Hep C Discussion Forum

**Posts:** 1691

RE: Suggestion?

**Posts:** 127

Im bi-polar too. I haven't started treament yet but my doctor is wanting me to. It was never mentioned that I shouldn't undergo the treaments because of that. HM. I have an appointment in a week. I will mention it. I do agree with the post about going to a psychiatrist who knows about hep.c.
Bipolar is treatable and maybe the meds for that would help with tolorating treaments. I don't know. I hadn't thought about that part of it before.

**Posts:** 14

THANX MOOCOW YOUR RESPONCE WAS WHAT I THOUGHT SITTING ON THE EDGE OF THAT TABLE :IN SHOCK! THIS IS A SMALL TOWN AND FEW [GOOD] DRS. HERE. SO TREAT MYSELF AS BEST I CAN WITH WHATS OUT THERE IE..MILK THISTLE,GOLDENSEAL,GARLIC,TUMERAC,ETC... GOT ME AN HERB BOOK.. EVEN CONSIDERED DETOX PRODUCTS.. I DO SEE A PSYCIATRIS HA. EVERY 3-4MONTHS HE'S ALL FOR AT LEAST TRYING.. BUT FINDING A DR.??
THE DEPRESSION OF BEING SICK,IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS ALREADY GETS ME THINKING IM NOT WORTH THE TROUBLE FOR THEM,LIKE THEY[DRS]WANT ME TO DIE ALREADY blankstare

SINCERLY SHARLOT50

**Posts:** 717

Sharlot,

we have another poster here who is reluctant to do tx because of some personality disorder issues and after reading your hx and your doctors comment- my question is this:

why doesn't he send you to a psychiatrist that has experience in dealing with HepC patients (monitoring moods, providing the correct meds to keep your moods up) and communicate with your doctor so you can attempt treatment?

yes, suicidal thoughts and homicidal thoughts are a side of interferon use, but you moods can be monitored, closely.

maybe you should explore this option (pyschiatrist working in tandem with your doctor) with your doctor at this point. I must say, he's like a proverbial wet blanket with a comment like, "I don't want to be responsible for your suicide". what a jerk.

**Posts:** 14

SEARCH ALL LIVER DAMAGE SITES . FROM WHAT I FOUND THE INFORMATION IS USEFUL. I WAS TOLD I CANT HAVE THE TREATMENT BECAUSE IM BIPOLAR AND THE DR SAID HE DIDNT WANT TO BE RESPONCIBLE FOR MY SUICIDE. IM 1YR DIAGNOSED HEPC GENE1A . 51YRS OLD WITH OTHER MEDICAL ISSUES. WHICH IN ITSELF IS VERY DEPRESSING. IM CURRENTLY TRYING THE MILK THISTLE AND OTHER NATURAL TREATMENTS. doh

**Posts:** 18

you are so right Ms Poppy,there are many reasons one would have to stop.In my case I was in week 3 and my nose started bleeding,then my lungs wouldn't let me take a deep breath and my liver started hurting as well as my spleen and the upset stomach started.I was as sick as you can be and remain alive I do believe.I stopped the riba the next day and called my Doc when she got back in town she had been gone all week.I maybe should have stopped in week 2 but she was gone and I said I'll push on.Now I'm sick waiting for the poison to leave my system and my liver to calm down.I feel like I'm wired up but I know its the drugs still in my system.I was able to eat more today and no upset stomach but my liver is still painful at times.The total lab work won't be back for awhile as they won't take the blood till the 12th and send it off to see if I dropped any on the viral load and what my levels are.I also want a lung xray but I am now able to breath normal.Mental health is such an important issue i can't stress it enough.I am 100% disabled combat vet from Vietnam from PTSD and believe me its real,worse than even I knew.I had a panic attack that was too bad to describe Sat night while feeling that there was no hope.I was able to contain it in 10 minutes thanks to the meds but if someone is going to go thru this BS they need to be stable solid and on meds if needed before they start.I have talked with people who did the VX 950 trials and they were able to reach undetected with only 600mg of riba and 90 mgs of inter a day a much reduced load in only 24 weeks so there is hope and some have even been cleared with no riba.Keep the faith,God Bless.

**Posts:** 46

Hi I think that the 3 situations do have the most important aspect, and that is we tried and are still living with the virus. love and best wishes Helen.

**Posts:** 7

I am new to this forum, I also responded well to the treatment, I was diagnosed in Dec 2006, started treatment in April 2006, had to stop end of Sept, couldn't handle it, blood work was too messed up, thne had to try injections to help that etc. My Doctor says he will do another final test end of March to see if I am still undetected, he says I may have cleared it if comes up undetected again. I am scared, because I have alot of joint pain, and I am always so tired, so hard to put in an 8 hour day of work..... and had to start my anti-depression meds again........... I am stressing over this, and hopefully for nothing!! I have seen and read about alot of people that have to do the treatment again, I was supposed to do 48 weeks gen 2b.....

**Posts:** 100

Why is that then?

**Posts:** 420

I agree with CG on dat The Dude

**Posts:** 100

I wonder what I am..... I definitely responded to tx, but it made me so ill I couldn't stay on it.

nikki xx

**Posts:** 8

As wether the member is tx intolerent, non-responder or relapser. The way they manage their day, how things are going so far, sx and signs they have had in common should be shared, Emotionally the results may be different but at the moment the postings are few and I think it will be more open and familiar to group them together for now. There only a very few who dare to dance on an empty dance floor, so once the floor is crowded ,the party can get some space. confused

Just a small thuoght idea

CG

-- Edited by CeeGee at 20:56, 2007-10-08

**Posts:** 1098

Will comply with the orders given (LOL) ..

Lau

**Posts:** 1691

Personally, think we could start of with one section for 'Treatment intolerant, relapsers and non-responders'.....then, if the need arises, we could re-create sub-sections as Nikki suggests?

How do folks feel about that? Does anyone else have any ideas/suggestions to this?....or, we could put it to the vote?.....

Love and hugs
Hxxx

**Posts:** 200

Hi Guys

Treatment intolerant, relapsers and non-responders are all very different sub species indeed. The point is that dispite our differences, we all have very similar issues following treatment failure, to put each catagory under a different heading would, imho fragment the information being shared between 3 different catagories that is relevant to all 3 catagories.

I could perhaps understand that there may be some reason for separating each catagory if we were a massive forum with lots of subscribers, but as it is, the treatment intolerant section for example would have how many peeps posting do you think? The more people we have contributing to a catagory the more information and support is generated there.

Treatment intolerant people aren't necessarily non responders, in fact I believe that I was very probably a super responder as my viral load was only 612,000 with normal ALT's 2 weeks after tx was withdrawn, yet a vl of around 6 million today with ALT's off the wall. So I certainly was not a non responder, if I could have continued with treatment there is every chance I would have reached svr.

To be honest 'Treatment Failure' is something each of those catagories has in common and I would have suggested that as the heading for us all, apart from the fact that those of us who have not been successful clearing the virus can really feel like it is we who are the failures rather than the treatment itself, and this can become magnified in the depressive fallout that commonly follows treatment failure.

Anyways these were just suggestions on my part, I will leave it to those with more experience to decide the final layout. Ulitmately I will appreciate whatever end result you guys decide on, so thanks everyone.

-- Edited by Miss Poppy at 18:46, 2007-08-19

**Posts:** 570

Treatment intolerant and non responder are subtle differences aren't they.I think they should all have their own heading. If you're tx intollerant, you're not a non-responder.

I thind the differences are enough to warrant seperate headings.

Nikki xx

**Posts:** 1098

Peeps,

please add your comments here, Nikki -Min - your thoughts ?

Happy to change as requested.

Give it a few days to be knocked about and am happy to help as Nikki, Min - others feel it should go.

Lau

**Posts:** 200

Hi Everyone

Those who are completely treatment intolerant are in a very small minority. Some people are unable to physically withstand the treatment, others have to stop because of mental health issues, and still others have to stop because of low white blood count.

The consultant who I saw after my treatment was withdrawn told me that there was a margin of 3% of people who had the sort of severe reaction to the meds that I did, eg, hair falling out by week 2.

Those who are treatment intolerant have lots of issues in common with those who don't respond to treatment or with those who relapse. Although for different reasons, we all are either looking to try treatment variations again or waiting for new treatments or new developments in how to care for those whose treatment options have ran out, eg maintenance therapy. We are also all familiar with the intense disappointment following treatment failure and understand the grief that often accompanies that for whatever reason it occurs.

I suspect that a treatment intolerant section standing alone, may be a rather lonely spot on the forum.

Would it be a bother to combine the treatment intolerant section with the relapsers and non-responders in one place? I also think that the current section title, Tx (Conventional Treatment) not for you?, could be a little confusing as relapsers and non responders quite often want to try conventional tx again. So how about the section heading as SOC Treatment Resistant, and the subtitle as Relapsers, Non-responders and Tx Intolerant.

Has anyone else got any views on this?

I am loving the new forum, thanks everyone. x