Frequency Of Tests On Treatment

[its time]

hi
I just started vp and riba 6 days ago and my gi has me coming in at 2 weeks and again at 4 weeks too .... he told me that btwn the 2 and 4 is when they can see if anything really wrong is happening and then I will go once a month there after.. 

[FutureThinker]

Luna7, congrats on completing treatment! You have had such a full plate, that is quite an accomplishment and sounds like your treatment went well. Thank goodness that was one less issue for you to be dealing with while caring for your daughter. I am so very sorry to hear about her cancer diagnosis.

It's pretty amazing how getting that HCV out of our systems can make many of us feel so much better, isn't it? Good to hear from you and glad you are doing better. Sending positive thoughts for your daughter, FT

[Luna7]

Thanks FT, just trying to stay strong and deal with the feelings as they arise.

Yeah it is amazing what getting rid of inflammation in the body does for some isn't it. Night and day for me. Good to hear you are doing better too.
I do wonder what's going on for people who end up with severe liver damage yet never had any or many extrahepatic symptoms. It's all a mystery at this point I guess.

When did you complete treatment?  I have it in my mind it was a couple weeks before me -- my last day was July 14.

Here's to SVR 24 and good health!  I think I called it SRV in a post before...lol...I really do want to take off in an RV...first stop Zion National Park

[FutureThinker]

Hey Luna, I completed my Harvoni treatment on May 17th and will go in for my SVR12 test ~ Aug. 9th.  Getting a little anxious!! And trying not to, just keep telling myself "it is what it is", be it good or bad, and there's nothing I can do about it until I get the results, right? We just need to keep the faith and hope for the best! I still don't have the energy level I'd like, but it does seem I'm having more "good days" vs. "low days", so that is encouraging. Keep us posted -- FT

[Lynn K]

I do wonder what's going on for people who end up with severe liver damage yet never had any or many extrahepatic symptoms. It's all a mystery at this point I guess.

Hi Luna also wishing you congrats on finishing treatment.

What is you question about us folks who never really had noticible symptoms but developed cirrhosis after being infected for many years? I mean everyone responds differently with being infected with hep c. Many have little to no symptoms and little to no liver damage. While others develop the common extra hepatic conditions like cryoglobulinaemia, cryoglobulins, rheumatoid factor, Insulin resistance, Glomerulonephritis, Renal insufficiency, etc. and others (about 20% over 20 years) will develop significant liver disease. I guess it might be partly our own DNA and resistance or lack there of to the ravages of the hep c virus.

Anyway glad you made it through treatment and best of luck to you

Lynn

[AussieRosa]

Congratulations on finishing treatment, Luna. Best wishes for SVR.

I had hep c for over 30 years with all lft's in that time being slightly elevated but no detectable damage to my liver. My ID doc told me that was due to 'great genetics'. So as Lynn says: it's at least partly due to our own dna. aka the luck of the draw

[Luna7]

Hi Lynn & AussieRosa -  thanks for the well-wishes. Can't believe I actually completed the 12 weeks, and I look forward to finding out the HCV is history!

Lynn, regarding wondering what's going on for people who end up with severe liver damage that never had any or many extrahepatic symptoms, and feeling it's all a mystery at this point, yes I know all people are different genetically...I'm just wondering what happens to various people in their genetic development and environment (or going back further in time to the evolutionary development of those people they descended from) that causes them to be affected by HCV to a greater or lesser degree, or not at all, or to succumb to any particular health condition really. So the specific details regarding causation for most conditions are a mystery.

But thinking about it further, I bet most people who appeared to only have liver damage had extrahepatic damage too, but just didn't have symptoms yet. For me, I had both damage to my liver and obvious symptoms in other areas too.
I guess I'm thinking about this issue a lot partially because I have one of these doctors that still thinks HCV is only a liver disease, and her ability to treat patients effectively suffers because of it, and it has affected my experiences with her.

[Luna7]

Hey Luna, I completed my Harvoni treatment on May 17th and will go in for my SVR12 test ~ Aug. 9th.  Getting a little anxious!! And trying not to, just keep telling myself "it is what it is", be it good or bad, and there's nothing I can do about it until I get the results, right? We just need to keep the faith and hope for the best! I still don't have the energy level I'd like, but it does seem I'm having more "good days" vs. "low days", so that is encouraging. Keep us posted -- FT

FT, glad you are having more 'good days'. I'm a little anxious too about SVR though am trying to be patient. Any little bad feeling I experience causes me to think OMG I hope the HCV is not coming back!
I worked out in the yard in these oven temperatures in my area of the country, and it really was like a sauna. I felt ill afterward, similar to some sickly feelings with HCV, and think my liver was probably processing toxins. Feel fine today.
I have been considering some kind of liver cleanse, but think I better wait for my liver to heal a little more. For now, walking or working in the garden at a slow pace before sauna temps arrive, and drinking plenty of water (maybe with some lemon in it at times) is probably the way to go.
I don't know how long it takes for fibrosis to heal, but I imagine a toxic body can't feel as much energy as one that eliminates wastes optimally. So we might have super energetic days to come!

[FutureThinker]

Hi Luna! I am very happy to report that I've had 4 "normal" energy days in a row this week, so that is DEFINITELY an improvement!!! They had been dispersed with ~ 4 low to average energy w/ 1 high or normal for the past several weeks.  Very happy to report this and really hope this is the beginning of a new me! I'm being patient, so if it takes longer, so be it, but keeping fingers crossed. I have a LOT of projects, both inside and out, that have simply been put on the "back burner" for a very long time, due to high fatigue prior to treatment.

I've been working out in the yard here, too (So. CA) earlier in the a.m. or later in the evenings -- feels good to have the initiative to get out there and get some very needed cleaning/pruning going. The heat has been an issue for me for the past several years, but this seems to be less now, so hopefully you'll find that to be the case, too.  Yard work is quite healing, isn't it? Let's just keep on putting one foot in front of the other and we will get there ---- FT 

[Lynn K]

Dunno about having other extrahepatic symptoms as really I have nothing else going on except having had hep c for 37 years and liver cirrhosis for 8.5 years with the associated symptoms of liver cirrhosis lower leg edema and having previously developed esophageal varicies.

Really I feel totally fine and normal maybe more tired than one should be but hard to tell as I am 58 and working a part time job, a full time job, and studying along with maintaining my home (yard work etc..) I really personally chalk it up to genetic predisposition that I developed cirrhosis while so many do not but that I have nothing else going on while others do.

So until scientists break the entire human genome down I think the differences between humans will remain a mystery...

As for you non believer doctor there is much information out there in the medical literature about extrahepatic symptoms being real ah well can't convince everyone

[AussieRosa]

FutureThinker, I'm glad to hear you're starting to have more 'normal' days now. Hopefully the worst is over and it will be all up from here on.