Re: I got it in the 60s too

[Guest guest]

All I know, is I have my energy back & the quality of life I used to

have 10 years prior to diagnosis. I would do it over again if I had

to (but I don't- in remission for 3 1/2 years), except I would drink

more water to lessen sides.

> I recently had a jolt to the belief system! I went to an HCV

support

> group where most of the people were doing Interferon. I have been

> rabidly " natural " in my remedies for the past 30 years. In 2001 I

did

> a years worth of intense herbal HCV treatment and acupuncture. For

> the first time in about 15 years I remembered what it was to wake

up

> in the morning and jump out of bed, not drag my consciousness back

to

> the waking life and drag my painful joints onto the floor. I was

pain

> free and my brain fog lifted little by little. I kept track of that

> by doing " Logic Puzzles, " a magazine of little fun puzzles. Every

> month it seemed I could go back to the ones that baffled me and WOW

> they were perfectly easy! I could do more than one thing a day. I

> could even plan to go out at night for the first time in ten years.

I

> had a year of my ALT/AST numbers dropping and my body straightening

> out and getting stronger. Even my libido came back. This lasted for

> about a year. Then one day I found myself standing in the kitchen

> wondering why I was there. I went to bed earlier and earlier. I

> stopped exercizing. Climbing stairs once again became a huffing and

> puffing experience. I checked my viral count and it had tripled to

> over 5million. OK. I know they say the count doesn't matter, but

I'm

> not sure. So...I'm getting a PhD in Transpersonal Psych and I

changed

> my research topic to the experience of having HCV. I went to this

> HepC Support group to ask them to participate in my survey. I was

so

> interested in listening I forgot to speak. I went back again to

talk

> about my Survey. I went again. I am so challenged. There are people

> there like me, who hate the Western medical model, but they

> eventually decided to do the Interferon route. And....I've been

> researching the MedLine info for three years now....treatment is

> actually improved, shorter, easier, better supported. And I have to

> consider, if I want back the life I know is mine, I have to

consider

> using the poison. So, two things: Anybody had to face this

decision?

> And, check out my survey because I want all kinds of input from all

> kinds of people dealing with HCV all kinds of ways:

> http://www.cogneo.com/hepcsurvey

[Guest guest]

,

I for one am reluctant to use any thing but what the doctor

prescribes me. I was on the Peg-intron and rebetron for 48 weeks.

And although my virus level continued to drop it never quite dropped

to below detectable levels. Call me old fashion, maybe it is the

nurse in me. But I talk to my doctor before trying anything new.

I checked out your survey, but I didn't participate at this time.

There was far too much personal info involved in the signing up and

I don't like giving out my address and phone number to just anyone.

I hope you understand.

Janet

Owner and Moderator

Hepatitis_C_Cental@...

> I recently had a jolt to the belief system! I went to an HCV

support

> group where most of the people were doing Interferon. I have been

> rabidly " natural " in my remedies for the past 30 years. In 2001 I

did

> a years worth of intense herbal HCV treatment and acupuncture. For

> the first time in about 15 years I remembered what it was to wake

up

> in the morning and jump out of bed, not drag my consciousness back

to

> the waking life and drag my painful joints onto the floor. I was

pain

> free and my brain fog lifted little by little. I kept track of

that

> by doing " Logic Puzzles, " a magazine of little fun puzzles. Every

> month it seemed I could go back to the ones that baffled me and

WOW

> they were perfectly easy! I could do more than one thing a day. I

> could even plan to go out at night for the first time in ten

years. I

> had a year of my ALT/AST numbers dropping and my body

straightening

> out and getting stronger. Even my libido came back. This lasted

for

> about a year. Then one day I found myself standing in the kitchen

> wondering why I was there. I went to bed earlier and earlier. I

> stopped exercizing. Climbing stairs once again became a huffing

and

> puffing experience. I checked my viral count and it had tripled to

> over 5million. OK. I know they say the count doesn't matter, but

I'm

> not sure. So...I'm getting a PhD in Transpersonal Psych and I

changed

> my research topic to the experience of having HCV. I went to this

> HepC Support group to ask them to participate in my survey. I was

so

> interested in listening I forgot to speak. I went back again to

talk

> about my Survey. I went again. I am so challenged. There are

people

> there like me, who hate the Western medical model, but they

> eventually decided to do the Interferon route. And....I've been

> researching the MedLine info for three years now....treatment is

> actually improved, shorter, easier, better supported. And I have

to

> consider, if I want back the life I know is mine, I have to

consider

> using the poison. So, two things: Anybody had to face this

decision?

> And, check out my survey because I want all kinds of input from

all

> kinds of people dealing with HCV all kinds of ways:

> http://www.cogneo.com/hepcsurvey

[Guest guest]

If you are asking what the treatment is like, it is rather

grueling.

Doug

> Re: I got it in the 60s too

>

> wow ! could someone explain what Im in for ......nne

[Guest guest]

> If you are asking what the treatment is like, it is rather

> grueling.

>

> Doug

>

> > Re: I got it in the 60s too

> >

> > wow ! could someone explain what Im in for ......nne

I THINK THE TREATMENT IS DIFFERENT FOR EACH PERSON ... JUST AS HOW

EVERYBODY HANDLES PAIN MEDS DIFFERENTLY. MYSELF, I HAD TO QUIT AFTER

2 1/2 MONTHS BECAUSE ALL I DID ALL DAY WAS SIT ON THE BED WITH MY

HEAD HANGING OVER ... LIKE I WAS A ZOMBIE. IF I ATE {NO MORE THAN 2 -

4 CRACKERS A DAY IS ALL I COULD DO} THEN I THREW UP. IF I DRANK ...

IT TOO CAME UP. I HAD TO HAVE HELP WALKING. MY BODY TEMP DROPPED TO

86 - 88. MY BP DROPPED DRAMATICALLY LOW. MY PULS ... NORMAL AT

98 ... WENT DOWN TO 60 ON A GOOD DAY. WHEN I FINALLY QUIT, I COULD

NOT HOLD MY NECK UP BECAUSE THE MUSCLES HAD WEAKENED SO MUCH. I HAD

IT REAL BAD. BUT OTHERS HAVE DONE GREAT. I HAVE TYPE 2 GENOTYPE, SO

IT'S REALLY BAD THE MEDS HANDLED SO POORLY, CAUSE I WAS THE BEST

CANDIDATE FOR TREATMENT. GOOD LUCK!

[Guest guest]

nne,

Different people have different reactions to the combo treatment.

The first 3 months were hard on me to say the least. Mostly just the

nausea,loss of hair. Mainly on the top and sides of my head.(time

for a comb over).LOL I lose 25 lbs during those first few months.

Simply because to be honest everything tasted bad to me. Potatoes

and rice were my comfort foods during that time. All foods had a

metallic taste to them. Fatigue and weakness were a daily thing with

me. So times ran fevers after taking my shot. Nothing life threating

but enough to give me the chills. Skin and eyes were dry and itchy.

I used oatmeal soap to relieve the itchy skin,and eye drops for my

eyes. Mostly just a saline solution for the eyes.

But I continued to go to my daughters soccer games,to go shopping on

Sat. That was the day I felt the best because it was shot night.

Camping because most of the treatment was during the spring and

summer for me. I ended the treatment in Sept. So I wasn't going to

let the treatment make me have that big of change in my life. Yeah I

didn't feel like running a 20 k race but then again. I could sit in

a chair and enjoy the great outdoors. And sit in the boat with a

fishing pole in my hand. My boat is a cabin cruiser so if I became

too tired, slip into the cabin for a short nap. Although once the

binge pump went out and had a 1 inch of water in the cabin because

of rain the previous night. Drat who left the window open. LOL

But I can't say that I had the best fun in my life while on

treatment but I just made myself do the things I needed to do to be

with my family. We are a very outdoorsy bunch and I intended not to

be a rock around their neck. They got to where she can do it just

slowly.

I kept most of my complains to myself,because they tended to baby me

and I didn't want them to do that.

We went on trips and both by plane and car.

I would say alot of the treatment is you attitude and what you

decide you are going to do on treatment. I decided I was not going

to let it keep me from being with my family. And often the weekend

trips to the lake was my idea. Just to simply get out of the house

and enjoy the fresh air.

Hope that you can come to us when you start treatment and get good

ideas on how to treat your side effects. I found that this group was

very helpful on suggestions for dealing with sides and they worked.

Love

Janet

> wow ! could someone explain what Im in for ......nne