First Shot

[undersiege]

I will recieve my first peg injection on Feb 17th. Can anyone on this forum tell me how it affected them and what I might expect. Thanks

[R Glass]

Sorry, but we can’t answer that one for you. The first shot can range anywhere from Uneventful to The Gates Of Hell opening up and sucking you in. I wish you the best on your journey and we will be here for you, if you need us.

[NorthIdaho54]

PREPARE for the worst and hope for the best. I did not have a good experience with my first injection. I had aches and chills/shakes so bad I couldn't get a thermometer in my mouth for fear I would break it off. When I finally took my temp it was 103.2. I called the 24 hr. nurse hotline offered through Pegassist and she got me through it.

My second injection was fairly uneventfull, I just took my 3rd of 48 injections a couple hours ago.

With the info I received from this forum I was atleast prepared. I have added a few things to my list. Since I live alone I have friends call to check up on me around 6-8 hrs after my injection, I have my telephone (yes, the nurse is on speed dial just in case), tylenol, gallon of water, thermometer, fruit smoothy, wet towels in a plastic bag, soda crackers and my faithful dog by my bedside .
Best of luck to you!

[Dee1956]

Hi there, in hindsight I was on a triple combo trial (SOC plus polymerase inhibitor) so my sx were probably  harsher.
I did my shots on Friday after work so that if I had side effects then I had until Monday to feel better and go to work.  The first shot is the most nerve wracking however not as bad as I thought it would be. In many cases the anticipation is worse than the actual event.
I did sleep
I will be thinking of you

[hcvJames]

1st shot, minor cold like symptoms, gone in 24 hours. You'll likely find you've had much worse colds. FIGuy is right about picking the shot day. FWIW I take it late in the evening and go to bed shortly after. All the Best

[Mary4now]

I've only taken 3 shots and I havent felt anything cept nervous about it.  I have been putting aside time to rest in case I need to.  Also, my nurse says to take Ibuprofen a couple days in advance as recommended every 6 hrs. to relieve any flu like symptoms.
I had a cold to start with and that is not fun in combo.
Have faith,  
M

[babs824]

i have taken my  shots on friday morn and it has not been a problem for the past 21 shots. i rarely have any ill effects from the shots. last week i got on a plane and was away from home for the weekend and felt just fine...we all seem to be so different in response to meds. good luck what ever you do.babs

[Ozgirl707]

I allways had my shot at night,had paracetanols (& sleep. pill)and slept.
Woke up a bit tired but not too bad.
I know of others who had shot in the day and a few hours later had slight headaches, others who got flue like feelings. Best to try to have them at night.
Good luck,
ozgirl  x

[FlGuy]

2/17 is a Thursday.  The shot is once a week (every 7 days).  By default, you are determining that your ongoing shot day will be Thursdays.  Not sure what your life is like but I think the majority of people take the Peg on Fridays so that the near-term effects are over the weekend.  I'm not making a recommendation, just sayin....

[undersiege]

The drug they are using on me is Pegasys, nurse said less side efects.

[Bill1954]

ROFL! Thanks, Will… I think, anyway :o). I also forget to mention that interferon therapy can result in obsessive internet posting too; so beware :o).

-Bill

[willbb]

What Bill failed to mention..Is that he has morphed into a HCV encyclopedia.....much to our benefit.  :)

WILL

[nygirl7]

I gave myself almost a nervous breakdown waiting for something to happen and then slept 18 straight hours (with my mother waking me to take my riba).  Never got anything like I had heard about at all, no chills fever nothing.  Very uneventful.

Drink lots of water and make sure you take two tylenols it will help offset anything that might want to happen hopefully!

[scaredycat7]

What are you getting a shot of?  I think that makes a  difference. Mine did very little.  I went home (3.5 hour drive) and ate some ibuprofen just in case -but it was not necessary.  Now it causes some fatigue -usually on the second day after the shot -I think, or is it that it's Sunday and I can skulk about the house.

What to never do after a shot (or any time until after tx) is walk around in a store.  Don't let anyone suck you into that.  The best thing is to go to a movie.  If you can find "The Way Back" on the big screen -do that after your shot. It will keep you entertained and interested and ready to kick some virus hiney.  I did that after my last clinic and now we plan to try to do that more often.
Good luck guy.
Scaredy

[Bill1954]

Hi again-

Most of the subjective stuff was gone within 10-14 days post therapy. Routine labs at 30 days post treatment had fully normalized; red cells, white cells, platelets, liver enzymes etc were all good.

I did develop some significant post treatment blues/depression; but looking back on it, I had also abruptly discontinued an antidepressant at the same time as I stopped the interferon; I think that might have been the cause of the emotional slump.

Long term, the only post treatment side effect I have is absence of virus; pretty cool stuff, eh :o)?

Good luck—

--Bill

[undersiege]

After treatment was over how long did it take for your head to clear and did you have any post treatment side effects.

[willbb]

Hi there....My first shot was actually quite uneventful..I kept waiting for something to happen and really didn:t notice any difference. That is certainly not everyones experience ,however I have seen that same result posted by many.

Good luck..


WILL

[Dee1956]

Hello, I like your name, probably fits how you are feeling, everyone is different so there is no way to know how you will react.
My first shot was done in the doctor's office, after about an hour I went straight home because I did not know how or when I might react.  About 6 hours after the shot I started getting chills and had a fever.  I took some tylenol and went to bed.  You might want to have someone with you.  I was glad to have someone with me.
I wish you much luck, there will be people along the way to help you on this forum,  The interferon will dehydrate you so try to drink as much water as you are able and try to do as much research as you can

[Bill1954]

Personally, I woke the following morning with a whiskey-hangover feeling; I was able to remedy with a hot shower and coffee. Not too many issues after that until later in treatment when considerable fatigue and an inability to concentrate became somewhat of an issue.

Take a couple of Tylenol in advance, keep hydrated and you’ll likely be okay.

Best of luck to you,

Bill