Thom, sorry to hear that this time around is worse. My second round was
rougher than the first, but not as bad as what you are going through.
Did you have any tests done at the end of 12 weeks to give you any
encouragement? Remember, you can always come here to vent.

Dwight

Hi folks,
Just checking in.  I haven't had the energy or inclination to participate in
much of anything the past couple of months.  Mostly just coming home from
work and going to bed.
This is week 14 (out of 72 total) and for the first time I'm having doubts
about whether or not I really want to complete round 2 of tx.  This time
around the sides are much worse than before.  I feel like sh.t all the time,
and like sh.t warmed over for 3 or 4 days after my injection.  Dried up tear
ducts, eczema and the old familiar itchy riba rash are back.  Of course the
usual shortness of breath, R upper quadrant pain and GI spasms don't help
much either.
I guess this was to be expected with the increased dosage this time - 210
mcg Peg-Intron and 1600 mg Riba daily.
I'm a bit worried that it has started to affect me in other ways as well.
Today I left work a couple of hours early.  I passed off responsibility for
transfusing and coordinating emergency measures for a patient with a massive
GI bleed secondary
to a severe coagulopathy.  Thank God my senior Blood Bank tech was there to
take over.  In the past 30+ years I have never left work under those
conditions before.  I feel like I ran out on the patient and my staff.  But
I also knew (thought) that I needed to get away from the hospital right
away.  I don't know what I'd do if my intermittent brain fog led to a
miscalculation for a patient.  God, I hate this!
When I think of Elmo, Thomas and several others in the ng who have endured
multiple rounds of tx I feel like a whimp.  Oh well, only six more days
until shot #14.  I can hardly wait!  Sorry for the mini-rant, but if I can't
vent with you guys I'd just be screaming in the dark......
Thom