hi mckenzie
as you know already, i am exactly half way through my tx, wk 36. this week has been my best since starting tx in august, but its been very much up and down for me. a good day once in a while and lotsa baduns. grrrrrrrr!!! the sides are difficult to tell cos i had all the same probs before tx started. some might be a bit heavier, but hey i deal with them. i have to cos i wanna kill the beast so i tend to ignore whatever sides i can and deal with those that irritate. i cant say its been fun BUT i am positive, strong and determined. i also laugh a lot.
as you know too, bradley, my 16 year old son is on wk 5 out of 24 of his tx and his sides are minimal, but then so is his damage. i've just realised that he'll be finishing his tx before me! grrrrrr!!! lol. bless him:) jokes aside, generally, he goes about his daily business as ever, but he has suffered a couple of bouts of feintness and dissiness so he carries a lollipop with him now wherever he goes just in case its his sugar levels. i'm diabetic, but even without diabetes, the interferon can play around with the sugar levels. he should drink much more water than he does, but you know what teenagers are like. he knows best! lol
hope this enlightens and reassures some newbys and those about to start tx soon.
we're here for you all.
get strong, be positive and smile.
luvya
x

What a good post McKenzie. I'm just starting week two.I'm on the standard tx plus I think I'm on a study drug that is a prodease inhibitor. I have genotype 1a. I have no side effects so far. I had body aches and chills with my first shot. It lasted about 10 hours, other than that I'm a little tired. My white blood cell count dropped in half in one week. I feel so blessed to be doing so well. Also my vl dropped from 130,000 to 43 in one week. Good luck to all of you.

mike is at 36 weeks
gen type 1
hanging there !

EIGHT DAYS LEFT AND ONE SHOT AFTER 47 WEEKS "HOORAY" JUST ABOUT FINISH. IT BEEN A VERY TOUGH JOURNEY BUT DO ABLE. LETS ALL KICK THE DRAGON'S ASS TOGETHER.
IN A TRAIL CLINICAL WITH A NEW INHIBITOR W/ GENOTYPE 1A

Pegasys combo
Gen 2,
Getting ready to do 2nd shot in a half of hour
No sides, yet...praying for no sides this week either.
Maybe I'm getting a little more emotional...

Holy shit stacy your vl dropped from 130,000 to 43 in one week??? Thats AMAZING!!!!! I hope you realize how incredible that is.

I'm week/shot 17. This week has been a little crappy because I have been sooo tired. But I think thats not just from tx but end of semester stress too.

Little side effects. I'm more fatigued sometimes usually after shot night and I have dry skin.

Genotype 1a undetectable as of week 15.

Good post!

Good post,geno 1a, week 31 still detectable vl sides lot of headaches and fatigue more bad days than good but hanging in there.
Craig

Tomorrow will be shot #10, fourteen more to go. Sides have a growing experience! Weight loss, insomnia, nausea and brain fog...right on schedule.
Started with a 2,790,000 vl, went to 1140 at day 18, undetectable at about a month.

God bless,
Rob

15th shot taken so I am in the 15th week starting last night out of 24weeks. Geno 2 ,stage 1 ,on the liver. I feel OK in the mornings but ,get worse as the day goes on everyday. I have had only one day during this that I felt somewhat normal. It is working for me so far and that is what makes all the crappy feeling worth while. I also remember reading that if you took you blood 24 hours after the first shot you would be able to see a difference if the meds were going to work. I have no idea where I read it , of course. I went from 31,100,000 to 320 in 3 shots and now I am an undie at the 12 weeks blood work up plus liver enzymes are all in the normal range.... Ringing in my ears, short tempered, headaches, "Brain Farts" , loss of weight, are all part of my experience.FATIGUE is the worse......I can not wait for this to be over and I can go about living a normal life.

geno 1-A. have 7 more shots to go! treatment has been tough. rbc's and wbc's too low so for the last 6 months have been on shots of neupogen & procrit. had to get pills for nausea; and pills for the rash; and now a different perscription for a new rash. have lost 13 lbs or so. lost 3/4 of my hair. sleep a lot. cry a lot. memory, what memory?

the best news in all of this is that i've had a viral count of ZERO since week #4 of treatment! yahoooooooooooooooooooooo! i'm a warrior fighting this dragon and winning!

hmmmm.....good post :) Aummmm.......I started my tx in april '08 and hopefully will finish(if sides are kept at bay) in the first week in october.
When I started tx, it was to be for 48 weeks.Well, i had been keeping a diary and tacking the shots ....when my HCV specialist told me that I would have to have extended tx, I just said to myself " I'm going to do this tx.It doesn't matter how long it takes.It doesn't matter what sides, I am going to give this tx my best fighting effort".So, I just take my shot every friday night and don't think about it.
I like many have had and continue to have some pretty horrific side effect from tx.I've lost my teeth, due to the peg and copegasis, and at one time or another, have experienced alot of the sides.Also, instead of losing weight, I have gained.
But!!!! My VL is under 10.If it works, it is a wonderful, wonderful thing.If it comes back full force, well then, I won't ever give up.
My bother died of pancreatic cancer that matastiized(sp)to his liver.When it hit his liver, he went fast and painful.A horrible way to go.
I watched my big brother go thru hell.That is one way that no one should have to go.(cancer . period)It is suspected that he too had HCV.He was 42.

Mack... if I didn't think on a daily, sometimes minute at a time, like your motto always says,and pray about it, I don't think I could do this.

D S has helped alot too.So glad for this community.
Thank you,
ru

oh....genotype 1a.,beginning 2.7 mil.VL
stage 2 grade 2.currently I am at 10 VL.

17th today

genotype 1a
Sides have kicked my ass, but I have kicked their ass at times too. They always seem to win the battle but I will win the WAR!!! never stop fighting.

Knocked off shot 20 Thursday night. I'm 1a but, because I'm on a study, I have a chance of ending at 24 weeks. I'll know by the middle of the month if I stop or continue for the full 48.

Side effects have been frustrating and annoying although seldom debilitating. Itchiness, fatigue, nausea, hair loss.