Author Topic: Week 5 of Viekira Pack with Ribavirin (Read 37222 times)

ms.nomoreC · « **on:** July 17, 2015, 01:15:27 pm »

I had applied for Harvoni four times, and four times they turned me down. My doc got a voucher for free Viekira meds, so I jumped at it even though Ribavirin makes me a little nervous. Was cruising through week 3. Week 5 and I'm noticing that my daily walk is harder--my face is a waterfall and I can't catch my breath. I'm waiting for my week 4 labs. RBC was down at 2 weeks but still normal. Medical assistant screwed up my lab order so I didn't get a viral load number last time, really hoping when the results come in that the load is down.

This is my first time going through treatment. I feel okay, and I know I will complete treatment successfully, but I am surprised by the up and down days and fatigue. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for all the folks who went through Interferon and Ribavirin. Anyone else noticing a change in their body's response to the meds the further in you get?

Infection: 1970
Diagnosis: 1997
Genotype 1a
2WK ALT: 25 (down from 69)
2WK AST: 26 (down from 79)
VL: 6.6
Fibrosure: F3

Sven · « **Reply #1 on:** July 17, 2015, 02:30:07 pm »

Hi ms.nomoreC,

im also on Viekira and Riba,starting third week.
I think everybody have the same side effects, just we feel different,depend how you "open to meet" the side effects.
I also feel weak and fatique, yestarday i have 10 hours headache, i've been drinking a lot of water,but nothing help me...
I'm ready for the next days to feel more worse with the side effects.

Wish you best of luck and good health!

Philadelphia · « **Reply #2 on:** July 17, 2015, 06:32:51 pm »

Hi msnomorec, I'm on 24 weeks of VP w riba. I'm not a dr, nor do I play one on TV, but your sx sound like ones I had - classic riba reactions. I found myself getting teary ( my specialist called it emotionally labile - no good using 2 syllables when you can have 7) and cried at kitten videos on YouTube. Or ads. Or the news.

The other bit- the walking bit - I wonder if your hb has dropped a bit.

I found the first month pretty hard in hindsight. It was the sx but also dealing with the newness of "treatment". The worry about every little twinge, or ache, or sniffle.

Nearly 17 weeks in, I'm far more blasé. It is what it is. And soon it won't be because I'll be finished. Listen to your body, but don't amplify what it's saying.

w_ink · « **Reply #3 on:** July 18, 2015, 12:23:57 pm »

Hi, ms.nomoreC,

I'm on the voucher program, too. Started week 4 on Thursday. My fatigue, shortness of breath, and weakness happened quickly, in the first week of treatment. I just slowed down a great deal on climbs up hills and up stairs, and made sure my heart wasn't beating too hard. I'm still doing my hike every morning with my dog. I feel like the consistent exercise helps.

Sounds like the ribavirin might be doing the same thing in your case, with the difficulty catching your breath.

My hemoglobin, RBC count, and bilirubin all went out of normal limits at my 2-week bloodwork. Doc dose reduced me from 1200 mg. ribavirin to 1000 mg.

The only symptom I've experienced that came later was that for the first 16 days, I was very stable and happy, so glad to finally be on the treatment! Then day 17--BAM!--weepiness, and extreme crankiness for two days (emotionally labile...heh). I'm back to normal now, and I'm trying to take it all in stride, not amplify it, like Philadelphia said. Just report the side effects to your doc and take it easy.

kittypurr222 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 18, 2015, 07:47:11 pm »

What's the voucher program?
What do you mean you were tuned down for Harvoni 4 times. You mean your insurance company wouldn't pay?
I think I got lucky..Aetna is pa Ying for my Harvoni. Viral load was at 5.9 to start. I thought that was really high. Scared me.
But after 4 weeks of Harvoni. .now it's undetectable.
Med lady said it's normal for it to be gone that fast

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #5 on:** July 18, 2015, 09:09:12 pm »

Hi w_ink,

Thanks for responding! I feel pretty lucky to be enjoying treatment--I want this cure with every sinew and breath of me. I am one of 2,000 people in the US who was given a voucher for free meds, so I feel like I've won the medical lottery.

Prior to that, insurance was no help at all. The first three refusals didn't bother me, but the last time insurance denied me coverage for 12 weeks of Harvoni it really got me down. I'm happy for anyone who gets treatment; this disease casts a shadow that I know we're all happy to shed. I did, however, feel a bit punished for taking good care of myself. Apparently I wasn't sick enough to warrant treatment.

So, having this terrific good luck makes me hesitant to mention the side-effects. They are not a deterrent but there are these differences: the shortness of breath, the reoccurring heart burn, the fatigue, the swings between just fine and emotional, the itchies, the occasional headaches. None of it is awful, but I feel like I'm trying to both give this miracle cure my utmost attention while not obsessing about it. I haven't ever attended a support group the entire time I've known my diagnosis, but having the opportunity to hear how it's going for others who are in treatment is somehow more comforting than I thought it might be. Some of the blogs are helpful, too. Philadelphia's blog is very insightful, so take a peek if you haven't yet.

Thanks for posting, and best of luck with your cure!!
ms.nomoreC

w_ink · « **Reply #6 on:** July 19, 2015, 02:48:46 am »

Yes, love Philadelphia's blog! I was also turned down for Harvoni, then V-Pak, but I kept bugging my doc, so when he got a free voucher I was on his list and somehow lucked into it. I didn't know they gave out only 2,000 vouchers. Now I feel even more lucky. I wish everyone had access to these meds. It's unconscionable that insurance companies can block anyone's access to the cure. Kittypurr222, AbbVie has a program called Proceed that gives free vouchers to docs to give to their patients. I guess it's AbbVie's counterpart to Gilead's Support Path. I wish I could get Aetna Insurance. Can't get it in this area unless it's through a group insurance program. Blue Shield of California is a nightmare.

kittypurr222 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 19, 2015, 08:13:43 pm »

I see your Fibrosure was only F1? I think they use that as a guideline as to how badly you need it? My Fibrosure was F3 no cirrhosis. But ware similar. .same age and probably same date of getting it. I worked in hospital labs. Back then we didn't use gloves and we got serum on our gands. The 1970's.
But I never knew that I had it until about 1998. No symptoms until 2014..got EXTRELY fatigued..my AL &ASTRO stayed normal. Docs never suggested I do something about it until this year. Partly because in the past the treatments were lousy.
thanks for explaining the voucher thing. Since you srea 66 years old you get Medicare yet still even Medicare doesn't pay sometime. I guess. Insurance is not easy to figure out.
I would like to find a support group but I work nights and support groups are always at night. But it makes you feel lonely not wanting to tell the people in your life..actually I don't think they would care that much anyway.

s

w_ink · « **Reply #8 on:** July 20, 2015, 12:28:16 am »

My fibrosis score is based on liver biopsies. I've had three. After I was first daignosed in 2007, my doc said I should get a biopsy. I somehow can't find the lab results, but I remember my gastroenterologist at the time saying my inflammation was 1 on a 4-point scale and that fibrosis was minimal. I had another biopsy when I was accepted into a drug trial, but that one resulted in a supersize subcapsular hematoma (when your liver bleeds into the capsule that surrounds your liver) that required hospitalization, but I never found out the results of that biopsy as I dropped out of the trial. Then when I had my gallbladder removed, I asked the doc to do a biopsy, and the results of that were similar to the first biopsy. Then my latest doc had me take a Fibroscan when I expressed interest in a clinical trial. Its results were minimal fibrosis.

I never had a Fibrosure test with the blood serum markers. So, yes, my liver was not in bad enough shape—yet!—to qualify for insurance coverage for the new treatments, at least through Blue Shield. When I asked someone in my doc's office what insurance co people were getting approvals through, she said Aetna. There is no individual Aetna policy that can be had here where I live in L.A. So I feel extremely lucky to have landed the AbbVie voucher.

I've told everyone in my family and my friends about my Hep C, but I find this forum more reassuring, as we are all gong through the same thing. So even if you can't go to a support group where you live, you can always come here and ask questions and share your progress. Everyone here has been extremely kind and encouraging.

sapphire101 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 20, 2015, 08:32:17 pm »

MsNomore do be aware of a 'slump' that hits many of us at the half way point. at 5 to 6 weeks it is really normal to feel how you are feeling.
It sure did for me on my 12 week viekira/riba treatment. Probably physical from the ribavirin side effects (especially the low blood counts) and also emotional too.

I am now in another waiting zone, waiting to get my 12 week post treatment labs.
I will know in another two weeks if this stuff worked! Doing fine now, but definitely gonnna be nervous for the results.

kittypurr222 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 21, 2015, 02:31:06 pm »

Wondering. Do people prefer Harvoni compared to Riba And maybe they can't get Harvoni because insurance won't pay? Sounds like your Riba ..my phone won't let me spell it right
sounds like your treatments are working just as well as Harvoni but you might have unwanted side effects compared to Harvoni. I am on week 5 of Harvoni and haven't had any side effects at thank goodness since I can't miss any work. At my job you can get fired for calling in sick after you have run out of sick days.
One other question. .does your insurance pay for the Rina because it's cheaper ?

KimInTheForest · « **Reply #11 on:** July 21, 2015, 04:27:50 pm »

Quote from: kittypurr222 on July 21, 2015, 02:31:06 pm

Wondering. Do people prefer Harvoni compared to Riba And maybe they can't get Harvoni because insurance won't pay? Sounds like your Riba

Ribavirin is never prescribed by itself for Hepatitis C, kittypurr222. It is added to certain Hepatits C treatments for certain people, depending on their genotype, cirrhosis, past treatment history, etc. Ribavirin does cause problems, hemolytic anemia being the most notable. But if your profile is such that you need it added to your drugs in order to be cured, then there is not much you can do about that, unless you want to wait for future drugs to come along that will cure you without the ribavirin.

kim

dearprudence · « **Reply #12 on:** July 22, 2015, 12:14:31 pm »

HI ms.nomoreC,
finishing 12 weeks vpak and riba (12 days to go) and have found side effects come and go. Up one day and down the next, emotional and teary then happy and smiley, tired then bursts of energy. A bunch of small and in the long run insignificant side effects (dry cough, runny nose, headaches) that came and went. The only thing that is steady is my slow drop in RBC and hemoglobin, not enough to be in the danger zone and reduce riba. VL undetected at 3 to 4 weeks.
Hang in there and keep positive. Drink plenty of water and, as I have posted elsewhere, my NP has suggested eating at least 3 egg whites a week, which may help raise albumin levels which help to repare your body's cells. Can't hurt.
Prudence

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #13 on:** July 22, 2015, 07:26:28 pm »

Sapphire and Prudence,

Thanks for your posts. I feel a bit out here since my AbbVie/Proceed nurse practitioner calls about once every 10-14 days and answers most of my questions with "Ask your doctor," who is a nurse practitioner and I am her first patient taking Viekira Pack and RIBA. Your posts are comforting--I can process the minor side-effects as things that come and go, rather than as the beginning of something worrisome.

My personal NP who is overseeing this process is out of town, so I won't have my week 4 lab results until I'm almost done with week seven. Her medical assistant did call to say my VL is significantly lower though she couldn't interpret or compare the numbers clearly for me. RBC is lower than wk 2 and so is hemoglobin, but both still in normal range. Thanks for the tip on eggs. I get mine from a friend and so I just eat yolks with whites. Are they less effective that way?

I wish you both successful completions, and follow-ups!! I'll be sending up a good thought for you, for all of us. Please post your results here!!

Cheering us all onward!

Kittypurr222, I wish I could do this with Harvoni, but that wasn't an option for me. Blue shield kept turning me down. With my genotype, 1a I have a better shot at a cure with it in combo w V Pack, than without it. Funny, but years ago, when the only option was interferon and Ribavirin, I was too scared to take it (ok, and the protocol was grueling and not so successful).Now, no matter what, I don't want to miss a dose. i would argue with my NP if she wanted to reduce my dose. I guess the desire to be once and for all done with HCV, and the significantly better odds make me feel more confident about taking it. Here's to you and your zero viral load!

Philadelphia · « **Reply #14 on:** July 23, 2015, 07:42:25 am »

17 weeks of treatment has taught me which results to obsess over, which to pay attention to and which to let go through to the keeper. For me it's been my bilirubin and my hb. They've been all over the place. At first it really worried me and it worried my treatment team too. But we worked out that it was how MY body responded to ribavirin and everything else has been okay, so we leave it be.

I could not have done that 3 months ago.

I think we become very familiar with how our bodies are going with these treatments.

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #15 on:** July 23, 2015, 12:29:17 pm »

Hi Philadelphia,

I think you've hit on something--a certain amount of surrender is necessary. I'm going to have to trust my body and the meds to do their part.

Having seven weeks to wait isn't very much, especially when you consider a 24 week protocol means twice the waiting. Hats off to you and the other 24 weekers.

dearprudence · « **Reply #16 on:** July 23, 2015, 01:36:18 pm »

Quote from: ms.nomoreC on July 22, 2015, 07:26:28 pm

Sapphire and Prudence,

Thanks for your posts. I feel a bit out here since my AbbVie/Proceed nurse practitioner calls about once every 10-14 days and answers most of my questions with "Ask your doctor," who is a nurse practitioner and I am her first patient taking Viekira Pack and RIBA. Your posts are comforting--I can process the minor side-effects as things that come and go, rather than as the beginning of something worrisome.

My personal NP who is overseeing this process is out of town, so I won't have my week 4 lab results until I'm almost done with week seven. Her medical assistant did call to say my VL is significantly lower though she couldn't interpret or compare the numbers clearly for me. RBC is lower than wk 2 and so is hemoglobin, but both still in normal range. Thanks for the tip on eggs. I get mine from a friend and so I just eat yolks with whites. Are they less effective that way?

I wish you both successful completions, and follow-ups!! I'll be sending up a good thought for you, for all of us. Please post your results here!!

Cheering us all onward!

Kittypurr222, I wish I could do this with Harvoni, but that wasn't an option for me. Blue shield kept turning me down. With my genotype, 1a I have a better shot at a cure with it in combo w V Pack, than without it. Funny, but years ago, when the only option was interferon and Ribavirin, I was too scared to take it (ok, and the protocol was grueling and not so successful).Now, no matter what, I don't want to miss a dose. i would argue with my NP if she wanted to reduce my dose. I guess the desire to be once and for all done with HCV, and the significantly better odds make me feel more confident about taking it. Here's to you and your zero viral load!

Hi ms.nomoreC,
I do believe the albumin in the egg white is just as effective with the yolks as alone. Will definately post results. I am 1a as well and also got vpak and riba due to insurance company. I also declined interferon treatments and was lucky enough to be able to wait for these new treatments.
When I started treatment I felt some pains in my liver area and visualized the little vpak and riba pills marching into my liver and battling in out with the HCV. I cheered them on! Get out HCV!

here's to us all being cured!
Prudence

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #17 on:** August 06, 2015, 11:48:24 am »

I just heard from the nurse practitioner I'm working with--my six week labs show that I am undetectable and my VL is zero. All my liver panel tests are normal, too. RBC's and hemoglobin are down 25% but that is not surprising. It's not too bad though. I am happy to move a little slower and to relish the way my liver is springing back to health.

Wishing all of us success!
ms.nomoreC

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #18 on:** August 06, 2015, 11:50:50 am »

Also, if anyone is interested, I started a blog about this a few weeks ago.

nomasoto.wordpress.com

Scroll down to "standing at the Altar."

KimInTheForest · « **Reply #19 on:** August 06, 2015, 01:57:02 pm »

Quote from: ms.nomoreC on August 06, 2015, 11:50:50 am

Also, if anyone is interested, I started a blog about this a few weeks ago.

nomasoto.wordpress.com

Scroll down to "standing at the Altar."

Nice blog! Good for you for speaking about your Hep C journey. I plan to do something similar after I have been confirmed cured. You can add the hyperlink for you blog beneath your signature if you go into Profile -> Forum Profile at top. I think others here would like to see your blog too.

Philadelphia · « **Reply #20 on:** August 06, 2015, 04:32:13 pm »

Great news! The very best we can get

Also, put a link to your blog in your profile you crazy woman! Don't keep writing like that hidden from us. It's wonderful.

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #21 on:** August 07, 2015, 08:55:02 pm »

Thanks, KiminTheForest and Philadelphia, for your encouragement.

I have added a link to my blog. Reading the posts of other's going through this treatment here on this site has been so beneficial. I think the kindness that everyone here shows makes the most difference. Most of my friends and family are mercifully free of this disease, and they are supportive and share my excitement about being cured. (IT IS HAPPENING!) However, the voices of others who have experienced HEPC and these new drug protocols have reminded me that I am in good company while going through these experiences.

Wishing you well!
ms.nomoreC

sapphire101 · « **Reply #22 on:** August 07, 2015, 10:54:02 pm »

Much respect to the bloggers out there. You are sending support and encouragement out beyond this forum and it is greatly needed.
Thank you!

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #23 on:** August 21, 2015, 01:19:12 am »

Rounding the bend with only 18 days left. Week 8 labs were not terribly discouraging, but a little disappointing. $:-\$ I went from 0/0 to detectable/detectable. RBC's and hemoglobin slightly lower but stabilized. Everything else normal. I'll take my EOT LABS Sept 7th and hope to have good results to report soon thereafter.

Today was a long in-service first day back at school and it all just felt like soooooo much. It's not that I feel I can't do it, it's more like my brain feels so fuzzy, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do it as well as I'd like.

Im ready to be cured and on to recovery. Really hoping that last blood test gives me those definitive zeros.

Philadelphia · « **Reply #24 on:** August 21, 2015, 03:32:13 am »

Can you explain the test they used and what the numbers were? I'm confused. What did your nurse say? What were your liver markers? ALT, AST?

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #25 on:** August 21, 2015, 10:35:55 am »

Hi Philadelphia,

The test uses the COBAS (R) Ampliprep/Cobas (R) TaqMan (R) HCV Test, v2.0.--whatever that means. It seems like labs report results differently. Even the same lab, from report to report, will post results that look different.

HCV RNA Quantitative <15 IU/ml A <15 Detected
HCV RNA QUANTITATIVE <1.18 IU/ml Log A <1.18 Detected

My nurse practitioner says my results are "background noise" and this doesn't mean the medicine isn't working, but last time that background noise wasn't there. She mentioned the noise during the appointment, but I didn't get to see the actual numbers until I was being ushered out the door having paid my copay and made my next appointment. $:-\$

My body has tolerated the medicine very well--none of the number swings you've dealt with. No other weird twists and turns. Still, I'm just a little nervous.

It's getting down to the wire.

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #26 on:** August 21, 2015, 10:45:53 am »

Did a little bit of searching:

Why are HCV results being reported in IU/mL? What is log IU/mL?
IU/mL is the abbreviation for international units per milliliter. Results are reported in IU/mL units to facilitate comparisons between results generated by available test methods. This is important because the various methods are not standardized. Use of IU/mL helps standardize viral load test results.

We also report the viral load in log IU/mL units. PCR test results on the same sample can vary as much as 0.5 log IU/mL; thus, only changes greater than 0.5 log IU/mL are clinically significant. Reporting the viral load in log IU/mL units helps the doctor accurately interpret changes in viral load and better assess a patient's response to treatment.

What do these test results mean: “<15 Detected” or “<15 Not Detected”?
A “<15 Detected” means the assay was able to detect HCV RNA but was not able to accurately quantitate the viral load. A “<15 Not Detected” means the assay did not detect HCV RNA (Target Not Detected).This test is performed using the COBAS® AmpliPrep/COBAS® Taqman® HCV Test v2.0. The lowest viral load this assay can accurately quantify is 15 IU/mL, but the limit of detection is 10-13 IU/mL. Therefore, we can qualitatively report detection even if the viral load is under 15 IU/mL.

Philadelphia · « **Reply #27 on:** August 21, 2015, 10:56:07 am »

Let me say what my nurse practitioner said when I was dispirited about my viral load results in week 4. I'm not sYing this is totally scientific, she had to dumb it down for me, but still ...

The blood tests measure viral copies. Little bits of virus and stuff floating round in our blood streams. It doesn't measure the virus in our liver, it can only capture what floats by at that moment in time. That amount can and does vary.

Your result is less than 15 copies. That's an amount so small they can't really count it. other, smRter people will c one in and say smarter things, but don't panic until your soecialist tells you to, okay?

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #28 on:** August 21, 2015, 07:34:00 pm »

Thanks, Philadelphia.

That makes a little more sense.

Breathing in.......breathing oooooooout.......

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #29 on:** September 01, 2015, 11:50:34 pm »

Hi Fellow Vikierans,

When I started this twelve week process with Vikiera Pack and RIBA I was absolutely positive that no matter what happened, I would complete it, and I was confident that I would be successful. With only six more days left to go, I know that I will complete the protocol, and I'm very optimistic about the odds of my success.

The rest at my blog:

https://nomasoto.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/its-almost-over/

ms.nomoreC

KimInTheForest · « **Reply #30 on:** September 02, 2015, 12:43:52 am »

Great blog post, ms.nomoreC! I especially can relate to your sentence: "There’s a deep gratitude under a thin topsoil of exhaustion right now." Exactly how I felt at the end, and also during my post-treatment malaise -especially now that I got my SVR4 results. Whatever this treatment process drained out of me, it seems to have taken the Hep C with it. And that's what matters! Hang in there everyone. We are doing the most important work of our lives right now.

kim

Philadelphia · « **Reply #31 on:** September 02, 2015, 01:43:33 am »

Great blog. I know just how you feel.

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #32 on:** September 04, 2015, 01:36:26 am »

Thanks, KimintheForest and Philadelphia,

I'm so glad to hear you are SVR4, Kim. Happy dancing for you...Wildly...in my imagination! (Late where I am and my eyes are closing against my Will.)

I'll take my EOT labs next Tuesday, so results won't be in for a few days after that.

I look forward to emerging from the fog!

Philadelphia · « **Reply #33 on:** September 05, 2015, 01:31:59 am »

Three more days!! You're almost there.

HazelAustralia · « **Reply #34 on:** September 06, 2015, 06:02:52 am »

Philadelphia, only two more days of treatment to go?!

Best wishes for now, tomorrow and further down the track - but especially for now. It must be dragging.

Philadelphia · « **Reply #35 on:** September 06, 2015, 06:30:34 am »

Just taken Sunday night's tabs. Monday left. Then I'm done.

HazelAustralia · « **Reply #36 on:** September 06, 2015, 06:59:46 am »

I hope you get a good nights sleep

Philadelphia · « **Reply #37 on:** September 06, 2015, 07:24:16 am »

One more day! Good luck to you, ms nomoreC

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #38 on:** September 07, 2015, 09:20:50 pm »

Sitting here quietly, looking at the empty packaging. No more meds. It hasn't sunk in yet. Labs in the morning. Results next week! If this works, that's one heck of a thank you letter i get to write!!

KimInTheForest · « **Reply #39 on:** September 07, 2015, 11:09:45 pm »

Quote from: ms.nomoreC on September 07, 2015, 09:20:50 pm

Sitting here quietly, looking at the empty packaging. No more meds. It hasn't sunk in yet. Labs in the morning. Results next week! If this works, that's one heck of a thank you letter i get to write!!

Way to go, ms. NomoreC! Excellent! It's a great feeling, isn't it. Almost unbelievable really, when you come to the end. Good luck on tomorrow's labs.

kim

Philadelphia · « **Reply #40 on:** September 08, 2015, 05:53:59 am »

Brava! Looking forward to seeing your results, as mine will be a good week behind you, with the VL taking even longer (explanation in my thread).

So pleased we could cross the finish line on the same day. Fingers crossed for a good outcome for both of us!

Philadelphia · « **Reply #41 on:** September 11, 2015, 07:04:21 am »

Any word on labs?

dearprudence · « **Reply #42 on:** September 11, 2015, 10:19:53 am »

Hi all vpak people!
Some good news today.
Four week eot bloodwork results - AST 12 ALT 8 Viral load <15 undetected - yay!
Hang in there everyone! Praying for all of you to reach the same results! Now the wait til November!

God Bless America on this day we should never forget and always.

Prudence

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #43 on:** September 12, 2015, 01:27:29 am »

Quote from: dearprudence on September 11, 2015, 10:19:53 am

Hi all vpak people!
Some good news today.
Four week eot bloodwork results - AST 12 ALT 8 Viral load <15 undetected - yay!
Hang in there everyone! Praying for all of you to reach the same results! Now the wait til November!

God Bless America on this day we should never forget and always.

Prudence

Dear Prudence,

Wow! Such Great, Fabulous, Giddy-with-Joy good news!! Thank you for posting this! Very happy for you!

FREEDOM!

I did my labs this past Tuesday, and am hoping to get some results back soon. I have a doc appointment this coming Monday, but it's likely the results won't be back on VL. I know ALT, AST, RBC, etc...but I'll probably have to wait on the all important number. Numbers. Who knew numbers could be so entrancing!

Good health to you always,

ms.nomoreC

dearprudence · « **Reply #44 on:** September 13, 2015, 08:26:18 am »

Thank you ms.nomorec!
Will be looking forward to hearing your results - we got this!
All the best to you - Prudence

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #45 on:** September 14, 2015, 11:53:43 am »

Dear Prudence, Philadelphia, Kimintheforest, W_ink, Sapphire101, Sven,

My EOT labs are back! All of them! It's going to take a minute to really absorb this, but I'm soooooo relieved! At just two weeks after treatment, I'm already feeling my body rebounding from the Vpak and RIBA. Wow!!

VL 0 and undetectable
ALT 18
AST 19
Bilirubin .6
AFT 4 (down from a high of 9)

I'm so glad to be making this journey in the company of other kind and optimistic souls! My SVR labs are in 12 weeks--early December! Can't wait to be able to post encouraging news. The odds are good! No matter what, I will be taking action to ensure the end of HEPC in my body!

Thanks for your encouragement!
Wishing us all SVR cure and long healthier lives,
ms.nomoreC

w_ink · « **Reply #46 on:** September 14, 2015, 04:13:39 pm »

I'm so happy for you, Ms.nomoreC! That's fabulous news! It really is nice to be part of the pack here on these forums (dare I say V-Pack?). I'm right behind you. Only 3 more days of tx. Woot!

Cal · « **Reply #47 on:** September 14, 2015, 04:27:51 pm »

Ms Nomorec,
Fantastic news! EOT at last. You inspire me. Day 26 and counting. Cal

Philadelphia · « **Reply #48 on:** September 14, 2015, 04:46:51 pm »

Awesome news! My EOT tests are onThursday. I have myf ingers crossed

dearprudence · « **Reply #49 on:** September 14, 2015, 05:55:27 pm »

Yay, yay, yay for all of you EOT around the corner and EOT bloodwork undetected. Hooray! Go Viekirans! (and everyone else too, of course!)
I am just 1 month ahead of ms.nomorec. Can't wait for your results Philadelphia, Cal, w-ink and everyone else on this journey.
See you on the other side!
Prudence

Cal · « **Reply #50 on:** September 14, 2015, 07:17:21 pm »

Viekirans rock!

Cal

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #51 on:** September 14, 2015, 07:57:46 pm »

Quote from: Cal on September 14, 2015, 04:27:51 pm

Ms Nomorec,
Fantastic news! EOT at last. You inspire me. Day 26 and counting. Cal

Thanks, Cal. Like you, I had HEPC for a long time (46 years). My results at 2 weeks were not as encouraging as yours. You are looking good already! My friends said the 84 days went by quickly, but it felt long to me. Twenty four weeks has to be a a much bigger challenge ( sobering to think about how long those interferon/RIBA treatments were), but both are small bits of time compared to how long most of us have lived with this and how good our chances are.

Soon it will be you with a stunned silly smile on your face!

I'm really ms.nomoreC now!

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #52 on:** September 14, 2015, 08:00:20 pm »

Quote from: Philadelphia on September 14, 2015, 04:46:51 pm

Awesome news! My EOT tests are onThursday. I have myf ingers crossed

And then there's the wait for them to be processed. Mine are crossed for you!

Thanks for the Yay's y'all!

KimInTheForest · « **Reply #53 on:** September 14, 2015, 10:55:43 pm »

Quote from: ms.nomoreC on September 14, 2015, 11:53:43 am

My EOT labs are back! All of them! It's going to take a minute to really absorb this, but I'm soooooo relieved! At just two weeks after treatment, I'm already feeling my body rebounding from the Vpak and RIBA. Wow!!

VL 0 and undetectable
ALT 18
AST 19
Bilirubin .6
AFT 4 (down from a high of 9)

Such FANTASTIC news ms.nomoreC !!

Who would have thought that any of us would one day be able to get rid of this by simply taking pills!

Health & wellness to all,

kim

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #54 on:** December 22, 2015, 12:48:26 pm »

I will post in one of the end of treatment forums, but just for my own sense of completion--my SVR results came in last week and I'm zero and undetectable. Everything else is in the normal range and even the hemolytic anemia is gone. Its so big, it's hard to wrap my brain around it. I'm wish my father had lived another six weeks so I could have shared the good news with him, but thankfully, there are others who have been helping me celebrate.

No champagne yet, though. I want to give my liver the best chance to recuperate after 46 years of onslaught from the virus. Luckily, all I have is fibrosis and the doc says that will clear, given a year or two.

If you are reading this and are on the fence--jump at this chance--don't wait another day if you can help it. A cure is within your grasp. Thank you to Philadelphia, Sapphire, Kimintheforest, and DearPrudence! I think of you often and wish you hearty long years of good health and satisfying days!

Truly I am,
Ms.nomoreC

KimInTheForest · « **Reply #55 on:** December 22, 2015, 01:03:47 pm »

Awesome news, Ms.no moreC !!! And just in time for Christmas. Isn't it a great feeling? I am still processing the implications. It's like I have a whole new life ! Now what do I DO with it? EVERYTHING!!

Happy Holidays!
kim

ms.nomoreC · « **Reply #56 on:** December 23, 2015, 09:32:43 am »

Quote from: KimInTheForest on December 22, 2015, 01:03:47 pm

Awesome news, Ms.no moreC !!! And just in time for Christmas. Isn't it a great feeling? I am still processing the implications. It's like I have a whole new life ! Now what do I DO with it? EVERYTHING!!

Happy Holidays!
kim

Yes--exactly! I want to do everything at once. I'm feeling a bit restless, like a new life is calling me and I don't know where yet. I'm a couple of years away from retirement and I feel ready to take the bit from my mouth. So much life deferred to my limited energy, to careful managing of my health, and now I feel like I don't want to waste a moment--or do anything I don't want to do! For now, I'm just building my strength, going for walks and taking exercise classes at the gym before and after work. It feels good to move--at my own pace--and to put me at the top of my priority list. And then there's the inner piece of this, the renewed self, the whole psycho/social/spiritual reorientation, the letting go of fretfulness and worry, slipping into ease.

Has this new life suggested new directions for you? Are you feeling the sense of a new you emerging?

Happy first Christmas as a cured woman!!
ms.nomoreC

KimInTheForest · « **Reply #57 on:** December 23, 2015, 01:53:12 pm »

Quote from: ms.nomoreC on December 23, 2015, 09:32:43 am

Has this new life suggested new directions for you? Are you feeling the sense of a new you emerging?

Yes, absolutely new directions for my new life. Also renewed energy for my existing sources of joy and creative projects. It is a great feeling!

kim

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