OTTAWA – Health – Devon Nicholson’s experimental Hepatitis C treatment update for week 16th he is now two thirds of the way through treatment. Nicholson has 8 weeks remaining on the powerful drugs. Time is moving slow for Nicholson. He is only sleeping 2 to 4 hours a night and suffering a great deal of physical and mental side effects due to the Interferon and Ribavirin medication he is taking.
Experimental Hepatitis C Treatment
The update focuses on Nicholson 16th interferon weekly self-injection.
After 16 weeks on treatment and undergoing many Hepatitis C related tests since the summer of 2012, Devon is becoming fed up with the seemingly never ending jabs of needle points into his skin and veins through blood work, IV’s and injections.
As Nicholson finished his Incivek drug regime 3 weeks ago the unbearably intense itching side effects have calmed down.
The feeling of itching however is still present in Devon all the time in a mild way and becomes very uncomfortable at certain periods of time. This skin itching and rash is sometimes referred to as “Riba-Rash” as it is often caused by the ribavirin medication.
Devon Nicholson Treatment Schedule
When Nicholson took his first Hepatitis C treatment a few years ago he was forced to stop at week 19 due to suffering a severe “mild stroke like” reaction that caused him memory loss, tingling in his arms, blurred vision, dizziness, vision problems and vomiting.
He is looking forward to passing the 19 week milestone during this treatment as the interferon side effects become more difficult.
According to the US Food and Drug administration some of the most severe side effects that Interferon can cause are strokes, serious retinal detachment, body organ problems, eye problems, nerve problems and pulmonary hypertension among a long list of potentially life threatening other reactions.
Devon still has a long and difficult journey ahead of him in his war with the deadly Hepatitis C disease to ensure the medication is effective and he is permanently cured of the virus.
Editorial Note: Devon Nicholson as a professional wrestler came to Thunder Bay to promote two successful events. When Devon is in character as Hannibal, he is, in my opinion, one of the most believable ‘Heels’ in the game. Serving as ring announcer for the two Thunder Bay events, Hannibal’s ring presence was simply phenomenal. However unlike his ring persona, outside the ring Devon is a gentle giant who, like many professional wrestlers outside the ring is soft-spoken, and a very engaging person.
Knowing Devon and seeing the struggles and battles he has gone through, like all of his legion of fans, we all await the news that he is finally cured of this deadly disease.
