hello my name is david started treatment 5 wks ago. wont know my new viral load till next thurs. i have a lot of faith.side eff. stink but no pain no gain. im on short term dis. through work hoping to go back next month. i also have severe livere damage. allthough they have not done a biopsy yet the dr. thinks i do. keep the faith.

Hi David, I'm so happy someone replied to this post.
I like the phrase "no pain no gain" so true.
So you've been on tx for 5 weeks, how long is your treatment?
Since I was type 1a I had to do the whole 48 weeks.
My viral load was 685,000 which is low, and was undie at week 12, so I was real lucky that the meds did the trick for me, since it took everything out of me to go till the end.
You say you have liver damage, did you have an ultrasound if you didn't have a biopsy?
I had damage too, and had an ultrasound in January of this year for other reason than liver problems, and the doctors just notice the scaring of my liver.
This is a question I often think about, even if I don't have the virus anymore, does the fibrosis keep progressing?
I wonder...
I am so happy to have heard from you, and hope you can return to work next month, but listen to your body, if you need to rest, rest.
Also drink lots of water, it really does help.
Take care David and hope to hear from you again, if you should have any questions at all, feel free to post or write to me anytime.
Mckenzie - One day at the time -

hi,I started TX 20 weeks ago for genotype 1a. I went from VL 2,500,000 to 65 in 12 weeks! I have felt so out of sorts, tired,emotional,in down right pain. But I am almost halfway through.I need others to talk with because you have been through it.

I have been on treatment since aug. My viral count was 27 million, yes literally 27 million! And i only had hep c for 1yr!! My count didn't completely go off the scale till 6 weeks ago. My doctor was shocked but said that it is definitly a good thing and will probably stay that way. Yes the side effects suck royally but they do get better and remember to enjoy life when you feel so,so. don't stay in and away from people. I don't have much support but do drag myself to school and to the friends I have. Plus I have an 8month old little girl and a 4yr old son so they make me get moving even if I don't want to. Just everyone hang in there. IT DOES GET BETTER!!!

And definitly call the number on the box for schering, cause it's nice to know you have a nurse to talk to 24/7 and they send you alot of really good helpful information and call to check on you every few weeks. It's great to know people care.

Good morning newsong,
Good to hear that your viral load has gone down and hope it's gonna stay that way.
Treatment is hard, but doable and if it does work well it's all worth it.
This is a support group so if you need help just go ahead and post a thread on questions you may need answers, and if you feel like writting to someone I am here for you.
Both my hubby and I were genotype 1a, we did treatment and are now both undie.
Undie in the hep c community means virus undetected, something everyone wants, lol.
The best of luck on the remainning time of your journey, and chin up there is a light a the end of the tunnel.
Mckenzie - One day at the time -

Heya Isabeldrew,
I am so proud of you, 20 weeks into treatment and caring for two young children, boy you really are strong.
Good advice to tell friends on treatment to go ahead and go on with your daily routine, something I really couldn't do during my tx, but finished it with flying colours and have been undie for a few years now.
I'm also happy to learn that you do take advantage of the toll free number from Schering, great advice 24/7.
The best of luck on being undie.
Mckenzie - One day at the time -

Hey, Ive been on my 3rd round of treatment since Feb. Lost lots of white blood count. on top of my daily injections, I now do once a week shots to bring my wbc's up Hey I feel better today.this is my last treatment I feel that if it does not work this time Id feel at a loss.but I have faith.Take care. TATT-MAN

Good morning Tattman, I'm happy to hear your feeling good today.
Third round of treatment, you really are a Warrior.
You may not have won the battle so far, but I have a feeling you will win the War.
Have a great day sweetie.
Mckenzie - One day at the time -

My name s matt, on my 11th week of treatments for (hep-c geno 1) with Interfron and Ribavirin. My biggest problem is not that the side effects are so difficult for me and that I have not been able to work. It's that in the first 4 weeks of treatment I had to get a new primary doctor due to the absents of any kind of support what so ever. To the point of emotional out bursts, anger and frustration coming from my primary doctor towards me simply because I was unable to work while dealing with side effcts. My specialist is a better doctor but not any help as far as my viral count goes or keeping me updated on my blood work and or how I am doing. As far as finding out for my self no call has ever been returned and the only message I have ever received from my specialist was to lower my Ribavirin pills from 5 to 6 a day but no reason why or any call back even after I tried returnng his call. This is why I do not get into question and answer sessions because I can go on like this for days and I will still be on my own, in fact I did in the begining. I have a new doctor I am seeing and things are looking better but I still have not got one answer to a question about my health since I was first diagnosed in Feb. of 06. All the questions that were answered then were simple results from blood work, x-rays and sonograms. So that is why I know my viral count is 5 million and my geno type is 1. In 2 more weeks my medical group will have to decide if I can continue treatments and I should have some sort of data at that time to share.

I`m Kbryan17.I`m still going through treatment.It`s been long,and hard.I have 3 wks. left.I`ve also been undetectable since wk.14.I need some advise.How long after treatment,did it take to shake the side effects?

Oh Matt, I am so sorry for the lack of interest your doctors have towards your needs has a chemo treatment patient.
This is crazy!!
Have you found a PCP? now!
If so, you tell him you want a copy of YOUR blood work, you give every time you go in.
I demanded a copy, of course at first he gave me the impression that he didn't want to, but I told him, "IT'S MY BLOOD NUMBERS AND I WANT THEM", case close, I pick up my copy every week, then bi/weekly, then monthly, from the hospital.
(as for checking your numbers, there are several sites that gives you just that).

One more thing I had to tell my young doctor, cause again I had a feeling that since I had hep c, he was judging me, and having been with my hubby for his 48 weeks journey just before I started mine, I knew quite a lot by then about these meds and their side effects, that if he wanted to be my PCP during my tx that he should put his nose back in his medical books.
That was it my friend, from that day on he took me seriously and was great with me and still is to this day.
A good PCP is very important, cause he's the one that prescribs you the anti's, pain pills if needed, ect...
Now regarding your liver doctor, didn't they see you every week or bi/weekly in the beginning?
You really are being treated badly by these doctors, and I'm sorry to hear that.
You see Richard was on a 50 patients trial base treatment, and beleive me he was treated like a King on tx by the specialist.
When I started my journey, I had the same liver doctor, & the same RCN (Research Consultant Nurse) whom were great with both of us.

You see in Ontario, Canada the year 2000 to 2003 the meds were only trial base, when I did the tx, the meds were finally in my province pharmacies, and the PCPs unfortunately were ignorant about the whole program, meds/sides ect...
You are a very patient man, my friend, if I were in your shoes I would tell them exactly what you expect from them and get it.
Thank G-d for support groups.
I sincerely hope you get what's rightfully yours, the undivided attention of your doctors.
Good Luck Matt!

Mckenzie One day at the time

Hey Kbryan, I'm happy to hear from you.
I'm not really the person who can answer you on that one, cause I am still experiencing many long term side effects since treatment and I'm over two years post treatment.

No one person is the same.

My hubby did the whole 48 weeks also and it took him approximately one year to return to his old self.

A close friend of mine, it took her three months, so no one person is the same.

I supose a person that can stay as active as possible during treatment, and when he or she finishes their journey continue to exercise and drink lots of water, it will be faster to recuperate.
So chin up and take care of your body and everything should be fine.
Mckenzie - One day at the time -

budro pegeses injections weeklt and 6 ribvarin a day.

I am on week 11 or 12......I just was informed by my doc that my white blood count is 700 (no wonder I feel like i'm drained..So much for running a marathon. I guess i will have to wait until treatment is over).... down from 900 last week...next week i will get my viral load count blood work taken.....I started at 1,270,000 and last time i checked it went down to 9117!!!!!
I think my genotype is 1A or 1B/ stage 2...
One day at a time