Cingles Info

Hi everyone...... Lenny from HepCUSA found this link on pulmonary toxicity from
Interferon. I just wanted to pop on and remind everyone that three years and
three months ago after 17 weeks on interferon and ribaviran I spent one month in
intensive care on life support. I had one pulmonologist (of 4 that rotated) and
one hepatologist (not the one I had fired!! lol) who agreed that the
interstitial lung disease/pneumonia/Legionnaires Disease that I had *was* caused
from the treatment. The rest of the docs said NO ....... interferon cannot
cause pulmonary damage. Correct me if I am wrong but this article seems to
indicate that Interferon and pulmonary problems has been a common knowledge kind
of thing for a long time. If that is the case then why the #$%^ didn't Schering
have it listed as a possible side effect so the Hep docs would have known NOT to
give it to me since I did have a previous history of interstitial lung problems?
I still have the letter from Schering that basically says *no thanks* when my
docs and I tried to get them to add it to the side effects. So here it is all
these years later and this article only comments on one poor soul who is still
having to endure steroids!! Steroids?? Who gives a $%^&..... I am STILL
sleeping with oxygen, carrying oxygen around at all times, can't work, don't
have enough energy to get out of bed most days, chronic leg pains, vision
problems, and a multitude of other things that are now wrong with me that I did
NOT have prior to treatment. Okay...... I am done raving now......
sorry........ I just couldn't believe it when I saw this post go by...........
so many people have been saying for so many years that Interferon can't cause
lung problems that I just had to post this everywhere I could think of........ I
am calm now....... I promise ;-) I just need to vent for a minute..........
Really..... I am good now and will be laughing again soon........ really I
will......... my oxygen and I will be back to normal any minute ;-)