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Hep-C Treatment - my personal experience NoteI am NOT a medical doctor, and anything written in this page is based on my own experience and my own understanding of various information I have read or heard. Therefore you should not consider this page as medical advice. The beginningI was diagnosed with active Hepatitis C at the age of 29, after my routine yearly blood test results came back with elevated liver enzymes. After the standard blood tests for finding the Hep-C virus in my blood, a liver biopsy, and consultations with various doctors, I was suggested treatment with a combination of ribavirin and peg-interferon. This was the standard therapy at the time (and still is to the best of my knowledge). This page is not intended to discuss the pros and cons of accepting the treatment, but just to inform people of what might happen during the treatment. Before the treatmentBefore starting the treatment I was a very

active and athletic person. I used to swim 3 or 4 times a week, play basketball at least once a week, and go scuba diving whenever possible. I was almost never sick, not even when everyone around me got colds. Personality wise, I was very positive and happy most of the time. Luckily for me, I was doing my Ph.D. in physics at the time, so I could determine when I come and go, and how much work I have to do. What the doctors saidThe doctors were in the opinion that, since I am young and healthy, I will hardly feel any side effects during treatment. I was told this by more than one doctor. The only thing that I had to take into consideration was a flu like feeling in the first few weeks, which can be easily dealt with using any pain relieving medication. For fairness I should also say that one of the doctors told me, that during the treatment I will not be able to swim as much as I was used to, but he added that this should not be a consideration. The rest of

the side effects weren't explained to me in anything more than a slight mention, the kind you get for most medication. Treatment startI started the treatment with a daily dosage of 1200 mg of ribavirin and a weekly dosage of 180 mg of peg-interferon. The flu like symptoms did appear, and indeed with one paracetamol it passed. The first week I went on as usual, and the next week my world fell apart. It started with the weekly basketball game. I just couldn't run and jump like I used to, and after the game was over I was extremely tired, but not in the pleasant way I usually get after a good workout. The next time I went to the swimming pool I had to stop after half of what I had planned. I just couldn't go on. I also lost my appetite completely and quite suddenly in that week. The real troubleAt this point I understood that I wasn't about to escape the side effects of the treatment. But things got worse. I started having trouble sleeping, and

was tired all the time. I had a constant nausea feeling and could hardly force myself to eat even small meals. If I did force myself to eat more than a few bites, I would fall asleep within half an hour, almost fainting. Food didn't taste the same and I had a sore tongue and thrash on the corner of my mouth.At some point I started itching all over and had a rash. I started taking antihistamines, because I thought it must have been an allergy, but it didn't go away (loratadine did make me feel a whole lot better, though. I don't know why). The skin doctor told me that both my itching and my tongue were fungy, and I got treatment for that. Since then, both problems were under control, but stayed with me until the end of the treatment.I did find something that helps avoid insomnia and increases the appetite. This is cannabis, but I won't admit to using it, since it is illegal. I also found that afternoon naps made it harder for me to sleep at night, so I avoided

them.Even with these partial remedies I couldn't play basketball at all, and could barely swim. I could only work on my thesis a few hours a day. My blood counts were down - low hemoglobin, low red blood cells, low white blood cells.My hair changed - it became thin and straight (all over my body), easy to break, and fell easily.At this point I was ready to quit, and I guess I was even depressed and irritable. It didn't help that both the doctors and the support group told me that I was young and that I should be able to take the side effects easily. It also didn't help that I didn't know the side effects were not just my problem, but that almost everyone taking the treatment has them. Information to the rescueI was groping for information about my side effects and how to control them, when I came across a document called "Supporting Hepatitis C Patients Through Peginterferon/Ribavirin Treatment". This document is intended for doctors treating

Hep-C patients, but I read it anyway. I found out some things which I found quite astonishing: Almost all patients suffer from the flu like symptoms, but they pass within 4-5 weeks and are easily manageable. The percentage of people with clinical depression is about 30%, but almost all patients suffer some sort of fatigue, anxiety/irritability, insomnia, depression, dizziness, and impaired concentration. These symptoms appear in about 4-5 weeks, and increase in intensity as time goes on. Anemia is a side effect for all patients, with varying degrees of severity. This leads to weakness, but can also contribute to all the symptoms mentioned above. A low white blood cells count is also apparent in virtually all patients. This leads to high susceptibility to fungal and bacterial infection. Patients are, however, pretty immune to viral infection because of high concentration of interferon in the blood. Hair change is apparent in most

patients and lingers for a few months after treatment ends.All these side effects have medical treatment, which is mentioned in the document. Having learned this didn't make me feel any better physically, but I think I would have been better prepared mentally had I known this in advance. This is really why I am writing this, in the vein hope that someone might read it BEFORE the symptoms appear, or maybe even before starting the treatment. ConclusionTaking the ribavirin/peg-interferon treatment changed my life. In the year I took the medication I was a broken, unhappy, unhealthy man. However, the treatment seams to have worked. Hep-C RNA is no longer detectable in my blood, and my liver enzimes are back to normal. Yet I made the decision to start the treatment without being properly informed as to the consequences of my decision. I don't know if my decision would have been any different had I known this information before-hand, but I think every

person has the right to know what he or she is getting into, and I know that knowing this information helped me deal with the side effects mentally.So here are some advice I have for people taking the treatment: Read all 3 parts of the document "Supporting Hepatitis C Patients Through Peginterferon/Ribavirin Treatment" - Report1.pdf, Report2.pdf, Report3.pdf. Understand that you WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY get side effects if you start the treatment. How much they will affect your life depends more on your lifestyle than on your age. If you are an athlete then you will have to quit that while in treatment. If you are a construction worker I can only guess that you won't be able to continue working. If you work in an office you'll probably be able

to go on almost as usual, but take into account that you might need to cut down on the hours you spend at work. Even housekeeping might become problematic while in treatment. While in treatment, avoid large meals. Eat small meals, and as many as you can. Drink as much as you can. A little bit of exercise is recommended, but don't overdo it - that will make you feel worse. Protect your health better than usual: Avoid sick people, avoid whatever makes you allergic, maintain oral hygiene, don't go to the swimming pool (it's full of bacteria and fungus even when there's chlorine in the water), etc. Do things you like to do, and things that make you happy. Believe your own feelings. The treatment is difficult, and don't let others tell you different. If you start the treatment or are in the middle of the treatment then good luck and I hope I helped, Yishai Shimonisteve brewer

<brewmon2003@...> wrote: hey Jax, All is well in my world. I just got back from Sedona, Flagstaff and the North rim of the Grand Canyon! It was an awsome experience! My first time up in that area. Its always good to be out in nature. It defintely helped heal my soul (and liver)! Peace out! Steve Jackie on <redjaxjm > wrote:

Hi Steve Its great to hear from you as its been awhile! I hope that means that you are doing well and life is going GREAT! jaxsteve brewer <brewmon2003 > wrote: I was diagnosed a year and half ago, similar to you I am geno.1a and stage 1 liver damage. I haven't done the tx yet. I wanted to try the holistic route first. I'm doing the Chinese herbs and some acupuncture. My ast/alt are normal. I feel pretty much back to normal. I am going to try and wait for a better medication to come out. You have lots of time to think about what to do. Western medicine is good for the diagnostics (testing) The Chinese have been dealing with hepatitis for decades. It is very prevalent there. You have to do what

you feel is right, not your doctor. Try not to live your life in fear! Life is good! Breath................... Good luck, Steve ....... Jackie Tim Parsons knoxville,tn 37931 865-588-2465 x107 work www.knoxville1.com

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Small Business.

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found this on a website, thought i'd pass it on...

Jan 20, 2007

Aspirin Sensitivity

Posted by Feature Writer Elaine

Persons with aspirin sensitivity may develop asthma, rhinosinusitis,

urticaria, stomach pain, and other symptoms that prohibit the use of

aspirin and related compounds.

About 5-6 percent of the population is reported to have sensitivity or

intolerance to acetylsalicylic acid, the active ingredient in the

analgesic compound aspirin. Besides its effectiveness in reducing

pain, aspirin is also used to help thin the blood and is frequently

used as a preventive therapy in patients with vascular disease.

Symptoms of Aspirin Sensitivity

In people with aspirin intolerance, aspirin frequently induces

bronchial constriction, causing wheezing and asthma. It's reported

that about 10 percent of all people with aspirin have conditions that

are induced or associated with aspirin sensitivity. People with

aspirin intolerance are also more likely to develop rhinosinusitis

(inflammation of the nasal mucosa and sinuses) and nasal polyps. The

classic triad of aspirin sensitivity, nasal polyps, and asthma is

known as Samter's syndrome.

Samter's syndrome is an inflammatory condition that is probably

acquired and may be triggered by viral infection. The high levels of

blood eosinophils characteristic of this syndrome suggest its allergic

manifestations. About 10 percent of patients with this syndrome also

develop urticaria or itching and angioedema (hives). Although this

condition can develop in children and teenagers, it's more commonly

seen in adults.

A second subset of people with aspirin sensitivity tends to develop

urticaria, characterized by itching or hives, rather than nasal

problems. Exposure to aspirin in people with this form of aspirin

intolerance may cause acute urticaria, aggravate pre-existing or

chronic urticaria, or act in conjunction with food or exercise to

provoke conditions of anaphylaxis. People in this subset are also

likely to react when exposed to certain food additives, particularly

sulphites, and to food coloring agents. Other symptoms seen in people

with aspirin sensitivity include flushing and abdominal pain.

Causes and Treatment of Aspirin Sensitivity

According to one theory people with aspirin sensitivity have defects

in arachidonic acid metabolism that causes them to produce cysteinyl

leukotrienes rather than prostaglandins. This leads to delayed mass

cell degranulation with a subsequent release of histamine. It's also

suspected that people with aspirin sensitivity develop these nasal

conditions because of an altered pattern of neuropeptide-reactive

nerve fibers in their nasal mucosa compared to people without

intolerance to aspirin. It's also been reported that people with

aspirin sensitivity have a higher number of leukotriene receptors than

other people.

Treatment of aspirin sensitivity involves avoidance of aspirin and

related medications and avoidance of respiratory irritants such as

aerosol chemicals. Upper airway diseases related to aspirin

sensitivity are commonly treated with bronchodilators and corticosteroids.

Aspirin Sensitivity in Autoimmune Disease

People with aspirin sensitivity can have cross-reactivity to other

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compounds such as ibuprofen and

naproxen but there is no cross-reactivity with selective

cyclo-oxygenase 2 inhibitors.

People with aspirin sensitivity exposed to aspirin and aspirin-like

compounds show a modest elevation in immunoglobulin E suggesting that

there is an immune-mediated component to this disorder. But overall,

the mechanism behind aspirin sensitivity appears to be a pharmacologic

or idiosyncratic drug reaction. The heightened immune response that

occurs when people with aspirin sensitivity react to aspirin could

worsen symptoms in other conditions including those associated with

autoimmune disease.

Persons with rheumatic and vascular autoimmune disorders who have

aspirin sensitivity frequently react to other non-steroidal

anti-inflammatory agents although they respond well to corticosteroids

and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors.

Resources:

Grattan CE, Aspirin Sensitivity and Urticaria, Clin Exp Dermatol, 2003

March; 28(2):123-127.

Zeitz, HJ, Bronchial asthma, nasal polyps, and aspirin sensitivity:

Samter's syndrome, Clin Chest Med, 1988 Dec; 9(4): 567-576.