On 28 Sep 2006 07:53:14 -0700, "Lonesomedave"
<Lonesomedaveo@yahoo.com>, in message ID
<1159455194.742957.36910@m7g2000cwm.googlegroups.com>, in the
newsgroup alt.support.hepatitis-c wrote:

Hi Dave.
Yes, fear is a paralyser isn't it?  As things turned out, I found the
fear harder to cope with than the treatment.  I'm not saying that tx
was a breeze but most of the things I expected to happen either passed
quite quickly or just didn't happen.  I just about coped with the fear
by starting my day with a fear session.  I know it sounds ludicrous
now but at the start of the day I would give myself about 10 - 20
minutes of imagining the most horrible fearsome things that I could
about hep-c and tx (and anything else that sprang to mind).  Then I
would stop it and get on with my day.  I'm not saying it worked well
every day but some of my imaginings actually got me laughing at myself
- and that was no bad thing considering where my head was at.

As for the treatment itself well most people have unpleasant side
effects and more people than not get rid of the virus.  Most (but not
all) people have to make some temporary adjustments in their life to
accommodate the tx.  I ended up working part-time, losing my temper
too much, and feelings lots of fatigue and first.  The brainbox got
pretty scrambled at times too but not in a pleasant way.

Try to simplify your life as much as possible for tx, let your partner
take some responsibilities that you normally take (if she's able) and
drink lots of water.  It might help to get one of those pill
dispensers with the days marked on them.

I'm sure other will have tips as well.

One of my iron levels (Ferritin /normal 20-380) was elevated (600) when I
started tx and increased significantly (3000) after about 7 months of
treatment.  Monthly Phlebotomies helped some but my Doc wanted to put me on
this new medicine.
http://www.exjade.com/index.jsp  Instead we switched to Phlebotomies every 2
weeks and limped along till completing tx. My last Ferritin level was 36
after 10 months off tx and no Phlebotomies for the last 6 months. Tests
prior to tx indicated I have 2 of the genes that can cause Hemochromatosis.
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hemochromatosis/

Hi Dave,
  the piece of advice I'd like to give you is to be realistic...

Okay, treatment isn't fun, particularly for those who have to undergo
the long route (which once was considered to be the 48 weeks, although
nowadays is quite common to see people prolong it up to 72 weeks --wow!--).
In spite of all this, the reality is that side effects are REALLY nasty
only for a small percentage of people and, even for those, they (the
sides) do regress at the end of treatment (okay: keep an eye on your
thyroid, if it goes bad it would be difficult to settle it back again
without more drugs).
In the USA, where I think you're located, they use to easily provide
drugs to keep side effects at bay, then, this should make you feel better.
So don't panic about it, it is doable, and with a good doctor, some good
advice, attitude and, most of all, _motivation_, time will go quite fast.
You're getting prepared, and this is good for sure.
In fact, it is important to check with your doctor all that factors
because of which treatment could cause more trouble than good (as, for
example, auto-immune disorders that can be highly influenced and
worsened by interferon treatment).
Once you've all checked up, then just _start_ and keep your head firmly
towards the end.
If you do a non-manual job, you'll be probably able to work during the
whole treatment and, along with it, to manage the relationship with your
co-workers. If this is not the case (if you do a manual job) then don't
push yourself and call sick when you need it. I think your life is more
important than your job.
Yes, keep an eye on your relationship. Keep your wife and family out of
this. It's better. I mean, go ask for her support in the way you prefer,
but try not to exasperate her because you're undergoing treatment.

Be sure you blood tests are scheduled for 2nd and 4th week and then
every 4 weeks. Viral load should be checked at week 4, 12, 24, 36 and 48
as well as thyroid.

Drink lots of water and keep smiling sometimes, then, yes, "Hurry
Up!"... YOU CAN DO IT!

Now, if you want to mind and read it, my experience details follow.

I've done 48 weeks of Peg-Intron (100 ug/week) and Rebetol (1000 mg/day)
and, at the end, I was really tired of it.

I've lost about 10% of my weight during treatment (I was 80 Kg at the
beginning and 71 at the end).
But I never stopped eating although, sometimes, I had no appetite. I
forced myself to had a good breakfast at 7:00 which basically was a cup
of milk with an espresso coffee mixed in it, one or two small toasts
with marmalade, a glass of fruit juice and two caps of Ribavirin. Then I
used to have a yogurt at work around 10:00, and then go for lunch with
pasta, vegetables and/or some meat (meat twice a week) at 1:00 PM.
Then, dinner at 8:00 with something which would complement what I had at
lunch, basically fish or eggs, or pasta, but always vegetables and
fruit. I kept drinking _at least_ 2 liters of water each day throughout
all treatment.

Anemia was quite a deal for me, being not allowed to take any
countermeasure, like EPO or growth factors, for it where I live (Italy).
In the morning, while carrying my 2 years-old son to the car or when
making a couple of floors to my office, I happened to be panting and
puffing like I was forced to climb a mountain in few hours and I could
feel my heart go really fast.
My doctor prescribed folic acid and B group vitamins supplements twice
and it helped _a lot_. I learned not to hurry and not to force myself,
above all during the summer.

My body got quite used to fevers and slight headaches (side effects you
have when you get a flu) on Sundays (I used to inject interferon on
Saturday night) and knowing that it was going to be temporary helped _a
lot_.
I managed to keep the first shot fever at bay (temperature reached 39 °C
degrees) with Paracetamol (a 500 mg pill) but then I took half a pill
only two or three more times, mostly for headaches.

Some skin irritation and reaction popped up during after some month, but
nothing really heavy. A little bit of cortisone cream made the trick
for irritation in the covered areas (yes you know where) and some oats
based lotion for the small reaction spots on my face.

During the last two months sleeping became a problem. I noticed that, as
a result, I had a sore back in the morning. I referred to a specialist
who told me that the bad sleep pattern and weight loss due to treatment
 did emphasize postural related problems. He prescribed some
physiotherapy (Global Postural Reeducation) and by the end of treatment
I was able to sleep well again.

My relationship problems were emphasized by treatment but they _were
there_ even before.

I'm in the software development industry and I didn't loose a day of
work, although, sometimes, my problem solving or memory functionality
were really impaired.

I kept in touch with my doctor and never stopped to be the most active
actor of my treatment during all the way.

Good luck,
jeeb.