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Author Topic: Hi, new here  (Read 7897 times)

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Offline brie41

  • Member
  • Posts: 191
Hi, new here
« on: March 05, 2016, 11:45:55 am »
Hi Everyone,

    I am not new to hcv, but do not usually post on the different forums.  I do however read all your posts, and you seem like a great group of people here.  I trust you all more than most of the Doctors and nurses I am dealing with!  I just received my first bottle of Harvoni and will be starting next week.  I however am in a complete panic as I have a phobia of swallowing large pills.  I had a large mass removed from my throat about 5 years ago, and swallowing has been a problem for me.  I do think it is mostly anxiety driven but any suggestions would be so appreciated!  I know most people don't struggle with this, but if you can relate I would love to hear from you.  I bought a swallowing gel and centrum vitamins to practice, just don't have the nerve to even try.   :)
Logged
Diagnosed  HCV, 1A 2006
Viral load 6 million
Ast/Alt always in the 20's
F0-F1, never changed
Treatment naive, started 8 week Harvoni 3/15/16
4 and 8 week labs undetected
6 week eot labs undetected
13 week eot UNDETECTED!

Offline jakas

  • Member
  • Posts: 265
Re: Hi, new here
« Reply #1 on: March 05, 2016, 11:59:18 am »
Hi Welcome :) just answered your other post. Dont worry you will get thru it.
Logged
M/57 yrs.
Contracted (Unknown) 10-20-30 yrs back ??
Treatment Naive
Geno 1a&1b
VL  17+ million
ALT 200+, AST 170+
Fibroscan F4 ( 26+ kpa ) on 8th Dec. 2105
Started Tx 11th Dec.2015 ( 12 wks. Gilead Harvoni)
7/1/2016 :Viral Load|<25 UND.
23/1/2016: ALT 34 , AST 35, ALP 143
8 week NO labs done
EOT:03.03.2016 ( 84 pills eaten )
ALT 26, ALP 124, BIL .54
V/L <25 UND E.O.T.
4 weeks E.O.T. V/L UND::: SVR 4
SVR 12 and  SVR 24 on 16/8/16
Fibro 24.5kpa 23/05/16
SVR 63 05/17
Fibro 17.03.2020 kpa 6.3

Offline FutureThinker

  • Member
  • Posts: 711
  • Onward and upward!
Re: Hi, new here
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2016, 12:52:25 pm »
Hi Brie41 and welcome! I have had difficulty swallowing pills all my life -- had to take a small multivitamin pill as a teenager with applesauce to get it down. I put the pill in a spoonful of applesauce and that helped get it down. I'm on day 11 of Harvoni, and have found taking it with food helps push it all the way down, vs. just taking it with a lot of water (which I also do). They aren't as big as some other pills I've had to take, I'd call them medium-large. So don't fret! And please join us on the H-train topic under this category (on treatment).  There are several of us who just boarded recently and we'd love you to join us! Congrats on starting treatment soon!! The future is bright.  FT
Logged
Treatment naive
Likely contracted mid-70s
Diagnosed 1a, 2011
F1-2
Harvoni X 12 weeks, completed 5/17/16
Pre-treatment: VL 3 mil, AST 64, ALT 84
4 week labs: VL 30, AST 21, ALT 14
8 week labs: VL UD!!!, AST 22, ALT 16
12 week labs: VL UD, AST 23, ALT 14
2 wk EOT: VL UD
12 wk EOT: VL UD, AST 22, ALT 13 =  SVR 12! Yay! 
Last hep appointment: VL UD, AST 19, ALT 12 = SVR 39! I AM DONE!

Offline brie41

  • Member
  • Posts: 191
Re: Hi, new here
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2016, 01:10:53 pm »
Thank you for the nice welcome.   I know I will do whatever I have to do to take this medication.  I have tried applesauce but tend to leave the pill in my mouth.  I am actually going to try a hypnosis session and see it that helps.  Geez, of all the phobias to have right now!!!  I will jump on board the treatment train gladly.  Brie
Logged
Diagnosed  HCV, 1A 2006
Viral load 6 million
Ast/Alt always in the 20's
F0-F1, never changed
Treatment naive, started 8 week Harvoni 3/15/16
4 and 8 week labs undetected
6 week eot labs undetected
13 week eot UNDETECTED!

Offline FutureThinker

  • Member
  • Posts: 711
  • Onward and upward!
Re: Hi, new here
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2016, 02:11:23 pm »
Hi again, I hadn't thought of hypnosis, but that sounds viable, too.  The breaking it in half idea may be the ticket, you just need to verify that with your doc &/or Gilead.  Let us know what works! FT
Logged
Treatment naive
Likely contracted mid-70s
Diagnosed 1a, 2011
F1-2
Harvoni X 12 weeks, completed 5/17/16
Pre-treatment: VL 3 mil, AST 64, ALT 84
4 week labs: VL 30, AST 21, ALT 14
8 week labs: VL UD!!!, AST 22, ALT 16
12 week labs: VL UD, AST 23, ALT 14
2 wk EOT: VL UD
12 wk EOT: VL UD, AST 22, ALT 13 =  SVR 12! Yay! 
Last hep appointment: VL UD, AST 19, ALT 12 = SVR 39! I AM DONE!

Offline brie41

  • Member
  • Posts: 191
Re: Hi, new here
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2016, 02:28:33 pm »
Hi,

  Well I just set up an appt. with a hypnotist.  Only 250.00 for the first session.  I hope it is worth it.  125.00 after that.  I can't really afford this, but if it gets me through what the heck!  I called the pharmacist.  Harvoni can't be crushed or cut so that was not an option. 
Logged
Diagnosed  HCV, 1A 2006
Viral load 6 million
Ast/Alt always in the 20's
F0-F1, never changed
Treatment naive, started 8 week Harvoni 3/15/16
4 and 8 week labs undetected
6 week eot labs undetected
13 week eot UNDETECTED!

Offline FutureThinker

  • Member
  • Posts: 711
  • Onward and upward!
Re: Hi, new here
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2016, 02:39:50 pm »
Brie41, thanks for letting us all know that re: can't cut Harvoni.  I've been searching the forum for a post I'm remembering that dealt with difficulty swallowing Harvoni, but can't seem to find it. 

Does anyone else remember seeing a post of this in the past?????  Thanks, FT
Logged
Treatment naive
Likely contracted mid-70s
Diagnosed 1a, 2011
F1-2
Harvoni X 12 weeks, completed 5/17/16
Pre-treatment: VL 3 mil, AST 64, ALT 84
4 week labs: VL 30, AST 21, ALT 14
8 week labs: VL UD!!!, AST 22, ALT 16
12 week labs: VL UD, AST 23, ALT 14
2 wk EOT: VL UD
12 wk EOT: VL UD, AST 22, ALT 13 =  SVR 12! Yay! 
Last hep appointment: VL UD, AST 19, ALT 12 = SVR 39! I AM DONE!

Offline Lynn K

  • Global Moderator
  • Member
  • Posts: 4,546
  • Get tested, get treated, get cured, fight Hep c!
Re: Hi, new here
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2016, 08:40:51 pm »
Have you asked your pharmacist for suggestions?

Here is some info I have found hope some of it helps:

Two tricks to make it easier to swallow pills from Harvard Health Blog
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/two-tricks-make-easier-swallow-pills-201411137515

How to Swallow a Pill
http://www.wikihow.com/Swallow-a-Pill

Do you have difficulty swallowing food also?

I take a drink of water first without the pill to get my swallowing mechanism working. Then I place the pill in my mouth inline with my throat if the pill is oval shaped. I then swallow a medium amount of water and throw my head back to get the pill closer to my throat and swallow.


Good luck
« Last Edit: March 06, 2016, 08:42:39 pm by Lynn K »
Logged
Genotype 1a
1978 contracted, 1990 Dx
1995 Intron A failed
2001 Interferon Riba null response
2003 Pegintron Riba trial med null response
2008 F4 Cirrhosis Bx
2014 12 week Sov/Oly relapse
10/14 fibroscan 27 PLT 96
2014 24 weeks Harvoni 15 weeks Riba
5/4/15 EOT not detected, ALT 21, AST 20
4 week post not detected, ALT 26, AST 28
12 week post NOT DETECTED (07/27/15)
ALT 29, AST 27 PLT 92
24 week post NOT DETECTED! (10/19/15)
44 weeks (3/11/16)  fibroscan 33, PLT 111, HCV NOT DETECTED!
I AM FREE!

Offline HazelAustralia

  • Member
  • Posts: 178
Re: Hi, new here
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2016, 09:19:13 pm »
Hi Brie41,

The hypnotist is a good idea! You are obviously putting lots of good thought into this, so that you can have the chance to be cured. Good on you! I hope it goes well. I believe that once you have swallowed a few, the rest will seem relatively easy. It is good to visualise the pill (or the 'cure' not in pill form) going down, like a duck diving, or a stone sinking in water.

As I understand it, the tablets have to be delivered full potency to our livers and could be diluted if they are cut - also, I think they can cause damage in the oesophagus. At least this was the case with ribaviron.

I'm interested to hear how you go,

Hazel
Logged
Female age 53
Australia
Contracted in the 1980's
Genotype 1A
VL 314k

Started treatment with Veikira Pak and Ribaviron on Thursday 17th December 2015
NOT DETECTED, End of Treatment, 16th March 2016

Offline dragonslayerinprogress

  • Member
  • Posts: 62
Re: Hi, new here
« Reply #9 on: March 08, 2016, 01:06:17 am »
I had to cut my Solvadi in 4 pieces. I can't swallow pills that size. Dr. Pharmacist and Dr. Said it's okay since it is not time released. I am undetected so it works regardless :-)
Logged
Geno 2b
dx in 1990, 52 years old
Origin: unsure. Might have been infected at birth
Tx Naive
Pre tx labs 12/7/15
VL 1,315,890 6.119
ALT 188
AST 161
Started tx Solvadi/Ribavirin on 1/19/16
4 weeks undetected
8 weeks undetected
12 weeks undetected
16 weeks undetected
20 weeks undetected
24 weeks...no testing
EOT 4 wks UNDETECTED
ALT 34
AST 42
EOT 8 wks- UNDETECTED
ALT 38
AST 50
Platelets 49

Offline AussieRosa

  • Member
  • Posts: 226
Re: Hi, new here
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2016, 07:21:44 am »
Hi, Brie. Welcome and I hope you get the problem swallowing the pills under control.

As FT mentioned, there was another person here recently who had the same problem, but unfortunately they haven't posted again to let us know if/how they resolved the issue.
Logged
Gt 1a
contracted 1983
Fibroscan 6.1
Treatment naive
VL 2.97M
ALT 38
AST 47
Started Viekira Pak + Ribavirin Tues 19th Jan 2016
Week 4: VL Undetected!
March 5th Ribavirin dose reduction to 800mg from 1000mg
EOT April 11th 2016. VL Not Detected
12 Weeks post EOT: SVR12. Cured with a capital C!!
6 months post EOT: Undetected :-)
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