Day one~solvadi and ribavirin--12 week plan

My first dose and my first post!

I just started my Solvaldi and rivovarin 12 week treatment for my Hep C Genotype 2

I was fortunate enough to be approved for my meds through insurance (in 4 days! Unheard of, took me weeks to get approved for generic stuff) which really shocked me since I expected to be denied as I'm dirt poor. Thank goodness for the negative press about manufacturers I guess? So if any po' folk are reading this, make the request for the med and hopefully you'll get a pleasant surprise too!

Anyway, I felt like I hit the lottery-which I did- so now I'm taking my pills. I procrastinated for three weeks because I'm a big chicken and full of fear of the potential side effects! However, I'm blessed to have this opportunity so I gotta give it a go. My hope is to be rid of this crappy disease and hopefully feel better at the end.

I have severe full body osteoarthritis, sleep disorder, mood disorder, yada yada, and they MAY (no promises says doc) get better if Hep C gone.

I contracted Hep C in 1975 and am fortunate it has been the slow type....altho I've been in recovery from alcohol and drugs since 1986 otherwise I don't think it would have slowed down so much!

My partner of 1975 (father of my children) was not so fortunate and just died from this disease. It was a wake-up call for me to start treatment....especially after seeing my kids so sad from loosing their dad--how could I put them through that again sooner than necessary?

So here I am....

I found this website a few weeks ago and by reading Allen's entries decided to sign up too.

Thanks!

"I'm not afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens!~Woodie Allen

Post Edited (Forever Hopeful) : 6/18/2014 11:16:28 PM (GMT-6)

Thanks Barry

Hey there MamaLama,

Thanks for your hello and encouraging words!

Just to make a correction though--my kid's dad and I parted ways almost three decades ago so we weren't partners when he passed, but we did remain friends.

During his last days and the days that have followed, I've been able to relive the fond memories we had accumulated in our years together, and remember what a good person he was and how much we all loved him.

He reminded me how much each of us impact SO many with our presence, and our departure....

Stay with it, you're going to be fine!

Hi and welcome..incredible support and wisdom in this group..you are definitely in the right place. Will be reading your posts and thankful you are genotype 2 with a very short treatment time. You'll do great..just don't forget to eat before the ribavirin and stay well hydrated...my two cents. Lol
music👱

I plan on heeding your words Music and thanks for the welcome! ;-)

Hello Forever Helpful, glad to see you here and thanks for reading my thread and I hoped it helped you but I want you to know that I was probably one of the ones that had more side effects than other's so don't worry yourself that you might have side effects...others barely had any compared to me.

I have the same Genortype as you and my viral load was 4.7 million to start and its now less that *12* but they also mentioned it was detectable but my doctor has said not to worry...I go for my next viral load in about 5 weeks and they are confident it will then show up undetectable.

As music mentioned keep yourself hydrated and drink water whenever you can and *try* to have healthy snacks around to nibble on whenever you can, I did eat alot of comfort foods and gained about 10 pounds during my treatment but for me thats no big deal and even off treatment if I am not responsible about eating I have gained that and more in a month so don't even worry about it.

Good luck with your treatment and its great to hear you took the step towards getting yourself treated and you will feel much better when all this is over and done with.

My gosh.

Today is day 16 of my 12week treatment.

I just got my first labs yesterday-ALT 26 AST 25. HOLY COW!!!!! Those numbers haven't been below 200 in decades

Unfortunately my red blood cell count is already low altho not much but that worries me this early in, although my doctor says it's normal.

My biggest concern today is: I finally called the doc yesterday about two symptoms I've had the last 5 days. Increasing pain in my upper right side (I thought it was pain in liver) and ankle swelling, plus extreme exhaustion, ok 3 symptoms ;-)

Went in for exam and the pain is from my gall bladder. Doc says not related to treatment but is definitely inconvenient timing...am trying to behave food and salt wise and am supposed to get ultrasound of gall bladder next week. Worried about it all of course because "worry wart-ism" is one of my biggest problems and I don't want anything interfering with my treatment.

I just wanted to add, that I was truly skeptical that this would work for ME (since I've had it for 39 years--that's a long time in a bad relationship!) so I'm very excited that my liver functioning numbers are so low. Hoorah!

"Just keep on keep in' on"

Thanks all.

Happy 4th!!

Forever, congratulations on the LFTs, you may already be UND! Exciting times we are living in, huh?

I'm also G2 on the same regime as you with the same fear going into the treatment. I'm on my 10th week now and doing good, although fatigued.

Hope your gall bladder issues get resolved. I also worry about everything but have tried to adopt a Que sera, sera attitude. I tell myself that if I do fail this treatment, I'll just take the next one and leave it there. It'll work out, you'll see.

Be well, HF

So~

I just got back from a wonderful vacation/trip that had been planned since Xmas (I was hoping to wait until after trip to start treatment but couldn't look gift horse in the mouth!) I pulled it off but oh my, when in got back I felt SO exhausted I thought for sure "this is it!" Am still so tired, am assuming from low red blood cell count. Am also still having major issues with gall bladder pain/feeling sick/Feeling tired and weepy.

Ok so I'm being a baby about it. So far except for LRB count I'm having no major side effects from meds unless gall bladder issue is related but I don't think it is--perhaps feeling rundown has exacerbated the condition, I don't know.

I'm waiting for a call to set up further testing to see condition of GB and what to do....hurts really bad when I'm standing or walking.

Saturday I will have completed my first month of treatment! Whoopee...

"Keep on keeping on"

Thanks HF.

I got advised early on from a few people on this site to be sure to eat before meds and drink lots of water so haven't had an real problem with feeling sick until this GB thing....altho me being me I'm positive it's something more dramatic and complicated, but that's hopefully just my over active imagination as usual!!!

But I am very fatigued and I do know my RBC is dropping so not my imagination. Good to know you've had the same experience and are almost through with your treatment! (Hooray for you)

Thanks for your support and feedback~

We're "trudging the road of happy destiny"~ AA Big Book

I agree MamaLama,

We are SO lucky to get this new medicine!!! I'm very grateful, even if I do whine about it ;-) I've had this disease for 40years (!?!) and I'm one of the lucky ones to have made it this long anyway. To be cured from it and not feel sick all the time, well that will just be icing on the cake.

"You can't be hateful if you're grateful"~Miss Pearl 1986

Ok Mae--

I really feel like complaining today!



I have been feeling SO sick!! I went for ultrasound for gallbladder today--had to fast all day with no water even, yikes. I'm not sure when I'll get results of test, hopefully will be online tomorrow, appt with doc on Monday. Also get my second lab work done Monday and hoping my RBC isn't too much lower....

I know my liver specialist last week told me it's the gallbladder causing the pain and sickness and the liver doesn't feel pain but I guess I'm not really believing him right now. I feel just like I did all those years when I was drinking--like one big giant hangover liver ache! And I've been sober since 1986! And if the liver doesn't feel pain then what was that horrid agonizing pain I felt for my first 2 liver biopsies!?!

I know I'm just being irrational and over dramatic right now



But I just needed to vent

Well ok, the last one (liver biopsy) didn't hurt at all--because the radiologist deadened the rib cage so well and gave me better drugs--so maybe the liver doesn't hurt after all...I guess after decades of thinking it does hurt I'm having a hard time believing it doesn't. And is the RIBA causing the pain? Doc says no....


Just me at the end of day 25....

Thank you all, it helps me so much just knowing you exist!