IFN treatment is a tough one, you sure aren’t alone on that.   As Rob mentions, many here have gone through the trials and tribulations of INF treatment.    I commend you for your efforts to tough it out.

Regarding the IFN leading to HCC, have not heard of this happening.   As Rob mentions, HepC would be the likely cause.    There has been recent buzz that HepC can lead to DM2 – Diabetes is an endocrine system  condition that has many residual affects on the body system as does HCV.

You didn’t mention if your Service Connected for HepC or not, and whether the cancer involved any of the lymph nodes in your neck.    If you are SC for the Hep, you could re-open the claim and add to it the tinnitus and ED.

On the thyroid issue, if there is some link between it and your Hep, this should be included in the claim.   There are many variables and directions to navigate these conditions to find out if there is some connection.

You probably aren’t going to get the same answer from different doctors at the VA, they all have their own rules of thought.   But, if you have a regular doctor who you see at the VA or, a private doctor, I would suggest you schedule an appt with them, taking in a list of questions you have and if possible, taking someone with you to the appt, a spouse, good friend, etc.
if you are comfortable with that.   Another set of ears is always helpful in these situations.

The great thing is you are in remission!   It seems like there are many issues on your plate, take each one a step at a time.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to post them.
The best to you.

Another site you might explore is the NIH web-site….National Institute of Health.

I did a quick Internet search, found some old studies, some more recent.   I wouldn’t write off the possibility of the relationship of the Interferon and the thyroid cancer.    Thyroid disease is an autoimmunity disease.    I did find some information that HCV can be the culprit to Thyroid disease/cancer.    My husband’s DM2 and Gastro both check his TSH – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone.    There must be some reason for this, so perhaps there is some connection of the HCV & Thyroid disease.

I’m not a doctor….I am a “want to know motivated type of person” who is the wife of a Veteran with HepC.    Someone else on the board may come by and be able to shed some additional information on this issue.

I went to the NIH site, the NCI site and also did a general internet search for thyroid cancer/disease and Interferon therapy.   I found articles on the MyThyroid.com site and a few others that may be worth looking at.   I am quite interested in this now and if you do come up with anything, please do share.

Each individuals response to disease, virus, treatment is different.   I myself have HepC antibodies but do not have Hepatitis C virus.   This was a big puzzle for us until a recent GI work-up I had and blood test to confirm the exposure occurred but the virus is not present.    According to my Gastro doc, this doesn’t happen very often and, in his years of practice, he has only seen this in less than a 1/2 dozen patients.

The symptoms you describe as related to IFN tx can be linked.   The brain fog and memory loss most definitely.  The cirrhosis is the natural progression of the HCV infection.   Complaining to your primary doctor isn’t going to be enough.  You are going to need to be certain those symptoms and complaints are in your medical records.    Get a complete copy of all of your medical records.   Look through them, if you find errors, ask for them to be corrected.   Of course, if your doctor didn’t actually post these issues into your medrecs, you can write them down and take it into your doctors office and give it to him/her at your appt.    Keep a copy of anything you give to anyone.    Best advice….Keep a copy and Get a copy.   Of everything.

If there are meds you are taking that are for the complaints you listed, that would be in the records and a shoe in.

Just a tad bit more of thought…..attorney’s do not work for free.    You more than likely have found an attorney who is working on a “contingency” basis.    Meaning:  he gets paid when you get paid.    If this feels comfortable to you, then go with it.   Brain fog, short term memory and multiple illness and medications can really interfere with your thought process.   This happened to my husband, sad to say, he has never been the same since that 1st shot of interferon.   It changed his life and mine too.
7 years later he was in the position of not being able to do the job he’d done for over 30 years because of all the residuals of HCV, the treatment, etc.

However…..on a positive note….had he not endured almost 3 years of IFN tx, he undoubtedly would have reached a point of cirrhosis of the liver much sooner than he has.    His 1st liver biopsy in 2001 he was a 3/4 in fibrosis so it wasn’t too far away.    He had another biopsy after the 1st tx, and he went to a 1/4.   That didn’t last too long, 2 years later he was back on tx, another biopsy, etc. and finally, when the tx for the HepC pushed him to a point of deciding whether it was quality or quantity of life he wanted, he went off tx….it wasn’t working, his numbers were not going down.    He is Geno 1a, the hardest to treat.    His most recent liver biopsy was in mid January 09….shows he his liver is into cirrohsis.

When my husband was on tx, he had a list a mile long of medications also.   He still is taking alot of meds, but the list isn’t nearly as long.

You never did say whether you are SC for the HepC or anything else.     Was your original claim denied?

Has your doctor ever tested your ammonia level?   My husband’s did and she found it was high, put him on Lactulose and I have noticed that although his thought process is not as sharp, it seems to be a little better, he is a bit more focused and has recently had more energy.    Anything but just sitting in a chair all day will seem like an improvement to me for him.   He is still very fatigued, sick and in pain most of the time, but with the Lactulose he seems to feel a little better.   I thought it was worth mentioning.    Interestingly enough, none of his private docs checked this, it was his VA doc who did.   And, that was only recent.

Keep us posted.