chickens of the world unite.... -- Want Methadone Support??

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 10:43:38 05/10/02 Fri
Author: Junobear
Author Host/IP: 216-220-251-81.midmaine.com / 216.220.251.81
Subject: chickens of the world unite....
In reply to: Judi 's message, "Got my Viral Load results, need some expert interpretations" on 19:52:28 05/09/02 Thu

I did not bother to biopsy either. I knew I needed to treat regardless of biopsy results because the brain fog and fatigue were so bad I could no longer work and earn a living. It was a 6-week wait to get one scheduled -- and I was chicken. So, I cut a deal with my doctor that he could do a biopsy after treatment if I relapsed. So far, I have not relapsed [knock on wood...].

I do not know how to interpret the new viral load numbers. It appears you are on the road to being at least partial responder which means your liver will probably benefit from treatment [histologic response]. The rest of the decision is whether to venture into the land of 'off label guerilla warfare' against the virus or be content with the likelihood of histologic response.

You are close to going undetected -- close enough that increasing the interferon dosage [if you can stand it...] might 'do the trick' for you. If you are going to continue treating and are truly and sincerely fanatical about losing 'Cyrus the Virus' at all costs, talk with your doctor about 1) induction or 2) upping the interferon dose and continuing to treat.

You are responding and are teetering on the edge of going undetected. It tends to be the 1b's that need a little higher dose or a 'burst' of high dose interferon induction [or both] to put them over the top. Induction means hitting the virus hard with the highest dose the patient can stand for a short period of time [usually 30 days] and then cutting back to normal or a bit higher than normal dosing for the duration.

I have a friend [a 1b] who almost responded to standard dosing but not quite. She treated three times, the third time at a higher dose, and the third time was a charm. She is a 1b sustained responder.

I have another friend who [before the advent of PEG] did a 60 day course of high dose daily interferon induction -- nailing the virus as hard as he could stand for as long as he could stand it until he found the dose that made him go undetected. He then cut back and treated at a higher dose than the rest of us for 48 weeks after going undetected [72 weeks in all]. He was a 1b with a 42,000,000 VL -- about as lousy a profile for SR as one can get. The one thing he had going for him was he did not have cirrhosis. He beat 'Cyrus the Virus' with one of the crappiest profiles for sustained response on the planet.

There are studies of high dose induction and increasing or tailoring dosage in 'close cases' of partial responders who are teetering on the edge. If you're planning to stick it out for the duration, these options are something to discuss with your doctor and think about...

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> [>

Bwok, Bwok, Bwok-Thanks in Chicken Language, Junobear -- Judi, 13:27:14 05/10/02 Fri (adsl-34-57-203.mia.bellsouth.net/67.34.57.203)

I think that I made the correct decision on continuing, and am printing your reply for when I go to the doctor at the end of the month. I appreciate the information. and Thanks again.

Judi aka Judiperfume

[ Post a Reply to This Message ]
[ Edit | View ]