New from Arkansas

[Guest guest]

Hi Cyn First off let me say welcome! This is a great group and you will find that you are just starting NOW to meet some of the greatest ppl on the face of this earth! About the fatigue, YES, that IS part of hep c,, IF I dont take provigil in the morning, I will sleep around the clock and never feel like I have gotten enough rest.. so yes,, NO< NO< NO<< low protein is NOT good for your liver UNLESS your liver is decompensated.. The liver NEEDS good protein to do its job.. that is NOT a high protein diet, but adequate,, you need about 1 ounce of protein for every Kilo of weight you are.. One should ONLY reduce the protein when your liver is decompensated and that can only be figured out with lots of labs and a biopsy of liver tissue.. IN fact when you are on treatment, you NEED to have a protein based diet for the meds to work,, that does not mean all steak, bacon, etc,, it means low fat chicken, fish, some red meats,, cheeses,

good protein shakes etc,, and lots of fresh vegies and fruits,, cut back on the starches,, white breads, white rice, white pasta, white sugars etc,Many people with HepC end up becoming diabetic too, so reducing the kinds of foods that break down into simple sugars quickly is a good thing for BOTH hep c and diabetes!, When I found out I had hep,, I had had it for almost 23 years and I had a lot of damage,, but I did treat and it has been in remission now 3 years!! I finished my tx in Feb 03 and Im still undetectible, so treatment does work for some people.. I was genotype 1 which is most common in the USA but is the hardest to treat... Has Brad had a biopsy to see what if any damage he has? What genotype is he? How are his labs? (alt/ast,protime,albumin, biliruben?) We suggest every one with this disease get copies of ALL labs, all biopsies, everything and keep it in a file at home.. If he is really really tired, it may be from not getting enough

protein,, or it might be that his disease IS progressing,, its hard to say.. tell us more... Welcome hon, I hope you will come by often and let us know how you are doing and ask as many questions as you can! hugs jax"M.E. Katz" <ca_wyman@...> wrote: Hello list,My name is Cyn and I live in Arkansas with my husband, children, horse, goats, chickens, cats, and dogs. I love the country life that I now live!The reason for my stopping by is to seek help with dealing with Hep C. My hubby, Brad, was diagnosed last year with it. He could have gotten it from many sources since his life B.C. (before Cyn), he was a heavy drug user, was in Vietnam War and got a tattoo, and probably got blood from several sources over his long life. We can't pin down the source

so we just accept the situation.He has other medical problems, RSD, is his main problem. A chronic nerve disease has completely left him disabled. Thankfully he goes in tomorrow for a procedure that should help his pain.When Brad's test came back positive, I was tested, and found to be negative. In the last few months I've noticed that I'm not feeling all too good and believe I now have it also.Ok.. here are my questions....Will Hep C cause you to sleep on and off for three days (more sleep than wake time by 75%)?Having Hep C, does that limit the kinds of jobs a person does? Can you work in a restaurant?How do you combat the fatigue?I have read that eating a special diet low in protein is the best route to go. What have you learned?That's about all I can think of for the moment. I've read several of the posts and feel like this is a good place to get answers and

hugs.Thank you and gentle hugs to all,CynJackie

[Guest guest]

Hello Jax and thank you for all the information. It's amazing the

amount of misinformation there is out there. I'll take the

information to heart espcially about diet. I believe Brad is

hypoglycemic and I have been since I was a kid so I'm very careful

about food.

I don't remember what Brad's labs were and he has not had a liver

biopsy yet. The last liver funtion test turned out ok. He is not on

any medication to treat Hep C.

We were told that he will not be able to be treated for the Hep cause

he suffers from extreme depression. I have read there are some new

meds out there that might be ok even if you have depression.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm sooo glad you are in remission. It gives me hope!

Thank you again,

Cyn

>

> Hi Cyn

> First off let me say welcome! This is a great group and you will

find that you are just starting NOW to meet some of the greatest ppl

on the face of this earth!

> About the fatigue, YES, that IS part of hep c,, IF I dont take

provigil in the morning, I will sleep around the clock and never feel

like I have gotten enough rest.. so yes,,

> NO< NO< NO<< low protein is NOT good for your liver UNLESS your

liver is decompensated.. The liver NEEDS good protein to do its job..

that is NOT a high protein diet, but adequate,, you need about 1

ounce of protein for every Kilo of weight you are.. One should ONLY

reduce the protein when your liver is decompensated and that can only

be figured out with lots of labs and a biopsy of liver tissue.. IN

fact when you are on treatment, you NEED to have a protein based diet

for the meds to work,, that does not mean all steak, bacon, etc,, it

means low fat chicken, fish, some red meats,, cheeses, good protein

shakes etc,, and lots of fresh vegies and fruits,, cut back on the

starches,, white breads, white rice, white pasta, white sugars

etc,Many people with HepC end up becoming diabetic too, so reducing

the kinds of foods that break down into simple sugars quickly is a

good thing for BOTH hep c and diabetes!,

> When I found out I had hep,, I had had it for almost 23 years and

I had a lot of damage,, but I did treat and it has been in remission

now 3 years!! I finished my tx in Feb 03 and Im still undetectible,

so treatment does work for some people.. I was genotype 1 which is

most common in the USA but is the hardest to treat... Has Brad had a

biopsy to see what if any damage he has? What genotype is he? How

are his labs? (alt/ast,protime,albumin, biliruben?) We suggest every

one with this disease get copies of ALL labs, all biopsies,

everything and keep it in a file at home..

> If he is really really tired, it may be from not getting enough

protein,, or it might be that his disease IS progressing,, its hard

to say.. tell us more...

> Welcome hon, I hope you will come by often and let us know how

you are doing and ask as many questions as you can!

> hugs

> jax

>

[Guest guest]

Hi there Im glad you felt the info was important,, as did I... you are so right, there is a lot of mis-information out there and it can really impact whether or not treatment works or not.. Another thing you want to remember is that one can have very high liver enzymes such as alt/ast and have little to NO damage and you can have absolutely NORMAL enzymes and have cirrhosis,same with viral load, you can have a low viral load like me and have LOTS of damage OR have very high viral load and have NO damage,,, THATS why the biopsy is so important, it is the ONLY real way to know for sure how much damage the liver does or does not have.. There is another test called the fibrosure that can estimate the amount of damage but it appears only to be correct at the ends of the rating scale such as stage 1 or 4 but there are a lot of gray areas in stage 2 or 3... I was stage 3-4 before tx and the fibrosure said I was stage 0-1at 2 years after I finished tx,, that

sounded wonderful to me,, well,, I had my gallbladder removed 3 months ago and they did another biopsy and it wasnt nearly so good as far as results go,, and it looked like I was really a stage 2 or maybe even a 3,, so the fibrosure is not very accurate... so getting the biopsy is really important.. YOU are absolutely right about treatment and depression... YES,, you can do tx as long as you're followed closely by a psychiatrist and keep taking your meds for depression,, I had pretty serious depression before I even knew I had hep c,, so I was already on celexa when I found out,, so my doc just upped my dose before I started tx and I had NO increased amount of depression... I also have a friend who had been suicidal years ago and she WAS able to treat and did in fact clear and made SVR.with no increased depression. it can be done but you have to have a doc who is willing to work with you.. and Brad has to be willing to agree that he will ask for help if he finds

his depression getting worse! I made my friend PROMISE that IF she got suicidal, that she would call me first before doing anything,, well she never called and never got suicidal.. sometimes just knowing you are getting rid of this virus CAN and does lift the depression... so yes, HE CAN TREAT... you need to find a good doc!!! Hang in there, this journey is just beginning,, and WE are here for you!!! jax"M.E. Katz" <ca_wyman@...> wrote: Hello Jax and thank you for all the information. It's amazing the amount of misinformation there is out there. I'll take the information to heart espcially about diet. I believe Brad is hypoglycemic and I have been since I was a kid so I'm very careful about food.I don't remember what Brad's labs were and he has not had a liver

biopsy yet. The last liver funtion test turned out ok. He is not on any medication to treat Hep C. We were told that he will not be able to be treated for the Hep cause he suffers from extreme depression. I have read there are some new meds out there that might be ok even if you have depression.I'm keeping my fingers crossed.I'm sooo glad you are in remission. It gives me hope!Thank you again,Cyn>> Hi Cyn> First off let me say welcome! This is a great group and you will find that you are just starting NOW to meet some of the greatest ppl on the face of this earth!> About the fatigue, YES, that IS part of hep c,, IF I dont take provigil in the morning, I will sleep around the clock and never feel like I have gotten enough rest.. so yes,, > NO< NO< NO<< low protein is NOT good for your liver UNLESS your liver

is decompensated.. The liver NEEDS good protein to do its job.. that is NOT a high protein diet, but adequate,, you need about 1 ounce of protein for every Kilo of weight you are.. One should ONLY reduce the protein when your liver is decompensated and that can only be figured out with lots of labs and a biopsy of liver tissue.. IN fact when you are on treatment, you NEED to have a protein based diet for the meds to work,, that does not mean all steak, bacon, etc,, it means low fat chicken, fish, some red meats,, cheeses, good protein shakes etc,, and lots of fresh vegies and fruits,, cut back on the starches,, white breads, white rice, white pasta, white sugars etc,Many people with HepC end up becoming diabetic too, so reducing the kinds of foods that break down into simple sugars quickly is a good thing for BOTH hep c and diabetes!, > When I found out I had hep,, I had had it for almost 23 years and I had a lot

of damage,, but I did treat and it has been in remission now 3 years!! I finished my tx in Feb 03 and Im still undetectible, so treatment does work for some people.. I was genotype 1 which is most common in the USA but is the hardest to treat... Has Brad had a biopsy to see what if any damage he has? What genotype is he? How are his labs? (alt/ast,protime,albumin, biliruben?) We suggest every one with this disease get copies of ALL labs, all biopsies, everything and keep it in a file at home..> If he is really really tired, it may be from not getting enough protein,, or it might be that his disease IS progressing,, its hard to say.. tell us more... > Welcome hon, I hope you will come by often and let us know how you are doing and ask as many questions as you can!> hugs> jax> It's a pleasure having you join in our conversations. We hope you have found the support you need with us. If you are using email for your posts, for easy access to our group, just click the link-- Hepatitis C/Happy Posting Jackie

[Guest guest]

Hey Cyn, Hi ya Neighbor. My name is Janet and I live in Oklahoma. Small world huh. Welcome to our group. Love Janet"M.E. Katz" <ca_wyman@...> wrote: Hello Jax and thank you for all the information. It's amazing the amount of misinformation there is out there. I'll take the information to heart espcially about diet. I believe Brad is hypoglycemic and I have been since I was a kid so I'm very careful about food.I don't remember what Brad's labs were and he has not had a liver biopsy yet. The last liver funtion test turned out ok. He is not on any medication to treat Hep C. We were told that he will not be able to be

treated for the Hep cause he suffers from extreme depression. I have read there are some new meds out there that might be ok even if you have depression.I'm keeping my fingers crossed.I'm sooo glad you are in remission. It gives me hope!Thank you again,Cyn>> Hi Cyn> First off let me say welcome! This is a great group and you will find that you are just starting NOW to meet some of the greatest ppl on the face of this earth!> About the fatigue, YES, that IS part of hep c,, IF I dont take provigil in the morning, I will sleep around the clock and never feel like I have gotten enough rest.. so yes,, > NO< NO< NO<< low protein is NOT good for your liver UNLESS your liver is decompensated.. The liver NEEDS good protein to do its job.. that is NOT a high protein diet, but adequate,, you need about 1 ounce of protein for every Kilo of

weight you are.. One should ONLY reduce the protein when your liver is decompensated and that can only be figured out with lots of labs and a biopsy of liver tissue.. IN fact when you are on treatment, you NEED to have a protein based diet for the meds to work,, that does not mean all steak, bacon, etc,, it means low fat chicken, fish, some red meats,, cheeses, good protein shakes etc,, and lots of fresh vegies and fruits,, cut back on the starches,, white breads, white rice, white pasta, white sugars etc,Many people with HepC end up becoming diabetic too, so reducing the kinds of foods that break down into simple sugars quickly is a good thing for BOTH hep c and diabetes!, > When I found out I had hep,, I had had it for almost 23 years and I had a lot of damage,, but I did treat and it has been in remission now 3 years!! I finished my tx in Feb 03 and Im still undetectible, so treatment does work for some

people.. I was genotype 1 which is most common in the USA but is the hardest to treat... Has Brad had a biopsy to see what if any damage he has? What genotype is he? How are his labs? (alt/ast,protime,albumin, biliruben?) We suggest every one with this disease get copies of ALL labs, all biopsies, everything and keep it in a file at home..> If he is really really tired, it may be from not getting enough protein,, or it might be that his disease IS progressing,, its hard to say.. tell us more... > Welcome hon, I hope you will come by often and let us know how you are doing and ask as many questions as you can!> hugs> jax> There are souls in this world which have the gift of finding joy everywhere and of leaving it behind them when they go." -Frederick Faber

[Guest guest]

Hello Janet!

Yup right around the corner so to speak!

Thank you for the welcome.

I can only check the site every few days so I have a lot to catch up on!

Hugs to all,

Cyn

>

> Hey Cyn,

> Hi ya Neighbor. My name is Janet and I live in Oklahoma. Small

world huh.

> Welcome to our group.

> Love

> Janet

>

[Guest guest]

Just thought I would introduce myself. I am married, 46, have dd10,

and need to loose about 130. I am discouraged, but if I give up, then

I know I will never succeed in being healthy. I have been watching

some tv shows about the morbidly obese, which I am one of, and it

scares the heck out of me. I have a treadmill and can walk on it for

about 15 minutes each session. I am very addicted to foods rich in

sugar and salt. I haven't met a carb I do not like

daisy

[Guest guest]

Chin up, girly! That weight will come off!!! I sent you an e-mail,

but I wanted to post on here, too, because there are always lurkers

out there thinking the same thing...

You can do this! There is only one thing standing between you and

success, and that is your mind. If you let the negative thoughts get

you down, you won't make it. But you can tell yourself, " Self, this

is nothing but fat! And if I eat right and exercise, fat doesn't

stand a chance! " 130 pounds is a lot, but it is going to come off of

you the same way as 20 - one pound at a time!

http://360./twinmom2701

http://whyweight.proboards84.com

>

> Just thought I would introduce myself. I am married, 46, have dd10,

> and need to loose about 130. I am discouraged, but if I give up,

then

> I know I will never succeed in being healthy. I have been watching

> some tv shows about the morbidly obese, which I am one of, and it

> scares the heck out of me. I have a treadmill and can walk on it

for

> about 15 minutes each session. I am very addicted to foods rich in

> sugar and salt. I haven't met a carb I do not like

> daisy

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/4/2006 4:58:35 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, ib_domesticdiva@... writes:

I think with the exception of (she moves like a madwoman! she's my hero) we all need to move as much as our size lets us.

LOL @ me being a mad woman! Last week my first day back at Curves from being sick I only did 15 minutes (1 time around the circuit) so I am definitely in there with you gals: do as much as I can for the day/time at hand. I also only went 2x the past two weeks. Today I made it the whole time... and it is my goal to get there 3x.....

[Guest guest]

Hello Daisy and welcome. If all you can do is 15 minutes of excercise then so be it. Fifteen minutes is better than none! I need to get off my butt and excercise more, I think with the exception of (she moves like a madwoman! she's my hero) we all need to move as much as our size lets us. It is hard. Just doing 30 minutes of house work kills my back. Together we can excape the bondage of the pounds! Blessed be,

[Guest guest]

Thank you candice. I appreciate you answering my post. daisy <ib_domesticdiva@...> wrote: Hello Daisy and welcome. If all you can do is 15 minutes of excercise then so be it. Fifteen minutes is better than none! I need to get off my butt and excercise more, I think with the exception of (she moves like a madwoman! she's my hero) we all need to move as much as our size lets us. It is hard. Just doing 30 minutes of house work kills my back. Together we can excape the bondage of the pounds! Blessed be,

Cheap Talk? Check out Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates.

[Guest guest]

> and need to loose about 130. I am discouraged, but if I give up, then > I know I will never succeed in being healthy.

You can be healthier even if the scale doesn't drop a pound!

Make better food choices - add more fruits and veggies to your daily meal plans; chose more whole grains insteat of white sugar, white flour, white rice; drink more water and less sodas.

Exercise more - just add 15 of cardio a week until you can sustain a steady hour of it; add weight training/toning to build muscle to increase your metabolism and ensure more strength for the little things you do every day, like carrying loads of laundry or little kids and opening pickle jars. Do some yoga and tai chi to not only strengthen your body but center your mind.

Meditate, get a hobby, do fun things - life is good, celebrate it!

I have been watching > some tv shows about the morbidly obese, which I am one of, and it > scares the heck out of me.

Stop watching those shows! And don't read all those "obesity epidemic" reports on-line or the newspapers, too. If you read how the "researchers" pick and choose what date and what results they want to make public you'll find that in actuality, women who were overweight were in better health than average weight men and underweight women! Many of the studies don't take into account activity levels, age, family history of diseases, *real* weights (Most of the weights given to the researchers are self-reported by the participants), or even actual cause of death. If a 250 pound woman gets hit by a car crossing the street her death is *still* attributed to obesity in some way. They'll call it "obesity and heart failure," or something like that, instead of "heart failure brought on by exsanguination (loss of blood) caused by excessive trauma."

> I have a treadmill and can walk on it for > about 15 minutes each session.

That's good! So 3 to 5 times a week do that 15 minute walk. In a few weeks, when 15 minutes passes and you feel like walking more, add 5 minutes to each session. The next week add a 4th day, and so on. And like I mentioned above, add some light weight work to build up your muscles and increase toning.

>I am very addicted to foods rich in > sugar and salt. I haven't met a carb I do not like

That's the way the human body was designed. Our primary source of fuel are carbs. Our brains are wired to seek out and crave carbs. It's no joke that sugar is like cocaine to the brain. Our tongues have more tastebuds for sweets than any other flavor. Deprive the brain of carbs and our thought processes slow; deprive the body itself of carbs and it starts burning muscle before it starts burning fat. The secret is to give the body the *good* carbs it needs and deserves - fruits, whole grains, stuff like that, instead of the fast-burning things like sugar and white flour. The more natural state it's in, the more fiber it has, so the slower it metabolizes. Have your cake, but use banana or applesauce as the sweetener and use whole wheat pastry flour for some of the flour in the recipe. Heck, even King Arthur, the big name in flour, has a whole grain baking cook-book they just released!

Sue in NJ

It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffee maker.