Nearly six weeks since I updated this. I saw my general practitioner a couple of weeks ago and my gastro last week. I asked the GP about anti-depressants. His take (which agrees with mine) is not to start throwing drugs absent a specific reason. I would not describe myself as depressed now. We'll deal with side-effects as they come.
My wife accompanied me to the gastro. He's pretty conservative as well. I got a bit of hard news there. It looks like Genotype 4 is more like Genotype 1. I'm not sure whether it means a 48-week treatment series, but in any case, it's not the easier-to-treat Type 2 or 3. In any case, the gastro doc is saying 50% of patients respond. My wife was working on the assumption that this Interferon round will knock the thing out, like a round of antibiotics for a sinus infection. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's how it works. Easy to get discouraged with that.
I start treatment after the holidays. I have the prescriptions. Got a few bureaucratic hoops to jump through with the insurance, but I'll be on treatment by this time next month.
4 comments:
Hi Chris,
You are right about being treated for 48 weeks like a geno 1. Not quite right about the 50%, its more like 65%. Sounds a bit better, don't do yourself out of 15%!
Best of luck with treatment.
Carol
Good Luck Chris,
We should be starting about the same time. Hope you have great success with your treatment.
Anne
Hi Chris,
Yes, genotypes 1 and 4 require the longer treatment regime. Totally agree with you about not treating symptoms that aren't in existence -I also held back on the antidepressants and never ended up needing them. That being said, if depression does hit, those meds are important. I asked a couple people (husband, close friend)to keep an eye on me and let me know if I needed to get some help for psych side effects (or drag me in for help, which ever seemed more reasonable....). Depression does not happen to everyone on treatment, however.
Seem to remember that waiting to start was in some ways more stressful than actually taking the treatment, for me. Hope you are able to have some relaxation and calm over the next few weeks.
Please remember that there are lots of us out here going through, or who've been through, similar situations and we know what this is like. It's a bit scary and turns our worlds upside down, but treatment is doable. Am not sure if you've hit some of the forums yet, but two that I find quite good (and a little more positive) are:
http://www.ronmetcalfe.com/hepcforum/
and
http://www.slohepc.org (then go to the message board)
Best wishes to you and your family for a peaceful and joyous holiday season,
Sue
Thanks for all the supportive comments. I'm in the midst of a holiday trip to California and Disneyland (shudder). Sorry, but I hate the place. It was a good time with my wife and kids though. Next week things start happening.
News that it will be 48 weeks was hardly welcome. But there are worse things I can think of ... cirrhosis, liver cancer, yada yada....
Anyway, it will just be tougher. I'm tough. Or so I like to think. Really, I'm just scared. But I have responsibilities and help.
Happy 2006 to all.
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