new

[bcterry]

Hi all, just got started 4 days ago, and had a rough time, especially for the first couple of days.
I'm 67, been carrying for 40 years undetected.
Biopsy showed significant scaring, stage 3, 4 being chlorosis, so i opted to take the treatment.

History.

Never did iv drugs, but damn near everything else for a couple of years short of heroin or speed.
Smoked pot until around 45 years, never drank much, and have been completely clean for over 20 years.
So far have still managed to get out for my morning jog, hobble :), hope i can keep with it throughout.

So far it is pretty much what i expected, so i was ready.
Fat grams will be tough for me as i'm not used to eating that much fat at one sitting.
I sure i will manage.

Wondering if there's any old timers like myself out there who have gone through it, or currently on treatment, and how they are faring, and if they had any advice for seniors.

Been reading your testimonials and been getting some inspiration for moving on.

I'll try to  periodically post my progress, and hopefully will be able to offer some words of encouragement.

Hope you all enjoy each day.

Terry

[bcterry]

Thank you all for your responses, good to know there is so much experience to draw from for advice.
You've all been very helpful.
I'm on Incivek, Pegasys, (interferon) and Ribaviron.
Won't hesitate to check in for help as needed.

[1swimmer]

Welcome to this forum. Lots of good info and help here. I am nearing end of treatment with boceprevir. Just wanted to say, having an exercise routine in place already, may be helpful. I continued to swim during tx.,only for much shorter lengths. Because I already had the discipline, I continued to show up, no matter how I felt. What little exercise I did managed really saved me; endorphins, ya know. Best wishes to you!

[uncledudeness]

welcome to the forum. you will find many members here ready to help you with each step, or speed bump. i'm on triple with incivek, in my 5th week. i'm 60, but everyone says i act like a 12 year old; what do they know they're stupid. treatment is no day at the beach, but it can be done. i'm on my second round. i liked it so much i asked to do it twice...ya right....
the fat is a real problem for me. the morning is the worse. find something you like and stick with it. i do a corn muffin, heated with butter and a glass of whole milk. the other 2 doses are not as much of a problem. the nausea is a big problem too. if you don't have a prescription for zofran, get one. also zertec is good to take to head off any rash from the incivek. anemia is a problem with incivek, so if you can keep up the exercising that would be great. just don't push yourself too much. i dropped from 15.3 to 10.1 in 12 days. so good luck and keep in touch. you're not alone in this.

[working dog]

hi terry....are you on triple tx? if so don't miss a dose of the incivek....my first shot was the worse for me...after that the interferon wasn't too bad....drink lots of water...don't push yourself too much....as others have said there are lots of possible symptoms...these may or may not be easy to deal with...best thing is talk with your doctor and ask here as things come up... theres loads of help here....maybe give us more info to be able to help better...good luck....billy

[Dawn703]

Just want to welcome you to the forum. Guess I'm a mediocre old timer (53). Completed 24 weeks of triple/incivek. Yes the fat fests were so gross, but you get through it. Had a rough time with the incivek, but still considered myself luckier than some. I really had no sx from riba/peg, except hair loss and anemia. Didn't get too bad of anemia until my 10th week oe so, then hgb started climbing after completing incivek. You should feel so much better once that is done. My last three weeks of treatment were truly brutal, the fatigue just gets pretty tough. Pooh did a good job with the sx. Any problems, just post them here. Good luck.

[pooh55811]

Welcome to the forum.

Congratulations on getting started on Tx. There are many forum members who  are in their 60s and many of them are doing 48 weeks.

I am 66. I did Interferon, Ribavirin, and Incivek. It was not a picnic, but I did finish a total of 48 weeks of treatment. Finished Aug. 25th. My roughest times were on the Incivek. But I never missed a dose. Like I said, no picnic, but doable.

My main problematic side effects were severe nausea, bad rash, and some rectal problems. The biggest problem of all was my doc and case manager had no clue how to assess and treat the side effects and they were also reluctant to treat the sided effects. They just let them snow ball until I was really sick and demanded treatment. Had I been treated immediately, I would have had a much easier time.

Once the side effects were under control, I actually felt fairly human, LOL. The problem is that it took them 6 months to get the side effects under control. The last half of Tx was pretty good. I still had side effects, but I could get some things accomplished and got stronger day by day. Bu the 9th month, in many ways, I felt better thyan I did before treatment. I still had side effects, but they were under control and many of the  Hep C related problems I had before Tx improved considerably or disappeared.

I feel pretty good now. Still a couple of lingering side effects, but I feel quite good. Every day I feel better.

I guess the most important  things I would tell you are:
1) If you get side effects, post here on the forum and we han help you and give you remedies and inside information.
2) Do Not let the side effects go untreated. Get on top of them immediately or they can and will snow ball out of control.

Side effects to get on top of immediately are nausea and/or vomiting, rash, rectal problems, depression, and sever drops in hemoglobin, absolute neutrophils, and/or platelets.

Many/most of us had brain fog, poor memory, and less than stellar brain function, LOL. My suggestion would be to have a lot of reminders around. Alarms and timers for the pill times and pill organizers. I also left myself notes and reminders, for everything. It sounds weird, but many of us could not remember 5 minutes later if we took our pills. I would sometimes have a thought come into my head and before I could even write it down I had already forgotten what it was. So basically, it is good to be organized and have a system.

Best of luck and please post if you have side effects.

[maybe368]

When I said 35 weeks  of incivek, I meant combination therapy with incivek. Sheeeesh!!!! Can you imagine 48 weeks of incivek...Mark

[maybe368]

I am 57, so I don't know if that qualifies as an old-timer, but I am in week 35 of incivek. I have been able to resume my work out routine, although not nearly the same level. I was not able to do anything for about 3 months, but,in a way, the dream of resuming kept me going. I still struggle a bit, but it is a million times better after the incivek. I just told myself that I can do 12 weeks standing on my head,  You can do it, stay motivated...Mark