Beth and WBC information..............

[Guest guest]

Sorry to read that you had to stop treatment Beth. How many weeks was it when

you tested at 37 thousand? If you don't have a 2 log drop (take 2 zero's or

digits off the end of your orignial viral load) by 12 weeks then the doc's will

usually stop you because the treatment isn't going to work on you with that

particular med. Sometimes they will change to another med and sometimes not.

Your WBC's were certainly low at 1.2 (a normal range is NOT 12-15 as previously

posted) and you would have had to be on Neupogen in order to continue because

they were at a low point. Perhaps based on other things in your history the

doctor decided it was better to stop than to change the meds and add Neupogen.

Again, ny's 3.44 is a GOOD WBC for treatment. If you rounded your viral

load to 2,000,000 and then took off two zero's - your VL would need to be 20,000

by week 12 before " most docs " would keep you on treatment.

The last time I heard a hepatologist speak in March he said that statistically

if " we " haven't had that 2 log drop by week 4 then we probably aren't going to

respond to treatment so they might start stopping people even sooner in the near

future. There are some progressive docs that might switch the interferon

(there are THREE) or add a second antiviral but sadly those are few and far

between and usually hepatologists rather than gastro's and most of us don't have

access to " real hepatologists "

If everyone would pull out their last CBC (Complete Blood Counts) and look at

your lab slips you will see that WBC's are the first thing on the sheet. Every

lab differs slightly but most will see that the " normals " for White Blood Cells

are 3.8 to 10.8 This is the third or fourth time I have seen 12-15 posted as

the range for white blood cells and that is incorrect. 12-15 is more of a

hemoglobin (red blood cell) range.

We have a man in my live support group whose WBC's got down to 0.6 and his copay

for Neupogen would have been $2000 a month (which he didn't have!) so he had to

stop treatment.

Don has some good links in the links section to lab values. Do your own

homework and learn how to read your labs. Don't " blindly " take anyone's word

for anything (even mine and I have been doing HCV advocacy for over 13 years and

in the medical field for 40 years.) When I was on treatment in 1999 I read on

the internet that we should only drink distilled water. I " believed it " and

didn't do any further research. Bad decision. When I wound up in ICU at week

17 of treatment - one of the things that was " messed up " were my electrolytes

because I should have been drinking filtered or tap water but not distilled as

it possesses NOTHING. It didn't even quench my thirst and it played havoc with

my minerals.

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> From: PeachStatePam <figment@...>

> Subject: [ ] Digest Number 3253/and ny

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> Date: Thursday, July 8, 2010, 1:11 AM

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Hi All. I am in digest mode and don't even get all the emails read - just kind

of glancing. I am lucky to glance at some of my own groups lately. Really busy

with the " real life " advocacy.