Waiting for treatment

[marco126]

I've got a bit over a week and then I start treatment,has anyone got ideas on things they wished they had organized before treatment looking back,I think I will organize prepared food for a couple of weeks update all meds,can anyone think of anything else?

[1swimmer]

One of the things I did was getting all my lab orders ready. My doc gave me standing orders and I copied the specific order for particular weeks, labeled them, and had them in a folder, ready to go.
You may have to make calls to ins. co. Or specialty drug co. My upsets came from any snafu I had not expected. Just come here, ask questions, and put one foot in front of the other.
Take advantage of your good days, and rest when your body says rest.
Good luck to you!
C

[Advocate1955]

Some people have mentioned getting their teeth cleaned and dental work taken care of before therapy, since therapy can be so hard on the teeth.  Also, some people have mentioned that their tx doc had them get a baseline eye exam, so that if there are any eye changes due to tx meds, the eye dr would be able to compare and treat.  My husband has a pill reminder function on his cell phone, which was very helpful.
Advocate1955

[nygirl7]

Talk to your doctor about rescue meds and what the course of action will be if your numbers tank. It can save your douse of treatment to have a plan in place.

Remember drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day (ie if you weigh 120 drink 60 ounces) its really important even if you don't want to, you have to.

[Djanna]

That is a really good question Marco.  Thank you f-or posting.  The answers are helpful to me as well.

[Dawn703]

I cleaned the whole house from top to bottom, did some massive shopping for food (lots of fat stuff) and bought everything I thought I would need such as tylenol, lotions galore, hydrochortizone cream, baby toothbrush, biotene stuff, supplements, etc...Drink lots of water!!!! Good luck.

[uriah1]

I would've arranged help with housework if I had to do it again.  I would've asked people to call and check on me too.  Many people want to know what they can do.  I had no idea I would need someone to care. I mean, people care, but I think they get scared or something.  I'm glad we have this forum, bigtime!
It was helpful to have someone go to the grocery store for me too. I didn't know I would be that fatigued after work (grateful I could work!)
Over the counter must haves for me:  gold bond anti itch lotion, benadryl, preparation h, baby wipes, eye drops, ginger (from the health food store).
Keep us posted on how you do.  There's a ton of help here! Remember....you are not alone.

[orphanedhawk]

A pill organizer is helpful. So is a calendar where you mark down when you do your labs, shots etc. And for some an alarm helps to as a reminder of when to take your meds.

You know I took care of some details that had nothing to do with tx just so I didn't have to deal with them later.
In my case that involved changing my internet server, dealing with some phone issues, etc.

Do everything you can to help life go smoothly while on tx.
Good luck.

[belle19]

good luck on your journey.  i recommend drinking LOTS of water during tx.  also i needed aquaphor for my dry lips.  take care and get some exercise everyday if only a short walk.  my sx were worse when i laid around.  best wishes.  belle

[maybe368]

My experience was exactly the same as yours, as far as the rash is concerned. I didn't think I was going to get it at week 8, ended up with severe rash. Th only difference is I suffered through the 12 weeks, even though the doc said I could quit at 11 weeks...Mark  

[nightbeacon]

For me, I would have been happier had I known the teleprevir rash can appear very late in treatment (8-12 weeks) and cover the entire body. I thought I'd dodged the rash when my skin still looked normal on week 8.  My reaction ended up being so severe I resigned myself to stopping teleprevir on week 10 day 4. The itching has been rampant - expect the worst and hope for the best.  Scared my doc to death I think - no topicals or orals really helped me at all - but I think my reaction was the unlucky exception.  Whatever your experience, the rough times will work themselves through.  Even if you get what you perceive to be any bad news - labs, reactions, whatever - look for the positive, treat yourself well and eat healthier.  That's really helped me.

[HectorSF]

You may find this helpful.

"A Guide to Preparing for Treatment Hepatitis C"

Lucinda K. Porter, RN
&
Alan Franciscus, Editor-in-Chief,
HCSP Publications

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/Preparing%20for%20Treatment.pdf


Good luck with your treatment!
Hector

[Advocate1955]

Marco, here is a list of things I compiled from suggestions from everyone on this forum and then placed in my journals:

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/328917/Managing-Side-Effects--Items--shopping-list--prescriptions-and-over-the-counter-medications

Advocate1955