Harvoni side effects & EOSINOPHILS high levels

[HCVDX30]

I was a 67 yr old naive patient until Oct 22, 2014 when I started HARVONI. Just received my blood work after the first 28 days of treatment. My Eosinophils level was 10.2 (range is 0 to 8.0). The other side effects are Purpura which I never had before until the last 2 weeks, always have had nightly headaches, & grumpy.
The great news is the PCR Quant.was <16 & negative is <15 so I'm getting close. In 1995 HCV was positive on test. It's possible I may have contracted it in 1971 when I got Hep B. Liver biopsy July 2012 was Grade 3 Stage 4 (beginning Cirrhosis).
 I would love to compare notes with anyone currently on  HARVONI.
Thanks, Jeanie

[Mugwump]

EDIT I know this is a long post and sorry for the extensive edit, but there is a lot to say about the experience of being full of good physical energy for the first time in years!

Same here with the stage 4 cirrhosis except I am age 62 and started harvoni on Dec 4 and was treated unsuccessfully in 2004 with pegatron+riboviron. My platelets are a concern as they are currently too low not too high.  My ALT is down to 40 from start baseline over 80 at two weeks of treatment and will know in the next two weeks where my VL is at.

I am not counting on being virus free just yet, so if the results come back with the best news possible (undetectable) then I will celebrate.. Most likely by going winter steelhead fishing, but definitely not by going out to a pub or something stupid like having something other than water or juice to drink! Then I will go out and get a job again, I have cooked professionally at seniors centers so there is always work to be had even if only temp positions, which I prefer.

As to all the concern worrying about mild headaches while on harvoni, MEH! Considering the fact that before treatment I felt like I was hung over with constant mild headaches and lack of sleep most of the time from muscle cramps. Having headaches all the time makes sense with HCV killing off your liver cells. Logically HCV infection can create all sorts of other health issues that are about the same as being an alcoholic with a constant bad hangover and a less than stellar ability to communicate the problem at hand.

When you think about the effects of too much alcohol on the liver and how chronic HCV infection can easily be mistaken for chronic alcoholism. This makes some sense especially for me at one job several years ago when I had to take days off to recoup when weakness effected my ability to stay on my feet for 8 hrs straight. Some wag tongues did not fully understand my situation and spread a rumor that I was a drunk, so I quit the job and black listed the company group I worked for to my friends who do understand my situation. 

As to the brain fog, just perhaps this in part due to having more normal levels of brain activity which might actually confuse some who are taking the drug after being effected by decreased liver functions for many years. Or more gently put, perhaps the extra strength and stamina are effecting judgement in a way difficult to understand.

Currently when I slow down my thinking and take the time to observe things from different points of view at the same time then the fog created by a blast of fast linear thinking like when you we were young clears. I am currently studying a difficult piece of music with advanced polyphony and am finding no difficulties reading, remembering or learning the complex melodic constructs or the musical syntax of the piece which is a 3 part fugue by JS Bach.

If I do clear the virus I am sure the mild headaches and slight side effects of this drug will be well worth the discomfort and they will disappear.

The harvoni has actually helped me to sleep as the strength in my back is now good and I am  not currently suffering from severe leg cramps when I lay down, like I was on most days only a month ago prior to treatment when I was using a cane to get around.

One funny side effect though is the level of meterorism I have experienced in the past month! I have for the past 15 years experienced some level of discomfort in my hepatic region when bloated with gas. Since starting harvoni this has increased, not so much the pain in the hepatic region due to gas bubbles but instead the daily level of toot a toot! I was thinking of performing in public again but until I get my gas blast under control that might be somewhat problematic. It might sound like I am playing a woopie cushion as well as my instrument!

Oh well Adolf Hiltler (who had extreme meteorism) drove off people so I guess things are not all that bad for me! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYSMm0Oj5HU

Here is hoping that I do not have to post to threads about living with the disease after another treatment failure and best wishes in your treatment and cure.

[HHburme]

Jeanie, Welcome!!   Great to hear harvoni is working for you. Day 16 for me and hoping to get some good results from first labs in a couple weeks. Thanks for posting.
Fight the Good Fight !

[Lynn K]

Hi Jeanie

Well I am 56 y/o F probably got hep c in 1978 known since 1990. Treated 3 times with interferon based treatment and was a null responder. Treated March to June with Sovaldi Olysio for 12 weeks and relapsed at 12 week post treatment test. Genotype 1a cirrhosis diagnosed in Jan 2008 so 7 years ago.

I started Harvoni on Nov 18th and have my 28 day results undetectable hep c. I will be treating until May 4th and will have my 12 week post test done in late July. I asked my doctor about adding Ribavirin as soon as I can get it for the remainder of my treatment just incase I need the extra push I really don't need 5 failed treatments under my belt.

Not much to report in the way of side effects a couple of mild headaches. My platelets increased a little to just below 100 when they have been in the 80 to 90 range, and my ALT and AST have normalized with both at 26.

Hoping you have an easy treatment and we all make SVR in 2015
 

[HCVDX30]

Lynn yes may we all slay the
 dragon in 2015!! My best to everyone for an everlasting SVR. Thanks for sharing. May Harvoni be kind to you & keep your VL neg forever!!

[HCVDX30]

I just realized my past reply to Mugwump & HHberme didn't post. Thank you both for exchanging info & your encouragement. We three all share the 2 wk wait on blood work. Hopefully my VL will be neg  & I can enjoy the end of this 12 wk treatment journey. SVR 2015 Forward YES to all!!
Jeanie

[BarbG]

I have to wait 2 weeks as well for blood work. Probably had this virus for 35 years, so I think I can wait for 2 more weeks for results!

[Mugwump]

I just realized my past reply to Mugwump & HHberme didn't post. Thank you both for exchanging info & your encouragement. We three all share the 2 wk wait on blood work. Hopefully my VL will be neg  & I can enjoy the end of this 12 wk treatment journey. SVR 2015 Forward YES to all!!
Jeanie

Please forgive, there was some boneheaded miss reading of my blood work on my account, the truth is I could easily survive a loss of blood volume my platelets are up around 137.

My T cells.... well they gotta be fine as I have not even caught a cold in the past 8 years. I helped as a skilled janitor/cook with infectious disease knowledge to eliminate a nasty norwalk virus infestation in a seniors center only a few years ago and we cleared it out without having the usual deadly re-infect cycles occur. So essentially if my immune system was not stellar I would most likely not be on this planet!

Love to all
Eric