Hep C Discussion Forum

Biggyb · Guru

RE: Hepatitis in the family

malinois · Member

My mother, my sister and I all have hepC. I encourage the use of medicinal marijuana regularly while on treatment and post treatment... I have smoked daily through the course of my treatment and have had great results with Incivek (telepravir), Interferon, and Ribavirin. What you say is true about "mental and physical breakdown" - marijuana helps with both. I have helped manage my weight and had amazing help with stress / depression / motivation. I DO take a small dose of Lexapro and occasionally a Lunesta for sleep, but honestly my access to medical cannabis in Colorado is so easy, safe, and diverse, and cheap that I dont see any issue with it. I have had better luck with this than the sleeping pills, antidepressants, or pain medicine.

My doctors know full and well that I am an active cannabis user. They recommended the Lexapro prior to treatment, 10mg daily.

If you can get organically grown, medicinal cannabis from a safe source - I dont see an issue. If you dont live in a cannabis friendly state, or don't know where the medicine came from, then I would be careful.

Sativa dominant strains help during the day, usually a more cerebral high that will elevate mood and help with pain. Indica dominant strains are best used if you want to ease pain and experience more of a body high. If you or the family is worried about the health aspects - do a lil more research on the web. Especially look into vaporizing the medicine...

Talk about it openly as a family. Good luck.

Dan

-- Edited by malinois on Friday 26th of October 2012 10:04:45 PM

Cinnamon Girl · Guru

Hi and welcome to you, Grey, thanks for sharing your story. Yes, all of us here who`ve experienced treatment (tx) for Hep C know and understand how difficult it can be, and especially when someone is on it for a long stretch of time. And just what a blow it must have been for all of your family to find out it hadn`t worked for you father after all that he`d suffered.

You mention that your father has the worst type so it sounds like he has genotype 1, which means that he`ll almost certainly be doing a different and much more effective triple tx combo this time around.

Some people do find marijuana helpful athough it can be a contentious issue with some doctors. It`s a topic which has often come up before, and you might find it interesting to have a look at this thread -

http://hepcfriends.activeboard.com/t44398979/using-cannabis/

I`m sure the fact that your father won`t be struggling to work and will be using antidepressants and something to help him sleep this time will make a huge difference to how to copes.

All the best to you and your father, he is lucky to have such a caring son and family! Jill xx

-- Edited by Cinnamon Girl on Saturday 8th of September 2012 01:29:44 PM

JoAnneh · Guru

Grey, what a lucky lucky man ur dad is! He certainly has a family that loves him!
I took treatment 11 years ago and worked full time. After falling out the doctors and everything u wrote about sounds like me!!!!
I am on triple tx now, 17 weeks!
I also said I would never go bavk on it!
I, too took te off work and I work hard always busy!
It has helped me to relax;) I am on antidepressant and sleeping medicine.
The treatment is easier this time. Also my kids are not young anymore. We have 21 year old here so house is quieter. The once a week injection is SO much easier than 3 shots a week years ago.
The 1st three months are doable but exhausting. This formun walked me thru the symptOns.
See we didn't have formun years ago either. It's a HUGE help Grey!
My rage is like a 2 compared to 100 last time, I haven't lost weight this time either.
I get lots of headaches but so do most of population:)
He has lots more support this time and with not working hard all time helps too.
Wait and see he will do better this time.
Your mom won't leave him. It will go better this time.
Last time on treatment doctor gave us medicine and that's all we got.
Now drug companies have nurses call you, pharmacy calls. Doctors treat symptoms better this time cause they know more.
Also, with all the live u have for
Ur dad he will be fine. My husband said I am sooooo much better this time. Glad he has antidepressants
To help him. Sure
Makes a huge difference. Pray and draw close to
The lord by
Reading your bible. It has
Helped me a lot too. I
Am so proud of you
For caring so sweetly. U r a joy for any parent, JoAnne
U write any time!!!

grey · Newbie

Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum. I don't know where to start, but I feel like I need to get this off my chest. I have a father who is diagnosed with Hep C, the worst type. He went through almost 1.5 years of treatment and apparently his chances were good of getting rid of it (non detectable after some time), but when he finally finished it hadn't helped at all. It was a complete setback for everyone. 1.5 years of pain, of a depressed and angry father, of watching my father suffer.
He had really bad side effects from the treatment; insomnia, electric shocks, severe muscle pain, bloody rashes all over his body, shortness of breath, lethargy, irritation and depression, as well as losing heaps and heaps of weight. It was horrible to see someone I love so much and look up to just break down like that - physically and mentally, in front of my eyes.
I guess those of you who have been through treatment are the only ones who can understand what he went through. I myself cannot understand, but watching him suffer was really hard as well. My father is a real workaholic and cannot sit still. He worked full time while he was on treatment, and didn't take time off until the very end of his treatment. He writes regularly on a hep-c forum (I don't know which one, maybe here?) He mentioned once that none of the people he had contact with on the forum could understand how he managed to stay on treatment for that long - let alone WORK! He is such a fighter.
He has been through so much **** in his life and he really doesn't deserve this. He kept going on treatment, listening to the doctors "just another month, just one more week, just a little longer" because he didn't want the hell he went through to be a waste of time. He fought through the treatment until the end and it didn't work.
When we found out it hadn't worked, there was a silence through the house. I could see on my mother's face how upset she was, but no one really said anything. I asked "what now?" and never got a clear answer. "Will he need a liver transplant? Will he die? Will he go on treatment again - what if it doesn't work again?" "I don't know."
My mother had also been silently suffering throughout his treatment and I know their marriage was tense. She had put on her brave face throughout his treatment, but we could all see through it. I remember specifically one time she cried in front of me and said she didn't know what to do if his treatment didn't work, if all this was going to be a waste of time...
After the shock of it not working, no one has really wanted to talk about what's going to happen next. My father said he would never go back on treatment again in his life, he would refuse. While my mother just cried and said she couldn't stand the thought of going through it all over again and I understood that they very likely could end up getting divorced over it.

Now a few months have passed and as you all probably understood, the doctors want him to start treatment again. My father is of course very upset, but it seems like he has accepted it. I think he feels as if he has no choice. This time he is going to go on sick leave from the beginning of the treatment and his doctor is going to force him to take antidepressants and sleeping pills - for my mother's sake and everyone around him. I really don't know what to think.
I feel so sorry for him. I've just been crying and worrying about how he's going to be. It's devastating to see someone you love suffer so much and I'm so scared of losing him. I also love my mother and don't want her to have to feel like she needs to be brave for all of us. Sometimes it feels like we're all falling to pieces and everyone's just trying to be brave, but it's just not helping. I'm so scared, I don't know what to do.

I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to help him. I've thought of getting hold of marijuana for him, but I'm not sure he'd use it. I've read it can have adverse effects for people on Hep C treatment, but that most people find it really helps the side effects in such a degree that it's worth it.

If this is the forum my father posts on, he probably understands this is about him. All I want to say to you is I love you so much and if there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate asking.

Would love if anyone out there could share their thoughts and views and maybe experiences.

Hep C Discussion Forum

~Bob~

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