Hepatitis Forums
Hepatitis C Main Forums => Considering Hepatitis C Treatment => Topic started by: PetePurnell on September 18, 2015, 10:46:21 pm
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I am considering doing treatment, have gone through lots of tests(blood work, ultrasounds) recently and it seems my doctor thinks I will be able to do 8 weeks of Harvoni.
He says I am treatment naive, but in 97 I was treated with Interferon(before pegalated) 3 times weekly which failed.
The did a test called Fibrospect which showed a score of 46, and I am scheduled for a Fibroscan as well. My genotype is 1A and my Viral load is like 2.5 million.
My concern is that if the Fibroscan doesn't show Cirrhosis that I am going to be treated for 8 weeks despite the fact I was treated with Interferon. Also, if my Fibroscan shows Cirrhosis I will be treated for 12 weeks instead of the 24 weeks .
I just don't want to be shortchanged after waiting so long. Anyone have any insight? I am not sure how to approach the doctor on this one. Should I just let it go? This is kind of freaking me out. :(
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Hi Pete, welcome to the forum! I am also approved for only 8 weeks on Harvoni because if viral load is under 6 million sometimes that's all insurance will pay for.I just did blood work today after 14 days...my Dr. Is planning to appeal after we have some labs to use for justification.There will be lots of labs..she ordered them every 2 wks I think.If I have "undetected" in the latter labs it will hard to get the 3rd month.You are not naive if you had the previous drugs..that's a little weird they are treated you as not
previously treated.I'm sure some of the more experienced members will weigh in on what to ask your Dr.about to get more tx.This will be stressful till you get started but be excited you are going to be cured for REAL!Keep posting we are in this together.
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Hi and welcome! My my understanding if you have had any treatment before you are not treatment naive. Then the protocol would be 12 weeks Harvoni, provided you don't have cirrhosis, then it would be 24 weeks if you can get it. I don't think I would let it go as you need the correct amount of treatment. I'm sure others with more knowledge will chime in. Good luck!
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Hi Pete,
If I've learned anything from these forums, it's that you have to self advocate.
My suggestion would be to calli Gilead and Abbvies support lines and ask them if your tx status should be experienced with the tx you've already received. Get names of the people you talk to and ask them to send you documentation that you can then take to your Dr. If he/she still refuses to change your status, you may want to consider switching Dr.'s. Don't know if that's an option. But you could take your labs and Dr. notes to the new doc. Then you'd only have to pay for the new office visit (?), don't know what your ins. situation is...
Tx length is CRITICAL, as I can see you already know. In this situation, knowledge truly is power. Find out the official story from the drug companies, then take it to your Dr.
Good luck and God bless!