Week 20 - Wednesday
Yesterday I went to the hospital for my four-weekly appointment with Mynurse. I think, as symptoms and side-effects go, my list was not too impressive (or perhaps that should be ‘concerning’).
I reported that I had felt a bit blue one morning last week for the first time since I have been on treatment. Mynurse listened carefully how this had shifted (I went to work and got on with an ordinary day and the ‘everyday activity’ dispelled the gloom!).
And I reported that my fatigue continues - and red blotches on one side of my stomach where I have done previous injections still ‘hang about’. We will keep an eye on them. I have begun to get reflux after eating some foods so I will now keep away from those foods! (It started when I ’sampled’ some M&S breaded chicken flavoured with pepper and lemon - processed food!! I haven’t eaten processed food for about two years.)
We also talked about my hair loss. It will likely grow back - in the meantime massage my scalp more.
My weight remains steady - the same as it was when I started treatment. And my pulse and blood pressure remain ‘good’.
And I filled in the standard form with questions gauging depression & anxiety. This is a standard psychological test used universally (I recently came across it as part of some research questionnaire for social workers about stress.) It is the nFer Nelson HADS test (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Although I am better at talking out loud about anxiety and depression directly, I can see it is a useful gauge for Mynurse and I am reassured that I am being monitored!
I collected my meds and had blood tests done. (I have to confess I did keep my eye open for the male phlebotomist that Wendy referred to, but no evidence of him there yesterday!)
Mynurse called in the afternoon with the results of the blood work. My ALT is 30 and AST 31 (both these were raised last time). I will add these to my table of blood results. I have posted all blood results now and these can be seen by clicking here.
March 30th, 2005 at 7:20 pm
2,000 hits! Amazing. Foodwise I have had to cut out all spicy food, which I used to enjoy. The only fancy thing I eat a lot of is cakes, which I never used to eat before. I know you like your danish pastries and I am the same. That sugar hit is just so rewarding.
Paul.
March 30th, 2005 at 10:28 pm
The food comment fascinates me, Ron - my weight loss has been quite extreme. I have also discovered that processed foods affect me in a similar way - I am totally off any form of microwave meal, prepared meats etc etc. I wonder why?
Like Paul, I have developed a sweet tooth - I never took sugar in coffee until recently, and have enjoyed cake and biscuits. Oddly, chocolate does not appeal - except under the guise of Walnut Whips. Very odd.
March 31st, 2005 at 7:07 pm
Hi Paul & Nick
My theory about the food - processed AND spicy, is that the ailing liver has trouble metabolising the additives & chemicals in processed & spicy foods casuing problems in the digestive track, hence the reflux. Don’t know if it’s correct but as it is my consistent experience, it works for me!
While I like the sugar hit too, I am aware of something I read by a nutritionist - sugar causes a ‘massive’ response in the immune system, again causing the liver extra work. And the energy this all takes from the system is more than that gained by the calories in the sugar. Hmm. Doesn’t stop me having those Danish pastries though.
Ron
March 31st, 2005 at 7:08 pm
Food all yucky at the moment but i am only at week 0 (1st injection) Mynurse just called good to have this support Feeling a little better today but skin very crawley antihistimines can be taken but I will give it another couple of days also quite tired WHEW
March 31st, 2005 at 7:19 pm
Hi Ann
You’ve done it - the decision, the waiting and the 1st injection!! You’re on the voyage!!
Hope the appetite, skin and any other effects settle for you! Good to meet you on Tuesday - don’t like to say too much on the blog abouting meeting people if I haven’t checked it out with them first & forgot to ask you!
I wish you well on your journey and hope we talk again soon!
Ron
March 31st, 2005 at 8:41 pm
Could anybody tell me if they have experienced an intolerance to daylight? I have been finding that it seems so bright, even on dull days, that I have taken to wearing sunglasses! I also have a constant, or so it seems, headache, until I am in a dark room. My hospital appointment is not for another two weeks so I have not had a medical opinion but the light sensitivity started about ten days ago. I am in week 10 of treatment. Hope everybody is o.k. Cheers, Christine.
March 31st, 2005 at 9:27 pm
Hi Ron
Hope you are find and in good spirits. This is a message for Christine Crawford about Photosensitivity. Patients can suffer from the effects of light or sun rays which I have seen resloved. It may also be a migraine so she needs to check it out with her medical team.
Say hello to Carol
April 1st, 2005 at 12:14 am
Hi Christine
I would agree with Friend and suggest you contact your medical team for advice. ItÂ’s easy enough to phone them and have a conversation that will clarify your queries, specifically about you. To me, that sounds more reassuring than advice from the internet! And it’s what I would do.
Talk to you soon & all the best!
Ron
April 1st, 2005 at 6:01 pm
Thanks Ron and Friend,
I am sure you are right about getting in touch with the medics, I just thought it may be something that everyone went through at one time or another during treatment and I could perhaps benifit from hearing of any ways it had been tackled. Thanks for the responses, unfortunatly I cannot speak to anyone until Monday, so will stick with the shades and painkillers, for now anyway.
All the best to everybody, Christine.
April 1st, 2005 at 7:31 pm
Hi, Ron. Finally started that blog I’ve been threatening. Getting it up bit by bit, pasting in the diary I wrote when I started treatment. Hope to get up to date in the next day or so. Some refs to you and Wendy and Jonathan that you may want to check out - only good stuff!
It goes under the name of The virus, and me - http: janeshepc.blogspot.com
Food! I can’t eat at all at the moment. Find I am struggling to get enough food down to take the ribs - and I used to love my food. Trying soup, milky drinks, anything that I can face swallowing. It’s a real challenge at the moment. Any suggestions gratefully received.
April 1st, 2005 at 8:40 pm
Hi Ron - A quick note to Christine,
There is a newsgroup for hep c support that I have posted in in the past, I am pretty certian than one or two people on there have reported senstivity to the sun. You might want to try posting a question there see allt.support.hepatitis-c
Cheers
Jonathan
April 1st, 2005 at 11:57 pm
Hi, Mr Symptoms here! It will come as no surprise to anyone that I have suffered glare induced headaches. I never suffered from headaches before. I normally never use shades but Sarah nags me to put them on. Thanks Sarah.
When I have a headache I stay in the dark if I can. Again, I just thought it was another indication of my turning into a woman.
Paul.
April 2nd, 2005 at 6:15 pm
Ron,
Just picking up on the comment about hair thinning, there is no secret that I am dreading this but so far I seem to have been fortunate. I started out using Nioxin shampoo and conditioner, Nioxin is supposed to help minimise hair loss. Anyway I have always had a dandruff problem (Head and Shoulders solves it) and the Nioxin shampoo exacerbated it. I now use H&S shampoo and the Nioxin conditioner. I have a couple of bottle of Nioxin shampoo that i will never use, if you want to give it a go drop me an email with your address and I will pop it in the post.
All the best
Jonathan
April 12th, 2005 at 4:16 am
I made it thru week 24. Than the riba-rage and not responding to treatment resulted in my stopping the treatment. I have stage 4 liver disease and just found out about the HEP C Dec of 2003. Additional treatment has been sugested. The side effects of the PEG Interferon and Riba Viran were tough but tolerable. The side effects were injection site sensativity, being tired, my eyes did not want to focus but I did not make the connection to light, my brain was not retreaving informaiton very fast and I began to rely on my husband as a filter to what was going on around me. I am back on my feet, the virus is still active, but for now I am feeling better than I did for several weeks. I will do treatment again, but for now it’s limbo. Good luck to thoes in treatment, keep copies of all yours test’s, you may need them as you encounter medical professionals that will need that information.
Holly
October 17th, 2006 at 6:01 pm
We all are on combo, it is my fourth year , on peg intron and ribavirin , have a break of one year before having a relapse, got used to it it keeps me well, take lots of fluids , Vit E , Selenium, Niacin , Milk thistle and eat everything in case you do not have a sustained response keep on the maintainance therapy in case you need further guidance contact me at
abbas_nasreen55@hotmail.com I am professor of Pathology at Rawalpindi Medical College Pakistan and acquired the infection after a needle stick injury, i will be glad to guide you, feel free to contanct
Good luck and keep working and stay busy
November 6th, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Sorry I wrongly mentioned Niacin, stay away it is contraindicated in Liver disease, take Nigella sative seeds , or known as black seeds, a small amount with Honey the amount you can tolerate doesnt gives you loose motions, Ultimately you have to protect youself from developing Cirrhosis or Heaptocellular Carcinoma, in these situation supplements I mentioned above help.
Chineese herbs are very effective in lowering ALT, i have been to China, they hardly use Interferon with Rebetrol, ever heard of Bicyclol or Bifendate chinese treatment for Hep C. For memory loss take lot of health bacteria like probiotics, or freshly prepared ypgurt or cottage cheese, they provide you with the depleted RNA used in your brain in remembering things? Amy queries talk out, it is not that bad