Has anyone done the treatment and was happy they did???? Is the treatment that harsh??? Will I feel better after the treatment? My doctor wants me to treat because its active and my viral load is 8 million...
Thanks for any answers.....

It is different for all. But yes, it can be very harsh indeed. I was on for 13 shots, and regret deeply that I did it. I was damaged for life, but not all or most people are. Do you have a great, compassionate doc? Does he really know hep C. What does your liver biopsy show. How do you feel? Do you drink? What is your genotype? How long have you had it?

These are very important questions that you need to answer before you can make an informed decision.

Good luck.

No biopsy at this time because the doctor said lets just kill this virsus and you'll be ok in 6 months. I do like her and she only treats hep c. I'm genotype 2b. I quit drinking heavy 15 years ago, now a beer here and there. I feel tired a lot, muscle aches, fever every so often, headaches. not at all I use too I can tell I'm slowing down. I've only known since Nov. 05 I'm suppose start tx in a week and scard too. My type of work is supervising compt labs and 32 students. Lots of meetings. Will people notice a big change??? ok need my coffee....Thanks for any info

Hi,...you can only make the decision to treat on your own, but you do need to make an informed decision. I have talked to a few people who have gone thru the tx and came out ok, other's have not. The tx is harsh, the medicine is harsh. Yes, you will probably have to cut back your work time eventually. Just make sure if you're doing the shot, do it only when you have the next couple of days off. You will need it to get your strength back. Good luck....TonicDi

No biopsy at this time because the doctor said lets just kill this virsus and you'll be ok in 6 months. I do like her and she only treats hep c. I'm genotype 2b. I quit drinking heavy 15 years ago, now a beer here and there. I feel tired a lot, muscle aches, fever every so often, headaches. not at all I use too I can tell I'm slowing down. I've only known since Nov. 05 I'm suppose start tx in a week and scard too. My type of work is supervising compt labs and 32 students. Lots of meetings. Will people notice a big change??? ok need my coffee....Thanks for any info


You may skip right through it without any lasting effects to your reproductive health, mental health, or any number of other possible problems this treatment can envoke or create. It is difficult to know in any one person exactly what may happen. Best case: you will test undetectable at the end of treatment. Whether that is being rid of the virus or not is in dispute among experts and researchers. It could be but, that is not 100% a given at this time.

What a biopsy WILL tell you is whether the amount of damage to your liver justifies the reidual effects you risk. There are no guarantees, including that the virus will be "gotten rid of."

This is a matter, once again, of assessing risk versus benefit in the individual. The more information you have on your own unique risk and potential for benefit, the more informed and better a decision you will make.

It is a choice: YOUR choice whether to have a biopsy or not. Irrespective of the choice you make regarding the treatment, it is your one and only opportunity to get an assessment on the health of your liver prior to any kind of treatment. In the future, this could be critical information to have. No one has a crystal ball. If you do treat and you do have problems later (viral clearance notwithstanding) you have a much better chance of knowing whether the treatment caused it or made your situation better or worse.

Also, get that nice doctor to put in writing that she does not recommend a biopsy and why, if you decide to go with her recommendation not to biopsy your liver.

I hope this helps,

thanbey

Thanks. That does make a lot of sense.....I did have a sonogram of my liver....I know what you're saying and I will ask her again before I start, and why no biospy at this time..
:)

Most doctors donT recommend a BX for genotypes 2 and 3,but if you can get it,i would,you have to know what damage is done to liver,as so to know the progress of TX.

Its different for each person,some may experience no side effects while others have to stop treatment because its so bad.Personally I was on TX for a year,viral load was 7 million..2nd month of treatment I was undetectable & still am since ending treatment almost a year ago.

I have no negative things to say about TX as I consider it as a cure

Has anyone done the treatment and was happy they did???? Is the treatment that harsh??? Will I feel better after the treatment? My doctor wants me to treat because its active and my viral load is 8 million...
Thanks for any answers.....

I don't know how old you are, but if you are simply feeling fatigue, I say start building your immune system, no alcohole or drugs, and take vitamins , herbs and juices. Sleep until your body wakes on it's own. Trust me, you will begin to feel more energy. I almost died from Hep C when I was in my early 20's before they knew much about Hep C. I was so far gone that my body organs had begun to shut down. The doctors actually thought I might die brcause they could ot indentify the agent of virus killing me.. I was 80 pounds from my normal 125. That was 42 years ago. Today I am 60 years old. One doctor put me on the health remedy and I have done well all these years. When you are ill from Hep C it does take time to heal. But my liver actually healed itself to a healthier liver. I still have Hep C but without the ill effects. My liver has not been swollen or shown critical signs since I left the research hospital in my 20's. It took 3 years of rest, herbs, vitamins, and healthy food to get back to normal, but that's because I was so far gone when I finally landed in the research hospital where (Unlike the city doctors) they understood my condition. Even though the liver is attacked by the virus, the liver is the one organ in the body that can heal itself to a certain extent. Although I am well, I am told that due to my body fighting the virus so many years, my body organs are most likely older than my age, a price to pay for my immune system keeping being well. I spent 2 years as a patient of the research clinic. One of those years, I actually lived in the hospital untill they were certain I was on my way to recovery. Thank God for good insurance at that time. Today if I was 20 diagnosed with Hep C, I'd run as far as I could from there so called treatments. But that is just my experienced opinion. Remember, any foriegn substance put into the body, the immune system will immediately begin to fight it off. This over works the liver and the immune system. I speaking even too much aspirine and no antibiotics unless absolutely necessary for an infection or something.

:eek: Not even able to describe the first 12 weeks but getting better little by little. Everyone is diffent and I have spoken to two people that had no side affects but the other hundred folks have. The chemicals grind your system up pretty good and you never know what's coming next. I've been a real sissy with it because it slowed me down and I've always been a very active person. I thought my life had been taken hostage from me by the drugs but I am responding and VL dropped and things are looking pretty good. Your general health going in really determines a lot about post treatment affects. If you drink _ don't is the best advice I can give you. I tried the treatment without starting any anti depressants (you know the manly man thing) big mistake it knocked my pegs out from under me. I now take Lexapro and am doing much better. Well according to my wife anyway ha! Good luck to you. Dale

:angel:
My husband found out 6 yrs ago he had hep c from a blood transfusion
in 85. He has been on now 3 different treatments. the first on was
interferon, the second was pegulated interferon the one that hes on now
is infergin. the first treatment didnt work at all in putting the hep c in remission. the second treatment put it in remission for 1 1/2 yrs. His viral
load is now at 30 million and hes has fatty buidup in his liver. so March 9 he
started this new treatment it is a shot everynight and pills in am and pm.
this treatment is very harsh he has trouble sleeping at night and has had
to be rushed to the hospital for a bad panic attack. During the day he takes
motrin every 4 hrs to help with the flu like symptoms and works as a heavy equipment operator. He has only missed 3 days of work since starting his
treatment. he will be on this treatment for 12 wks they will them test his
viral load if it decreases 90% then the treatment is working and he will stay on it for another 60 wks. Keep a positive attitude get lots of rest and the motrin really helps him make it thru his day. A biopsy is a very important
step in seeing how much the disease has affected the liver I would insist
on it before starting your treatment.

Good Luck and God Bless

jagrsmom in Md

Hi there,

I was on treatment for 14 months and I don't regret a day of doing the treatment. I am geno1a, minor liver damage, high viral load. I was on the pegintron treatment. I am due for my two year test and am anxious and hesitent at the same time. I just pray to keep this sleeping silently forever. Everyone reacts differently to the treatment, as you have read. I can only stress that you do what you feel you need to do for yourself and make an informed decision. This is not to be entered into lightly.

I do have to apologize to people here on the message boards for not posting, but I am a truckdriver and don't get online much, but always read when I can. I do realize that people need to keep in touch with how they are doing and I am a poor one at that. I, also think, that I just try to forget about this disease and that can be a bad mistake.

Have a great day all

If you have ever heard anyone talk about someone who took treatment for Hepatitis C they usually describe the treatment as a horrible experience. Most often I heard things like “it made them real sick”. I had these comments in my head as I began treatment about 2 years ago, and pretty much expected the worse. I started taking Ribavirin orally and a weekly injection of Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) and this routine lasted for 48 weeks. Unfortunately, after one month of not taking any medication, the virus came back. I learned a new word: “relapser” and I also learned about 50% of patients treated become a relapser. At this point my Dr. started me on Infergen http://www.infergen.com/wt/page/home which is a daily injection. I asked the Dr. what side effects I could expect and if they would be different with Infergen. They pretty much are the same with both medications. Most of these side effects are transitory.

· Shortness of breath upon exertion.
· Depression
· Muscle aches
· Quick to anger (go to google.com and type in Ribarage).
· Excessively dry skin, followed by itching.
· Skin rashes, especially at the injection site. Find someone who can help you rotate the injection site.
· Excessive thirst, which leads to increasing water consumption, which leads to (yes, you guessed it) frequency of urination.
· Lowered libido
· Feeling tired almost all the time (Luckily, I have a desk job. I don’t know how those with physically demanding work make it)

If you are considering taking the treatment, by all means, discuss the issues with your Dr. The treatment can:
· decrease the amount of damage to your liver
· lower the amount of hepatitis C virus in your blood
· lower your alanine aminotransferase (ALT) liver enzyme level (a fairly specific indicator of liver status)

Best wishes in your treatment for Hepatitis C.