Lots of hope there in that wonderful group of upcoming trials.

I'm not on here too much lately because my headache is chronic and killer. 4 weeks of this, every day, all day, is just too much. So I spend my time in a dark room with a cold compress on my head. I talked to the nurse about it again yesterday - oh WELL, she tells me again to take Ibuprofen. That helps a bit but not enough. I do NOT think I should have to exist in pain!

I also have something else going on with a bad cough, and now chills, fever and night sweats - these at NOT tx related. Seeing my primary doc tomorrow morning. Scary. Regardless, HCV nurse said that I will not be taken off treatment - people even have surgery during tx - things happen. I can trace every time I've gotten sick in the past 5 months to my travel to Phoenix to the dr. - two times flying and one time on the ghastly Greyhound bus - 7 rough hours each way with all kinds of weird people on there. Should have worn a mask. I think my immune system is way down - and I'm surprised since my platelets keep rising but I guess there are other factors. I just had my 8 week labs - CBC and CMP - done yesterday - no results until probably Friday.

So that's my update - and this tx for me is NOT so fun. My energy level is at bottom levels, of course. A month solid of a bad headache ALONE will do that.

Back to darkness - computer monitor screen hurts my eyes. Dang.

p.s. I'm on Day 58 - 26 days to go, and I can't wait for it to be over. I've not read of anyone having a headache of this magnitude and never stopping while on Sov/Oly - but just my luck, I have it - nurse says Sovaldi is the culprit.

sorry for going OT, aal. Wanted to let you all know what is going on with me but didn't want to start a new thread.

Cat - you could ask the doc you are seeing tomorrow and/or your liver doc about taking Imitrex for the headaches. That's what worked for me.

Hey Cat,
These trials are exciting news for a lot of us.

I'm so sorry you are experiencing the migraines of all migraines. I know I would deal with it for 12 wks if given the chance. Not easy,.. no way & no how. I thought the 48 wks of IFN/riba were gonna kill me & anemia on top of it but determination & fierce need to beat HCV kept me going. Really wish It had worked. Sigh. Liver failure is ugly baby. That I know & I've witnessed. Hang in there. My boyfriend takes Maxalt for migraines & he's also taken Imitrek. Imitrek is stronger than Maxalt so ask for it by name. Sorry you are in a cave right now but it will be done in a few weeks. Hang tough Cat Magic. You can get through this!!!!

WG - I will definitely ask the doc. about Imitrex - thank you - although I recall the HCV nurse telling me when this stuff started a month ago that migraine meds wouldn't work. Well, right now, I will try anything. I don't think it's a migraine through - I've had one of those in my life and it knocked me to my knees even worse than this is - all the symptoms - including nausea, puking and visuals - ended up in the ER.

I will NOT be admitted to the hospital, that's for sure. I have been exposed to enough germs from all the traveling in close proximity to no doubt sick people. The hospital is the last place to get well sometimes.

I HOPE my doctor will not only listen to me but give me something to stop this headache - AND the other stuff that is not related to tx. I keep wondering about pneumonia, so it's a good thing I see him tomorrow and at least get some answers and clarification.

Thanks for your comments, aal. I'll ask about that one too. I feel like I need OXYGEN! But what do I know? Another thing that will NOT happen to me is a blood gas arterial stick to check blood oxygen. I had one done about 30 years ago and fainted - pain so bad I just passed out. They have to search deep into the inside of your forearm for a freaking artery - DIG for it. Omg - never again unless I'm knocked out completely.

Cat, sounds like you never really recovered from the bronchitis before you started tx. I've never had the blood oxygen test but based on my big, strong, biker guy's reaction when they did that test on him multiple times it was extremely painful. My guy was one who sewed himself up from a knife cut & thought nothing of it. Just saying....

Good luck at the docs. You should at least try Imitrex. You might not think it's a migraine but it sounds pretty dang close.

As for the hospital. Whoo, when my husband was admitted I barely left his side. I was so sick after his passing. Lost my voice, bronchitis & a 10 lb weight loss even though I was constantly using hand sanitizers & hand washing as if I were OCD. Stress weakens us & the germs attack. Same thing happened to me again after his mother was admitted to ICU & I was doing the vigil at the hospital. Still, if we need extensive care there is no better place. I'm sure they aren't going to be recommending hospitalization for you unless you actually do have pneumonia. Let us know. Kay? .

Totally agree, aal. Actually, the bronchitis kicked up in OCTOBER, after my first trip to Phoenix to see my HCV doc. It sort of got better until my January trip down there - BOOM sick again, coughing a lot, and that's why tx was delayed a couple of weeks. I've never felt it was completely gone but have to admit I wanted to start my tx so told them I was better. And it was considerably better until mid-March's nightmare bus trip down there. This current "session" has been the worst.

Um, I have chronic bronchitis and have for years as well as COPD. The cough is a smoker's cough; and that's the bitter truth of which I am ashamed. But I've never had this other stuff going on - fever, chills, night sweats, intense malaise and fatigue. I do believe the headache is Sovaldi-related, and darn right, 12 weeks of a headache is worth the "cure."

Right, if I need intensive care I'll have no choice about the hospital, but oh lord, I would hate to have to do that. So finally I guess - well, I know what I have to do - what a nicotine addicted fool I've been. Smoking must CEASE. It's killing me. I mean, finally I have the tx for HCV that is working - the virus is non-existent now, and I'm SMOKING when I'm this sick. Oh, man...

I have an appt. with my pulmonologist in a month - soonest I could get in - it's been at least four years since I saw him. LOL - I will be clear - NO arterial sticks for me. You can imagine how it hurt a little female like me when it was that bad for your "hulk." Dreadful procedure.

Be sure and ask if it could be a form of meningitis? I am only speculating cause of the fever and chills, etc. Doesn't hurt to ask.

As for the smoking, I smoked cloves for a total of 10 years, but have been smoke-free for 5 years this year. I used the patches. Of course I learned later that I could have gotten the patches for free if the doc prescribed them or from a smoking cessation place. Nope, I paid for them. I look at that as, I paid money for what could cause bad health, so I paid less money to take back my health. For you, it may be a bonus that you gain a little weight when quitting. I did, but I got rid of the weight after a while, so all is good. It should help with your COPD I bet. :)

Cat - My Sovaldi headaches started slow and PEAKED in frequency and intensity and then dissipated again. I am trying to remember what week they peaked at, I'd have to search through my journals. But suffice it to say that they did NOT stay at that intensity throughout the whole 12 weeks. I seem to recall they were tone by week 8, just guessing.

Also the Imitrex DEFINITELY worked!

LEO - thanks - I've thought about meningitis. I have serious chills right now after a three hour nap, waking up burning up (temp. 3o above normal - my normal) but chilled to the bone marrow and shivering. I don't know WHAT I'm supposed to take for this - all of it. No help so far, but I guess tomorrow my doc will start digging. I have all my tx labs, the most recent results from April 1 (April 15 not available yet). Nothing on there screams out anything, but what do I know.

WG - my HA started out mild at week 4, peeked at week 6 and it has not let up at all since then - I'm in the middle of week 9. I'm not so concerned about the HA since nurse is sure it's from the Sovaldi. However, I need something to ease it off - I can't be swallowing lots of Ibuprofen every day. But this other stuff - oh, yeah, I'm very worried. Those symptoms are not Sova or Oly related. Oh, jeez - I'm getting really upset. Good thing I see the doc. in 14 hours, but ... they don't seem to "hear" very well when it's a female - at least mine doesn't. They tend to blow me off. I think my high temp, since it's a freaking NUMBER, might catch their attention. I've had this bout of crud, whatever it is, for about 10 days now. Way too long - I just didn't want to be messing with anything right now except tx - what an idiot. I may have permanent brain damage - just kidding, but I think I have a sense of the sides of Interferon - "flu like" - yeah, right.

And thank you, everyone. aal, I am sorry I took this OT and it's still there. I'll start a new thread tomorrow ASSUMING I am not slammed into the hospital.

Hey Cat, I'm sure people have read your posts & thereby have seen the clinical trial data.

I hope your doc can get to the bottom of your flu-like sx & that you don't end up in the hospital. You may need Tylenol to lower the fever even though it doesn't touch the HA pain & our livers don't need it either but you have to reduce the fever. Use that cooling mask you have as well until you get to the doc. Sounds like more antibiotics are in your future. Hope you feel better soon.

Yep, aal, I'm taking 500 mg of Tylenol in a minute - hot bath first to warm up - it's 81o in here - I'm cold and shivering. In a few hours in bed I'll be breaking out in sweats, but that's okay - FEVER BE GONE. Cooling eye pillow has been chillin' in the freezer for a few hours - ah, that's going to feel good!

ALL - do please take a look at aal's first post here - many cool clinical trials coming up.

Imitrex - you just take ONE and it is not a pin med or a nsaid so it does not effect the liver in the way those do....