Venting trip with Vic

[jackelyn415]

Hey everyone I'm on week 7 of treatment on Thursday ill take my 8th shot I've been a little down lately but I don't think it's a side effect of the meds I just think it's from everything else going wrong in my life:( without being able to get a job things have been really hard for me! I feel like I have no motivation to do anything anymore but I felt this way a little before I started treatment but its getting worse. I can't sleep the whole night through ill get up like 15 times for no good reason then ill get some water and end up eating something! I'm gaining weight to I feel like my appetite has gone up!which the weight gain is bringing me the blues I don't even feel comfortable in my own skin right now and I feel like I'm becoming socially awkward...idk... Anyway just was venting a bit I go to my doc on the 16th to get a legit answer as to what my 4 week viral load is and soon After that ill get my 8 week done at this point I have no idea how well I'm responding to the meds and it's been stressful for me. Today I started to have some mouth issues my teeth hurt and my toung is soar also. I mean I have no soars but it feels like I bit my toung  really hard. I brush my teeth twice a day and try to drink as much water as possible! I've got to get something for this dry mouth also! I feel like I should be feeling worse its got me worried cause I still read if you don't at least have a decent drop in your hbg then the meds may not be working well with you I'm just trying to go with the flow I've only just begun really. I think these drugs may be getting to me mentally but I don't want to believe that just yet I know I've got a lot of stress so that don't help that's bad for your health alone! It's probably foolish of me to complain of these small issues but I don't feel comfortable talking to people (friends and family) about how I feel! Feel like I'm asking for a pity party which is not the case but I feel that way I feel it makes people down when I talk about it so I usually just keep to myself

[jackelyn415]

Thank you two very much  for replying god bless you both!

[frijole]

sorry for the bad typing.  plastic and results......

[frijole]

Love the title.

I would be pissed too if I did not have my 4 week results and it is now at week 8.  Where are you getting your labs drawn?  If it is LabCorp, you can sign up online to receive your labs online with an email when they are posted.  It is not foolproof (they missed some of mine) but it sure is better than waiting for the doctor.  I was pretty assertive when I treated.  I asked for the QuantaSure (which is a very sensitive test and costs more than the regular test) and asked for a VL test after the second week of VIC.  Most doctor's response will be that the insurance companies won't pay for it, but my experience is, if the doctor orders it, the insurance company will pay.

Having a metallic taste in the mouth is one sx of VIC.  Dry mouth is an sx of the interferon.   One recommendation is to use platic ware instead of silverware.  I never did that because I hate plastic forks.   I sucked tic tacks for the dryness.  One suggestion I received was to suck on lemon drops.  I never did like the taste of the Biotene mouthwash but it is supposed to be very good like swimmer said.

I hope you find out soon what those results are.  Before the online services at LabCorp, I went to LabCorp the next day and they would run the resluts for me.  At first they were reluctant but the docor okay'ed it and they were fine with it all throughout tx.

[1swimmer]

Just want to add, don't worry about hgb. Mine dropped gradually, which is good because it made it easier for me to adjust. My lowest was around 9.5 and then I was on procrit to boost it back up. If you get hard copies of your labs you can compare them with each new report. This is the kind of stuff you may want to discuss with your doctor. Big drops in blood counts are one of the big concerns.
C

[1swimmer]

Okay, I get you. I think inactivity because of the drugs, makes our muscles mushy really fast. It's a temporary thing. I remember when I started feeling really unmotivated too. I hated that feeling too but it wasn't constant. Talk to your doctor if depression persists.
Sleep, what's that? I did boceprevir and the only time I slept good was when i caught the flu.i actually learned to take my morning dose while half asleep. I would get up, eat a banana, swallow my pills, down a Hugh glass of water and eat a slice of cheese as I hit the pillow. Then I had to get up 2 hours later for work.
I swear by the biotene toothpaste. It helps the dry mouth and is very gentle. There is a mouthwash and gum too.
Perhaps small meals or snacks throughout the day will help you adjust your eating habits. I gained some weight too, and now, after tx I am getting back on track.
Chin up, you'll make it,
C