Bloodwork back! First, some not-entirely-awesome news: my hemoglobin is down to 8.7, making it rather difficult to walk...and necessitating an extra unscheduled blood test next Friday. If it drops below 8, my ribavirin dosage may be cut--or I may even be up for a transfusion. I hope not.
On the other hand, the rest of my blood appears to be stabilizing; WBC/RBC are hovering around same values, and my platelets are actually climbing: they are at 67 now, up 10 points from 4 weeks ago (still ridiculously damn low, though). My bilirubin and ALP are on the low end, actually, and ALT/AST are slightly elevated--which can be accounted for by a variety of reasons, from my fibrosis to the fact that I am getting fatter, while losing muscle mass. So my total weight remains pretty constant, with muscle being replaced by belly fat. Urrrgh!!! Of course, due to my low hemoglobin/hematocrits I cannot exercise--as I have said, I have problems walking for more than 5 minutes at a time, and yesterday it took me about 10 minutes to recover from pacing briskly to catch a train--not even running! :(
Anyway, of course, the most important news: viral counts are still undetectable! That makes for total suppression at 4 and 12 weeks, and is reason enough to celebrate--for everyone but me. :( I found out that one shot of booze is sufficient to neutralize interferon's activity for up to 4 days, giving the damn virus a chance to replicate and escape from under the treatment, especially since I am done with incivek now and there are no barriers to replication and mutation for the viruses that are left in my blood--the most resistant ones, of course.
Ribavirin notes: awful thirst and itching, especially in scarred areas and fresh cuts, about 4-5 hours after eating the pill. Lasts for 1-1.5 hours on average. Gah! At least the rashes continue to shrink, leaving scar tissue behind.
Showing posts with label ribavirin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ribavirin. Show all posts
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Books of Blood, 8 weeks edition
Eight weeks into the incivek treatment and my anemia is kicking in! WBC/RBC/hemoglobin/hematocrit counts are dropping, although not horrendously low. Liver enzymes are hovering at normal (AST) and slightly above normal (ALT--actually went up 3 points, but that is likely a statistical fluke). The troubling parts are other signs of anemia: slight aniso- and poikilocytosis; and, potentially scary, slight toxic granulation and the presence of vacuolated neutrophils--which could indicate massive bacterial blood infection but most likely are yet another side effect of the damn drug. Yes, my immune system is compromised right now--funny,, considering that some of the meds I am taking are actually immune system boosters--but only in a very narrow way. In any case, since my doctor is not pulling me in to stick me onto an antibiotic regime, I suspect this is all within acceptable limits. Or perhaps they will pull me in today! :)
More on rashes: interestingly, they are apparently fundamentally allergic, and are triggered by overproduction of eosophils. It is funny that my drug cocktail suppresses the production of some blood cells while increasing that of others(and the chances of abnormal ones!). Still, only 3.5 weeks to go on incivek--after that things should get better. If my anemia keeps on getting worse, perhaps they will reduce my ribavirin dosage.
Speaking of ribavirin, reading a batch of monographs I find out that nobody really knows how it works! There are several postulated mechanisms, but none confirmed. The fact that is DOES work is not in doubt--for some diseases, like those nasty hemorrhagic fevers, it often gives the patient the only chance for survival--but it does so in mysterious ways. (As opposed to incivek, the action of which is quite precise--and the side effects, much more diffuse and general).
More on rashes: interestingly, they are apparently fundamentally allergic, and are triggered by overproduction of eosophils. It is funny that my drug cocktail suppresses the production of some blood cells while increasing that of others(and the chances of abnormal ones!). Still, only 3.5 weeks to go on incivek--after that things should get better. If my anemia keeps on getting worse, perhaps they will reduce my ribavirin dosage.
Speaking of ribavirin, reading a batch of monographs I find out that nobody really knows how it works! There are several postulated mechanisms, but none confirmed. The fact that is DOES work is not in doubt--for some diseases, like those nasty hemorrhagic fevers, it often gives the patient the only chance for survival--but it does so in mysterious ways. (As opposed to incivek, the action of which is quite precise--and the side effects, much more diffuse and general).
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Ribavirin aches
Egag! I moved my ribavirin times to 0100 and 0900 to try to capitalize on the drowsiness it causes. And it would have worked, except...
The latest kick from ribavirin is nausea that starts about one-two hours after I take it and lasts for a couple of hours at least. It seems to get stronger with each application. I suppose I could sleep through that, and through the horrid parched mouth raging thirst that it causes, but it also magnifies every pain and ache in my body an hundredfold. There is a swarm of angry bees in my hands, where the papercuts are (and, adding insult to injury, the damn cuts take forever to heal, due to my low platelets). My right shoulder, where there is a little asymmetry as I type at the computer keyboard at work is a giant knot of pain and misery. In my nose, the bleeding spot is a burrowing toothed worm. Gah! Am I doomed to no sleep for 16 more weeks? I can see why many patients develop depression at this stage of the treatment.
This Friday, more bloodwork. We'll see if I have any platelets left...
The latest kick from ribavirin is nausea that starts about one-two hours after I take it and lasts for a couple of hours at least. It seems to get stronger with each application. I suppose I could sleep through that, and through the horrid parched mouth raging thirst that it causes, but it also magnifies every pain and ache in my body an hundredfold. There is a swarm of angry bees in my hands, where the papercuts are (and, adding insult to injury, the damn cuts take forever to heal, due to my low platelets). My right shoulder, where there is a little asymmetry as I type at the computer keyboard at work is a giant knot of pain and misery. In my nose, the bleeding spot is a burrowing toothed worm. Gah! Am I doomed to no sleep for 16 more weeks? I can see why many patients develop depression at this stage of the treatment.
This Friday, more bloodwork. We'll see if I have any platelets left...
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