Greetings
in [Hepatitis C]
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From: dog on 11 Jul 2008 04:57 Hello everyone, I'm new to this group -- this is my first post. Boy can I relate to the stories here. I don't know where my HCV came from; we think it may have been a tour in the Army during Viet Nam, but who knows. I was at stage 4 (entering cirrhosis) when we first discovered that I had Hep-C 1B. Following a liver biopsy that hospitalized me, I went through 48 weeks of pharmaceutical induced hell on earth injecting Peg Interferon weekly and taking 1600 mg of Ribavirin daily. I lived through all of the side-effects I've seen posted here so can I ever empathise. I also have to work full time despite the fatigue. I wound up having to inject another drug (which I can't think of now) to counter severe anemia caused by a large drop in hemoglobin caused by the large dosage of ribavirin (sp). The virus was undetectable from week 12 through 48. My hepatologist was certain that I was cured. I wasn't. Six week post tx clinical tests showed that the virus had come back. I went from cured to a non-responder overnight. What a ride! A year later, my vision is slightly impaired, the fatigue has lessened but never gone away, my memory can't remember short term stuff, the body aches, liver swelling and mild depression are permanent roommates as well. Now I'm just waiting on the next miracle cure to be handed down to the medical community to try out on us and trying to decide whether or not to get on the list for a liver transplant. Those of you who are contemplating starting treatment, don't contemplate -- just do it. The treatment may work for you and the side-effects will be forgotten once you're cured. Those of you currently in treatment. bless you and hang in there; it won't last forever and you CAN do it. Those of you who succeeded in eliminating the HCV and are truly cured -- WAY TO GO! For the rest of us who lived through tx and failed to beat the nasty little vermin virus, I guess Forrest Gump was right: life IS like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get -- or how you're gonna get rid of it ;o). -- Steve
From: Sara on 11 Jul 2008 12:39 <dog(a)cat.com> wrote in message news:hu5e74dgsqt2lbj9kq2nkm14h9h7dn9g5c(a)4ax.com... > Hello everyone, > > I'm new to this group -- this is my first post. > > Boy can I relate to the stories here. I don't know where my HCV came > from; we think it may have been a tour in the Army during Viet Nam, > but who knows. I was at stage 4 (entering cirrhosis) when we first > discovered that I had Hep-C 1B. > > Following a liver biopsy that hospitalized me, I went through 48 weeks > of pharmaceutical induced hell on earth injecting Peg Interferon > weekly and taking 1600 mg of Ribavirin daily. I lived through all of > the side-effects I've seen posted here so can I ever empathise. I > also have to work full time despite the fatigue. > > I wound up having to inject another drug (which I can't think of now) > to counter severe anemia caused by a large drop in hemoglobin caused > by the large dosage of ribavirin (sp). > > The virus was undetectable from week 12 through 48. My hepatologist > was certain that I was cured. I wasn't. Six week post tx clinical > tests showed that the virus had come back. I went from cured to a > non-responder overnight. What a ride! > > A year later, my vision is slightly impaired, the fatigue has lessened > but never gone away, my memory can't remember short term stuff, the > body aches, liver swelling and mild depression are permanent roommates > as well. > > Now I'm just waiting on the next miracle cure to be handed down to the > medical community to try out on us and trying to decide whether or not > to get on the list for a liver transplant. > > Those of you who are contemplating starting treatment, don't > contemplate -- just do it. The treatment may work for you and the > side-effects will be forgotten once you're cured. > > Those of you currently in treatment. bless you and hang in there; it > won't last forever and you CAN do it. > > Those of you who succeeded in eliminating the HCV and are truly cured > -- WAY TO GO! > > For the rest of us who lived through tx and failed to beat the nasty > little vermin virus, I guess Forrest Gump was right: life IS like a > box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get -- or how you're > gonna get rid of it ;o). > > -- > Steve Hi Steve, GREAT post. Welcome to ASH-C, hope to see you often :) Sara
From: dBo on 11 Jul 2008 15:53 Welcome aboard, Steve. Sorry you are here. :( Must have been a real downer to go from thinking you had it licked to finding out The Dragon was still hiding there, my sypathies. So far I have been a "cured responder", coming up on 2 year check this fall. I did the Peg Interferon weekly and taking 1200mg of Ribavirin daily plus Epogen(?) injections for the severe neutropenia. Was very anemic right from the get go, all the sides etc. It's nice to hear someone who despite not having yet (I say yet) won the War, that it is worth it to those who are thinking about it, going thru it etc. Good for you to be able to maintain that attitude despite having lost the last round. You don't mention your age, but your reference to Military Duty pretty much dates you to a Contemporary. Hope you will stick around to offer what advice, solace and compassion you can to those who as you say are trying to make decisions as well as those walking the painful walk. Will keep you in my thoughts and prayers for the next big "cure"coming down the pike.... :) Deb
From: dog on 14 Jul 2008 01:32 Hi Deb, Nice to meet you. Yeah, it knocks the wind out of your sails when the treatment fails, but I knew going in that it was a 50-50 proposition (according to my hepatologist at UT Memphis), so you just get back up and keep on keepin-on. I'm in my fifties now although some days it feels more like my late eighties - I know you know what I mean. I finally remembered that I was given Procrit for the amemia - self-injected weekly. I'm really glad that you kicked the virus and hope you're HCV-FREE forever. I will stick around and add whatever I can. It seems like there are a lot of good people in this group. Thanks much for your well-wishes. I believe that some bio-tech company will solve the mystery and develop a cure -- sure hope it's soon. ;o) -- Steve On Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:53:57 -0700 (PDT), dBo <frizzy526(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >Welcome aboard, Steve. Sorry you are here. :( Must have been a real >downer to go from thinking you had it licked to finding out The Dragon >was still hiding there, my sypathies. > >So far I have been a "cured responder", coming up on 2 year check this >fall. I did the Peg Interferon >weekly and taking 1200mg of Ribavirin daily plus Epogen(?) injections >for the severe neutropenia. Was very anemic right from the get go, all >the sides etc. > >It's nice to hear someone who despite not having yet (I say yet) won >the War, that it is worth it to those who are thinking about it, going >thru it etc. Good for you to be able to maintain that attitude despite >having lost the last round. > >You don't mention your age, but your reference to Military Duty pretty >much dates you to a Contemporary. > >Hope you will stick around to offer what advice, solace and compassion >you can to those who as you say are trying to make decisions as well >as those walking the painful walk. Will keep you in my thoughts and >prayers for the next big "cure"coming down the pike.... :) > >Deb
From: dog on 14 Jul 2008 01:36
On Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:39:44 -0400, "Sara" <puffler(a)wowway.com> wrote: > ><dog(a)cat.com> wrote in message >news:hu5e74dgsqt2lbj9kq2nkm14h9h7dn9g5c(a)4ax.com... >> Hello everyone, >> >> I'm new to this group -- this is my first post. >> >> Boy can I relate to the stories here. I don't know where my HCV came >> from; we think it may have been a tour in the Army during Viet Nam, >> but who knows. I was at stage 4 (entering cirrhosis) when we first >> discovered that I had Hep-C 1B. >> >> Following a liver biopsy that hospitalized me, I went through 48 weeks >> of pharmaceutical induced hell on earth injecting Peg Interferon >> weekly and taking 1600 mg of Ribavirin daily. I lived through all of >> the side-effects I've seen posted here so can I ever empathise. I >> also have to work full time despite the fatigue. >> >> I wound up having to inject another drug (which I can't think of now) >> to counter severe anemia caused by a large drop in hemoglobin caused >> by the large dosage of ribavirin (sp). >> >> The virus was undetectable from week 12 through 48. My hepatologist >> was certain that I was cured. I wasn't. Six week post tx clinical >> tests showed that the virus had come back. I went from cured to a >> non-responder overnight. What a ride! >> >> A year later, my vision is slightly impaired, the fatigue has lessened >> but never gone away, my memory can't remember short term stuff, the >> body aches, liver swelling and mild depression are permanent roommates >> as well. >> >> Now I'm just waiting on the next miracle cure to be handed down to the >> medical community to try out on us and trying to decide whether or not >> to get on the list for a liver transplant. >> >> Those of you who are contemplating starting treatment, don't >> contemplate -- just do it. The treatment may work for you and the >> side-effects will be forgotten once you're cured. >> >> Those of you currently in treatment. bless you and hang in there; it >> won't last forever and you CAN do it. >> >> Those of you who succeeded in eliminating the HCV and are truly cured >> -- WAY TO GO! >> >> For the rest of us who lived through tx and failed to beat the nasty >> little vermin virus, I guess Forrest Gump was right: life IS like a >> box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get -- or how you're >> gonna get rid of it ;o). >> >> -- >> Steve > >Hi Steve, GREAT post. Welcome to ASH-C, hope to see you often :) > >Sara Thanks Sara, good to be here. Still, I hope that everyone here that's still fighting the "Dragon", as Deb says, gets cured and never has to return to the list. Thanks again, Steve |