TOPIC:

Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with a wide spectrum of extrahepatic manifestations, affecting different organ systems. Neurological complications occur in a large number of patients and range from peripheral neuropathy to cognitive impairment. Pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for nervous system dysfunction are mainly related to the upregulation of the host immune response with production of autoantibodies, immune complexes, and cryoglobulins. Alternative mechanisms include possible extrahepatic replication of HCV in neural tissues and the effects of circulating inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.

Read more here: www.hindawi.com/journals/jir/2012/236148/

In other words, HepC can make you feel like you're going a bit nuts

the question is will all those extra HCV caused problems be gone when clear of HCV ?
if so when? at 1 week ? 2 weeks ? 4 weeks ? 12 weeks after tx?
I suppose we'll be the first to find out & that will probably depend on individual bodies ability to heal & repair the damage.

Als do you feel well ? now you're free from the virus?

The non-existent mobile phone stopped vibrating in my pocket a couple of weeks into treatment. I feel more relaxed. I feel more clear-of-mind. The joint and muscle pain, which was quite debilitating pre-treatment, is overall about 90% improved (with the odd 75% day), and that takes into account the fact that I've stopped taking the Naproxen BD.

Good to hear some symptoms I didn't even attribute to HCV may be related and improved after treatment. I also have had muscular and joint problems for years which I just thought were from getting old! I wouldn't take Naproxen lately though, that stuff is evil.

He he Alsdad - That sums it up!
And always cold with those "cryoglobulins"
Cold and nuts, yep.

Hi Sonix, I have had muscle wasting and joint pain too. Hips, lower back ad pelvic region in general.
Found Epsom Salts in bath only thing that really helps, oh and good quality Magnesium tab.

That's interesting. I've had lower back/hip pain whenever I stand up after sitting for a while for many years. Had to stretch and ease into walking after which it would gradually improve as I moved around. Always thought that it was old age and motor cycle accident related. Reading this I've just realised that it has gone sometime since I started treatment. Hadn't even noticed!

G

Recurring joint swelling, especially in the larger joints, (shoulders, spine, elbows, knees, hips) is one of my bigger symptoms ... and almost totally gone now.

I spent 18 months going to a bloody chiropracter and now find my neck and upper back pains have disappeared since tx started !

Naturally, My Dr could not find any connection re my joint pain and Hepatitis C - Even though this was what got me diagnosed - Sudden onset of very severe pain - Couldn't walk, but no known injury - Total pelvic inflammation - Night pain when resting in bed at its worst. Another GP decided I had appendicitis on a previous episode. There needs to be more acknowledgement of extra Hepatic manifestations and symptoms.

Hi Doc,

Now I am doing another relation. When I was 25 years old, I checked the eyes to a good doctor. He looked with camera inside my eyes and saw peripheral lattice degeneration but fortunately was not bad enough for treatment. He asked if I had diabetes and I said no. He asked if I had members in family with such problems and I said no. He said how is that possible for such low myopia to have this thin retina in periphery. Now I make the connection that may be the HCV that induces auto-immune response to neural cells.

Fascinating responses guys...it will be interesting to see if any of my pain (which I've attributed to chronic ie neurological pain) will lessem with treatment. Unfotunately i have some other pain to deal with on top of it, a possibly failed shoulder op and several cervical disc herniations I only found out about on Friday lol...which would explain a bit! I doubt that tx will have any impact there though.

I hope you do find some relief once treatment starts Zhuk. You deserve a reprieve.

Add me to the list of those liberated from joint and muscle pain during Tx. Right shoulder and hip were chronic. Thought the shoulder might have been referred pain from the liver, but now it seems both were suffering from HCV.

Funny how quickly you forget about the pain that WAS.

After seeing the hindawi link from Doc I went searching and found this on the NATAP.org site showing improvements in neurological disorders, its very encouraging, Also my brother who did 48weeks of Intf/Riba(2005) to attain SVR was formally a computer programmer until he became too unwell. 12 months after SVR he started studying "python" a computer programming language and achieved a score in the top 1% internationally, I know n=1 but its still very encouraging.

www.natap.org/2013/HCV/081413_01.htm (HCV SVR Improved Neurocognitive Function After SVR)

My own experience is one of hell with emotions and brain fog, loss of memory, and extreme depression,, physically my autoimmune system went wild, all of a sudden I could not eat most of the foods I was used to, wheat, dairy, eggs, nuts, and chemicals in food made me quite ill. I had arthritis, excema, asthma, and seemed not to be able to digest much foods, had to go almost vegetarian to keep food in my gut. I also had extreme tinitus at around 15decibells at around 9600khz. The tinitus especially drove me nutso, so glad it is gone. Most of these issues have gone after 3 weeks of sof/dac, I have so much energy now I got a push bike and ride it a couple of times each weekend to move the blood about. I no longer come home from work and collapse, instead I'm getting into cooking and going for walks in the evening in a local park area. The guys at work suggest I have had a personality transplant,, if only they knew the truth.
jim