New Member

[Guest guest]

Dear Lynda,

I am very pleased to 'meet' you. Trish and I go back a

bit. We are very fond of each other's energy and way

of approaching people! I KNOW she is an excellent

teacher. So you have one of the best!

I am happy to learn that this site has helped you. If

you just began your program in May and you passed IV

module or class you are doing VERY well, as it is one

of the hardest subjects in pharm tech school.

As you must know your instructor is one of my TEXPERTS

as well! We met at an NPTA convention. We just

clicked!

Plese keep in touch and let me know how well you do

through out your course. If you need any help at allI/

we are here!

Love ya

" Ms M "

--- Lynda Riley <liriley7@...> wrote:

> Hi Jeanetta,

> I wanted to thank you for your file on allegations.

> It really helped me pass IV. I started at Apollo

> here in Portland, OR in May of this year. Trish

> Buckland is my instructor. She told me about this

> site. I plan on using your flashcard and drug

> reference files. Thanks for having this site. I

> noticed a lot of folks getting ready for

> Certification. I'm glad you can help.

> Lynda

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group. You are not crazy. I lived next to a TV tower and

cell towers and got sick and thought that moving to live 2 miles from

one would be OK. Wrong! I am still suffering.

Your Lookout tower is probably much worse. YOU are the best source of

truth and evidence as to what is a good distance to live from it. You

will get no help from any laws, rules or any authorize level, distance

or dosage. You are the only one who really knows what is " safe " per

your condition.

Do what you know is right and the hell with the other opinions.

On Jul 1, 2005, at 9:44 PM, DAVID SUSAN STEWART wrote:

> Hello,

> My name is Sue and I have just joined the group. I live in Golden, CO

> where there exists a mountain, lookout, with about 1,000 towers. I

> moved to Golden in the early 90's and became very sick and never knew

> what it was. I am an active athlete and most people feel I am very

> healthy, no one could believe how I felt so sick day after day. I

> got well when I moved, but did not relate it to EMF. I eventually

> moved back into Golden, at the base of the mountain, and got really

> sick again. My symptoms include a skin rash, vision problems, achy

> muscles and joints, foggy thinking, dizziness, IBS and generally

> feeling ill. I have a whole history that points to the culprit being

> the towers, but many people do not believe it.

>

> Sue

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Thank you so much for believing me!!! I had a guy come measure at my house

and at the house where I felt well, it is a meter that measures the average

of a bunch of frequencies, and it showed that the reading was higher where I

felt good. It is so crazy, but I know my sickness still has something to do

with those towers, which his meter does not read. I am actually staying at

a friends house right now, and although I am not totally well, I can sleep a

lot better. So, I am going to move, which is why I am staying a few places

to test the area and distance. All of the new technologies that put EMF in

the air is so scary for people like us. Are you going to move again?

Sue

>From: McAfee <amcafeerr@...>

>Reply-

>

>Subject: Re: New member

>Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 00:43:06 -0400

>

[Guest guest]

,

What symptoms do you have?

Sue

>From: McAfee <amcafeerr@...>

>Reply-

>

>Subject: Re: New member

>Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 00:43:06 -0400

>

[Guest guest]

I have been trying to decide whether to move again or not. The dilemma

being to where? Yes I could move farther away from this particular TV

tower and hope that another isn't built near by. I have been exploring

shielding devices and materials to see if there is any way to stay at

our current location. I am weighing the expensive of making my house a

bunker or moving again and possibly having to make my next house a

bunker.

No decision at this point as all of my cards haven't been played yet.

I do believe that I need to live 10 miles from the TV-FM towers and at

least 3 miles from Cell towers. The cell tower frequencies are much

easier to block than the TV-FM towers.

The main symptoms that I have that registers that I am around a cell

phone or tower is a spike of pain on the top and center of my head that

increases with time and exposure. I also feel drained, have a burning

sensation on my skin, face, etc. can feel the energy burning my

meridians located at the outside corners of my eyes, and under my eyes,

disorientation, memory loss, irritation, headaches, a dull pain in my

lower left abdomen in my intestines, etc., and if it's really bad, my

chest feels heavy and I get very depressed. depending on the EMF

source.

Magnetic fields are more general sensations and the microwave band is

more sharp and specific to locations on my body.

I am totally different than 3 years ago. I used to be able to tell if a

TV was plugged in or not when I entered the room. I am now able to work

at a computer and watch TV for hours without being burned.

You will hear a lot about detoxing on this list and I highly recommend

it. I believe that toxic chemicals in our system from pesticides,

plastics, heavy metals, vaccines, on and on have ruined the enzyme

functions of our nervous system and its protective myelinated sheath

around the nerves. In my situation, EMF broke down my immune system and

allowed Epstein Barr Virus to become active. So I have been doing

Colloidal Silver to kill that stuff as well as complete digestive

system rebuild from leaky gut.

I can on and on.

You will find much advice here on this list.

My love to you and your quest.

On Jul 2, 2005, at 7:54 AM, DAVID SUSAN STEWART wrote:

> Dear ,

> Thank you so much for believing me!!! I had a guy come measure at my

> house

> and at the house where I felt well, it is a meter that measures the

> average

> of a bunch of frequencies, and it showed that the reading was higher

> where I

> felt good. It is so crazy, but I know my sickness still has something

> to do

> with those towers, which his meter does not read. I am actually

> staying at

> a friends house right now, and although I am not totally well, I can

> sleep a

> lot better. So, I am going to move, which is why I am staying a few

> places

> to test the area and distance. All of the new technologies that put

> EMF in

> the air is so scary for people like us. Are you going to move again?

>

> Sue

>

>

>> From: McAfee <amcafeerr@...>

>> Reply-

>>

>> Subject: Re: New member

>> Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 00:43:06 -0400

>>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Thanks so much for your kind words. My life has been so difficult, everyone

diagnosing me with other diseases like my husband saying I have anxiety disorder

(I keep telling him I am not anxious about anything but my health), my mother

says I have something else, etc, etc. Do you notice that it is worse when it

rains? I used to love rainy days for naps, but now it makes the emf so much

worse for me, I don't like it. I did get the window tinting that supposedly

blocks EMF. One guy who took some readings for us said it can make it worse

inside by EMF still coming in through walls, etc but not able to flow out. I

think it did make it worse, as now I really hear that low buzz kind of all the

time inside our house. So, be cautious of mitigating techniques. Is there a

good way to read the info on detoxing from the site? I will search on detox and

see what comes up. I wish you the best in your quest as well.

Warm regards,

Sue

Re: New member

>> Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 00:43:06 -0400

>>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Yes, the shielding issue is still quite complex for me. The silver mesh

drapes do act as an antenna for the radiation. I have worked hard to

ground the copper paint on the walls and have experimented with the

faraday cage ( I don't use it), and with grounding fabrics on the bed.

Right now, I turn off the power at night, sleep on a latex bed and

pillow (Haiku Designs with no off gases) and with no coils or metal

around. I usually wrap my head with a cloth fabric that has silver in

it to keep the spike on my head away. The last few nights I have not

needed it.

It is an ongoing experiment.

I have a number of stetzer filters (which do help me) in the house and

also other plug in gadgets to clean and ground the electricity. I am

not sure they work so I won't recommend them. The wiring is definitely

an issue for me is most homes.

Yes, rainy days are worse. The overall emotional depression of the

cloudy days still affect me. I went for a walk in a light rain a few

weeks ago and the chemicals made it hard to breathe and made me feel

nauseous and sick for a couple of hours. I should have known better

because I am a believer in chemtrails.

As far as detoxing, yes you can do a search in our archives. There are

also tons of websites that have complete programs.

My advice is to start with the colon and work up from there making sure

the path is cleared out for the toxins. Be sure you have all your metal

out of your mouth by a " Protocol " Dentist.

all my best,

On Jul 2, 2005, at 10:56 AM, DAVID SUSAN STEWART wrote:

> Dear ,

> Thanks so much for your kind words. My life has been so difficult,

> everyone diagnosing me with other diseases like my husband saying I

> have anxiety disorder (I keep telling him I am not anxious about

> anything but my health), my mother says I have something else, etc,

> etc. Do you notice that it is worse when it rains? I used to love

> rainy days for naps, but now it makes the emf so much worse for me, I

> don't like it. I did get the window tinting that supposedly blocks

> EMF. One guy who took some readings for us said it can make it worse

> inside by EMF still coming in through walls, etc but not able to flow

> out. I think it did make it worse, as now I really hear that low buzz

> kind of all the time inside our house. So, be cautious of mitigating

> techniques. Is there a good way to read the info on detoxing from the

> site? I will search on detox and see what comes up. I wish you the

> best in your quest as well.

>

> Warm regards,

> Sue

>

> Re: New member

>>> Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 00:43:06 -0400

>>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

[Guest guest]

Dear

Is there any shielding for when the electrics are obviously creating a

problem? I can't find any shielding to stop the effects of this. I

believe these are in some way tampered with and is in some way

turned up high at times, which often lasts several days.

I note that since mine became bad again the neighbour who owns the

house next door which is empty was there during the day it became

bad again.

Maureen

Re: New member

> >>> Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 00:43:06 -0400

> >>>

> >>

> >>

> >>

> >>

[Guest guest]

I don't know the answer to your question of fabrics or shielding. I

suppose with some frequencies of the EM bands that direct surface

reflection can work if you neighbor has a wireless internet system or

other microwave producing phone system.

My hunch is that the silver mesh fabric would work with the neighbors

house but will pick up the other radiation from household wiring, TV,

Radio, etc. all the other stuff out there that it cannot filter out but

will resonate with it.

I think that you can block your neighbor's stuff since it is fairly low

powered and could be shielded against with silver mesh, and copper

paint, etc.

As far as the shielding resonating with the electricity in the house

and FM/ TV towers, I could use some help.

I would like to hear from the list EM experts on this topic.

On Jul 2, 2005, at 11:51 AM, m.a.norman wrote:

> Dear

>

> Is there any shielding for when the electrics are obviously creating a

> problem? I can't find any shielding to stop the effects of this. I

> believe these are in some way tampered with and is in some way

> turned up high at times, which often lasts several days.

>

> I note that since mine became bad again the neighbour who owns the

> house next door which is empty was there during the day it became

> bad again.

>

> Maureen

>

>

> Re: New member

>>>>> Date: Sat, 2 Jul 2005 00:43:06 -0400

>>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

>>>>

[Guest guest]

--- KENNETH EVELAND <keneveland@...> wrote:

> HI I AM A NEW MEMBER TO THIS SUPPORT GROUP AND FOUND

> OUT A WHILE AGO THAT I

> HAVE HEP C.AM TOLD I SHOULD GO ON THE INNERFERON

> TREATMENT BUT WOULD LIKE TO

> FIND OUT THE REAL SCOOP ON THIS TREATMENT.I HEAR IT

> CAN BE PRETTY HARD CORE

> AND IN SOME CASES MAYBE NOT WORTH IT.WOULD APECIATTE

> ANY SUPPORT AND INFO I

> CAN GET

>

>

_________________________________________________________________

> Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN

> Search!

>

http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> Dear , I'm at stage 3 type 2.

went on treatment for 30 weeks then it stopped working

for me treatment was hell.Any one i know or that they

know treatment did not work.Besides treatment i was

using a antidepressant,nexxium for my stomach,procrit

because it makes most people anemic which is 2100.00 a

month so you better have insurance.

> Maybe I'm negative because it did not work for me

but belive me it's no picnic

>

>

>

__________________________________

Music Unlimited

Access over 1 million songs. Try it free.

http://music./unlimited/

[Guest guest]

Ken,

Here's the link to Pegassist, the support site for Pegasys/Copegus.

You can browse around and learn about the meds:

https://www.pegassist.com/reg/default.asp

Suzy

>

> HI I AM A NEW MEMBER TO THIS SUPPORT GROUP AND FOUND OUT A WHILE

AGO THAT I

> HAVE HEP C.AM TOLD I SHOULD GO ON THE INNERFERON TREATMENT BUT

WOULD LIKE TO

> FIND OUT THE REAL SCOOP ON THIS TREATMENT.I HEAR IT CAN BE PRETTY

HARD CORE

> AND IN SOME CASES MAYBE NOT WORTH IT.WOULD APECIATTE ANY SUPPORT

AND INFO I

> CAN GET

>

> _________________________________________________________________

> Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search!

> http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

>

[Guest guest]

www.HepatitisNeighborhood.com is a good source of

information.

--- Suzy <suzygriffin@...> wrote:

> Ken,

> Here's the link to Pegassist, the support site for

> Pegasys/Copegus.

> You can browse around and learn about the meds:

>

> https://www.pegassist.com/reg/default.asp

>

> Suzy

>

>

> >

> > HI I AM A NEW MEMBER TO THIS SUPPORT GROUP AND

> FOUND OUT A WHILE

> AGO THAT I

> > HAVE HEP C.AM TOLD I SHOULD GO ON THE INNERFERON

> TREATMENT BUT

> WOULD LIKE TO

> > FIND OUT THE REAL SCOOP ON THIS TREATMENT.I HEAR

> IT CAN BE PRETTY

> HARD CORE

> > AND IN SOME CASES MAYBE NOT WORTH IT.WOULD

> APECIATTE ANY SUPPORT

> AND INFO I

> > CAN GET

> >

> >

>

_________________________________________________________________

> > Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN

> Search!

> >

>

http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

> >

>

>

>

>

>

__________________________________

Start your day with - Make it your home page!

http://www./r/hs

[Guest guest]

Good God! Thirty weeks of hell for NOTHING! I am so sorry. My tx

was hell as well, but at least I beat the damn virus. AND YES, I

smoked marijuana, beginning the seventh month of tx.. Without it, I

wouldn't have finished tx, guaranteed!!!

Yes, I needed Procrit from week 8 on....and I had every side effect

in the book and then some........Yes, now I have

fibromyalgia...plus...plus....

But, I no longer have live virus. The tx did what it promised. It

killed off living virus. My gastro doc was correct: You may

experience a placebo effect: Oh, I feel soooooooooooooo good because

the virus is dead....................... " BUT I am among the 40% of

people who are clinically depressed, or....the 25% who are

chronically depressed or fatigued...or the 20% who just feel badly,

no matter what.

Today is my third wedding anniversary. I am living life on life's

terms. It aint easy......but I'm here, doing what I'm supposed to

be doing. Pam, PeachstatePam, help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hugs to you all. May you find your own peace.

Suzy

BUT, I do not have live virus. I am still negative for HCV RNA.

>

>

> > Dear , I'm at stage 3 type 2.

> went on treatment for 30 weeks then it stopped working

> for me treatment was hell.Any one i know or that they

> know treatment did not work.Besides treatment i was

> using a antidepressant,nexxium for my stomach,procrit

> because it makes most people anemic which is 2100.00 a

> month so you better have insurance.

> > Maybe I'm negative because it did not work for me

> but belive me it's no picnic

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

> __________________________________

> Music Unlimited

> Access over 1 million songs. Try it free.

> http://music./unlimited/

>

[Guest guest]

Ken...if you have insurance NOW...go for it. It was a $40,000

treatment (tx) when I began. PLUS Procrit at $900.00 per month from

month 3 through 12.............

>

> > HI I AM A NEW MEMBER TO THIS SUPPORT GROUP AND FOUND

> > OUT A WHILE AGO THAT I

> > HAVE HEP C.AM TOLD I SHOULD GO ON THE INNERFERON

> > TREATMENT BUT WOULD LIKE TO

> > FIND OUT THE REAL SCOOP ON THIS TREATMENT.I HEAR IT

> > CAN BE PRETTY HARD CORE

> > AND IN SOME CASES MAYBE NOT WORTH IT.WOULD APECIATTE

> > ANY SUPPORT AND INFO I

> > CAN GET

> >

> >

> _________________________________________________________________

> > Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN

> > Search!

> >

> http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Ken...if your insurance will cover the treatment then discuss with your doctor

and make your decision to do something, I think doing nothing is not an option.

Suzy <suzygriffin@...> wrote: Ken...if you have insurance NOW...go for

it. It was a $40,000

treatment (tx) when I began. PLUS Procrit at $900.00 per month from

month 3 through 12.............

>

> > HI I AM A NEW MEMBER TO THIS SUPPORT GROUP AND FOUND

> > OUT A WHILE AGO THAT I

> > HAVE HEP C.AM TOLD I SHOULD GO ON THE INNERFERON

> > TREATMENT BUT WOULD LIKE TO

> > FIND OUT THE REAL SCOOP ON THIS TREATMENT.I HEAR IT

> > CAN BE PRETTY HARD CORE

> > AND IN SOME CASES MAYBE NOT WORTH IT.WOULD APECIATTE

> > ANY SUPPORT AND INFO I

> > CAN GET

> >

> >

> _________________________________________________________________

> > Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN

> > Search!

> >

> http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Deborah Mosely <purplecolorwhite@...> wrote:Ken...if your insurance will

cover the treatment then discuss with your doctor and make your decision to do

something, I think doing nothing is not an option.

Suzy <suzygriffin@...> wrote: Ken...if you have insurance NOW...go for

it. It was a $40,000

treatment (tx) when I began. PLUS Procrit at $900.00 per month from

month 3 through 12.............

>

> > HI I AM A NEW MEMBER TO THIS SUPPORT GROUP AND FOUND

> > OUT A WHILE AGO THAT I

> > HAVE HEP C.AM TOLD I SHOULD GO ON THE INNERFERON

> > TREATMENT BUT WOULD LIKE TO

> > FIND OUT THE REAL SCOOP ON THIS TREATMENT.I HEAR IT

> > CAN BE PRETTY HARD CORE

> > AND IN SOME CASES MAYBE NOT WORTH IT.WOULD APECIATTE

> > ANY SUPPORT AND INFO I

> > CAN GET

> >

> >

> _________________________________________________________________

> > Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN

> > Search!

> >

> http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Dear Michele,

Nice to meet you. I hope you will find interesting articles here

and news you can use. There's not much personal posting at this

group, but I want to welcome you and let you know that I'm praying

for you.

Hugs, Suzy

>

> Hello, folks, I'm a new member, started today. I have a long

HCV history, though. I

> caught it in 1974 when I was working for a nursing home that

didn't require gloves for its

> aides, and I had all sorts of exposures to bodiy fluids. They only

had one test for Hep at

> that time, so it came back YES. I was taken out of college for a

quarter, turned bright

> yellow, my Bilirubin went up to 21, and I was on a non-fat diet

and slept all the time.

> Gradually I got better and went back to school and finished my

social work degree and

> forgot about it. I did notice that most people around me had more

energy than I did, but I

> thought I was just lazy, like I was told.

> In 1993 I started feeling very tired - sometimes would come

home from work and vomit

> in exhaustion. I went to the doctor and found my white blood count

and platelets were

> very low, my liver enzymes were normal, but I had a very enlarged

spleen . So for two

> years they worked on the possiblility I had some kind of cancer or

leukemia; I went

> through two bone marrow biopsies and lots of blood tests. Turned

out they didn't know

> what caused it, but told me I did have Hepc back in 1974 but they

didn't think it was

> related to my present problems.

> I finally asked around with a doctor I worked with who had had

hepatits A, and he said

> to go to a specialist at Stanford. It took me 3 months to get it,

I brought her my CT scan

> and all my bloodwork and other tests, and she looked through it

all and said I did in fact

> have HepC and needed a transplant. talk about shock! My platelets

were too low to try

> treatment, so I just tried not to get tired, not carry heavy

objects, and get lots of sleep. I

> continued working.

> Then several years ago my platelets gtadually crept up to an

acceptable level, and since

> I had genotype 3a, they gave me 6 months of the before-pegylated

interferon (3 shots a

> week) and Ribavirin.My viral count was zera 4 weeks after

starting, so I was sure that had

> done it. $ months after the end of treatment I was positive fore

the virus again. So I went

> back on the pegylated interferon and Ribavirn for a year. Again, I

was viral negative in in

> the couple of months. And again was positive 2 months after

finishing it. So I then started

> Pegasys with ribavirin for 15 months. Same story yet again. So

here I was, having done 33

> months of treatment out of 48 months, and not much to answer for

it except brittle teeth,

> exhaustion, crankiness and hopefully a slower progression of my

disease.

> In person I look pretty healthy, and tend to perk up when

people are around, but on

> paper I look sick. My portal vein is the biggest one several

doctors have seen - it's 40

> times the size of the vena cava, which is supposed to be the

largest vein in the body. And

> those lovely balllon-like things on my CT scan are varicose veins

going right up to my

> heart.

> So now I'm on the transplant list at Stanford, but very low on

it because I'm so

> stable.And waiting for these new protease and polymerase

inhibitors to be trialed. They're

> supposed to come in pill form and have much less side effects than

interferon.

>

> SO how is everybody else? Holding out OK? I had to go on

Disability and move in with my

> older sister after I stopped working. Everybody said it would be

hard to get Disability, but

> the people were so nice and polite and once they found I was on a

transplant list they

> really rushed things through. So I'm doing OK that way. Thank God

I have supportive

> sisters, one's a lab tech and one's a nurse, so they can take good

care of me.

>

> Well, that's my introduction, nice to meet you all, thanks for the

time.

>

> Michele

>

[Guest guest]

Yeah, I noticed it was mostly info posting, which is

helpful, but is this not a support group as well?

Thanks for answering,

Michele

--- tripsie14 <no_reply > wrote:

> Dear Michele,

> Nice to meet you. I hope you will find interesting

> articles here

> and news you can use. There's not much personal

> posting at this

> group, but I want to welcome you and let you know

> that I'm praying

> for you.

>

> Hugs, Suzy

>

>

> >

> > Hello, folks, I'm a new member, started today.

> I have a long

> HCV history, though. I

> > caught it in 1974 when I was working for a nursing

> home that

> didn't require gloves for its

> > aides, and I had all sorts of exposures to bodiy

> fluids. They only

> had one test for Hep at

> > that time, so it came back YES. I was taken out of

> college for a

> quarter, turned bright

> > yellow, my Bilirubin went up to 21, and I was on a

> non-fat diet

> and slept all the time.

> > Gradually I got better and went back to school and

> finished my

> social work degree and

> > forgot about it. I did notice that most people

> around me had more

> energy than I did, but I

> > thought I was just lazy, like I was told.

> > In 1993 I started feeling very tired -

> sometimes would come

> home from work and vomit

> > in exhaustion. I went to the doctor and found my

> white blood count

> and platelets were

> > very low, my liver enzymes were normal, but I had

> a very enlarged

> spleen . So for two

> > years they worked on the possiblility I had some

> kind of cancer or

> leukemia; I went

> > through two bone marrow biopsies and lots of blood

> tests. Turned

> out they didn't know

> > what caused it, but told me I did have Hepc back

> in 1974 but they

> didn't think it was

> > related to my present problems.

> > I finally asked around with a doctor I worked

> with who had had

> hepatits A, and he said

> > to go to a specialist at Stanford. It took me 3

> months to get it,

> I brought her my CT scan

> > and all my bloodwork and other tests, and she

> looked through it

> all and said I did in fact

> > have HepC and needed a transplant. talk about

> shock! My platelets

> were too low to try

> > treatment, so I just tried not to get tired, not

> carry heavy

> objects, and get lots of sleep. I

> > continued working.

> > Then several years ago my platelets gtadually

> crept up to an

> acceptable level, and since

> > I had genotype 3a, they gave me 6 months of the

> before-pegylated

> interferon (3 shots a

> > week) and Ribavirin.My viral count was zera 4

> weeks after

> starting, so I was sure that had

> > done it. $ months after the end of treatment I was

> positive fore

> the virus again. So I went

> > back on the pegylated interferon and Ribavirn for

> a year. Again, I

> was viral negative in in

> > the couple of months. And again was positive 2

> months after

> finishing it. So I then started

> > Pegasys with ribavirin for 15 months. Same story

> yet again. So

> here I was, having done 33

> > months of treatment out of 48 months, and not much

> to answer for

> it except brittle teeth,

> > exhaustion, crankiness and hopefully a slower

> progression of my

> disease.

> > In person I look pretty healthy, and tend to

> perk up when

> people are around, but on

> > paper I look sick. My portal vein is the biggest

> one several

> doctors have seen - it's 40

> > times the size of the vena cava, which is supposed

> to be the

> largest vein in the body. And

> > those lovely balllon-like things on my CT scan are

> varicose veins

> going right up to my

> > heart.

> > So now I'm on the transplant list at Stanford,

> but very low on

> it because I'm so

> > stable.And waiting for these new protease and

> polymerase

> inhibitors to be trialed. They're

> > supposed to come in pill form and have much less

> side effects than

> interferon.

> >

> > SO how is everybody else? Holding out OK? I had

> to go on

> Disability and move in with my

> > older sister after I stopped working. Everybody

> said it would be

> hard to get Disability, but

> > the people were so nice and polite and once they

> found I was on a

> transplant list they

> > really rushed things through. So I'm doing OK that

> way. Thank God

> I have supportive

> > sisters, one's a lab tech and one's a nurse, so

> they can take good

> care of me.

> >

> > Well, that's my introduction, nice to meet you

> all, thanks for the

> time.

> >

> > Michele

> >

>

>

>

>

>

__________________________________

- PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005

http://mail.

[Guest guest]

Hey, b higgins,

Write to me, please. I have cirrhosis and have tried

treatment (the shots and the pills)

3 seperate times. It sounds like if you're too sick to

take treatment, you might want to sign up for the

transplant list. That's a benefit for you because

these doctors in the program know how to manage

end-stage cirrhosis better than regular hepatologists

do, and they will help you more.

I've been on a transplant list for 10 years now, had

to wait to do my treatment until my platelets were

above 100,000. But they did go up, and we did the

three treatments. I responded to each one, but then

relapsed. Meanwhile it helped my liver get a little

better, so now I don't need a transplant as much as I

used to - I can wait for a few years, and meanwhile

maybe try some of the new drugs that are coming along.

These newe protease inhibitors are oral and are

supposed to be much easier on your body.

So don't get discouraged, OK? Where do you live? Tell

me more about the kind of treatment you had. Was it

PegIntron, or Pegasys, or maybe Infergen? How did you

feel?

I have a dear friend who is being treated through

Kaiser in Santa , she got her transplant, and then

did her treatment, and developed diabletes, and her

doctor has been wonderful to her.

Maybe you need to get to a different Kaiser hospital.

Write back, oK? Let's see if we can work out something

better for you.

Michele

--- b_higgins81 <b_higgins81@...> wrote:

> I am looking for some one to write to about there

> hcv. Some one thats

> about the same sage or father along. I am in 4 sage

> with back

> glabbladder and cirr. . I done the interferon

> treatment with the

> pills riv., and the kaiser doctor will not let me do

> any more

> treatments . they say I am too sick ... but not too

> sick to stop work

> need to find out what I can do if any thing beside

> set here and wait

> for failer to happen or tunmor....

>

>

>

>

>

__________________________________

- PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005

http://mail.

[Guest guest]

Ready for a different group>? I'll send you an invitation....

Hugs, suzy

>

> Hello, folks, I'm a new member, started today. I have a long

HCV history, though. I

> caught it in 1974 when I was working for a nursing home that

didn't require gloves for its

> aides, and I had all sorts of exposures to bodiy fluids. They only

had one test for Hep at

> that time, so it came back YES. I was taken out of college for a

quarter, turned bright

> yellow, my Bilirubin went up to 21, and I was on a non-fat diet

and slept all the time.

> Gradually I got better and went back to school and finished my

social work degree and

> forgot about it. I did notice that most people around me had more

energy than I did, but I

> thought I was just lazy, like I was told.

> In 1993 I started feeling very tired - sometimes would come

home from work and vomit

> in exhaustion. I went to the doctor and found my white blood count

and platelets were

> very low, my liver enzymes were normal, but I had a very enlarged

spleen . So for two

> years they worked on the possiblility I had some kind of cancer or

leukemia; I went

> through two bone marrow biopsies and lots of blood tests. Turned

out they didn't know

> what caused it, but told me I did have Hepc back in 1974 but they

didn't think it was

> related to my present problems.

> I finally asked around with a doctor I worked with who had had

hepatits A, and he said

> to go to a specialist at Stanford. It took me 3 months to get it,

I brought her my CT scan

> and all my bloodwork and other tests, and she looked through it

all and said I did in fact

> have HepC and needed a transplant. talk about shock! My platelets

were too low to try

> treatment, so I just tried not to get tired, not carry heavy

objects, and get lots of sleep. I

> continued working.

> Then several years ago my platelets gtadually crept up to an

acceptable level, and since

> I had genotype 3a, they gave me 6 months of the before-pegylated

interferon (3 shots a

> week) and Ribavirin.My viral count was zera 4 weeks after

starting, so I was sure that had

> done it. $ months after the end of treatment I was positive fore

the virus again. So I went

> back on the pegylated interferon and Ribavirn for a year. Again, I

was viral negative in in

> the couple of months. And again was positive 2 months after

finishing it. So I then started

> Pegasys with ribavirin for 15 months. Same story yet again. So

here I was, having done 33

> months of treatment out of 48 months, and not much to answer for

it except brittle teeth,

> exhaustion, crankiness and hopefully a slower progression of my

disease.

> In person I look pretty healthy, and tend to perk up when

people are around, but on

> paper I look sick. My portal vein is the biggest one several

doctors have seen - it's 40

> times the size of the vena cava, which is supposed to be the

largest vein in the body. And

> those lovely balllon-like things on my CT scan are varicose veins

going right up to my

> heart.

> So now I'm on the transplant list at Stanford, but very low on

it because I'm so

> stable.And waiting for these new protease and polymerase

inhibitors to be trialed. They're

> supposed to come in pill form and have much less side effects than

interferon.

>

> SO how is everybody else? Holding out OK? I had to go on

Disability and move in with my

> older sister after I stopped working. Everybody said it would be

hard to get Disability, but

> the people were so nice and polite and once they found I was on a

transplant list they

> really rushed things through. So I'm doing OK that way. Thank God

I have supportive

> sisters, one's a lab tech and one's a nurse, so they can take good

care of me.

>

> Well, that's my introduction, nice to meet you all, thanks for the

time.

>

> Michele

>

[Guest guest]

I did my hcv tx under Kaiser, SF, CA. Doctor Shlager is

wonderful...he never once made me believe that I would be okay AFTER

hcv treatment.

Hugs, Suzy

PS. Please, report any unusual side effects to the FDA.

>

> > I am looking for some one to write to about there

> > hcv. Some one thats

> > about the same sage or father along. I am in 4 sage

> > with back

> > glabbladder and cirr. . I done the interferon

> > treatment with the

> > pills riv., and the kaiser doctor will not let me do

> > any more

> > treatments . they say I am too sick ... but not too

> > sick to stop work

> > need to find out what I can do if any thing beside

> > set here and wait

> > for failer to happen or tunmor....

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

>

> __________________________________

> - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005

> http://mail.

>

[Guest guest]

Yes I am, looking forward to the invite. Thanks!!!

--- tripsie14 <no_reply > wrote:

> Ready for a different group>? I'll send you an

> invitation....

>

> Hugs, suzy

__________________________________

- PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005

http://mail.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I've done the treatment 3 times, so can testify that

you can survive it. There is an EXCELLENT website

online that saved my live when I was going through

treatment. I've printed it out for you to refer to.

Combo Guide

by

Trishamn, Lacey & Freyja

Since there are so many of us out here suffering from

combo/interferon/hcv related ailments, we've taken all

the advice we have gathered and put it all together in

a simple guide in alphabetical order by ailment. We

also try to explain (when and where we are able)

why these sides are occurring (i.e.: plaguing us), and

what has helped us and other people on treatment deal

with these " mild, flu-like symptoms for a few

weeks " -har har har!

The following is a list of possible side effects that

you may experience on Interferon or Intron A and

Ribavirin combination therapy. We have put down a long

list of the most troubling symptoms. That does not

mean that you will get any of them, and hopefully

nobodywill get all of them!

If you have any sides/remedies that we have not

covered we may consider adding them on a case by case

basis. In this way, we can help

each other in ways that the drug companies and doctors

can't. Also, for those of you not on treatment, some

of these tips might help

you also since many of the combo sides are also

symptoms of the Hepatitis C infection itself.

We are not doctors (although we are intelligent women

and Freyja [pronounced Fray-aa NOT Free-jaa] is a

former pre-med student

with 6 years under her belt), but merely patients like

you just trying to find the best ways to get through

the next 48 weeks with our

bodies, families and sanity intact. We are not

suggesting that you take our advice over any given by

a physician, homeopath,

nutritionist, or anyone with a medical degree. These

are only suggestions given with the best of

intentions, along with our own wicked,

twisted brand of (drug induced) humor.

Lord knows, we need a laugh when we are on this stuff!

[A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z]

-A-

Aches: see Muscle Aches/Joint Pain

Acid Indigestion: see Digestive Problems

Alopecia: see Hair Loss

Alcohol: see " NO Alcohol "

Amenorrhea: see Menstrual Irregularities/Pain

Anemia:

The Ribavirin may cause Hemolytic Anemia in some

people which may require a reduction in dosage or

cessation of the Ribavirin itself.

Here is what the CDC says about it, " Ribavirin can

induce hemolytic anemia and can be problematic for

patients with preexisting

anemia, bone marrow suppression, or renal failure. In

these patients, combination therapy should be avoided

or attempts should be

made to correct the anemia. Hemolytic anemia caused by

ribavirin also can be life-threatening for patients

with ischemic heart

disease or cerebral vascular disease. " For entire

reference, see:

http://www.hepnet.com/hepc/cdc98/clinical.html.

Here is a very good pilot study about how the use of

antioxidants like Vitamin C and E may help with that:

Do Antioxidants

Ameliorate Ribavirin Related Anemia in HCV Patients.

Here is a really good article about the study:

Anti-Oxidant Vitamins Delay

Ribavirin-Related Anemia in Patients on Combination

Therapy. I take my Vitamin C in a liquid form mixed

with juice. It's more

bioavailable that way, tastier and it is one less pill

I have to take.

Some doctors are using Epogen, Neupogen or Neumega to

help increase white blood cell and platelet counts.

Appetite (lack thereof): see Weight Loss

Appetite (too much of one): see Craig ;-)

Appearance:

Try to maintain yourself. Get a haircut, bathe, wear

clean clothes. You may not feel like doing it, but

take the effort, it will make you

feel better. Hopefully, you won't scare people when

they look at you.

Autoimmune Problems:

Chronic hepatitis C infection is also associated with

many autoimmune diseases (where the body develops

antibodies which attack parts

of itself). For example, about one-tenth of people

with chronic hepatitis C infection (more often in

women and older people) have

antibodies to the thyroid gland, one-half of whom may

develop hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland).

Additionally, interferon therapy may cause

hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism (an overactive

thyroid gland) in about one-tenth of those

treated. People with hypothyroidism may suffer from

fatigue, poor memory, weakness, constipation, weight

gain, muscle cramps,

intolerance to cold, hoarse voice, coarse skin, and

brittle hair. Also, there is a chance that other

autoimmune problems such as lupus,

rheumatoid arthritis, and heart problems may manifest

themselves during treatment. Please ask your doctor

to test you for potential

autoimmune problems before beginning treatment.

People with hyperthyroidism may suffer from anxiety,

insomnia, weakness, diarrhea, weight loss, intolerance

to heat, velvet-like skin,

and brittle nails. Hypothyroidism can be treated with

thyroid hormone pills. Hyperthyroidism can be treated

with pills that block

thyroid hormone synthesis. If the thyroid gland

dysfunction is from interferon treatment and is caught

early, the thyroid gland will

return to normal once interferon is stopped. see

HEPV-L's HEPATITIS C FAQ v1.0 September 13, 1996, or

http://www.flash.net/~twb/BACafe/faq.htm#2.4.0b for

entire reference. Freyja, Lacey and Graphix all are

suffering from hepatitis

c or interferon induced thyroid problems. Here are

some most execllent posts (read all of them to get the

studies) that Frejya put

together on that subject:

http://my.webmd.com/roundtable_message/210057.

Please contact your doctor if you are experiencing any

of these symptoms.

Awake (as in " why I am always #@**%... " ): see Insomnia

[A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z]

-B-

Bad Breath: See Oral Hygiene, or go to your nearest

dentist.

Bad Thoughts about doing Very Bad Things: See

Psychosis or Depression before actually doing them!

ACCK! I’m Bald!: see Hair Loss

Barf, I'm gonna: see Nausea

Birth Control:

It is very important that you practice birth control

while you are on treatment, this applies to both males

and females. The

treatment can cause serious birth defects. If you are

on the combo, the effects of the Ribavirin do not

leave your system until 6

months after stopping treatment. If you are a young

couple and thinking of starting a family, please

discuss all options of treatment

with your doctor. Or try abstinence, it's easy when

you are on treatment! See X-rated for details.

Bleeding Gums: see Oral Hygiene

Brain Fog:

Forgetfulness, lack of coordination, inability to

spell and complete sentences in mid conversation.

Losing: keys, shopping cart, the car

itself, lists, mind, pills, glasses of water, etc.

Try to keep a sense of humor. Laugh at yourself.

Your sanity and intelligence will

come back A.T. (after treatment).

Make lists, lots of them, because you will lose most

of them. Write everything down legibly, don't count

on your memory to remember

what it was.

Wal-Mart and K-Mart have some great pill cases, they

hold a weeks worth and have individual days of the

week containers that you

can remove from their main tray. Lacey and Freyja do

theirs every Sunday, they would never remember what or

when they took their

pills without them.

Interferon does have an effect on the

neurotransmitters in our brain. Who knows what that

Ribavirin is doing to it also. This is a

biggie as far as sides go, the reason why many people

on treatment can't function and continue to work.

I have misplaced and found my brain over and over with

the help of my homeopath. Here is what I take, it

really works for me. Please,

go find your own homeopath and ask them what would

work best for you, everyone's nutritional needs are

different. Here is a link to

the NIH's National Center for Complimentary &

Alternative Medicine. Always check with your doctor

before embarking on any

homeopathic or vitamin regimen.

RNA by Standard Process (actual RNA made from

yeast)-http//:www.standardprocess.com. This stuff

really helped me my first 3

months with brain functioning, cognitive thinking.

Helped to give me the concentration I needed during

the day. Downsides: A bottle

of 90 tabs was $18, lasted about 3-4 week (a little

$$) and the effects tend not to drop-off gradually,

but kind of abruptly. I

supplemented it with DHA by Soloray (its an omega-3

fatty acid-found naturally in salmon and human breast

milk-it is essential for

proper brain functioning). It's very inexpensive, a

bottle of 30 capsules was $9, you can get it anywhere.

This combination seemed to

work for me for about three months. Then, as is

typical with most all vitamins and herbs, my body got

used to them and the effects

gradually wore off. see Vitamins or Herbs

Recently, I went back to my homeopath and he

substituted the RNA/DHA with Neuroplex by Standard

Process (please again, check all

supplements with your doctor) and CoQ-10 (you can get

it really cheap at Costco). If/when they stop

working, I will go back to the

RNA/DHA and rotate as often as necessary. At least I

can still work and think somewhat on the treatment,

that's really important

to me.

Many doctors are perscribing Ritalin for brain fog.

They are doing in on a case by case method since it

may potentionally be a

hepatotoxin. People that are perscribed Ritalin for

brain fog need to have their ALT's monitored

carefully. Please talk to your

doctor to see if you qualify. Here is a medical

reference on it:

http://www.mentalhealth.com/drug/p30-r03.html.

Do not take Gingko Biloba, it can have an effect on

the blood viscosity and may impact your clotting time

and bloodwork. Please ask

your doctor before taking any herbs or medication.

Bruises: see Injection methods or Muscle/Joint Pain

Burning Food:

Don't cook, or if you must, please use a timer. Burnt

food is hard on your gums. See Brain Fog or Lacey's

recipe for a Cereal Dinner

under Fatigue.

[A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z|Top]

-C-

Caffeine:

I can't seem to handle it while on the combo, it makes

me dizzy and pass out, others are also having the same

problem. Here is the

motherload of all caffeine sites at HealthCentral with

articles compiled by Dr. Dean Adell-decide for

yourself if that cuppa joe is

really worth what it does to your body:

http://home.snap.com/main/channel/item/0,4,-9064,00.html

Chemicals:

Stay away from gasoline (be extra careful of gasoline

spills on the hand or foot when pumping gas and the

like-better yet, treat

yourself to " Full-Service " ), turpentine, furniture

stripping solvents, toxins, cleaning fluids, perfume,

deodorant, nail varnish, scented

creams, incense, candle burning, smoke from cigarettes

(second-hand or inhaled). Cromme's doctor said, " All

chemicals that you either

breath or touch are eventually processed in your

liver, if you can smell it, your liver has to process

it. If it touched your skin, the

liver has to process it " .

On the bright side, being sickly has its advantages.

You get out of pumping gas, heavy cleaning and

painting. If you paint for a living,

use a mask and make sure the area is well ventilated.

Luckily, in Oregon and New Jersey it is illegal to

pump your own gas and you

don't have to pay extra for it.

NO Smoking allowed! Meme's hepatologist at the Mayo

clinic recently said that smoking is as harmful to

your liver as alcohol! If you

smoke and haven't started treatment, quit before

starting treatment. Do not delay treatment to quit

smoking i.e. to continue smoking

longer. Treatment or no treatment, if you have

Hepatitis C, STOP SMOKING NOW!

Chills: see Fevers

Colds, Flu:

Whatever you do, don't get one! On the combo, we are

not in a very good position to fight infection. Get

your flu shot, try not to

touch too many surfaces in public bathrooms (they are

proven hotbeds for disease).

Hand washing is also very important as a preventative

action. Hand to mouth and hand to eye infection are

common methods of disease

transmission. From common colds, to flu, to Hepatitis

A.

Ask you dentist or medical supply store for a surgical

mask if your WBC (white blood cell count) is very low

or if you are extremely

paranoid like Freyja. Try to stay away from sick

people.

Constipation: see Water

Crying Crying boo hoo boo hoo: See Depression and

here’s a (((BIG HUG))) for you!

Cuts won’t heal: see Skin Care or Infection

[A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z|Top]

-D-

Depression:

" Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm. " Signs

of depression may include, but are not limited to:

apathy, anger, cognitive

changes, irritability, and depression(?). Here is an

Online Depression Screening Test to see if you are

depressed:

http://www.med.nyu.edu/Psych/screens/depres.html, take

this test frequently during your treatment.

Realize that it's the medication not you (or your

spouse, boss or kids) that is making you feel this

way. Ask your doctor to put you on

an antidepressant ASAP if you or people around you

notice any behavior changes. It will take at least

3-6 weeks to feel better after

taking the Prozac, Zoloft, Xanax or whatever your

doctor prescribes. If you are having sexual

dysfunction see X-Rated.

Many heppers that start antidepressants claim that

their sides improve on the medication! Talk to other

heppers about what is going

on, call people, join a chat group, go to your support

group. Do not isolate yourself from people - YOU ARE

NOT ALONE!

I've been lucky, I have not been very depressed on

treatment. At the beginning and occasionally, I tend

to experience mood

swings/road rage. I take Vitamin B6, it's a natural

de-stresser, seems to help me cope with it. Some

people swear by St. 's

Wort. They have it in tea bags now.

Do not take St. 's Wort at the same time you start

antidepressants. St. s Wort, and Tryptophane

cause serotonin to be

released. Thereby negatively reacting with the anti

depressant class Selective Serotonin Reuptake

Inhibitors (SSRI). A build up of

serotonin, with blocked reuptake receptors can allow

toxic levels of serotonin in system. This can result

in what's called the

Serotonin Syndrome. Chest pain, confusion, nausea.

Can be fatal, and is serious.

Side Effect Diary:

It is important to keep your doctor informed as to

what you are experiencing. If you are experiencing

serious side effects, please

keep them informed. Don't count on your memory (see

Brain Fog) write down your sides as you are having

them. Do it on a calendar

that is laying around. When it's over, you can look

back and remind yourself how far you have come.

Freyja keeps a spreadsheet listing her daily

medication dosages and sides. Since she sees many

specialists, she prints them out the

night before an appointment, and highlights the

information pertinent to the doctor she is seeing that

day.

Diet: see Nutrition

Digestive Problems:

Lot's of people complaining about the dreaded " D "

word. Can't seem to find the mechanism of why this

occurs in some people. Yogurt

is our answer, make sure it has live cultures and

contains Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Streptococcus

Thermophilus cultures. These

are naturally occurring digestive bacteria and they

aid your body in the digestive process. If you don't

like yogurt, you can get them

in pill form at any health food store. Yogurt may

help to re-balance the internal flora of the digestive

tract.

If you are still experiencing Fecal Urgency, try

eating things with a lot of fiber and incorporate some

hard cheeses into your diet. A

glass of eggnog at bedtime will do wonders to " bind

you up " -plus it has lots of calories. Carob may help

stop or slow diarrhea. Mix

powdered carob with water and drink.

Also, Papaya digestive enzymes (they come in

chewables) contain papain and also aid in the

digestion of protein. Fresh pineapple,

pineapple juice or peppermint tea is also good. Also

see Nutrition for a complete reference on digestive

enzymes and bacteria.

Try to limit your intake of heavy, fatty, fried or

fast food while on treatment, you may end up with some

intestinal distress.

Ribavirin is in a lactic acid (lactose) base, it can

cause acid ingestion for some people. Try to take

them with food.

Dizziness: also see Hearing/Ear Problems

If you experience dizziness or vertigo when moving

from a laying to sitting, or sitting to standing

position, try moving your eyes

around the room for a few moments before getting up.

Sounds weird, but it really does help. Freyja's

Blair impression seems to

help her a lot with this side. Be sure to tell the

physician in charge of your treatment; they may or may

not decide to write you a

prescription. It is extremely important that they are

made aware of vertigo as it is considered " a

significant side " , whatever that

means.

Go slowly, take it easy, don't rush around, be very

careful-stay close to the floor if you can (no

stiletto heels!). Try really hard not

to fall down, it hurts. Here is an excellent post on

dizziness by Graphix: Dizziness is next to Faintness

Drugs:

Don't you have enough floating around your system?

Remember to ask your doctor about the safety of any

and ALL types of drugs

before you ingest them. This includes over the

counter, prescriptions that are not your own and drugs

of a recreational nature.

Oh, and don't be afraid to ask your doctor for pain,

sleeping, depression or any other type of medication

while you are on treatment.

Do not try to tough it out, you want to stay on

therapy and keep your sanity and good heath at the

same time.

Dry mouth: See Oral Hygiene and drink some WATER.

[A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z|Top]

-E-

Eyes don't see so good no more, or why am I changing

my eyeglass prescription every month?: see Vision

Problems

Eye rash on lids of eyes (a side from the Ribavirin):

see Skin Care

Ear problems or What's that noise in my ears? Is

that the phone?: see Hearing Problems (if hearing

voices that

are telling you to do Very Bad Things, please see

Psychosis)

Exercise: see Fatigue

[A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z|Top]

-F-

Family:

Lean on your family, talk to them, tell them what you

are going through-they love you. They want to be

there for you and help you but

they don't know how to express it. Take them with you

to your support group meetings so they can meet others

in a caretaking

position and bond. Give your family/caretaker a copy

of this guide. I know we can seem resentful and

ungrateful of help and

assistance, however, caretakers are very much

appreciated and need to be told so.

Here is a link to Dr. Koops site, they have a

regularly scheduled " Caregivers " chat, only for

caregivers. They need to go somewhere to

complain about us:

http://www.drkoop.com/community/chat/.

Seek family or marriage counseling to help deal with

issues as necessary.

Fatigue:

Pamper yourself. Let the house and yard go for a

while. Only try to do the bare minimum. Take naps.

Get a massage. Try to keep

your sense of humor! Watch a stupid Mel movie.

Lean on your family and friends, that's what they are

there for. If at all

possible, take off work for a couple of weeks at the

beginning of treatment, if you need to, take some

short-term disability or sick

leave.

I feel better when I work out with weights on

injection nights. Start out slow if you have not done

this in a while. The more active

people in my group at NIH seem to do better with the

sides. Also, please do not try to do too much cardio

training. The Ribavirin

effects your RBC (red blood cell count), which means

that there are less of them to carry oxygen. Try

using BreathEaze nose strips

if you feel you are getting winded, they help you with

the windedness.

Just do what you can, and don't get discouraged if its

not a lot. It's the more you do, the more you CAN do

and the BETTER you'll

feel philosophy. Schering also recommends to do some

physical activity on the combo.

But please keep it reasonable, listen to your body,

take plenty of time for yourself, rest when needed.

If you are too tired to cook

dinner for your family, serve them cereal. Try to

keep a positive attitude.

Lacey's Recipe for an easy Cereal Dinner

Preheat oven to 350 (cause you are so cold

all the time)

Go to cabinet, pull out several boxes for

them to choose from (you should never scrimp when it

comes to your family's nutrition!)

Place bowls on table

Send husband to grocery store for milk

Pour and enjoy!

(utensils are optional-if they want a spoon

they can wash it themselves!)

Here is an article written by Palmer, M.D.

about Fatigue: Fatigue Affecting People with Liver

Disease

Fecal Urgency: see Digestive Problems

I Feel crappy the morning after injections: see

Injection Timing

Fevers:

Remember, fevers are not bad things. They are part of

your body's natural defense to fight infections. Your

body raises it's internal

temperature in order to make it inhospitable for the

virus. Your immune system is more effective at higher

body temperatures. Of

course you don't want it to go over 102, ask your

doctor what temperature is safe for you! Don't forget

to write down low and high

temperatures in your Side Effect Diary. Low

temperatures can be indicative of thyroid problems.

see Thyroid

The interferon is triggering your immune system into

action and that's why you are getting a fever. If you

have a high viral load at

the beginning of treatment and the fevers are not

awful, I would try to ride them out and let your body

help rid itself of the virus. If

you really can't stand it, take a Tylenol, regular

strength, no more than 6 a day. Ok, this may be a

controversial subject, but my

doctors at NIH said it's ok in small amounts-with no

alcohol. Freyja's doctor, Hugo Rosen at OHSU concurs,

and Cromme's liver docs

at Mayo, both in Rochester and in sdale, advised

her that the only OTC pain medication to be taken is

Tylenol. It does not

effect your blood chemistry.

Don't forget to wear lots of cotton layers (flannel is

good), long underwear, sweat shirts. Sleep in heavy

cotton socks for when you

have to make a midnight (and 2, 4 and 6am) bathroom

run. Have extra nightclothes at your bedside. If you

become soaked in sweat, you

can change quickly without waking up to find dry

clothes and without getting chilled.

Get an electric blanket for your side of the bed so

you don't drive your spouse crazy.

The First Shot - How bad is it? What you can do to

get ready:

Ok, so you have not started treatment yet and you are

reading the guide so that you can have a general idea

of what to expect,

especially the first night, which is by far, the worst

day (for some people). We call it the " freight train "

because you feel like you

just got hit by one. The feeling is actually similar

to a super bad flu or a New Years Day hang-over from

hell. Common sides may

include: fever, chills, sweating, severe headache,

muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, dehydration

and and overall feeling like crap.

Then again, some people don't have any of these

symptoms and don't feel very bad on the first night at

all. I hope you are one of

those, but it's always better to play it safe and

prepare as best you can.

The most important thing that you can do is to hydrate

yourself before you take the first shot, drink plenty

of water and fluids,

especially the day of the shot. It may ease the sides

and make it easier on your kidneys. see Water It's

better for your system

and you will hydrate yourself better if you drink sips

of fluid throughout the day rather than drinking large

amounts at once in gulps.

Dress warmly, even in the summertime. Have extra

blankets by your bed in case you wake up chilled,

extra clothes ready in case you

soak them with sweat, a water bottle for when you are

thirsty and some Tylenol for your headache and fever.

Have a thermometer by

your bed and if you temperature goes above 102 degrees

for an extended period, call your doctor.

Don't plan on doing anything your first shot night

except for staying in bed. I know of someone that

took the shot, and then went to

work. He was a long-distance trucker, needless to

say, he regretted not being home in bed, especially on

first shot night. If you live

alone, plan on having a friend or family member stay

the night so they can keep an eye on you.

Before retiring, take a regular strength Tylenol

Nightime formula or a Tylenol and some Benadryl. The

Tylenol will help with the

aches and fever, the Benadryl will hopefully make you

drowsy enough so that you will sleep through the worst

of it.

First shot night was not fun, but it has gotten

better. As I look back, I realize that the

anticipation and waiting was worse than the

actual shot itself. We hope that it's the same for

you also.

Flem: see Phlegm

My Food tastes like crap!: see Weight Loss

Forgetfulness: see Brain Fog

Friendship: see Relationships

-G-

Gingivitis: see Oral Hygiene

Gout:

In some people, the Ribavirin can increase uric acid

levels in the blood causing gout. If you are

predisposed to this condition, you may

want to discuss this with your doctor. Make sure that

they are checking your uric levels when they do your

bloodwork. Here is some

information about it:

General Information and Resource Guide:

http://quiles.home.mindspring.com/aahs/gout/gout.htm

In Need Of A Gout Diet:

http://www.he.net/~brumley/renal/dietmessages/843.html

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-H-

Hair Loss/Care:

Cut back on washing. Get a lint roller for your

clothes-masking tape works also. Get a hat, a good

haircut, a bald friend. Do not wash

it down the shower drain like Lacey did, it clogs it.

Do not stick it to the shower wall, gather it up,

weigh it, and graph the results

like Freyja did. If you have already done this see

Depression. Get one of those hair catchers for your

drain.

NIOXIN NIOXIN NIOXIN NIOXIN!!!!!!! I can’t say enough

about how wonderful this stuff is! My hair has never

been fluffier or

shinier! It has thinned a bit since starting treatment

(I can't guarantee you won't lose it), but you can't

tell by looking at it, my hair

looks fab! Lacey and Freyja say, " Trishamn's hair

looks awesome! " I plan on using this stuff even

after treatment is over, its the

best darn shampoo and conditioning system I have ever

used, and I've used them all.

Here are the ingredients from the shampoo so that you

can see its not full of scary sounding chemicals:

water, aloe vera, extract of

burdock, comfrey, quassia, buckthorn, chaparral,

cransebill, rosemary, sage, nettle, horsetail,

chamomile, yarrow, jojoba, hydrolyzed

wheat protein, toccopherol, wheat amino acids,

biotine, niacine, then except for the Nioxin, it reads

like regular shampoo (come on, you

don't expect me to type ALL the rest of that in, now

do you?).

The shampoo is about $12 for a large bottle that has

lasted 4 months, the same for the conditioner. They

also have a " leave in

treatment " to keep your hair from falling out, that

one is $34 for a bottle that also last about 4 months.

They also have a new ultra

super system for people that are seriously losing

their hair, I bought it in a kit with the shampoo and

conditioner for about $40 (hey,

what price do you put on great hair?). Get it from a

salon or order it on the web (type Nioxin in and see

what you get) or go to

www.nioxin.com and read more about it.

If you notice some redness in your scalp area, do not

be alarmed. The redness is caused by the capilairy

dilation, the Nioxin is

supposed to increase scalp circulation in addition to

removing the dihydrotestosterone residue from your

scalp (a factor in male

pattern baldness). It's usually the leave-in

Bionutrient Treatment that causes the redness, so

please be careful with it and don't

spill it all over yourself. My hairdresser says that

the slight redness is an indication that it is working

and goes away after a few

weeks (it did for me). If the redness continues or

causes welts or anything, stop using the product, you

may be allergic to it. Nioxin is

usually a well tolerated product.

The Nioxin may take a while to work, so start using it

every day at least a month before starting treatment.

Most people notice that

their hair seems to fall out in cycles, with larger

amounts of fall-out about every three months. Keep

using it and give it time to

work, it may help stave off the next fall-out cycle,

or not. Here's hoping!

Please note, Rogaine is not recommended for people on

treatment, minoxidil may cause a drop in blood

pressure, and the product may

also cause dryness and irritation.

I also sleep on a satin pillow at night, cotton fibers

can pull and knot your hair. It also saves your " do "

for another day. Do not try

to buy your pillowcovers from Hecht's (or rather The

Hecht Company-they don't have them). Here is a funny

story of what I happened

when I tried to buy them there:

http://shn.webmd.com/roundtable_message/168772 . Save

yourself the embarrassment and buy them

online.

Try not to wash your hair everyday or put in gels or

lotions with alcohol in it. It’s rough on your hair

and you probably want to keep it

in your head, not all over your clothes and floor.

If your hair becomes stringy and greasy on the second

day, use a little talcum

powder to absorb the excess oil, or buy some dry

shampoo. Don't forget to brush all of it out, when

Lacey was in high school, she

forgot and still bears the scars from the experience.

She still hears those snotty girls taunting her,

" Ewww! Look a big clump of

dandruff in her hair! Gross! " Hair dryers and curling

irons can cause fragile hair to break contributing to

hair thinning. On the bright

side - less hair dries much faster!

Hair coloring/perming: Ok, so you have noticed that

your hair has become straight as a pin on treatment,

even your eyebrows stand

straight out (you are beginning to feel like you are

starting to resemble Leonid Breshnev), and you've also

developed a case of " llama

lashes " . Do not get your hair permed! The process of

putting your hair into those tiny rollers is very

stressful to your hair and

actually stretches it. The chemicals for perming and

hair coloring also take their toll on your hair during

this delicate time. They

have shampoo now that curls your hair at the drug

store, use non-alcoholic moose (squirrel works well

also) or gel for volume. Aveeda

and Matrix both have plant based semi-permanent hair

dyes that work really well, please ask your

hairdresser to order one if they

don't have them in stock. Do not be what my

hairdresser refers to as a " kitchen magician " , be sure

to see a professionally licensed

beautician for hair treatments.

The good news I've heard is that when this is over,

many people get their hair back thicker and fuller

than it was before starting

treatment.

I hate everyone!!!!: Please see Psychosis or

Depression before they hate you back!

My head hurts!! or, " Will someone please remove this

hatchet from my head? " : see Headaches

Headaches:

Oh, aren't these fun! Sorry if you are reading this.

You know now that you never really had a headache

before until you’ve had one of

these babies. Here is what I found is really happening

in there. You are actually suffering from a chemically

(interferon) induced

migraine! Isn't that special? Some people are

genetically predisposed to get migraines (lucky us),

and if you are, you may get them.

The interferon disrupts the neurotransmission process

which effects the serotonin uptake in your brain-just

like how a migraine

works!

Watch out for " triggers " -loud noises, bright lights,

funky disco lighting (Freyja's significant other gave

her a 2 day migraine by

jokingly chasing her around with a strobe light),

strong cooking odors, perfume and avoid them. Lacey

likes to sleep in a dark room

with a hot cloth on her head (with earplugs if the

children are home). I put a flexible gel pack or a

bag of frozen peas on my head, it

really helps. Or you can just move into your basement

and become a mushroom until it's over.

The good news (?) is that for most people they

eventually do better, it took mine about 6 weeks to

abate, and I only get them on

occasion. The bad news is that for some, the pain is

so bad, you need to add another painkiller to the

list. Do not over medicate

yourself with over the counter pain remedies!! Those

really won't touch the pain anyway, and you could be

harming your liver. Call your

doctor, a prescribed medication will work better and

do less damage to your liver. Use of too much

ibuprofen with the Ribavirin could

damage your stomach lining.

People on the board mention Fioracet a lot, some take

Imitrex (there may be a possibility of an interaction

of sumatriptan [imitrex]

with certain antidepressant and pain killers, please

discuss this with your doctor), Neurontin, Vicodin,

Ultram and Tylenol #3

w/Codeine have also been mentioned.

Here is a very good study that appeared in JAMA about

how the combination of Acetaminophen, Aspirin, and

Caffeine is effective for

migraine relief:

http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/jama/vol_279/no_16/jac80007.ht\

m

Transdermal/Intranasal/Sublingual Delivery Methods:

Graphix says to ask your doctor about the possibility

and availability of

receiving your pain medication (and other medications)

in a skin patch or cream form. Transdermal absorption

by-passes the " first

pass " metabolism by the liver, unlike oral meds. The

metabolism process in oral ingestion may be stressful

to the liver. Absorption

through the skin by-passes this first pass liver

metabolism, and bio available product directly

circulates in bloodstream where various

target tissues can directly utilize it. Since first

pass enzyme conversion (in ingestion) is not

necessary, smaller doses may be used (a

lot of product is lost with ingestion). The liver

still reacts with the circulating product in the

bloodstream, and facilitates various

metabolic and waste elimination functions. Sublingual

is when the medication is dissolved under the tongue.

Lacey also says that

intranasal delivery works in a similar manner. You

can also get some medications in a suppository form,

that's if you REALLY don't

want to take more pills.

Please ask your doctor about which type or method of

pain relief is good for you. also see Fevers or Muscle

Pain

Hearing/Ear Problems:

The pounding/ringing in your ears is called Tinnitus.

Interferon is a known audiotoxin and tinnitus is a

side effect of interferon

treatment. Here are some references about it:

Side Effects of Interferon Alpha in Viral Hepatitis:

http://www.hepnet.com/nih/dusheiko.html.

Here is an FAQ about tinnitus itself:

http://www.cccd.edu/faq/tinnitus.html.

Try " masking " the sounds by playing between stations

on your radio " white noise " , wear ear plugs everywhere

you go-smile and nod a lot

when people talk to you.

The interferon can also cause some people to have an

Earache. The interferon may affect the fluid balance

in your inner ear which

can have an effect your equilibrium. Please see

Dizziness. If you have an Earache, Meme suggests that

you turn on your blow dryer

to warm and blow it into your ear. Keep your fingers

by your ear so that you can tell when it gets too

warm.

Some people have reported some loss of hearing while

on interferon therapy, this unfortunately may not be a

reversible side effect,

but some type are reversible when therapy is

discontinued. If you notice hearing loss while on

treatment, please notify your doctor so

they can refer you to a specialist for an evaluation.

Heart pain or murmurs:

What are you doing reading this! Call your doctor

ASAP!!

Herbs:

Please do your research or better yet, see a

professional Nutritional Doctor or Homeopath if you

plan to take ANY herbs. Do not

take advice from a store clerk unless they have

professional training, many of them work on

commission. Some herbs can be

contraindicated for the liver or may react badly to

certain medications (see St. 's Wort under

Depression).

People that are sick in the first place have less

" reserves " to bounce back from an allergic or toxic

reaction. Run all supplements by

your primary doctor before ingesting them. Here is an

excellent unbiased and informative article by

M. Bass, MD, Phd: " Is

There Any Use for Nontraditional or Alternative

Therapies in Patients with Chronic Liver disease? "

This document requires Adobe

Acrobat Reader.

Herpes Outbreaks:

The Ribavirin is known to exacerbate the outbreak of

the herpes simplex virus for people that have the

virus. L-lysine taken at the

onset of an outbreak may help prevent and/or lessen

the severity of an outbreak. Here is a good link

about how it works:

http://www.gen.com/solutions/30days/oct16.htm, or see

the Cold Sore reference under Oral Care. Denavir

also works well on

facial/lip outbreaks.

If you are experiencing a severe outbreak, please talk

to your doctor about prescribing something for it.

Remember, a herpes virus

prodrome and the sore itself is an actual wound and

there is and increased possibility of transmission of

not only the herpes virus, but

also the hcv virus itself.

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-I-

Infections:

It is very important to go to the doctor if you

develop an infection or sore that will not heal. I

myself limped around for 5 weeks

with an infected ingrown toe nail that would not heal.

The doctor told me that I should have come sooner, he

gave me an oral antibiotic

and extra strength antibacterial cream and my toe has

healed in only 2 days. Small infections that your

body would otherwise be able

to handle before treatment can potentially develop

into more serious complications. Take extra care of

yourself during this time.

Also see Skin Care

Infergen©:

Here is the Amgen site for their interferon call

Infergen. A very helpful site, they plan to include a

support group locator in the near

future. www.infergen.com

Injection Timing:

This is something that you are going to have to figure

out for yourself depending upon your schedule and

particular reactions. You are

NOT bound to a M,W,F, give yourself your shot at

bedtime schedule. Please consult with the physician

overseeing your treatment

before changing your schedule. This is especially

important if you are in a clinical trial.

The typical dosage of interferon is usually given 3

times per week, but you need to figure out what will

work for you and stick with it.

I am on a T, Th, Sat- that means my best days of the

week are Mon & Tues so I can start the work week out

productively. I take my

shots at 4 in the afternoon, sides (chills, fever

aches) hit at 10pm. I found that when I took it later

at night, I would be dragging

around the office the next day until lunchtime. Now,

I sleep through the worst of it, and wake up feeling

fine. I also noticed that the

Interferon gives me a little buzz, so rather than try

to sleep with it, I take it early in the day and then

go to the gym.

Injection methods:

It does get easier, we can do it traveling down the

freeway with one hand on the wheel (please do not

attempt this feat on your

own-remember we are professionals;-). Use a bag of

frozen peas to numb the area, then wipe the alcohol

pad over the area (not the

other way around). Do not blow on the area, your

mouth has germs.

Costco and Wal-Mart have inexpensive syringes at

$10.00 for 100. At NIH (and with your kit) we get a

27 gauge. You can get 29

gauge allergy needles at those stores, they don't hurt

as bad. Also Microfine IV 29's work well. In

land, Oregon and Virginia we

don't need a prescription. Please check with your own

state regulations.

Don't forget to draw back and check for a vein, if

there is blood, throw it away. Do not use it,

really. If you notice any extreme

redness (the injection site may become slightly red),

signs of infection (tenderness, puss, swelling,

cracking, gray areas, excessive

bleeding and/or bruising), please notify your doctor

ASAP!

A nurse suggested to inject the interferon with the

beveled edge of the needle facing up toward the

surface of your skin at a 45

degree angle. That way it does not force the

interferon down, into the soft tissue. It works! I

get less bruising by doing it that way.>

Transfer interrupted!

temp for 10-15 mins before I inject (or gently roll it

between your hands for a few minutes), otherwise it

stings going in when it's

cold. Do not drop or shake your interferon! If this

happens, put it back into the refrigerator (for later

use) and use a fresh one.

Injection site map: It's a good idea to keep track of

where you are injecting and to rotate your sites every

time. You should not

inject in the same spot within a 7 week period. Here

is a site map that will help you keep track:

http://www.hepnet.com/inject.html.

Disposal and Handling of syringes: Proper syringe

handling, and disposal is important enough to mention.

It is a potential method of

transmission. Family members sometimes assist, or are

interested with injections, and therefore can place

themselves within range of

a needle stick accident. If a family member takes

care of injection tasks they should NOT replace the

cap on the needle. They should

just drop the syringe, needle first into the sharps

container.

Ask your doctor for a sharps container or put it in a

glass container and take it back to your doctor’s

office for proper disposal.

Insomnia:

I still occasionally suffer through a sleepless night,

or I pop awake for no reason at 4am. A regular

strength Tylenol PM (see

Headache, Fevers, or Muscle Pain) or Benadryl works

really well for me, but they can also be quite drying

to your sinuses. I've heard

that eating a banana at bedtime as a sleep aid (will

also help with leg cramps) also works well. I take my

shots early in the day (4:00

p.m.) and I take my Ribavirin in the am and at

lunchtime. See Injection Timing for further details.

I have found that the farther

away from bedtime that I take these drugs, the better

I sleep. Some people on the board also take

Melatonin. Please check all

medications with your doctor.

If people start to mistake you for Don Knotts, talk to

your doctor, some people are taking Ambien for the

insomnia.

When all else fails, you can pretend it’s Thanksgiving

and roast yourself up a Butterball and pass out

drooling on the couch while

watching Sports Center.

Iron: see Vitamins

Itching, or " who dropped the ants in my pants? " : see

Skin Care

-J-

Jambalaya:

no real reason for it to be here, I just happen to

like it.

Joint Pain: see Muscle Aches/Joint Pain

-K-

Ketosis: see Nutrition

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-L-

Leg cramps:

Eat more bananas, they are high in magnesium and

potassium and help some people with them (it’s worked

for me). Try microwave

heating pads. I've heard that Cal Trate500 works

miracles for leg cramps. Some people swear by Grape

Seed Extract, it's a

natural antioxidant and assists with the circulatory

system.

As a last resort, call your doctor regarding

amputation of the offending leg if none of those work.

;-)

Lemonade:

" You know, this stuff ain't no lemonade " A good quote

from a fellow hepper's doctor about the combo.

Libido: see X-Rated

Lip Care: see Oral Hygiene

Liver Pain:

UPPER RIGHT QUADRANT (URQ) PAIN (SIDE PAIN):

Even though the liver itself contains no nerve

endings, and does not feel pain, many people with HCV

experience pain in the upper right

side of their body, just beneath the ribs. This is

thought by some to be " referred pain " from the

swelling of the liver capsule due to

the disease process. This pain may also be referred to

the right shoulder or to the back between the shoulder

blades. See

http://www.flash.net/~twb/BACafe/faq.htm#2.2.2b for

entire reference.

Many people also experience " liver pain " during

treatment. Do not panic! This seems to be a common

complaint and is not necessarily

an indication that the treatment is or is not working.

Please write down any pain you experience in your

Side Effect Diary and notify

your doctor, especially if the pain is persistent or

especially severe.

The Liver and what does it do: see Nutrition

Lugers: see Mucus

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-M-

Menstrual Irregularities/Pain:

Many women are complaining that the combo disrupts

their normal menses cycles. Irregularity, spotting,

heavy flow, light flow, no

flow, extreme cramping are not uncommon symptoms while

on treatment. Do not overmedicate yourself with over

the counter pain

killers. Dispose of your feminine hygiene products

in plastic bags, well away from the reach of the

family dog.

Menstrual irregularities are more common in women with

Hepatitis C. See your doctor if the cramping is too

severe.

Mood Swings: see Depression

Mouth sores: see Oral Hygiene

Mucus:

Yup, it's there - don't really know why or what causes

it. Carry lots of Kleenex and do a flem check of your

clothing before leaving

the house. Having blood in your nose mucus is snot

uncommon if you are on Combo. Severe bleeding needs

to be reported. See Bloody

Nose under Oral Hygiene.

Hacking up yellow or green phlegm can be indicative of

a bacterial infection or smoking. Either way see your

doctor! Especially if you

are a smoker. see Chemicals

My doctor suggested that I try an over-the-counter

expectorant (without alcohol) to help bring up th

mucus.

Muscle Aches/Joint Pain:

Doctors at NIH (Hoofnagle and Seeff) recommend Tylenol

not Advil. Tylenol is safe in small amounts and does

not effect your blood

work or chemistry, do not take more than 6 regular

strength per day. Rosen at OHSU concurs, and Cromme's

liver docs at Mayo, both

in Rochester and in sdale, advised her that the

only OTC pain medication to be taken is Tylenol. It

does not effect your blood

chemistry. also see Headache and Fevers

Use a microwaveable or electric heating pad. Buy

several and bury yourself under them to keep warm.

They have electric mattress

pads for your bed and they can help relieve some of

the muscle aches. Also, your family pet will love you

if you get one.

Move slowly, don't strain yourself. Take it easy,

exercise, do some stretching exercises like yoga, but

don't overdo.

A hot or cold rag on the back of your neck feels good.

Try to take a dry sauna, soak for a bit in a hot tub

(not for an extended period,

remember the chlorine!), or get a massage. Some people

drink Aloe Vera for aches and pains, it naturally

occurring anti-inflammatory -

please do not inject it!

I’ve been rubbing Arnica Gel on my muscles and joints.

I get one made by Boiron, you can purchase it at most

health food stores, Fresh

Fields or Whole Foods. Arnica has been used for

centuries by the American Indians, it's natural and

really seems to help with joint

pain. It also helps bruises fade more quickly. Here

is a link about it, you can get it at any health

store-They also have it in

sublingual (under the tongue) form. Please do not

ingest it without doctor supervision, large amounts

could be toxic!

Here is a site with info about it:

http://www.go-symmetry.com/arnica.htm

Here is a place on the web where you can order it:

http://www.vitaminchannel.com/manf/BoironHomeopathics.htm

Many people are taking Glucosamine and Chondroitin

sulfate for joint pain. These supplements may help

your body repair its damaged

or weakened cartilage by assisting your body's own

natural repair mechanisms. There are no known

negative side effects with them.

Please ask your doctor before taking any nutritional

supplement.

Here is some information about them:

http://www.go-symmetry.com/glucosamine.htm &

http://www.go-symmetry.com/chondroitin.htm

Also see Headache reference for more about pain

medications.

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-N-

Nausea:

Move slowly, do not attempt to read in moving

vehicles, you will become green. Eat small nutritious

meals. Drink plenty of fluids to

aid digestion. Eat foods that will help settle your

stomach: crackers, oatmeal, broths, ginger ale (its

also good with cranberry juice),

peppermints, candied ginger, herb teas, yogurt with

granola. Wendela says that Solaray GingerTrips are

good for nausea, they are

chewable, tasty and they work instantly! You can get

them at any health food store, a bottle of 60 is about

$6.

Use pressure points travel sickness wrist bands

(Sea-bands). They really work.

Some people swear by acupuncture to relieve their

nausea. If it gets really bad, ask your doctor for

something, you don't want to lose

too much weight at once, its not good for you. If you

are truly desperate, SharRN said to ask your doctor

about Compazine

suppositories, so if you are really tired of taking

pills, this may be the way to go. see Weight Loss or

Nutrition

If you are experiencing dizziness, see Dizziness.

Negativity:

Not allowed! Surround yourself with positive people,

go to your support group! You will feel better if you

are social and doing

something positive. Bring your family and friends to

support group meetings with you so they can better

understand what you are

going through. also see Family

No Alcohol!!!!:

NO NO NO, Especially not ever while on treatment. Why

are you even asking? What are you thinking??? One

ounce of alcohol

negates the effects of the interferon for how ever

long it takes your body to process it. Negates=makes

it not work at all!

That means that if you decide to " celebrate " (even just

a little) your " undetected " status (especially over a

long weekend) that would

mean that by the time your body processes the alcohol

you drank, up to 4 days may have passed (technically)

since you had your shot. 4

DAYS!!! Plenty of time to allow a breakthrough of the

virus. Is it worth it? Go have a fruit juice or

something, just say NO!

Here are some very scary articles about it if you

don't believe us: The interaction of alcoholic liver

disease and hepatitis C,

(Hepatogastroenterology 1998 Mar-Apr;45(20):331-9);

The alcohol-altered liver membrane antibody and

hepatitis C virus infection in

the progression of alcoholic liver disease,

(Hepatology 1993 Jan;17(1):9-13)

Many over-the-counter products contain alcohol.

Please read the labels before you take anything.

Alcohol in any amount is NOT good,

especially for people with compensated livers,

whatever you may hear.

Nose Problems (or did you catch the number of the bus

that hit me?): see Oral Hygiene (nose mouth and

throat) or

Mucus

Nutrition:

I think that this is one of the best posts about hep c

and nutrition: http://shn.webmd.com/roundtable/120233.

I stopped my coffee

intake (it seems to react very badly with combo, see

Caffeine), and no alcohol of course. A good

suggestion is to cut down on your

animal protein intake. Protein produces more ammonia

in your blood, which your liver has to process again

into urea. This process

makes your liver work harder. Also, too much protein

can put your body into Ketosis, a potentially serious

condition. When you have a

lot of ammonia in your blood, your blood becomes more

acidic, your body responds by pulling calcium from

your bones in order to

normalize the pH levels in your blood. See

Osteoporosis for more information.

Try to eat as much organic produce as you can (those

pesticides are hard on the liver), and just eat

healthy. Also, try to limit your fat

intake, especially fried or greasy foods; it can be

hard on your digestive system.

Here is a very good site that explains liver function

in the body: " The Liver: Master Organ for Optimal

Nutrition "

http://www.tiac.net/users/birdlady/theliv~1.html

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-O-

Ouch! those shots hurt!: see Injection Methods

Oral Hygiene(nose, mouth and throat):

This is a doozie of a combination side to get. The

interferon dehydrates you and also slows wound

healing. When your mouth is very

dry, the combination of the dryness and bacteria can

run amok and cause all kinds of dental problems

including periodontal disease,

receding gums, mouth sores, bad breath, gingivitis,

cracked molars and loose fillings. Be careful with

what you eat so that you don't

injure your gums. Stay away from sharp or crunchy

foods that can tear your delicate skin. Gargling with

very warm strong salt water,

Goldenseal or Chamomile tea may be a beneficial aid in

mouth wound healing. Don't forget to spit!

Homeopathic: There are many natural products at the

market these days, I use " Eco Dent Ultimate Essential

Mouth Care-Natural

daily rinse & oral wound cleaner " , it is available at

Whole Foods or Fresh Fields. Here is a list of the

ingredients: Fortified with

Echinacea, Goldenseal and CoQ-10, baking soda,

Menthol, Peppermint oil, Castor bean oil, Tea tree

oil, oils of orange, lemon, sweet

fennel, Anise, Geranium, bergamot, Fougere, lavender,

rosemary, basil and rose.

Oxygene is also a very good antibacterial rinse

http://www.essenceofthings.com/OxyfreshOralHealthCare.htm.

Over the counter: Another good product is called

Biotene. It helps provide mouth moisture they make a

rinse, toothpaste and

sugarless gum. If your local pharmacy does not carry

it, call them and ask them to order it. No

prescription is necessary.

Prescription: I ran the gamut on the dry mouth deal,

was really bothering me, disrupting my quality of

life. Did not realize how much I

missed spit. I had my dentist prescribe Salagen.

Here is a link to the press release on it:

http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/5b68e.htm .

Out of all the pills I take, I really like this one,

my mouth fills with spit within 15 mins. of taking

it-and it is such a tiny pill, no

bigger than a tic-tac. Drs. Hoofnagle and Ghany at

NIH OK'd it for me, so I'm pretty sure it's ok for us.

Reasons to take Salagen by Freyja:

1) Itz weally hald ta twalk wiff yer tongue

sduck tew da roove of yer

mouff.

2) Really helps with the dry throat and sore

throat sides!

3) It makes consuming food sources much more

pleasant.

4) Your breath is less stinky with more spit

in your mouth.

5) Makes you feel much more normal. You

really won't know how much you

miss spit until you get it back.

We actually didn't remember how to deal with

normal saliva flow. Be careful not to start taking

Salagen right before you have to make an

important presentation, or be in a situation

in which drooling is not socially acceptable. I guess

you could get away with it if you said " You can

see how excited *drool* I am about this

project! " Good places to go when you first regain your

saliva include a good restaurant, a playboy or

Chippendale type place, whatever, your

preference might be. ;-) Truthfully, Salagen is

wonderful stuff and doesn’t make you drool all over

yourself.

I also had my dentist prescribe an ultraflouridated

toothpaste to use for the next year to keep the

bacteria at bay: Colgate

PreviDent (Rx-by prescription)-1.1percent Sodium

Fluoride gel. They also have a rinse. I alternate it

with the Biotene toothpaste.

Dental work- Either do it before starting combo or

wait until you are done. Your mouth wounds will take

3 times longer to heal.

Freyja had four non-emergency root canals within 24

hours; her gums never healed properly after the hours

of rubber dam clamp

torture. If you must get root canals, get one at a

time. And see if they can perform it in several visits

with minimal use of rubber

dams. If you do get a cleaning, tell the dental

hygienist to be very careful not to create any gum

injury. Brush and floss carefully

and frequently.

These tasks can be daunting if sides are bad, but

persevere and you may avoid having to deal with more

severe problems.

Lip care: Use lip gloss, Chapstick, " Lip Food " or an

ointment with L-lysine (see the following link for

details:

http://www.gen.com/solutions/30days/oct16.htm or see

Herpes Outbreaks) for dry chapped lips or cold sores.

If you get persistent

sores at the corner(s) of your lips try putting an

antifungal on them for a few days before bed. Try to

get one that is for oral use or

have your doctor give you a sample of Lotrisone cream,

it is made by Schering.

Sore throat: This is a side from either the Ribavirin

or the interferon. Try sucking on some cough drops or

try a non-alcohol spray.

A mild herb tea with honey and lemon is soothing. Try

not to yell at your children too often, it will only

make it worse. see Family

Mouth Thrush/Yeast: The human body is an incredibly

complex entity, when you are on interferon, your body

is told that the a number

one task is to fight viral infections. Unfortunately

this leaves you open to bacterial and fungal

infections and may create imbalances

with the " friendly " bacteria in your body. A common

manifestation of this imbalance may include mouth

thrush or yeast infections in

your mouth or genital areas.

SharRN recommends that if you notice your tongue

becoming inflamed/sore and or notice a white coat on

your tongue you may want to

ask your doctor about the need for MYCELEX TROCHE.

This is a suck and swallow medication to eliminate

yeast/thrush of the mouth.

She said that it actually tastes decent. Takes several

days to have a real impact on the thrush. If you are

unable to tolerate

swallowing the medication due to Nausea, you may want

to try first brushing your teeth with clear water (no

toothpaste), and perhaps

using a unit to scrape your tongue lightly and then

swishing and spitting out the med Obviously not as

effective as swallowing but it

may give you some relief.

If you develop a yeast infection in another delicate

area, please confirm that you are truly experiencing

one and get a confirmation

from your gynecologist, especially if the over the

counter medicine has no effect. There are many over

the counter medications

available to deal with those nasty yeasties. If you

are having a yeast infection, any of them should work.

Also, you can eat live yogurt to re-balance the

internal flora of the digestive tract and try to avoid

sugar and whole milk. Yeast

thrives in glucose. also see Digestive Problems

Sinus Problems: The combo can irritate your mucous

membranes. Go to an ear nose and throat specialist.

Make sure that you don't

have a sinus infection, if you do ask for a medication

in a spray form (unless you want another pill, that

is).

Bloody nose: Unless you are losing pints of blood, not

to worry, but please tell your doctor about it.

Please dispose of your used

tissues properly, carry around baggies for used ones.

also see Mucus

Stuffy nose: Vicks Vapor Rub or breathe steam from a

tea kettle with a towel over your head. Please try to

remember to turn the

burner off, or you may catch the towel on fire. It

can happen to you. Lacey did it, she is still looking

for her eyebrows.

Osteoporosis:

Many people have reported cases of osteoporosis or a

loss in bone density as a possible side effect from

treatment, or possibly from

the hcv itself. Here are some interesting articles

about it: Osteoporosis and bone mineral metabolism

disorders & Osteodystrophy in

patients with chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis.

Please ask your doctor about monitoring your bone

density, and possibly prescribing a calcium supplement

for you while you are on

treatment, especially if you are female. Ask your

doctor whether Viactiv calcium supplements are right

for you, they taste just like

Kraft Caramels, get them at your local pharmacy. Do

NOT eat the whole box at one sitting, if you already

have, see Digestive

Problems.

Weight bearing exercise has also shown to be helpful

in reducing bone loss. Please discuss all exercise

regimens with your doctor.

Improper nutrition can also adversely affect your bone

density. Also see Ketosis reference under Nutrition.

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-P-

P:

Yes, I have to all the time, morning, noon and night.

All that water you are drinking needs to go somewhere.

Your body gets used to

the increased water intake after the first two months

or so. You will eventually make it through an entire

night without several

bathroom runs. Really.

It is important to keep your urinary tract in good

operating health, remember the interferon is excreted

through your kidneys. It's

very important that you drink plenty of water or

cranberry juice to keep your fluid levels up. Some

folks say that Dandelion tea is

good for your urinary health (don't forget to ask your

doc first!).

Also, a kidney infection can be very dangerous while

on treatment, some people have experienced kidney

failure on interferon! Please

notify your doctor if you are experiencing any kidney

or urinary pain. also see Water

Pain Killers: see Headache or Muscle Pain

Phlegm: see Mucus

Photosensativity:

People on treatment that have tried to get a tan have

instead received a really awful burn and Riba-rash in

its place. This burn can be

quite serious and take quite a long time to heal. It

is imperative that you try to stay out of the sun

while on treatment. Get the

highest sunscreen available (I know someone that got

" lobsterized " using a 30spf!), and apply it liberally

and often. Please take our

word on this one and avoid the experience for

yourself! also see Skin Care

Pregnancy: see Birth Control

Psychosis:

No, you are not crazy. It's the medication. Talk to

your doctor, have him refer you to a professional

therapist. Ask for

anti-psychotic drugs. Here is a website that

discusses the signs that you are suffering from

psychosis:

http://www.healthanswers.com/database/ami/converted/001553.html

-Q-

Queasy, I'm feeling: see Nausea

Quiet time:

Find time for yourself, get a massage, work on a

hobby, get some ear plugs if you have small children

or teenagers.

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-R-

Rage in general (hey! and I have not even started

treatment!):

Here is a good article to show to your loved ones and

employers (See! I told you it was not me, my liver

made me do it!) Toxins from a

diseased liver may trigger feelings of rage and anger.

Do not take it out on the clerk at Kinko's, your

in-laws, boss, co-worker,

children, other people's children, the grocery clerk,

people that bump into you accidentally or happen to

just be crossing your path.

See Depression if you become unbearable.

Rashes, rashes everywhere: see Skin Care

Red spots at injection sites: see Skin Care or

Injection Methods

Rebetron© (aka " the Combo " ):

No, this is not a new type of Transformer toy that

your child must have for Christmas, we only wish it

cost as much as one! A year's

treatment of Rebetron is almost equal to the purchase

of a minivan, hopefully your insurance will cover most

of it. If you require

financial resources or assistance, please check out

Kathy's Hepatitis C Information Page at:

http://pages.hotbot.com/health/kdreyer/. Here is the

Rebetron official home page: www.rebetron.com. If you

would like to talk to a

nurse about your symptoms, patients that are on

Rebetron can sign-up for counseling through the

Be-In-Charge program. Go to

www.beincharge.com for information on how to sign up.

Relationships:

Try to use this time as an opportunity to meet others

and make new friends, either in support group or on

the Boards. Right now, we

are all going through this together, and friendships

with other heppers can offer you the support and

understanding that we need right

now. When you find friends that you can connect with,

it makes all the difference in world to your mental

outlook.

Taking your Ribavirin or " How do I open these *#@!%

blister packs?? " :

If you are in a study, you are fortunate in that you

will probably get your Ribavirin already " freed " from

their little plastic

" sarcophagi " in large white bottles. Otherwise, you

will probably get them in these hand-dandy,

impossible to open blister pack things

that will not open unless a blow-torch is applied to

them. I have never encountered a more stubborn

blister pack in my life, you'd

think that it was a shoplifting protection device!

Whatever you do, don't use your teeth to open the

packs, you may damage your gums!

see Oral Care

Graphix opens his Ribavirin by cutting one edge with a

pair of scissors and then peeling the foil back and

popping out the capsules. Or,

if you have children and they misbehave, you can

always threaten them with " Ribavirin packet opening

duty " . I can hear it now, " No

Mom! -pluuueeeesss anything, but NOT the Ribavirin

duty! I promise I won't do it again!.... " .

Try to set aside your time a do them all at once to

save yourself the daily frustration. After they are

free, put them in a pill case,

see Brain Fog for some good suggestions about types.

Road Rage: see Depression or Psychosis (if you have a

gun rack on your truck, please remove it prior to

starting treatment)

Roche Pegylated Interferon:

There is a lot of excitement about the Roche Pegylated

interferon, you only have to inject once a week! Yea!

Trials are currently in

progress with peg interferon and Ribavirin. Here is

their very cool animated web site for those hcv info

junkies out there.

http://www.roche-hepC.com/

Running: see Fatigue

Running (the other kind): see Digestive Problems or

Nutrition

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-S-

Seratonin Syndrome: see Depression

Seizures: see Tremors/Seizures

Shortness of Breath: see Fatigue or see your doctor if

its really bad-no joking!

Shots: see Injection Timing or Injection Methods or

First Shot Night

" Sides " :

Side effects from treatment or disease; including, but

not limited to the in-side and the out-side of your

body. Here is a complete list

of interferon side effects:

http://www.hepnet.com/nih/dusheiko.html. Please note

that the amount, intensity or lack thereof of sides

you experience are NOT necessarily an indicator of

whether the treatment is working or not. Sides often

seem to come and go in

cycles, what is bothering you one week, may be

replaced by something altogether different the next.

I like what Robin says about them,

" The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and

round... " , you get the picture.

If you are still experiencing sides after treatment is

over, see Withdrawal.

Skin Care:

The dry skin from the interferon and the Riba-rash can

be potentially very big sides from treatment. It

seems to affect fair skinned

people the most. Many describe the feeling as being

like little bugs crawling all over your body. Your

skin is also dry and very

sensitive from the interferon. Freyja is sure that

the Princess from the Princess and the Pea must have

been on interferon

treatment!

Your skin is your largest organ, and skin integrity is

very important to your overall health. Spend time on

it, do some preventative

maintenance on it - before it gets bad. Your skin

will heal slower due to low platelet counts and lower

white blood cell counts

(WBCs) which can make fighting infections more

difficult and slow the healing process. The human body

is an incredibly complex entity,

when you are on interferon, your body is told that the

a number one task is to fight viral infections.

Unfortunately this leaves you

open to bacterial and fungal infections, so use common

sense. also see Infection

Winter is also a drying season, run a humidifier, take

warm, not hot showers, don't take baths (soaking can

be very drying and irritate

your skin), tap water contains a lot of chlorine.

Chlorine is a bleaching and color oxidizer which dries

and strips your hair and skin of

natural oils and color during a hot shower or bath.

Chlorine also absorbs into your skin through your

pores. This can aggravate

sinuses, irritate eyes, and cause rashes. Try to get

a Chlorine filter for your shower head.

When showering, try to use a mild non-perfumed bath

soap or gel. Deodorant soaps may contain chemicals

that could be hard on your

delicate skin. Use a soft cloth, no hard rubbing or

scraping! Do not pick at your blemishes!

Try to put only soft natural fibers next to your skin.

If you wear a bra (not occasionally but every day),

get an all cotton one to

reduce the irritation from the elastic. 's

Secret has a wonderful line of soft stretch bras, or

get an all cotton sports bra.

Carefully cut out those scratchy plastic tags in the

back of your clothing. Do not violently rip them out

with your teeth as Lacey and

Freyja did, it will leave holes in the back of your

clothes.

Here is an overview on three approaches to skin care

while on combo:

Over the counter: To help preserve your skin

integrity use a good lotion on your skin every day, am

and p.m.-especially when getting

out of the shower. This stuff is excellent! Call

your pharmacy and ask if they carry Aveeno lotion

(made with colloidal oatmeal), if

not, they can order it for you. Does not require a

prescription. Good to keep the itching at bay, good

overall moisturizing lotion to use

everywhere before dry patches, cracks and sores form.

Bag Balm (also known as Udder Cream) is also a good

moisturizer (if you can

stand the smell!). Eucerin Lotion is also inexpensive

and great for dry skin.

For the face, I like PX Prescriptives-Flight Cream -

" Instant Help for Dehydrated Skin " for the " Mummy

Skin " on your face (your

face will be as soft as a baby's butt, but your wallet

will be hurtin'-$36 for a 1.7 Fl. oz tube that lasts

about 2 months). Full of aloe,

eucalyptus , and other great stuff, can slap it over

makeup-sinks right in, no smearing.

If you start to get the " Riba-Rash " (small blisterlike

eruptions that itch like hell-look like flea bites and

leave oozing sores when

scratched) get a hydrocortisone cream or Benadryl or

Gold Bond lotion-they seem to help somewhat.

Downside: If you've got it bad,

they usually don't last more than 4-5 hours at best.

Not enough for a good nights sleep. Hot showers seem

to aggravate them.

Homeopathic: Calendula lotian (made from Marigold

flowers) helps sooth skin, aides in healing. Here is

a link I wrote about it with a

place to get it on the web:

http://my.webmd.com/roundtable_message/221527.

Prescription: If all else does not provide you with

consistent relief, and you are tearing your skin up-

then ask your doctor to

prescribe a good antihistamine. You are having a

severe allergic reaction to the Ribavirin, it's not

uncommon at all. I use Zyrtec, it

goes right to the skin, does not make me drowsy. I’ve

also heard good things about Claritin (also by

Schering) and Allegra. Also, ask

your doctor for Fluocinonide Cream USP 0.05, even

doctors use it for their cracked skin from all the

hand washing.

Freyja gets Elocon from her primary care physician.

Can you guess who sells it? If you guessed Schering

you get 100 points!

If you must scratch your itches, Pier One has

excellent bamboo back scratcher for about .80-get many

and put them around your

house, they work much better than steak knives or

screwdrivers! Scratch gently! Do not tear or rip

your skin.

Lotion applicator- apply lotion to your back, if you

don't have someone to do it for you, order a lotion

applicator from a senior catalog

-try Dr. Leonards-1-800-785-0880 - ask for #921 its

$5.99.

Red itchy eye lids- This is a documented side from the

Ribavirin. The combo can also cause one or more of

your eyes to leak a lot

which irritates your skin. Tears can be rather caustic

to tender skin, if it gets red and raw try putting

Chapstick on your cheek under

your tear duct and on the side of your nose, wherever

it is red. This sounds gross, but it doesn't show and

it really works. Try Badger

Balm (No Badgers were harmed in the preparation of

this product!!!-made with olive oil, bees wax, castor

oil, aloe vera and sweet birch

in a easy to carry tin, non-greasy also good for

chapped hands or other chapped areas) seems to work

nicely on my poor eye lids.

Cold-pressed Castor Oil also is also soothing, but

kind of yucky, I use it a night sometimes. Hyland's

Calendula Spray is really

great. It's ingredients are: 22 percent extract of

Calendula flowers (Marigold) in glycerin and water. I

spray it on my eyelids in the

am and p.m.-also works on hard to reach itchy spots on

my back. About $4.50 for a 1oz bottle. You can get all

these products from your

health store, Whole Foods or Fresh Fields. Do not use

calendula lotion or gel in the eye area, they may

contain petroleum products

that may irritate your eyes and make them swell (I

know this from experience).

Here is a good place that you can get the Calendula

spray on the web:

http://www.vitaminchannel.com/manf/HylandsStandardHomeopathics.htm,

or here is the direct link: Hylands Calendula Spray.

If you

order $50 or more from the Vitamin Channel, shipping

is free.

Here is a place on the web where you can order the

Badger Balm:

http://www.nutritionpantry.com/bodycare.htm.

Or, another soothing thing to do for your eyes is to

slice up some cucumbers and dip them in yogurt and put

them on your eyes. Can be

eaten afterward if you are really hungry, please do

not serve to guests from your face, Miss Manners would

not approve.

The red itchy eye lids can also irritate your hair

follicles, mucus membranes and ducts in the eye

causing a Stye. A stye is a bacterial

infection, you are more prone to those while on

interferon therapy. If you feel a stye coming on,

make yourself an herb tea (Eyebrite

is good for the eyes-can get it at any health food

store) and take the warm tea bag and apply it to your

eye several times throughout

the day until it subsides. Hopefully, this will keep

it from " heading up " and looking really gross. Here

is a very good article by

doctors from Calgery Regional Health Authority:

http://www.crha-health.ab.ca/hlthconn/items/stye.htm

Shaving: Try not to while you are on treatment,

especially with dull blades (Lacey says that clam

shells work well;-). Dull razors will

scrape off the top layer of your skin, causing tiny

cuts which may irritate your sensitive skin and cause

a Riba-rash to appear. Once

the rash " blooms " , it's very difficult to get it to

heal, so taking some preventive care while on

treatment is important.

Shaving tips for guys (hey-we didn't forget about

you!): Consider how nice you will look in your full

beard and soft flannel shirts.

Hey, kind of sounds like Al on Home Improvement! But

seriously, the constant scraping of a dull blade

across your face will probably

cause irritation on treatment, you want to take steps

to and maintain your skin integrity. Be warned-the

rash that can develop on

treatment is NOT a pretty one.

Shaving tips

Start with the proper equipment, use a boars

hair brush and purchase a high quality type razor (try

one with a twin Microfine blade and a

pivotal head). Keep your blades in very

good shape and replace them frequently

Take your time, go slowly- try not to cut

yourself, wounds can take 3 times longer to heal on

treatment.

Soften whiskers first with hot water (or

take a shower first) -This is extremely important!

Shaving soap should be high quality, some

prefer glycerin based.

Use a hot lather, shaving creams in a can

may contain many chemicals, and he does not recommend

it for the serious shaver.

Shave with (not against) the grain of the

hair

Do not go over the same spots too many times

Rinse face thoroughly with a face cloth to

remove any residue that may cause irritation

Follow with 3-4 splashes of cold water to

close the pores and tense the skin

Do not use an over the counter aftershave!

Most contain alcohol and other chemicals that may be

drying and irritating. Witch hazel is a good

alternative.

Follow with a high quality man's

moisturizer, such as Clinique.

If you can get away with it, try to give your face a

rest and only shave every other day, the whiskers will

be a bit longer and easier to

cut. Also, try to gently exfoliate your skin several

times a week to keep your pores clear, use a loofa

facial sponge and a high quality

gentle men's facial cleanser. Important-if you use a

septic pencil or bits of tissue to staunch the blood

flow from cuts, dispose of

them properly and keep all personal items (including

razors) separate from those of your family.

For the ladies: If you must shave your legs, follow

the same steps as above and use a high quality shaving

gel with aloe or Vitamin E.

Use lotion on your legs daily to prevent flaking and

dry patches. An alternative to shaving is to go

" au-natural " and tell people that

you are European. Lacey conceals her hairy legs by

wearing Leggs Winter Hose, they come in assorted

colors and also help increase

circulation. Yowza! Freyja says that Lavern of

" Lavern & Shirley " use to extol the virtues of hairy

legs--what better way to keep

your stockings up? ;-)

Waxing/Hair Removal/Cosmetic Treatments: Waxing your

legs, upper lip or bikini area while on treatment is

ultimately your

decision, be careful. Pouring hot wax on your

sensitive skin and ripping it violently off will

succeed in removing not only the hairs, but

also the top layer of your skin. It also hurts twice

as much on treatment. Believe me, I've been there

before. Several months ago I

had my bikini area waxed, and the resulting rash was

not pretty, and also took quite a while to heal.

Also, be cautious with any

electric or laser hair removal systems, and chemical

dermabrasions or peels. Everything takes longer to

heal while on treatment.

Please tell anyone that plans to perform these type of

procedures on you about your condition.

Sleeplessness (or I need to get some rest dangnabit!):

see Insomnia

Sores won't heal: see Skin Care

Smoking: see Chemical

Spelling-I can't do it no mor: see Brain Fog (look

under the " B’s " ...)

St. 's Wort: see Depression

Stye in your eye: see Skin Care

Sweating: see Fevers

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-T-

Tanning: see Photosensitivity

Tea: see Caffeine (or drink herbal ones, see Herbs)

Teeth, care of: see Oral Care (nose, mouth, throat)

Temperature of the combo/pill and interferon:

The Intron A (or any other brand of interferon) must

be refrigerated. Please note that you do not have to

keep the Ribavirin in the

Fridge. Here is a good post from Freyja on it:

http://shn.webmd.com/roundtable_message/128639

Help! My Throat feels like it's been reamed by a

toilet brush!: see Oral Care (nose, mouth, throat)

Thrush: see Oral Care (nose, mouth, throat)

Thyroid: see Autoimmune Problems

Tinnitus: see Hearing Problems

Transdermal Medication Delivery (medication patches):

see Headache

Transmission:

Keep your blood to yourself! Dispose of all blood

products in a safe manner, clean blood spills with

bleach. Keep your personal items

separate from those of your family members (i.e.

toothbrush, razor, tweezers, nail clippers, oral pics,

dental floss, dentures). Be sure

to inform Dentists, nail technicians, or anyone that

may come into contact with your blood about your

condition. If accosted by a

Vampire (that includes your Phlebotomist), warn them

that you are potentially infectious and not to take

your blood!! ;-)

Traveling with your meds:

The Intron A (or any other brand of interferon) must

be refrigerated (see reference above). Schering has a

travel pack that you can

order for carrying your meds. Their phone is:

1-888-437-2608. An insulated lunchbag with ice packs

also work well, you can get them

from Walmart or K-Mart. When flying, ask stewards for

ice, or to refrigerate (not freeze) your meds for you

(do not pack them they

will explode under pressure, just like some of us do).

Also, ask them to remember to give the meds back to

you, otherwise you will

forget them. See Brain Fog.

Tremors/Seizures:

If you are experiencing mild tremors, do not be

alarmed. This is a documented side effect from the

interferon therapy. It can have

this effect on the extremities of your body, and will

probably disappear at the end of treatment. My

doctors at NIH are not sure why

this side effect occurs in some people, but they told

me that the interferon may " turn on " over 100

different genes in the body. Please

notify your doctor, especially if you are experiencing

seizures. This is an uncommon side and only affects

1% of patients on

interferon. Please record these sides in your Side

Effect Diary (if you can hold your hands still enough

to write, that is ;-).

Here is an article about it written by our doctor, Jay

Hoofnagle at NIH: Seizures during alpha interferon

therapy.

-U-

" U " are Very Important-don't forget it!:

Take this year and make it for yourself, while you are

on treatment it is time for you to heal.

Urinary Tract Infection: see Water

Urination (as in, incessant): see Water or P

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-V-

Vertigo: see Dizziness

Vision Problems:

Vision problems like floaters, detached retinas can be

traced back to the hep c itself. Here is an excellent

post with all the proper

medical jargon to explain how this occurs:

http://shn.webmd.com/roundtable/145650

The interferon can also effect fluid levels and

pressure in the eye. Many people are complaining of

vision problems. My vision (and for

a few others also) has actually improved on treatment.

Interferon warnings also include: retinal

hemorrhages, cotton wool spots and

retinal artery or vein obstructions in rare instances.

Please get your eyes checked after starting

treatment, especially if you notice

any severe vision changes or experience any ocular

pain. See Neurovisual impairment: a frequent

complication of alpha-interferon

treatment in chronic viral hepatitis for reference.

Your vision may change (from bad to worse, near to

far, far to near, bad to good or good to bad) on

treatment. Unless you want to add

a monthly ophthalmologist visit and eyeglass

prescription to your costs, go to CVS or your pharmacy

and try on those cheap reading

glasses or magnifiers until you find one that works.

When it stops working, keep it (you may need it

later), go back to CVS and get

another pair. Experiment with new looks! Bring

hornrims back in style!

Vitamins:

Everyone is different and has different needs. Please

discuss all vitamin supplements with your doctor

before taking them. Do not

take any supplements that contain Iron, Vitamin A & K,

they are fat soluble and are stored in your liver, and

could potentially be

damaging. You get plenty of these vitamins in your

diet.

It has been shown that Iron is an important component

for hcv viral replication-please check all your

supplements for iron! Do not

cook in iron skillets, especially acidic foods, it

leaches the iron out. If you plan on taking a

multivitamin, Men's One-A-Day is an

inexpensive brand and does not contain iron.

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-W-

WATER (fluids):

It is important to keep yourself well hydrated. This

is probably one of the most important things that you

can do. Drink plenty of

water (milk, caffinated tea, coffee and soda do not

count-would you wash your car with them?), the

interferon is excreted renally

(from your kidneys), you could do a lot of damage to

them and also irritate your urinary tract and/or

kidneys themselves if you don't

drink enough water. It also helps with the

sides-really.

Also, since the interferon can be dehydrating, many

people also experience Constipation while on therapy

(another important reason to

drink water!), please record any noticeable changes in

your Side Effect Diary, constipation can also be an

indicator of Thyroid

problems (see Autoimmune). In addition to fluids,

increase your fiber intake, including fresh fruits and

vegtables. I've also heard

that Milk of Magnesia diluted with water or popcorn

may give you some relief (don't mix them

together-eww). Some people drink Aloe

Vera to releive constpation. The Mayo Clinic says not

to use Mineral Oil or Castor Oil to releive

constipation, over-the-counter

fiber supplement such as Citrucel, Hydrocil or

Metamucil can safely be used. Here is a good article

about that subject:

http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9502/htm/laxat_qa.htm

Keep a water bottle with you at all times. Notice

the locations of bathrooms as you walk in a place,

pick locations to sit that are

near them. Make sure that is bottled water, always.

Tap water is full of stuff we don't need. See

Chlorine reference under Skin

Care.

Don’t drink too much though, over-hydration can cause

you to overwork your kidneys and do other bad things

to your system. Also, try

to incorporate more fluids like juice, herbal teas and

broths so that you don’t flush out too many nutrients.

Try a low sodium/sugar

sports type drink to replace electrolytes or Pedialite

is also good.

Weight loss:

I have lost a total of 20 pounds so far, I initially

took Alfalfa (Saw Palmetto also works) to stimulate my

appetite, and my weight loss

has evened over time. Took it for the first 6 weeks,

until the nausea abated (see Nausea). Weight loss has

leveled-out to about a

pound a week of loss. Food still tastes different to

me, appetite is pretty much nonexistent (or as Lacey

likes to say, " All food looks

like plastic to me " ). I can't seem to handle spices,

chocolate, salt or strong flavors. Salagen seems to

be helping somewhat with the

taste changes. See Oral Hygiene for reference.

Eat whatever you feel like eating (when was the last

time someone said that to you?). If you feel like

pizza for breakfast and ice

cream for dinner, by all means, eat it. Try making

milk shakes and or eat supplement bars for extra

calories if you need to.

WARNING!- Do not lose too much weight at once, it can

put too much stress on your body, you need your

nutrition to heal (see

Nausea or Nutrition). It is unhealthy to lose more

than a pound or two a week depending upon your body

size and weight at beginning

of treatment. Please see your doctor if you begin to

resemble Calista Flockhart.

Who am I?: See Brain Fog

What am I doing here? What was I doing a minute ago?

Where am I going? What is my purpose in life?:

See Brain Fog, now please before you forget again!

Withdrawal:

Some people feel absolutly great after treatment but

there are some that are experiencing a continuation of

the side effects, even

months after treatment is over. Some of these may

include: shaking, rebound headache, joint aches,

fatigue, muscular twitching and

pain. Please talk to your doctor if the effects are

too severe.

Try to purge the chemicals from your system by

sweating as much as you can. Go to the gym, do some

cardio, work out, take a hot sauna

or a long walk. Here is a good article about the

detoxifying effects of sweating:

http://www.o3zone.com/ozoneser/articles/024.htm.

The Ribavirin seems to hang around for a while and may

take months to leave your system. Help your body

move it along by maintaining

your extra intake of fluids, especially fruit juices

and green drinks that contain: Spirulina, Chlorella,

Blue Green Algae, or Wheat

Grass. Eat lots of green leafy vegetables, if you

have a juicer, make yourself some nutritious blends of

fruits and vegetables. These

are all natural antioxidants and may help your body to

cleanse itself. Also, Vitamin E and C are very good

antioxidants, here is an

article about Antioxidants in general from the Mayo

Clinic:

http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9308/htm/antioxid.htm

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-X-

X-rated:

Not this year, dear, I'm having a headache...(see

Headache) Your lack of these kinds of thoughts are

normal while on treatment.

Sorry, lots of us are not feeling very amorous these

days. I've heard that Vitamin E can help an ailing

libido. Don't worry, it will

return A.T. (after treatment).

Also, antidepressants that are SSRI's (Paxil, Prozac,

Effexor), the lack of orgasmic ability is a

well-documented side. The newest

drug in this family is Celexa and supposedly does not

interfere with performance in the same way. There is

life after depression and

drugs! Please talk with your doctor if this is a

problem for you. (also see Depression)

-Y-

Y me?:

Now is not the time for self-pity! I believe that God

will never give you anything that you can't handle.

We are in a tough spot, there

is no time for self-pity. Try to cope with the

situation as best you can. Hang tough!

Yeast Infections (both oral and other types): see Oral

Care (nose, mouth, throat)

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-Z-

ZZZZZ's-why can't I catch any?: see Insomnia

Hang in there! We are all undetectable within 2

months of starting treatment, so there is light at the

end of

the rainbow!!!

We would like to thank those people from the shn board

whose ideas we pirated for this guide and to those who

sent us their input, especially Graphix and Cromme. We

would also like to thank our kind doctors, Dr. Rosen

at

OSHU and Drs. Hoofnagle, Doo and Ghany at NIH for

putting up with us. And Lacey and I would especially

like to

thank the kind nurses and staff at NIH for being so

very sympathetic and not making us wait forever to see

them

and also for distributing our guide to other patients!

We also want to thank our support group leader at WASH

http://www.hepatitis-c-suprt-wadc.org, Joan

Nayeri for making us organize this information by

asking us to get up in front of our group and whine

for three

hours about our side effects.

In case you wondering if we look like normal people,

here's a recent photo of us wacky babes!

Lacey, Trishamn & Freyja

February, 1999

Please feel free to e-mail us at:

eyeballs4u@... or better yet, go to the WebMD

health & wellness center and post your

question on the Hepatitis C Message Boards or chat

room (We hang out on the Message Boards). You'll meet

lots more people that

way!!! http://hcv.webmd.com/hepatitis_c_1.html

Do I REALLY have to scroll all the way back to the top

of the page? (ok, ok -click here)

Please feel free to link to our site and make copies

of the guide for distrubition to your local support

group, but don't just take it without giving us some

credit,

we worked our #?*%! off on this thing!

|Home|The Guide|Hepatitis Links|About Us|

Copyright © 1999 The Madheppers

Nolan, Becky Lorenz and Maxey

__________________________________

Start your day with - Make it your home page!

http://www./r/hs

[Guest guest]

If you want to write to me, my private email is

mishkiger@... - Michele

--- brace_brian <brace_brian@...> wrote:

> Hello everyone,

> My name is and I just joined

> this group. I am a

> recovering addict and have been hepc positive about

> five years now. I

> am starting treatment in January and I am looking

> for a little support

> to get me through. I imagine there are quite a few

> of you who have

> gone through this. Any advice would be greatly

> appreciated. Trying to

> keep a positive attitude, as I beleive that is half

> the battle with any

> challenge. But some days are really tough. So if

> anyone needs to talk

> feel free to email me anytime.

>

>

>

>

>

__________________________________________________