Hepatitis C Treatment - Ye Olde Interferon & Ribavirin Combo - Week 21
I’ve got the key to the door, never been 21 before…..
Now that was a rough week :)
Nothing major but I think the combination of a bit of an ear infection, ditto mouth, a bit throaty and the usual tiredness pulled me down a little. Have still remained quite active, got plenty of work done, had a couple of meetings [bidness] and dealt with some high level complex stuff, tax matters and some legal bits & bobs. All in all not a bad week from that point of view but I get the distinct feeling that in the last 2-3 weeks something has been “pulling me” down.
This might sound a bit strange but stay with me….but the worst time I have had on treatment so far was about weeks 5 - 9ish. Back then it felt as if a screw was being tightened, that the pressure was coming from above. The last few weeks has felt like something is pulling me down from below, strange eh?
On the subject of strangeness I had another, shall we say, interesting moment earlier in the week. I started on a 48 week treatment course which is the usual stretch for us Genotype 1 heppers, but some [genotype 2 & 3’s usually] treat for 24 weeks. In an idle moment the thought occurred that if I was on 24 weeks then I would only have 4 weeks left to do. Before I could stop it a thought flashed through my mind, “please let it be over now”. I found that interesting, many people say that the worst part of treatment with this Interferon / Ribavirin combo is the last few weeks, when in many ways with the finish line so close you would think it would get easier. I think in my brief moment of thinking [dangerous I tell you] I got a brief flash of the emotions that must be at play in the final lap. I’m glad, forewarned is forearmed and in my case with no defined finish date I may avoid that problem totally.
So thats it, another week bites the dust…mouth guard back in….good firm bite down….lets go!
You cannot run away from a weakness; you must sometimes fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now, and where you stand.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Keep the faith, kill the virus.
February 4th, 2006 at 2:59 am
could the couple of things you say have been pulling you down be related to the few words you mentioned last week on this thread by any chance ?
http://www.hepcboy.com/archives/hepatitis-c/50
just wondered :)
February 4th, 2006 at 5:26 am
Sorry you had a rough week, they come and go, regardless of how long treatment is.
You will have to let us know whether not having a finish date makes things any easier. Sadly I think you will find these thoughts creeping in more and more, we are all human.
February 4th, 2006 at 11:42 am
Hi hepcboy….The last weeks were the worst for me, not because it was the home run but because treatment was starting to ‘bite’ Sorry to pick your curiosity the other day…will explain.
Keep at it, your doing great!
teddy
September 13th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
Hiya All, My name is John, I am 51, I am a drug addict and alcoholic (clean and sober 5 years). I discovered 4 years into recovery from drugs and alcohol that I not only had Hep C, genus I, but also fibrosis 4 (cirrosis). I hummed and hawed, but eventually had no choice, as I saw it, but to go on to an Interferon/Ribo combo.I was put on a 48 week course. I was scared stiff and didnt know what to expect.I am now on week 45, Thank God, and it can be done. I feel great, like the worst is over.
My experience was that, in retrospect, the first 1-15 weeks were bearable and not too bad, flu like sympthoms and headaches, and growing irritablity and intolerence.On my 3 month test the virus was undetectable in my blood, which gave me the strength and hope to go on.
From weeek 16 it got worse, fatigue, anger, depression and relentless headaches, insomnia and loss of appetite all kicked in.My sex drive went out the window completely. Just tired, lethargic and disinterested all the time. I just wanted to give in and give up.
My Hep C nurse saw the depression (I didnt) and straight away put me on Citalopram anti-depressants 10mg per day, within a week these had definitely helped, made it all seem handleable (just), they were later increased to 20mg, which I am still on.
At about 8 months I hit a very low point, I had completely lost my appetite and had lost over a stone, I was exausted all the time, and feeling very low physically, spiritually and emotionally.Around this time something drastic happened, I started taking Milk Thistle 125mg (4 a day) and Liqurice capsules (420mg, 1 a day) religiously every day, my wife bought health food suppliment Weider Crash Weight Gain which I take three times daily, and within days the improvement was astonishing. I also took Paracetamol especially the three days around my jab. I know this treatment can be a nightmare, but I am the most impatient, intolerant of discomfort, self pitious, weak willed bastard you could ever meet, and if I can get through it anyone can. I dont know the outcome yet and have 3 weeks to go, fingers crossed. For me it was not easy, bue so far easier than I thought it would be..
January 28th, 2008 at 8:47 am
i am on week 45 of pegasys and have another 24 weeks added to my 48 any idea what to expect.. tired no sex drive etc does it get any worse i week 50 and so on..thanks for the help.. ghost