Immune System during tx - Don, Gloria and anyone else on tx or facing it soon.

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Gloria and Don... and anyone else who is currently on tx.Peg-Interfuron and Ribavirin wipe out your bodies immune system completely. You are more susceptible to infections, colds, flu. etc. I can remember my doc washing his hands twice and then using antibacterial gel on his hands before he even would touch me because as he would say "you have no immune system and I have been around people with germs all day." When I was going thru tx, my husbands kids were in 7th grade and the other was a freshman in HS. We told them and their mother about my immune system being shut down and that if they had any kind of cold they couldn't come up to our house. For those times their Dad would go down to see

them. Low and behold they would come up and go right for the bathroom for kleenex to blow their noses. I would ask if they were sick and they would say, "no, not really, it's just a little cold" at which time my husband would immediately take them out of the house. I pretty much stayed inside for the entire length of treatment for a few reasons. One I was to weak to go anywhere and two, I didn't want to chance being around anyone that might be sick. I made it thru tx without ever getting a cold, the flu or an infection of any kind. You just have to be very careful. So no Don, the drugs for tx do NOT boost your immune system, they completely dissolve it. It takes months after tx to build it back up also. That's why there is a standard 3 month recovery period after tx. For some people it takes longer than 3 months, but 3 months is the minimum to get your immune

system functioning normally again.Hope this helps with the confusion.Hugs from Gurnee,Teri From: Gloria <gadamscan@...> Sent: Tue, July 6, 2010 2:03:59 AMSubject: Re: [ ] Steroid Injections - Gloria

DonI agree that a needle stuck in your spine does not sound like a Mexican holiday. However, I still must say - you worry away too much about those scores!!! They mean absolutely nothing just because they fluctuate. It is not the fluctuations that cause more damage to your liver; but, certainly getting so stressed will definitely not be beneficial. Also, not moving because of the pain is really only going to ensure the pain will last longer. Remember, you also have Fibro and the more that you don't move, the more that the Fibro will set in and then it becomes extremely painful to move from that.I agree that doing anything with cortisone does not sound healthy. However, my experience has been, that Dr's don't take suggesting it very

lightly either. My 79 yr old mother had to have several cortisone shots for her migraines many years ago and obviously her liver is just fine. But, when my Dr. prescribed a cortisone cream for my baby 31 yrs ago (extreme excema at birth), I was also intensely warned about any over use. Well, I used it sparingly on him and even used it on myself for an ongoing skin problem and then through out the last 1/2 bottle when he was 4.But, please Don - stop worrying about those ALT/AST and viral scores!! There are so vastly many reasons that any of them will flucuate and you will never win at keeping them to a level that you think you want. The next time that you go and have tests, it very well could be that they will be lower than the last ones and it will be for no apparent reason.Now, I have to ask you to give me some kind of link the shows that tx is to actually try to increase your immune systems fight!!

I've always believed that it was exactly the opposite and that's why we have to be a little bit careful of colds and flues!!!Gloria

Hi Gloria

IV and lab needles dont bother me.

Maybe the HCV TX wont either after the first few times.

But the idea of having a needle stuck into my spine doesnt sound like a Mexican holiday.

LOL :-)

Especially since I read that steroids cause one's ALT/AST and viral load scores jump, because steroids suppress the immune system.

This is also why someone doing HCV TX shouldnt do steroids.

The HCV TX stimulates the immune system. Actually quite the opposite.

Steroid use can also cause liver damage.

http://www.medhelp. org/posts/ Hepatitis- C/Steriods- and-tx/show/ 1120375

http://www.hepatiti s-central. com/hcv/hepatiti s/druguse. html

I have fought hard to keep my labs low, and the stress on my liver low, so I dont think I should go for the steroid injections in my back.

I think I would rather take the occasional pain pill for back pain.

I have lived with this pain for many many years now.

I just dont move when I hurt.

love

don in ks