Bloodwork and the flu ???

[sandrooney]

I am at 12 weeks after treatment and wanting to get my blood work done but I have had the flu for about 10 days now. I believe I am on the down hill side of it. I am concerned that it could affect my results. Anybody know if this is something I should be concerned with.

[gnatcatcher]

Although I know it's fine to get a flu vaccination during treatment, I couldn't find an unequivocal answer to your question. My personal inclination would be to wait until I felt really well before doing the blood work, because an UNDETECTED result 13 or 14 weeks after the end of treatment is still a cure -- there's nothing sacrosanct about taking the test at exactly 12 weeks after. Of course, the down side is having to wait a little longer.

Glad the worst of the flu is behind you.

Gnatty

[sandrooney]

Thanks gnatcatcher. Docs office says no issues but I am still going to wait at least another week.

[lporterrn]

There are no issues, but Gnatty is right  - waiting won't change the results either.

[sandrooney]

Thanks for the help. I am of course anxious to get the test done. It's the one that counts.

[untreated]

What about taking basic medication like Lemsip, or other cold and flu remedies?
I have just come down with a head cold and dont want it to progress to the stage where i need antibiotics. 7.5 weeks through treatment...actually more like seven.
This wont effect results will it?

[Lynn K]

Very unlikely that an OTC med containing an antihistamine and Tylenol would have any effect. If you have questions or concerns about drug interactions it is best to check with your pharmacist or your doctor.

How many weeks of treatment are you taking and what medicine? But really should have no impact on your treatment especially after 7.5 weeks.

[Mugwump]

I was slammed by the flu in the last  2 and 1/2 months of my 24 weeks on Harvoni. I almost wound up in hospital. NO fun at all. Up until a bout of the flu during treatment, as my liver panel tests normalized and my bilirubin count finally came down into the safe range, I was walking on clouds. I fished wading cold rivers in January for the first time in twenty years, doing projects around the house and feeling almost super human compared to the wreck that I was for over 2 years prior to treatment. Then in late February early March 2015 all hell broke loose for me as a caught a really bad flu that would not go away it lingered on until April. I was sick as a dog for quite a while at least 3 weeks of constant aches and pains and nausea.

All I can say is that the 2014-15 flu shot missed the mark and the flu that year almost put both me and my wife in hospital. My wife was off work for over 2 weeks and it slammed me for almost a whole month. Not pretty.

Perhaps if others are considering treatment during the flu season it might be best to have it early in the spring instead of in late fall when the flu starts to hit.

I am sure that catching a really severe flu during treatment slowed down my return to work by at least 2-3 months. But then again I do have compensated cirrhosis and it was progressing fairly quickly the year prior to treatment so waiting another 5 months for me might have not been a good option. But for those with little to no liver damage from HCV it might be a good idea to treat after cold and flu season just to make the treatment as smooth as possible and the need for secondary medications of questionable efficacy  like "flu" remedies during treatment completely unnecessary.

I don't think there has been adequate time or even if there can be adequate studies done to see if all the over the counter remedies are safe with DAA treatments. Especially seeing if the myriad of snake oil being peddled to treat colds and flu is safe for use while on DAA treatments.

Hope all goes well for you and your treatment and cure does the wonders it has for me!
Best of the season.
Eric

[untreated]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies.

I'm taking 12 weeks of Harvoni. Presently I am waiting for my blood tests from the  first month to come back. And as i am on generic's and taking it without the help of a hepatologist, I have to find my own way through this.
Currently drinking plenty of fresh lemon and ginger tea while slurping down the water and turmeric juices. Hoping to stave of the cold naturally, as i obviously dont want to get sick enough for antibiotics.

Otherwise, feeling positive and working everyday....christmas is m busy season. so tired, all of the time.

[Mugwump]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies.

I'm taking 12 weeks of Harvoni. Presently I am waiting for my blood tests from the  first month to come back. And as i am on generic's and taking it without the help of a hepatologist, I have to find my own way through this.
Currently drinking plenty of fresh lemon and ginger tea while slurping down the water and turmeric juices. Hoping to stave of the cold naturally, as i obviously dont want to get sick enough for antibiotics.

Otherwise, feeling positive and working everyday....christmas is m busy season. so tired, all of the time.

DAA treatment should if anything help the liver in normalizing immune responses to colds and flu. The reasons for this are obvious. Your liver will be freed from HCV that constantly kills the cells that create some of the essential components your body needs to build immunity against all sorts of diseases.

As Lynn advised if in doubt at all about certain meds ask your health care provider. One thing that those on Harvoni or the generics should avoid is antacids 4 hours prior to or after taking the pill. But mild doses of most over the counter meds that are not based on antacids should pose no problems. Those with advanced liver damage should avoid aspirin, and NSAIDs like Aleve, Motrin and strong ones like Naproxin but there is no indication that taking them changes the efficacy of DAA treatments. They can however cause serious problems for people like myself and others who have cirrhosis.

So speaking to your doctor and ascertaining the level of liver damage done by HCV is a very important consideration when it comes to which meds are safe to take regardless of whether you are on treatment or not.   

[untreated]

Thanks All,

I used a Tumeric juice and fresh lemon/ginger tea and have beaten back the cold in days. Amazing what a bit of freshness can do for the body.

5 week blood tests have come back and the results are:
-HCV load 12...........down from 69 after the first week of testing....not sure what that means.
- Hep C core antigen ---not detected...
As the doctor helping me is not a hepatologist he can't tell me if i am clear.
-The antibodies show that i have had hep c previously so i know that i should get an RNA test. Is the RNA not just a viral load detector....
I know this is not the feed for this, just thought i'd ask as excited to see a not detected...i'll put this on another feed. hope all is good. D

[Lynn K]

You would need the HCV RNA by PCR test this tests for the virus and gives a viral load. There is no reason to take an antibody test.

Not sure what that score of 12 you are reporting is. Unless it was from the HCV RNA test it is not a viral load.

For reference my viral load before I treated was 2.4 million IU/mL

The HCV RNA test looks or the presence of the hep c virus and also gives a viral load a count of number of virus in a mL of blood.

A test result of not detected or similar wording and a number of <15 or <12 (less than 15 or less than12) depending on the sensitivity of the test is what you want to see 12 weeks after you have completed treatment.