Ears ringing---and my insurance update

[DesertGuy]

Does anyone else have this issue??  Been real bad for 2 weeks only in left ear.
I catch myself looking for loud stuff just so I can't hear it.
Posted that I had the last of my meds--I jumped the gun--was told they were in shipment.
The Riba arrived, but not the Solvaldi.--started calling--was told by pharmacy that insurance denied my last bottle of Sovaldi--usually a 12 week treatment and my doc said he had approval for the entire 24 weeks I needed--looks like once again he was wrong. Waiting on his office to try and get this straightened out--if not looks like I am only going to get 20 weeks instead of 24--I do have the last 30 day supply of Riba on hand. I don't think I want to pay $28000 out of my pocket for something that has a chance of not working on my genotype anyway. So all in all--after 4 months of this, I loose faith in my doctor every time I deal with him.

[lporterrn]

Desert Guy - this is awful - do you still have any Sovaldi - they need to know that you can't miss any or there is a risk of resistance, albeit the risk is low. You can contact http://www.mysupportpath.com/ Don't take the riba without the Sovaldi.

There are lots of causes of ringing, and when it is only one ear it is usually from listening to loud noises in our youth, mowing, using a blower, etc without ear protection. However, ringing may be much more prominent with ribavirin. Here's some info: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tinnitus/basics/definition/con-20021487

[DesertGuy]

I have one bottle--28 pills left--will open that on Tuesday
I'm sure the riba is the cause of the ringing, as it just came on suddenly
hopefully it will leave just as fast

[DesertGuy]

LOL--LOL--I just called my Dr.s office to follow up on this
I have been in contact with pharmacy about the issue from last Friday--the 10th
They contacted me Monday before 9 AM to let me know they faxed and then called Dr,s office to confirm.
Today was the first the Dr,s office had heard of the issue.
Great care I'm getting here, I'm so glad that I put 6 months of my life in these professionals hand's.
No wonder we let Ebola walk into this country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FRED220]

I had the opposite effect, my pharmacy wanted to send meds 4 weeks prior to start of treament and then wanted to send last month supply before I got tested at week 6. I do not like pharmacy I deal with from day one and the nurse they have was/is useless. Dealing with the emotions of treatment is plenty for me and then having to deal with useless staff just adds more stress. Hope all works out for you.

[bepper]

YES! Occasionally, like right now, but not bothersome considering the pay off! Guess I should intro myself somewhere here.

bep

[bepper]

Hey DesertGuy,

As my ears continue with bouts of ringing, I found "changes in hearing" listed on the side effect leaflet with my Ribavirin, we aren't crazy after all!

I am wondering why the same leaflet is blank that came with my Sovaldi script. I thought it was an oversight the first month, but my new bottle again has been left blank. It's a little insulting, that someone either doesn't want me to know the possible side effects or doesn't want me to think I have side effects. I am left to guess which side effect is from the Sovaldi or Riba or is it possible such an effective drug has no side effects at all.....

Hope you've gotten some ear ringing relief.
bepper

[DesertGuy]

Has not stopped in right ear!!!
Side effects from Sovaldi--I was told none, the spot was blank, we are the ones to fill in those items. Am I correct?

[BattleTheBeast]

I sure do hope your ear ringing stops soon, I think that might just send me over the crazy edge. I am close as it is and dealing with that OMG; you are one tough man DesertGuy.

FYI my daughter has a hearing loss and deals with the ringing at times. There is a technique they have told her to use since she was a child many years ago. It's called finger drumming. I looked it up and found these instructions:

The following method may reduce the ringing in your ears, suggests Dr. Jan Strydom, of A2Z of Health, Beauty and Fintess.org. Place the palms of your hands over your ears with fingers resting gently on the back of your head. Your middle fingers should point toward one another just above the base of your skull. Place your index fingers on top of you middle fingers and snap them (the index fingers) onto the skull making a loud, drumming noise. Repeat 40-50 times. Some people experience immediate relief with this method. Repeat several times a day for as long as necessary to reduce tinnitus.

Not sure if it will help you it's free so worth a try maybe.

~Mel~

[DesertGuy]

no not so tough---Hardheaded and pissed off more like it. Have enjoyed all the posts today. Today was a good day for me and hopefully you too. I was a pissed off semi-depressed guy when I started this. And because I decided to be treated by an arrogant doctor that I did not know----I have been on this 18 or 19 week run by myself. 1st place--I feel I should have been placed on some anti-depressant first and also given some sort of diet tips other than, take with food. Forgetting all the possible side effects those two things would have made my ride on the big rollercoaster easier!!! The past few days I have made the ringing go away by listening to lot's of 70's rock and smoking quite a bit of pot.

[Mike]

Hang in there Desertguy,

You're almost at the finish line. 5 weeks to go and this dragon will be slayed!

Best wishes, Mike

[BattleTheBeast]

Desert, today started out bad and I struggled on how to respond because I was totally pissed off and sometimes I can be brutally honest. I think it took me 2 hours in the middle of the night to write the post I did. Then you guys woke up and saw what happened and you plus a few others rallied around me. That made me feel so much better and what started bad changed because someone cared. So thank you!

I hope that by all of us sharing on here that maybe the next person who starts treatment will find some of the things that have helped us get through it.

Someone shared this with me today:

"If I tell you I need you do not take it lightly. I do everything I can to never have to depend on anyone, to never show weakness and if I say that I need you, it means I am trusting you to catch me when I fall"

That really hit home with me. There are very few people I trust to catch me and maybe that's part of why I can express myself on here because it all just flows so easily out of me. No one knows who I really am so it's safe. Someone tried to take my safe away and you guys stopped that from happening. That's pretty special.

I am still struggling to figure out what's most important for me to understand, the treatment I am on for the next 8-1/2 weeks or the cirrhosis that is kicking my ass and won't go away. It's a lot to take in all at once and figure out what's best because our healthcare system is so awesome and the answer to them is to give us another pill and not tell us the side effects.  But it's all good. I made it through the day, no one around me was brutally attacked by me and I can try and sleep soon.

Here comes another Manic Monday, time to push my docs for some answers when I go there in slippers cuz I can get my feet in my shoes!

[Mike]

Hi Mel,

I would focus on the treatment and clearing this virus. This is because the Hep-C virus caused the cirrhosis and the only way to stop the progression is to stop the virus.

That's why getting through treatment is so important.

Your doctor should be ordering some blood work in the AM (4 week liver panel, a CBC panel and possibly a viral load).

Hang in there!

Best wishes, Mike