Hep C Discussion Forum

Hi Tim,

As you can see, people vary enormously in how Rx affects them.  For Peg and Riba, the fatigue due to anaemia and the rash are the main problems.  Younger people ( such as yourself) cope better along with those with minimal liver damage.  It obviously depends on the type of work- those doing heavy manual labour will be affected more than someone who sits at a desk. The new DAA's also are better tolerated.  Victrelis in particular compounded the Riba anaemia. You need a degree of anaemia to be sure the Riba is working, and some tolerate a Hb of 9-10 better than others.

Adequate rest and a supportive home environment are particularly important. Stress plays a part in all Sx, particularly for those doing long Rx protocols. It is a fine line between doing enough physical activity to prevent the muscle wasting and wearing yourself out. Being retired, I just sat at home and vegetated.  I am sure that those who are able to work would not have the same mental exhaustion. You'll find out what you can manage, and you'll do well with such a short Rx duration. All the best.

Hi Sally,

 It seems the Incivek was pretty rough. Hoping the Solvaldi goes a little smoother. Brain Fog+ICU nurse= could have definitely ended in some issues! I am concerned about the fog and fatigue but I'll just take each day as  it comes. I have a great support team with my wife, family and friends. So just going to keep chugging and see where it goes!

Tim

Thanks JoAnne,

 From what I've read from a lot of posters on here seems the invicek  was a pretty tough treatment. I am only on Day 3 so far but sx have been pretty minimal. Hopefully I'll stay ahead of it for a bit. I am not sure I could get the time off work, thus limiting my options a bit. So I am hopeful that I can just get through this 12 weeks and come out the other side UND!

Thanks Jim!

 I agree with you that is best to keep moving if possible. Thanks for sharing your experience, always good to hear others that have been through it. Your friend is a inspiration as are all you who have gone through this before me. Always good to see such positive people getting better and making their lives better for themselves and their loved ones. Refreshing change here on this board from some of the horror stories of the treatment circulating the net!

Thanks Tig,

This sounds like me pre tx! I have a standing date with a bowl ice cream pretty much every night! I got clean and sober 10 years ago and sugar, ice cream in particular, is my remaining vice! Being fairly active at work I have managed to keep a balance for gaining too much weight. (although I could stand lose a few as many us could! Lol) If its going to affect my energy though I'll have to reconsider at least back off a bit.

Hey Tim, Welcome!!!!

I worked 6 days a week for 2 months on triple tx and 6 months on 7977 ( sofosbuvir ) and Riba tx. I drank a lot of water and had my banana with coffee every morning. :)

I also worked out a little but as tx went on I could not continue. Damn ribavirin.....lol.

I took my naps on the triple tx just about every day after work but I found that for me, the best way to handle it was to keep moving. It's harder to hit a moving target so I didn't want to stay still too much. I did have a great friend who was on interferon for almost 2 years and he went to work every day. He was my inspiration.

Good luck and you can do this! The reward is well worth it.

Thanks smccune,

 I do drink a lot of water normally (76-80 oz per day) and I'm going to push that up a bit. I did not know about the sugar though. I do have a real sweet tooth so that's pretty bad news. Ill try to moderate it some and be more mindful of it. At this point I'm still feeling so positive from just starting tx and beginning to deal with this as opposed to waiting, that I feel pretty good. Just trying to stay positive while being aware that will be some ups and downs naturally throughout tx.

I am an Industrial Engineering Tech for and ATM Company which at times includes physical work.  The worst problem with me were the leg/muscle cramps but drinking alot of water and eating banana's seemed to help me. Have had few problems at work the last few months.  Eating anything with sugar is also a no-no.  Sweets seemed to make my sugar levels bottom out and fatigue set in.

Hang in there.  Time on tx seems to go really fast.

It's an anti nausea medication. People use it when they fly or if you get car sick. It makes me very sleepy and my doctor said no problems with taking it. Does double duty. Makes me less queasy and puts me to sleep. I use it on shot night for sure, and any other night I can't sleep. Happens at least once a week for me, but maybe you won't have any problems and I hope you don't. I know how much better I feel after a good nights sleep. Makes a world of difference to how I feel the next day.

I work a job where I am active all day, on the 48 week triple treatment I had to bail from work a few times, but ultimately it was better working as I could keep my mind off the effects for a while each day.  My performance was diminished and looking back on it now, I was zombie-like for most of that time. 

A friend has a business as a tile setter and he could not work some days - took days off more than me, but everyone responds a bit differently to the meds.  As Gracie said, a good night's sleep is a godsend when going through treatment, but I feel like I mostly lived on 4-5 hours sleep per night for most of the 48 weeks,

It takes a while for the effects to build up and then to go away after treatment.  Find your rhythm and try to do the best you can.  Catch up on rest when you can, use and do what you can to assure yourself of adequate rest.  You only have so much energy and treatment is a big challenge, but you will make it through.

Thanks Gracie,

 We get a half hour lunch so not sure if I'll be able to sneak in a nap. Maybe soon as I get home. Fortunately its 12 weeks as opposed to your friends 48 so hopefully won't be too bad. Thanks for the response!

Tim