Man, it seems like it was only recently when some good people
convinced me to give Tx a shot--and I'm glad I did. It's too early to
celebrate yet, but here's a brief synopsis. I only wish the Dr was
more reachable, the bastard--he's a real slacker, forgetting what
genotype I was every time he saw me, correcting himself by saying,
"Oh, so you have to do only 24 weeks because of your genotype?" I hate
that kind of slack attitude, but as long as I'll be find, I don't care
anymore. So, here it goes:

Got HepC in 2000 or 2001
Genotype 3a
age 30, male, 170 lbs
Pre-Tx ALT/AST: around 100/200
Pre-Tx viral load: 2.7 million

Week 1: May 18 (Peg-Intron 120 mcg, Ribavirin 1000 mg)
Week 2: ALT/AST back to normal, for the first time in years, staying
normal throughout Tx
Week 4: VL undetectable (<5 IU/ml)
Week 12: VL undetectable
Week 24: October 26

I did develop slight anaemia, low RBC, and hemoglobin hovered usually
above 11 over the course of Tx. WBC counts were normal throughout.
Platelets were good, too.

I saw my Dr the week after my final, 24th shot, and keeping my fingers
crossed for the results, although the prognosis is good, according to
him.

Looking back at the whole thing, it was nowhere near as bad as some
other people report. I guess I was lucky. My hair used to be wavy, now
it's straight, of different texture, and not as thick--but I guess
it'll pass. Around month 2, anaemia was really annoying--difficult to
get up the stairs, etc.--but it passed quickly, too. Um, what
else...depression, cognitive problems, etc--I guess that kind of stuff
did take place, but not to the point where it significantly affected
my functioning. Most of the times, I could not even say I was on some
heavy-duty meds if I didn't know already. sh.t, I hope the interferon
was properly stored at the warehouse, or something. <g>

Is it normal at all? Don't get me wrong, sometimes I felt like real
crap, and depressed like hell, but not all the time--far from it. Just
nowhere like I'd expected.

I cannot really think of any horrible experiences. That first shot was
very tough, yes, as well as some occasional shots afterwards, but I
knew it was going to pass. Sedatives and opiates helped sometimes, as
well as occasional small doses of amphetamines. I'm not advocating
this--especially amphetamines--but that's how I did it. Vitamins C and
E, Omega fish oil--I used them too.

A week before my last shot, I lowered my Ribavirin down from 1000
mg/day to 800 mg, per my Dr's instructions. Then, I took no more of it
after the 24th Peg-Intron shot. Is this how it usually happens?

I'm not sure why I'm writing this. I owe a lot to this group, and I
thought I'd write an update, I suppose. I'm due to have some root
canal procedures done soon, and I'm wondering if NSAIDs like ibuprofen
would be best for pain, if there's any, or maybe Tylenol.

Do I truly banish HepC, or is it still lurking in my cells? Can I
drink socially now? Not a big deal for me, but I want to know.

I feel strange now, that I don't have to take any more of these meds
every day and weekly shots. A bit apprehensive about the final
results, but I suppose there's little I can do now about it. Heh.

I'm no longer employed (only partly due to the Tx issues--mostly just
lost interested), and thinking of visiting some friends in South
Pacific this winter.
Well, it's great to see many of you still around here--I sure
appreciate your help. If you have any tips for me at this point, I'd
be happy to listen, as usual. I think I'll check my eyes, because I
used to get a peculiar eye pain in the first couple of days following
an interferon injection.

Thanks again, guys and girls...I'll be dropping in, as usual, once in
a while. I pray I get SVR--I can only imagine how devastating it is to
get the bad news after you think it'll all be great, heh. Thank you
all--especially Grey for your wisdom, time, and patience--and I'll be
seeing you around. Wishing you all well,