rygordon You can do it! And you have already got a good start. My first go around with Peg/Riba I postponed it because I had heard all the horror stories about the sides, and some were true, but thankfully my experience wasn't as bad as most. The farther you go into tx the weaker you may feel, and have more sides, but GUESS WHAT!! it's only 12 weeks! So happy for you. Yes PLEASE keep us posted and let us know how it's going!

peacefulsoul Yes this is better than sitting and there is some great support here. I've never had a transfusion so I'm hoping that if it comes to that, that I can get through that with no problems. I'm thinking I will get anemic pretty quick at 1200mg of Riba. I'm breathing hard just watching tv sometimes I noticed today, and I got dizzy a few times. My doc put me on the upper limit of dose, I was on the borderline for my weight, between 1000 and 1200 mg dose. So he decided to go with the larger dose.

mamba72 here's hoping for undie on your next labs!!

allaboutliving I hope your combo comes through soon. My gosh I hope this time around works for me, I am pretty sure it will if I can get through the 12 weeks. Day 4 now, only 80 days to go!

SML, if you're already that short of breath & getting a little dizzy, it sounds like you're fairly anemic right now. My hemoglobin went down to 7.2. I had to stop all meds for 8 days, Procrit was ordered but didn't help, even after 4 shots, then finally transfusion was ordered. Stopping the meds is what worked. By the time I had the trns. my #s had come up sufficiently, but doc said go ahead with it - 1 pint - anyway. After that my riba was reduced till end of tx.
I was extremely anxious about getting transfusion because I had never had one either. It sounds so serious & scary. But it wasn't at all. In the beginning I was so nervous I started to get weepy - and being on all those meds tends to do that to you anyway, but they sent over a med student to give me a foot massage to help me calm down. I HIGHLY recommend that. It was wonderful & helped a lot.
I don't know when you're supposed to get blood work done, but I suggest you call your dr about the extremem shortness of breath & dizziness. It's probably time for dose reduction or something. I started out at 1200 mg of riba too. It changed several times, and ended up at 600 I think.
Memory is shot from tx.

PLEASE CALL DR......

xo

Definitely let the doc know about these sx. I waited until my 1 month follow up & was so anemic that my tx was interrupted for 2 wks. Doc came very close to sending me for a transfusion but the rescue med Neupogen helped me. I gave myself those shots 2x a wk for the remainder of tx. I still think the interruption in meds may have sealed my fate as far as tx failure. I think dose reduction in the riba would've been a better way to go.

Peacefulsoul, when did medicine become so forward thinking with foot calming massages Digit manipulation instead of valium Love it!

I hope all is going well with you. I started the 3 combo treatment this past Monday. I am stage 0 1a. I have really not had any side effects the first 3 days. I even made a huge mistake yesterday and took a solvadi at 10:00 a.m. then at noon. Drove like a mad lady to get to the emergency room. All is good no reaction or problems. Was really scared. I hope that this is a good sign that I may not have all the side effects! So excited to have found this group, just to know I have a place to go to for understanding and support.

God Bless
Kathy

They drew labs today, and my doctor said she will call if there is anything that needs immediate attention. They should have the results by Monday or Tuesday I'm thinking. She said the next blood draw will be in 2 more weeks, after week 3 of tx. She is thinking I will be undetectable by then!!
My shortness of breath seems to be a little better, I just walk slower and I'm not getting dizzy as much. Sitting still I'm fine now. Maybe I just had to adjust. I do fear that by the end of week 3 I will have anemia, though. I hope not, but peacefulsoul reading your experience helps a lot.

kahooch5 yes let us know how it is going! There is great support here and it's a good place to hang out. Late at night when I can't sleep I come here and read up and catch up. :-)

good luck bud, really mean that, just got a call from the VA they approved the combo and im a candidate to start this spring, sure do know a hell of allot more than I did the first time they laid this shit on me. allot more than the doctors knew then too! good luck, my name joe I live in Delaware.take care

Right on Joe! You are close to being rid of this thing! So sorry you got it from blood transfusions in Viet Nam. I was reading one of your other posts. Good luck to you too and hopefully you'll be starting and done with tx soon!

Best of luck to ALL of you on this TX.

Shiver - I had shortness of breath and anemia on 1200 mgs. The dose CAN be reduced if you get anemic. As you can see RyGordron is on the same tx with 800 mgs riba.

Lots of Dragons being slayed!!

WarriorGal. Still me, new name to match my avatar!

I am on same triple tx..exact same previous treatment.. ( twice).. 1 st time not pegalated interferon so daily shots...in my 9 week with triples this time....its hard...but it is do able ..n...its. a miracle to go from die to un..die even if its just for a little while... u r In a great site to inspire..advise..share ur joys n pains when noone else can really understand...glass is 1/2 full..not empty!!

Awesome, undetectable dreamerdee! What week did you go und.?

Thank you, WarriorGal (Rass :-)) Oddly after the first 6 days now my shortness of breath is better, Just had chills bad yesterday. I do my shots on Friday, maybe that's why. 2 shots down, 10 to go. If I don't get a call from my doc Monday or Tuesday, telling me my labs are off, then I'm probably ok for a few more weeks. After week 3, on the 28th of this month they are going to do labs again with a v/l test. Fully expecting that my dose of Riba will have to be reduced at some point as well.

Hi. I'm taking same meds as you for hiv. Only 12 weeks tx....yeah! Thanks for sharing - it's inspiring for us all who are still waiting. Like you, I'm grateful for the opportunity. Looking forward to reading your posts and praying for your successful tx this time. Hugs.

Today was day 15. Only 10 weeks to go! Saw my doctor and had more labs drawn. The labs from last week still look ok, platelets are unchanged, hemoglobin is 13, down from 15. My bilirubin is elevated but I have cirrhosis and that's nothing new. More labs next week and will get the results of today's blood draw. Next week they will probably do a viral load test to see if perchance I have gone undetectable already. Undie would be MUSIC TO MY EARS. I think I would jump and run and holler all the way home.
Feeling ok, did my 3rd shot today. My worst sides so far have been some nausea that comes and goes and lack of energy and some shortness of breath.

SaraMH I was just reading that you are on the same hiv meds as me! I've been on the Isentress/Truvada combo for about 4 years now and it has kept me undetectable, with minimum sides.

Hope this is the cure for you. I did the 48 week interferon/Riba. Was clear for 1 year, but relapsed 1 month after I went off the treatments. I am post TP 1/28/10, so I have to wait to see what will be approved for TP patients. Dr. are wanting to do one of the non interferon TX. So I am waiting to see which way the insurance companies go on all this.
Hope you slay the dragon with as few side effects as possible.God bless you.

cmbdis I have been wondering lately what experience they have with these new drugs with TP patients. MLTTexas is post TP and waiting to get approval for Sovaldi/Olysio. Are there any studies from post TP patients, are the drugs ok with anti-rejection meds, is there good success? I would think it would be a good success rate.