Well,I started treatment yesterday. Took my riba, had my first shot last evening, expected to wake up feeling pretty bad, but I have felt fine all day. Can anyone tell me when I can expect to start experiencing side effects? I don't like this feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop. I'm not complaining, just have a tendency to get anxious when waiting for the inevitable. I did have a nurse practitioner tell me that I probably won't feel really bad until after the third shot, but he is the only one who has said that. I'm drinking tons of water and trying to stay busy. Maybe I will be one of the lucky ones and not have really bad side effects. A girl can hope, can't she? Anyway, I really appreciate having people to talk with who know what I am going through.

Until tomorrow--take care everyone!

Florida, everyone has a different experince so you can't count on what happens to one person being the same thing that will happen to you. My first shot was always the worst (I did treatment a few times). After that some things got a bit worse (depression, achiness) and some got better (headaches, fever). We are here for you and wish you an easy time.

Hi Florida, Most people have reported what Susie has shared. I do hope that you are one of the very lucky ones who have minimal sides!!
-Betsy

Crossing my fingers that you continue to feel well. Lots of water is excellent!

Hugs

good morning Florida,

I, too, had trouble with my first shot. I began using a nebulizer for shortness of breath the very first week. What a surprise to me. That kept on, well on and off actually, pretty much the entire time.

The thing I would like to remember well enough to put into words for you, is that once the bad days begin, if they do for you, intermixed with them are such good days you begin to wonder if you were diagnosed correctly. Or rather I did, but then I have this problem that is sort of Buddhist.... it's like what I feel right this minute I'll always feel. It was difficult for me to remember the good days to come for the first few months but once I realized they would come when I least expected them and sometimes hang around for a while, I began to look forward to them.

Did you get the letter Susie has someplace on the site (or I think it should still be here) to give to your friends and family? It looked kind of hokey at first but once I used it my friends, especially, had a much better understanding of what I was dealing with. I gave everyone a copy and also kept it in my purse in case I needed to explain it to someone. It just explains in plain language what we feel, why we feel it, and how important it is for those who care about us to listen closely and give us the immediacy of time we need.

You're off on a grand adventure (yes I did say that and I'm fairly certain that I lied - memories fade and fail at times....... you and everyone can slap me for doing so ;)) but it all works out in time and I think your attitude is already becoming one of the best I've read in a while. I suspect you've been reading a lot about hep-C, or have you? Funny how once I make up my mind to learn what I'm dealing with I tend to lose the associated fear. O.K., sometimes I lose the associated fear!!!!

Here's wishing you good, good days to come and remember I found out that those who treated after me did have a much different easier time with side effects.. Look at it this way.... you won't miss summer on the beach, will you? But apprehension will get us every time until whichever routine that becomes our own begins.
Sharron

Congratulations, florida. You now have only 23 to go. So glad that you feel well. Seems to me that you are listening to what the nurse told you. Eating something lhigh in fat really helps most people. Remember, we are here for you with any questions that you have (Susie already addressed the side effect issue) and also to support you on the bad daysm and to hear good things too.

I love the different regions in Florida. I am a city girl, but loved to visit relatives in Mount Dora, which is a picture perfect town. Not as rural as yours though. When I moved to Florida I lived in Fern Park, which is kind of a suburb of Orlando. They were building Disney then.

Take care and again wishing you an easy journey and a sucessfull treatment.
Best regards
Judi

Don't get so worried that you make yourself sick. I have done two different treatments and there were different side effects both times. The first tx was with peg-intron and the day after my first shot I could hardly walk because of joint/muscle pain. The second tx was with infergen and I was in the bed mostly for 72 weeks. It was tough. The peg side effects got better as I progressed through the treatment, but the infergen made me sick all the way to the end. Keep drinking the water to flush your system and keep in touch with these people. They are smart and have been helping me and other people for years now. Wesley