Your brain

[Mike Conwell]

Does anyone else feel as though their brain has been fried by Harvoni?

[Philadelphia]

I didn't take harvoni- I was on VP + riba. I feel clear headed and not nearly as forgetful as I was.

I juggle lots of information, numbers, budget figures, data, names and dates in my head as part of my job as a school principal and have to say it's been much easier since I got rid of the virus.

[gnatcatcher]

Mike, sorry that has been your experience. Mine's the opposite -- I'm amazed at how fast my post-Harvoni brain is, and my memory's better, too. -Gnatty

[Ledoc01]

Interesting how the affects are all over the place. It's now been 14 months since I got the call saying I was cured. Oh ya.. after switching my doc I had a 1 year post test and was still UD :-)
I had the 12 week Harv treatment and a roller coaster (minimal side effects my rear lol) ride from the twilight zone. At the worst.. my brain fog was such that I couldn't put a sentence together. Reading comprehension? Forget it. My favorite publication, "Foreign Affairs" became coffee table deco.... like I knew what those words meant (mostly) individually... but putting them together and extracting the meaning? LOL .. "as if"! I may as well have been attempting to read Chinese. At this point while much better I still have residual effects. My abilities as a conversationalist have been severely impacted....not only is it frustrating as all hell.. it's really embarrassing. I can just lose my train of thought in mid stream. The worst is if I am trying to lay out a scenario which requires me to tag several diverse (oft abstract) segments and then bring them all together into a cohesive flow. People are polite...but you can see it  in them... they are wondering.. "is dude on drugs or is it early onset <insert bad memory flavor here> nailing him? I don't know if this is here to stay or if I will continue to improve. So as we speak.. I am indeed glad that my lifespan has probably been extended as a result of being cured. Mind...tbh I did not note effects related to my C...I didn't discover I had it for some time. In my ignorance... I thought there was but one way to get it and.. not fitting that demographic I never had it checked. I just hope that with this extended stay.. I can restore the quality. Hopefully that makes sense.

[Mike Conwell]

Sounds just like me

[dragonslayer]

Those sound like problems I had when I had active HCV.. Since the cure, its been way  better, if not completely gone.

[KimInTheForest]

Each of us is so different in how our body reacts to the drugs, and reacts to clearing the virus after years/decades of living with it. My mental function improved noticeably, and while I was still on treatment. And that improvement (in memory, mental clarity, complex thinking, optimism) has remained post-treatment, for which I am very thankful. Great to have my brain back. I really missed it all those years. However, the treatment took a great toll on me physically and has unleashed serious problems that I did not have, or was not aware of having, pre-treatment. I am actively engaged in various non-toxic health protocols of my own design to unwind all that. And it is slowly working.

Good luck to all of us engaged in health recovery work!

kim

[Lynn K]

Even with having hep c for 37 years and cirrhosis for 9 years now I personally never experienced brain fog or anything like it.

Treated with Harvoni for 24 weeks and ribavirin for 15 of those weeks. Only note worthy symptom was anemia from the riba that resolved within 10 days of stopping treatment

Post treatment maybe I have a little more energy otherwise don't really feel any different physically.

Mentally I am greatly relieved that I may live to see my old age that I will live for more than just a few more years.

[morab]

I didn't take harvoni- I was on VP + riba. I feel clear headed and not nearly as forgetful as I was.

I juggle lots of information, numbers, budget figures, data, names and dates in my head as part of my job as a school principal and have to say it's been much easier since I got rid of the virus.

My head ache has never left, before harvoni i rarely had a head ache, on tx and still I have one every day. It drives me nuts, I am feeling better in some ways but others? Not so good, I am working again but at a really slow pace. My head feels like an inflated balloon about to pop and this is nagging on me.
But my family have all noticed my brain fog you are mentioning, i have problems with communication, listening skills and just down right responding to others.

[gnatcatcher]

My head ache has never left, before harvoni i rarely had a head ache, on tx and still I have one every day. It drives me nuts, I am feeling better in some ways but others? Not so good, I am working again but at a really slow pace. My head feels like an inflated balloon about to pop and this is nagging on me.
But my family have all noticed my brain fog you are mentioning, i have problems with communication, listening skills and just down right responding to others.

Morab, it hurts to read of your difficulties. When you write, "My head feels like an inflated balloon about to pop and this is nagging on me," that sounds like there might be some brain swelling. If so, the medical term is encephalitis (inflammation of the brain caused by infection or an allergic reaction). When you ask a doctor about it, perhaps it's better not to mention the Harvoni right away, but simply say that starting around <date>, you've had a never-ending headache that makes your head feel like an inflated balloon about to pop. This way, the doctor doesn't prematurely rule anything out or in. Good luck getting a diagnosis and relief!

Gnatty

[Luna7]

Hi Morab,

I'm sorry to hear about your brain fog -- for me few things have been as frustrating. I have been plagued with brain fog, both from HCV and what I determined to be a digestive issue that even increased my ammonia levels (don't have much damage to the liver that would cause this). 
The brain fog caused by HCV has cleared up but I continue to work on the other type. My daughter has health issues too where brain healing is needed (brain cancer), so needless to say I have been researching all this like crazy, and recently sent this info to a UK friend who has some issues, hence some UK links.

HCV is found in the brain, and I read a recent study that said the blood-brain barrier is hospitable to replication. I suspect those with brain fog don't have a blood-brain barrier in the greatest shape, and this lets toxins into the brain.
Other studies say that what heals the gut (all the fermented & probiotic stuff) also heals the blood-brain barrier.

A drink made from whey powder, and a cup of bone broth, and kombucha (or fermented veggies) is the winning combination -- I start each day with it. Taking it in close proximity each day in the morning gives amazing results for me.
It's really not too hard or time-consuming once u get the hang of it. I make the bone broth ahead of time fro a week, and the kombucha comes pre-made from the health food store -- so I just drink the bone broth & kombucha (or fermented veggies) already made each morn and whip up a whey smoothie drink.
Give it about a month to see results, but after 2 days my depression and brain fog lessened so sometimes works sooner.

Good fats like real olive oil and coconut oil are important for the brain too.

When your brain is feeling especially inflamed try some olive leaf extract from a reputable source, taken on an empty stomach.
https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Encapsulations-Hypoallergenic-Supplement-Environment/dp/B003JON3NK/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1478364115&sr=8-4&keywords=olive+leaf+extract+pure


     BONE BROTH

Bone broth is different from plain broth in that it's boiled for many hours and contains nutritious stuff from the bones & collagen that support brain health.
I can't emphasize enough how this stuff supports brain health. Grandma's chicken soup vindicated! lol  And in the old days they were smart and used to chew on bones.

You can do this in a slow cooker if you don't want to leave a pot on the stove for hours. Or get and Instant Pot that makes it in 2 1/2 hours (a new kind of pressure cooker).
Just add good bones to a pot (from organic, grass fed cows, or organic free-range chickens -- fed non-GMO food and raised with no growth hormones or antibiotics).
I cook a chicken then use the meat and save the bones for later.
It's getting easier and easier to find good sources now but you will probably have to search around or ask at the health food store. Butchers have soup bones too.
Add a few veggies (few carrots, onions, garlic - or look online for recipes) and cook, then strain and refrigerate.


      WHEY SMOOTHIE DRINK

Great brand here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007FCPUS8?psc=1 (U.S. Amazon has it too)
I linked to the vanilla variety but they have other flavors that are sweetened (supposedly not with bad stuff but best check. I get the plain and use Nustevia plus vanilla or almond flavoring)
It's organic, from grass-fed cows, GMO & antibiotics-free,non-denatured.
Look @ all the stuff in the last window -- those are what the brain needs to function well.

Sweeten with Nustevia as it has less of a bitter taste:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nunaturals-LSTEV-PLAS-2-NuNaturals-Clear-Stevia/dp/B00009Q95J/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1478198437&sr=8-4&keywords=nustevia (U.S. Amazon has it too)

Recipe FOR WHEY DRINK
12 drops of Nustevia
Vanilla extract, cocoa, lemon extract, almond extract or whatever u want
1 scoop whey powder
Half cup water
5 or so ice cubes.
Blend for one minute, and the whey creates a thick yummy substance to eat with a spoon - like whipped cream

     KOMBUCHA
This can be found in the health food store. Must be raw and usually will say so on bottle (don't want pasteurized as that removes the good stuff). It's kind of pricey but I just have half a bottle every other day (8 ounces).
It provides the enzymes that digests the bone broth and whey drink, among other things that support gut/brain health.
Our gut -- all those micro-organisms - is the biggest part of our immune system, and there is a connection between gut health & brain health.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        FERMENTED VEGGIES (taken with each meal)
   
KIMCHI or Fermented veggies from health food store (I use fermented cabbage, but it must be in the refrigerated section and not something in a can as it has to have the live stuffs in it).
I take a bit here and there with meals, and it supports digestion, provides enzyme creation, and helps the gut/brain thing with lots of micro-organisms that help the immune system.
Yogurt has probiotics too, but there are loads of them and fermented veggies have many more varieties.

I am finding that fermented veggies is working as well as the kombucha for me, taken with each meal.

[Wiglaf]

Luna7, I was in Trader Joe's yesterday. Noticed in the section devoted to TJ's new products Bone Broth. Didn't think much of it then. Next visit, I will  purchase some and try out your recipe. I still have some daily brain fog and wake up with a minor headache every morning. The head ache goes away within five minutes but the annoying brain fog persists 24/7.

[morab]

Wig
It is disturbing to see that you are a 2015 graduate and still having brain fog and headaches.
This is not our imagination, either the tx, or getting rid of hep c has done something long lasting to us that is not good
morab

[Lynn K]

Wow Luna

I can't even imagine eating that stuff I am glad it works for you but for me the mere thought curdles my stomach especially the fermented vegetables

[andrew j]

Ha! Ha! Ha!

You know - I got into the habit of drinking plenty of water when I still had Hep C
(Yay!!!) - and throughout Tx of course.

I only have a small piece of fruit for breakfast - it's almost like fasting - and I still drink plenty of water.
I'm amazed, still - how good that is for energising me, and making me feel normal again [if I've been getting a bit out there!]
Mind you - I'm only 5 months post-treatment - so maybe my liver is still trying to heal itself.

[Luna7]

Wow Luna

I can't even imagine eating that stuff I am glad it works for you but for me the mere thought curdles my stomach especially the fermented vegetables

Lynn, the beauty of fungus awaits you

[Luna7]

Luna7, I was in Trader Joe's yesterday. Noticed in the section devoted to TJ's new products Bone Broth. Didn't think much of it then. Next visit, I will  purchase some and try out your recipe. I still have some daily brain fog and wake up with a minor headache every morning. The head ache goes away within five minutes but the annoying brain fog persists 24/7.

I hope you get rid of that brain fog. I can't even imagine having it 24/7 again.
It's amazing what's in traditional stores now...such healthy food   Now whether I should support Walmart is another matter...

[Lynn K]

Hi Luna

Does mushrooms on my pizza count?