HOPE IT'S TRUE:

 

From this website:  http://www.hepctrust.org.uk/Treatment/Potential+New+Drugs/Telaprevir+Incivo+Incivek

Treatment Naive patients – those who have never tried treatment before
Prior relapse patients – those who have previously responded to treatment but then relapsed

If the virus is undetectable at week 4 and also undetectable at week 12:

• The total duration of treatment will be 24 weeks
• Interferon, Ribavarin and Telaprevir will be taken up until week 12
• Interferon and Ribavarin will be taken for a further 12 weeks

Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Praise the God of all creation!!!!!   My husband's blood test showed NO virus - no Hepatits C Virus at Week 4!!!!  Hallelujah!

High Anxiety...

Late in the day Thursday, the nurse calls me at work on my cellphone to say blood test shows DH has "high creatine level," needs to hydrate and have blood re-taken on Friday. Says she's been calling him all day, but got no answer.  Would I give him the message?  Sure...then I'm googling "high creatine" - may mean many things, can be indicator of heart attack.  Heart attack!?   I can't seem to forget that my brother's friend went through HCV treatment successfully but then died of a heart attack.  DH complains almost daily of his "high heart rate" from the meds.  He has shortness of breath, can't exercise.  I call home and get no answer.  The freak out slowly starts, the mind reels.  I pack up my things and run out of the office.  I call again on my cellphone on my way - STILL no answer.  I'm picturing a terrible scenario - then DH calls my cell while I'm in the car and says "Hi!"  Whew...sigh of relief, but takes me awhile to come down from that worst fear.    

Doctor visit today

Doctor visit today with blood test after.  Won't have results for a couple of days, mb not until Monday.  I "ratted out" DH with not always eating 20 grams of fat with the Incivek.  Doc was not happy - said the fat is absolutely necessary for the medicine to work.  So, loaded up on bags of chips, summer sausage on the way home.  DH doesn't have much of an appetite, so eating the fat grams is hard.

"The Big Reveal"

This Wednesday DH goes back to the doctor.  He has to get his blood tested for the HepC virus right b/4.  Supposedly the new treatment starts to work as early as Week 4 - this test will let us know if it is.  "Dear Lord:  please heal my husband!!!!!!"

Incivek

I nagged DH yesterday about eating the 20 grams of fat with each dose of the Incivek.  He's sick and doesn't feel like eating the cheese or the peanut butter or the almonds.  I wonder what will happen if he doesn't eat precisely the recommended amount of fat.  I told him I was concerned that he wasn't going to get the full effect of the medicine and that he was going through all this hell for naught if he didn't. 

Week 4

Shot #4 last night.  DH went back to sleep this morning.  Said he had a bad night - tossed and turned, felt like he had the flu.  No church this morning, that's for sure.  Such an ordeal!

Hack, hack, hack...

DH has a hacking cough.  I think it's from the Interferon.  I remember it from last time.  Sometimes it's hard for him to talk because he starts coughing.  Doc said Interferon can mess up your lungs, so if it gets worse they'll do chest X-rays.

Tired, depressed...

I didn't get home until after 10 p.m. last night because of rehearsal.  DH seemed so depressed.  He says he's weak and tired.  Says he slept most of the day.  Says he's just not sure he's going to make it.  When he talks like that, I'm not sure either.  I dropped off the a/d prescription, but he hasn't picked it up yet.  What happens when you're too depressed to pick up your prescription for anti-depressants?  (I'm going to stop by the drugstore tonight on my way home from work.)

Church today

DH wanted to go to church today because it's 9/11.  I didn't think we'd make it, but we did!  It felt good to be there.  We've only been to church a few times in the past year because he's been too tired.   I've wanted to just go by myself, but I don't seem to manage.  Glad we had a Sunday morning that felt like a normal Sunday morning.

1st doc visit after starting treatment

This past Wednesday was DH's 1st doctor visit since starting treatment.  I'm glad I was able to go with him because he tends to minimize.  "I'm fine," he says.  Doesn't always want to tell about the side effects.  Doc signed the short-term disability paper but I don't think the insurance company is going to accept it from us.  Ins. co said they faxed it to doc, but doc hasn't signed.  Before his next doctor visit on 9/21, he has to get a blood test.  They'll be able to tell if the treatment is working. 

Quiet...

It's quiet around here.  DH is asleep.  The meds make him tired.  I'm watching movies on the Lifetime Movie Network.  Just like on the 1st round of treatment.

Not so fast...

So, we thought the short-term disability was approved, but now we find out it may not have been.  And DH is off work already - now wondering if he's going to have paid leave or not.  Certainly doesn't help his mood.

Hard to imagine...

Last night DH was sick and tired and depressed.  The depression manifests itself with extreme irritability.  He said he was nauseous from trying to get in the 20 grams of fat with every dose of Incivek.  And the doctor said he must take the medicine EXACTLY as prescribed.  Just like during the last round of treatment, I have a hard time imagining how he's going to make it through this week, much less 23 more (or will it be 47 more).