tx too scary!
Everything I read about tx, it seems, is @#$@#! SCARY and freaking me out. I mean, it sounds almost as bad as dying. There I said it. I mean - a solid year of extreme fatigue, insanity/inability to process thoughts, insomnia, soreness, nausea, low blood counts, etc.. coughs, rashes, hair loss... rage? I am terrfied of being a sick crazed out of control maniac. And then no-one would even love me anymore - a diseased insane person.
I don't know anymore if I can do it. I would lose my job for certain and then couldnt afford the drugs anyway...
The more I read about HCV the more hopeless I feel. My Dr. has actually banned me from the Internet! :)
I almost wonder if I can afford to wait more years in hopes that new drug cocktails that exclude ribavarin and interferon will be developed and approved for use.
I don't know anymore if I can do it. I would lose my job for certain and then couldnt afford the drugs anyway...
The more I read about HCV the more hopeless I feel. My Dr. has actually banned me from the Internet! :)
I almost wonder if I can afford to wait more years in hopes that new drug cocktails that exclude ribavarin and interferon will be developed and approved for use.
Replies
If your liver biopsy shows little to no damage, there\'s no reason to barge into tx.... The sides CAN BE very bad; but then not everyone gets them that badly. You just never know till you\'re in the middle of it. I waited for 10 years before pursuing tx, b/c I had minimal liver damage. Unfortunately, I still get to take the whole 48 weeks of Pegasys and Riba. Fortunately, I am already virus free!! WooHoo!!! (took telaprivir and another study drug for 8 weeks.......) But seriously, if you have minimal liver damage, there\'s no reason to rush into tx. It\'s a very personal decision which we\'ve all had to make. There are some here on DS that have chosen NOT to have tx...... it\'s their choice.
Best of luck to you, and keep posting here. You\'ll get a lot of good advice!
Lisa, I am with you, I am waiting for better tx. I want something with less side effects and shorter time line. I have minimal liver damage and I cannot see myself that sick for a year, and then months to recover from it. I am going to stay with this group and learn everything I can. I want to make the best decision for myself that I can possible make. stick with me, we will get through this together.
There are a lot of factors to consider in tx, and I agree the damage to the liver plays a big part in your decisions. My liver is at grade 2 stage 4 with cirohhis, necrosis and the cancer marker is high, so I opted to move forward with tx at this time. Talk to your doctor and stay informed. We are all here for one another.
Thanks you guys for helping me see that i was obsessing/freaking out. I am still scared of treatment but I realize that I cannot predict how the experience will go for me and also that it isn\'t a decision I have to make immediately. I do want to try it though even knowing the potential scary sides... Even though I now have minimal damage, I want to try and see if I can clear the virus before I get sicker. I will be waiting until teleprevir or boceprevir come out. I guess I could try to talkt o my doctor and see if waiting is advisable for some future drug combo down the line - that my actually exclube interferon and ribavarin. Who knows... but I feel like, now knowing that I do have HCV I am sort of anxious to try and extinguish it. It\'s just scary. Oh boy.
Thank you, thanks you all three Crystal, Rme and Angels.