Author Topic: SVR 12 (Read 17006 times)

andrew j · « **on:** September 11, 2016, 07:44:58 pm »

I'm clear!! I'm freakin clear!!!
Yay!!!

What a relief!

I just feel - a bit safer, now.
It's like that, eh?
Not well well maybe, but ... better.

A lot of it is down to this place, I reckon.
This place is like ... the place I go.
I check in here every day - even if I don't post that often.

Love you guys.

lporterrn · « **Reply #1 on:** September 11, 2016, 09:15:15 pm »

Fantastic! Welcome to a new life of freedom.

KimInTheForest · « **Reply #2 on:** September 11, 2016, 09:53:52 pm »

Congrats Andrew!!!

kim

andrew j · « **Reply #3 on:** September 11, 2016, 10:43:56 pm »

It's lovely to hear from you both.
Thankyou.

You know - I was just thinking -
Lucinda, you were the first person I made contact with here at Hep Mag - whenever it was ... maybe 18 months ago.
I live in New Zealand.
Do you remember me?
(I guess you get so many messages? ...).

Kim - I often read your posts, and usually (always!) like them.

Thank you guys,
Andrew.

Baxter · « **Reply #4 on:** September 11, 2016, 11:00:37 pm »

Congratulations, Andrew, that's beyond fantastic! I expect that by tomorrow at this time, I'll be posting a similar thread. I had my 12-week test on Wednesday, and I should know the result tomorrow. It's very good news for you, and I hope I soon join your club!

andrew j · « **Reply #5 on:** September 12, 2016, 12:57:46 am »

Gee - I hope so too, Baxter.

Lots of love, and prayers,

Andrew.

Philadelphia · « **Reply #6 on:** September 12, 2016, 08:50:17 am »

Wow Andrew, wonderful news! What's the treatment landscape like in NZ?

So happy you've made svr12.

FutureThinker · « **Reply #7 on:** September 12, 2016, 12:36:21 pm »

Andrewj --- Thrilled to hear your news and doin' the HAPPY DANCE!!! Welcome to the SVR12 Club!!

I just received my SVR12 ~ 3 weeks ago, and it seems I just really needed to hear those words, "You're still undetected" at 3 mos. post-tx. They took a little time to truly sink in, but once they did, I guess I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders, perhaps one that I wasn't acutely aware of as it's been there ever since I was diagnosed in '11. My energy level is also continuing to improve, for which I am very happy.

Enjoy the news and all the best to you -- The future is bright! FT

brie41 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 12, 2016, 02:37:17 pm »

Hi Andrew,

Excellent news and I also joined the svr club not so long ago! The feeling is still with me and everyday seems a bit brighter! New Zealand is on my bucket list to visit sometime, how wonderful for you to live there! Enjoy your new found freedom! Brie

Baxter,

Good luck to you! Brie

andrew j · « **Reply #9 on:** September 12, 2016, 05:21:41 pm »

Thankyou Philly, FT and Brie,

FT and Brie: Yes - I knew that my timing was generally similar to yours
(and Baxter's) ...

Philly: I will get back to you soon re tx situation in New Zealand.

Lots of love,
Andrew.

Baxter · « **Reply #10 on:** September 12, 2016, 06:26:17 pm »

Quote from: brie41 on September 12, 2016, 02:37:17 pm

Hi Andrew,

Excellent news and I also joined the svr club not so long ago! The feeling is still with me and everyday seems a bit brighter! New Zealand is on my bucket list to visit sometime, how wonderful for you to live there! Enjoy your new found freedom! Brie

Baxter,

Good luck to you! Brie

Thanks, Brie - today was not the day. The cake and ice cream will still taste just as good tomorrow, though!

andrew j · « **Reply #11 on:** September 13, 2016, 07:03:45 pm »

Hi Philly,

Although there is a mix of public and private, NZ's health system is essentially publicly funded.
The Government's procurement agency ('Pharmac') is charged with being as economical (read frugal) as possible.

From July 1st, Viekira Pak has been funded for geno 1s.
For the first three months there are some limitations on access - then, it will be available for all geno 1s.
Harvoni is funded also, but only for those with advanced liver disease.

So - on the face of it - if you have genos 2 - 6, you're out of luck for now.

Hopefully, because we are now hooked in to AbbVie and Gilead, they may be willing to make meds. available for genos 2 - 6 on the QT.
If not - I guess these folks will be stuck with having to go the generic route, with all the edginess this entails.

Lynn K · « **Reply #12 on:** September 13, 2016, 07:15:36 pm »

Awesome news Andrew Congrats!!!

Doing the hep c free happy dance!

andrew j · « **Reply #13 on:** September 13, 2016, 07:29:01 pm »

Thankyou, Lynn.

Yes - I do do that dancin' thang!

It's really nice to hear from you again.

Lots of love, eh?
Andrew xx.

morab · « **Reply #14 on:** September 13, 2016, 07:40:50 pm »

Congrats!!!!!!!!!
I will be joining you in October!
morab

andrew j · « **Reply #15 on:** September 13, 2016, 07:48:02 pm »

Thanks, Morab.

You'll be fine, I'm sure.

morab · « **Reply #16 on:** September 13, 2016, 09:42:00 pm »

andrew j
I know I am cured, intuition I call it. Some call it having a third eye. Some on this forum will call me crazy.
I have NO doubts at all about being cured. I was undetected at 4 weeks in.......that is equal to cured! 12 weeks of harvoni,,,,,,,,,,,, when I believe 8 weeks would have done the job.
The long term effects of Havoni? Not so sure about. Joint problems? Oh yes I do have them post tx.
But yes I WILL be fine.
morab

Philadelphia · « **Reply #17 on:** September 13, 2016, 11:03:14 pm »

Thanks for that info Andrew - interesting!

andrew j · « **Reply #18 on:** September 14, 2016, 10:49:43 pm »

Morab,

I got to feeling much more secure - like you seem.
It was largely down to my gastro, who blew a lot of anxieties out of the water
(not entirely, of course) - and who signed me off when I met him at the EOT.

He said to me:
'You won't relapse.
Hep C is an RNA virus. There's nowhere for it to hide' (unlike HIV, which is a DNA virus, apparently) ...
He said :'Even if you had the post-EOT test at 4 weeks, you'd be done and dusted.'
He said: 'You know what it feels like to have Hep C (he was right about that?!).
You'll know if you have relapsed'.

... So, after four or five weeks, I thought:
You know, I'm still feeling better every day.
I must be OK!

Baxter · « **Reply #19 on:** September 15, 2016, 12:47:27 am »

Quote from: andrew j on September 14, 2016, 10:49:43 pm

He said to me:
'You won't relapse.
Hep C is an RNA virus. There's nowhere for it to hide' (unlike HIV, which is a DNA virus, apparently) ...
He said :'Even if you had the post-EOT test at 4 weeks, you'd be done and dusted.'
He said: 'You know what it feels like to have Hep C (he was right about that?!).
You'll know if you have relapsed'.

... So, after four or five weeks, I thought:
You know, I'm still feeling better every day.
I must be OK!

You've got a good doctor - mine sucks. He never told me anything encouraging like that. In fact, I've only met the man once - a week before I started treatment. Every other visit was with a LNP or PA. Their clinic is nothing but a pill mill for HCV patients.

Which, of course, is OK if that's all you need, and in my case it was all I needed. So no harm.

But what he told you, I had to figure out for myself. By week 4 or 5 post-treatment, I started to realize that if the virus had survived, my viral load would be up by now, and I would be feeling symptomatic. But instead, I was feeling better with each passing week - significantly better. I knew there was still a theoretical possibility that I would relapse, but by the end of 12 weeks, I would have been shocked to learn that I was still sick.

andrew j · « **Reply #20 on:** September 15, 2016, 12:59:41 am »

He was good at dispelling fears and anxieties, yes.

Here in New Zealand you get assigned a specialist through the public health system.
I guess it's similar to the U.S., in that it's pretty much a lottery?
... Professionalism (and their innate intelligence) should result in a service (if not a relationship) that is a substantial resource for their patients.

Baxter · « **Reply #21 on:** September 15, 2016, 01:09:55 am »

Quote from: andrew j on September 15, 2016, 12:59:41 am

He was good at dispelling fears and anxieties, yes.

Here in New Zealand you get assigned a specialist through the public health system.
I guess it's similar to the U.S., in that it's pretty much a lottery?
... Professionalism (and their innate intelligence) should result in a service (if not a relationship) that is a substantial resource for their patients.

The desire to keep up with the payments on his Porsche convertible that he parks outside the office during the 2 or 3 hours each day that he actually spends on the premises seems to outweigh any other motivational factors from which he may or may not suffer.

Lynn K · « **Reply #22 on:** September 15, 2016, 01:17:01 am »

When I treated with Sovaldi and Olysio March to June 2014 I was not detected all through treatment and at EOT. I was not tested again until 12 weeks post treatment September 2014.

I got my liver functions back first and my AST had risen back to above normal. I got my viral load back a few days later and my viral load was at 2.4 million slightly higher than my pre-treatment level of 2.0 million. I had no clue I had relapsed until I saw that my ALT had gone above normal. I felt no different before during or after treatment or 12 weeks post when I learned about my relapse.

But anyway enough gloom I am cured now after my 5th treatment with 24 weeks of Harvoni and 15 weeks of ribavirin.

Congrats again Andrew on your SVR 12 the date we all know for sure we are free!

andrew j · « **Reply #23 on:** September 15, 2016, 07:07:50 pm »

That's interesting, Lynn.

You say you felt no different 'before, during or after treatment'.
Maybe that's the key.
I started to feel a bit better even after only four or five days. Like lights slowly coming back on.

I feel a lot better now, but I still live the same smallish life I did when I was unwell.
Maybe it's just about the limitations that have accrued over time.
(I have also been left with some damage, courtesy of the virus (risks I took because of persistent and unrelenting brain fog)).
So I think I'm still recovering from a few things.

I still feel really tired a lot.

Baxter: Ha! Ha! Ha!
Yeah - they're like that here, too - esp. the ones who work mostly in private practice.
Drs and specialists:
There has always been something God-like about them, hasn't there?!

Lynn K · « **Reply #24 on:** September 15, 2016, 10:11:18 pm »

I guess when I say I really felt no different is because I never felt bad. If I hadn't donated blood back in 1989 I really never would have known I had hep c. Hep c is called a silent illness it was totally so in my case.

Maybe I am a little tired at times but I push myself a lot. I was taking a college class and working a full time job and part time on a second job and I am 58 after all. But really I am doing my best to never slow down. When I was diagnosed with cirrhosis I did something I hadn't done in years I signed up for a 5 day back packing hike in the Goat rocks wilderness here in Washington State. They advertised it as beginner hike so not exactly mount Everest but still hiking through the woods for a week.

Ran a 10 K that year. PS never again lol But seriously I need to get back to exercise as I need to loose 25 lbs right now and am currently a couch potato.

Maybe I will sign up for another hike next summer as a motivator to get running again

Best to all
LK

andrew j · « **Reply #25 on:** September 15, 2016, 10:29:14 pm »

Sweet as, Lynn.

Thank you.

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Author Topic: SVR 12 (Read 17006 times)