12 weeks of treatment

[L444]

Happy New Year All! 13 weeks in treatment with ribavirin viekirax and exviera for type 1 hcv. Toxic, sickest I have ever been in my life is how I feel. I am at a crossroad. I fear I have a choice continue meds and take off work ( work at private medical hospital poor sickness pay) or stop meds. I am exhausted and not coping with side effects although doing the right things no alcohol etc. I see the consultant today. Anyone else find themselves on this path? Stay well

[Cara78]

I am so sorry your going through this. If it's any help I'm ill and I've not started my treatment yet😂. I would try my best and fight this demon. Can u not take vitamins. Tons of vit c it's water soluble so u cannot take too much. My thoughts are with u at this time😊

[Sillysausage234]

Hi good to see you are getting treatment now ,hang in there,the time will pass if you have to take time out so be it get the virus killed off while you can good luck.

[L444 in reply to Sillysausage234]

The hcv cleared at eight week check ! Very thankful for that

[Sillysausage234 in reply to L444]

Hi,mine also was gone by 4 weeks,had to carry it on for 12 weeks just to make doubly sure it was gone and there was no stragglers hanging around under cover I too am grateful to get rid and would recommend anyone who gets the chance of treatment to grab it with both hands,it’s not for long,and soon passes.

[beeeater]

Hi there, its almost a year now since I struggled towards the end of same treatment as you. I got very ill at the end when had to add in antibiotics for urine infection. I was so poleaxed some days earlier in treatment there was no way I could have gone out to work. I work at home in my partners business so got by working as and when I could. I struggled through the treatment to finish one day earlier than I should have. Now that you've got this far I would defo keep going even if it means going sick. I'm sure being able to lie down as and when you need to and not have additional work pressure is likely to help a lot. Also remember to drink loads of liquids. I am so pleased I stuck it out as the virus has been cured. It's taken me a year to recover from treatment and infection problems and drug reactions running alongside but I am pretty good now. Fit and well, and able to bike and walk miles and so much happier to be hep c free. Also my long term prognosis is much better. Good luck.

[L444 in reply to beeeater]

Omg thank you for telling me your story just saw consultant and I will be going off work as I just can’t do it sick is an understatement the virus cleared but I will still keep going please keep in touch and we’ll done you for sticking with it

[beeeater in reply to L444]

Well done you too for keeping going! It is so worth getting through the dark days to be free of the virus. Hopefully you can manage better now you are not working. It will be soon just a bad dream. It's taken me a long time for the truth of my hep free status to sink in. But now when I cut myself I don't feel that surge of guilt and panic that I get the blood cleared up properly. I remember I haven't got IT anymore and feel so happy!! Keep on keeping on. You will soon be there.

[L444 in reply to beeeater]

Wow well done a whole year to recover! I happy for you stay well

[beeeater]

I was wondering how many weeks you are into the treatment. It's ribavarin that is probably causing all the trouble and perhaps you could drop that and continue with the others if things are so desperate and the consultant will let you.

[bunnyroo]

Hello, sorry you're feeling so crappy. I, too, am genotype 1a and have just completed my first week of Viekirax, Exviera and Ribavirin. I feel rubbish, too, mostly sick but other things too. I'm also tired. I've got another 23weeks to go - how about you? Try not to stop your treatment. I was told by my liver nurse that I only get one bash at this. The alternative is too horrible to contemplate. The virus will do too much harm to your liver. Believe me, work/money shortages will be as nothing as you will eventually be unable to work at all. I'm sorry if i'm depressing you, I don't mean to. Just please don't quit this treatment: it will save your life. You don't say whether or not you have cirrhosis, as i do, but still, hep c wrecks livers. Reading through these posts, others are so nice and friendly-seeming. I have strong feelings of empathy with my fellow sufferers, truly. So if I seem uncaring by the way I write, again I apologise. I just want you to consider the seriousness of what you've suggested. My partner brought flu into our home on my 3rd day of treatment. I can't separate which is making me feel so rotten as i've not been on it long enough to know. By your description, though, I don't think the flu is all to blame! My very best wishes to you, I do hope you stay with it. Good 🍀 Luck

[L444 in reply to bunnyroo]

Wow nice to hear from you the first 6 weeks I was paralytic still no sleep the dermatitis is yuk unbearable but I’m staying with it good luck and if you need to talk I’m here

[bunnyroo in reply to L444]

L444, SO glad to see you're staying with it! I'm a bit jealous you'll be done before me though 😉😊 It doesn't actually get worse, a few weeks in, does it? Trying to drink and eat enough when I feel so sick and just want to be left alone to my misery comes hard. Normally I like water and it's pretty much all I drink bar lemon green tea, but right now, probably because of this fluey-thing, I find it very difficult to swallow. How are you feeling now (aside from obvious relief at not having to force yourself to work, poor thing 😟)?

[beeeater]

Good luck to you Bunnyroo. I realised reading your post that you and L444 are double the length of my treatment as I did thirteen weeks ( I didn't have cirrhosis but had to have ribavirin as I had done interferon and failed to clear the virus in the 90's and so deemed more resistant). I couldn't have gone any longer once the combination of antibiotics and treatment sent my blood pressure through the roof and was told to stop by my liver nurse, although I was one day from the end anyway. I had stopped ribavirin about three days before that as I was so ill. It seems a good idea to avoid other medication, if at all possible when you're on the treatment, as they can interact.

[bunnyroo in reply to beeeater]

Thankyou Beeeater and, though i'm happy for you that you've finished your treatment, what a nasty way to have finished! Hope you're ok now? Yes, I know what you mean about other medications. Thinking I had succumbed to the flu, due to a feeling in my throat and chest and not daring to take a flu-remedy, I took a Berocca tablet in a whole pint of water. Normally i'm fine with Vit C. This time I had diarrhoea and the most appalling nausea a full 24hours. This had made me so wary, I daren't even suck a Hall's Soother! And this a mere 2 days in! Ah well, roll on June!

[beeeater]

Perhaps you have got the flu! I think from what I remember I was ok for a couple of weeks at the start till the treatment really started to bite. I would have got through the treatment ok too if it hadn't been for getting a urine infection, which I was prone to then. I am ok now. Not 100% perfect health but good enough. I can climb small mountains and bike for miles. I have always had up and down energy from having hepc and ME badly too in the 80s and 90s for about 15 years. It takes quite a log time for ribavarin to clear your system. At least six months.Good luck to you both.

[Hidden]

This is my experience at the moment ... very rare I have a good day but I have had the flu recently

[sugarandspice44]

Hi, well done for sticking to your treatment when feeling so rough, I myself started treatment 3 wks ago & am beginning to feel absolutley dreadful!! Totally sleep deprived, lethargy, at times a bit tearful and struggle to find the strength to stand sometimes, although I was told this may happen, it hits hard when it does!! The good news is, after only 3 of my 12 wks of treatment I had call from my nurse today to say that already my viral load is undetected!! I'm blown away by those results so early on in treatment, but I have to do the other 9 weeks that are left & put up with side effects!! She said my haemoglobin has dropped & that they will monitor that, apparently its the ribavirin that can do that & that's what's making me feel so tired but can't sleep, I'm at hospital next Friday to see doc & further blood tests! I'm so sorry your struggling with what to do, its not easy when you need to work but can't because of side effects of your treatment, just hope you make the right decision for you, we can do it, you take care & stay strong!!

[L444 in reply to sugarandspice44]

I have finished treatment after 23 weeks gag yuk holy shit . Many times I thought this is the end of me I was like you soo fatigued and sleepless. Now things are getting better so rest lol drink tons of water keep in touch best wishes going forward x

[sugarandspice44 in reply to L444]

Thank you, thank you for your kind words & best wishes, if course I'll stay in touch, I'm loving the warmth in all of your messages, it really does help!! I'm back at addenbrooks HOSP next Friday, so I'll update you again then,in the meantime you take care!!