weight - maybe 5 pounds which came off in the second half of treatment.  It's amazing I didn't gain a lot 'cause I was a total couch potato...and I felt like I was eating every few hours - lol...
Keep coming back and let us know how you're doing.  There's a ton of support here!

[coraggio]

Nausea, vomiting, burning butt, rash, I had it all and I still gained a little weight but lost it once I stopped the Incivek.  It's only for 12 wks so don't worry about it.  Keep focused on taking the Incivek 7-9 hrs apart, make sure you get the fat grams in and you should be fine.  You can take the AM ribavirin with the  1st dose of Incivek and if you eat a late lunch you can take the PM ribavirin with your 2nd dose of Incivek or take the ribavirin with dinner  A little extra fat helps with ribavirin absorbency.  The most difficult dosing for me with Incivek was the late PM.  By then, I was tired, no appetite and hated the world in general but I made sure I complied and it payed off.  I got my SVR.

[jciswithme]

Thank  you so much, that is good to know. I was thinking I just needed to take exactly a certain amount of fat, now I know a little more is good thing, except for the waist line..hahaha did you find that you didn't really gain that much weigh because of the nausea?

[coraggio]

Yes, at least 20 grams of fat with each dose. I increased my fat intake even more because I found the more fat I ate, the less anal/rectal problems I had.  It's very important you eat the required fat grams because it increases the efficacy of Incivek by around 200 percent.