Hi Cherr, I'm glad that treatment is going mostly smoothly for you. You're correct in that it doesn't matter what your viral load is when getting treated with the modern Hep C medicines (DAAs), the cure rate is the same (about 95%). I remember well a patient who had a 32 million viral load getting treated and cured with generics supplied by FixHepC. Best of luck to you.

I think I figured it out. I have 7 digit numbers on my viral load test results; which means millions. My latest test is this number 5609367,five million, six hundred nine thousand and three hundred and sixty seven. Wow thats high. I was expecting that my viral load was below 800,000 , you know in the thousands. Because I have no liver damage. I am in 0 stage of fibrosis. So I thought less liver damage less viral load. I almost freaked out but I did not because I read here on fixhepc that having high viral load doesn't really mean anything in terms of treatment outcomes and liver damage. If you are using the new DAA drugs. Obviously for me its right because my liver itself is not even in stage 1 and I have had it for 10 years now. Wow this website unbelievable, so helpful.

I am on my 12 day of taking generic harvoni. I have had a few headaches and I have been feeling fatigue. But overall in general I feel pretty good. The first week I was having insomia but now I haven't. I will do a viral load test on my 4th week of taking the medicine. I have a question and I hope that someone can answer it. I have had 3 viral load tests done; the last one I did was in April 5, 2017. The viral load number was 5609367. The test is was hep c quantitative RT PCR and the measurement is in (IU/ML)
Can someone tell me what is that number above. Yes I am aware that many times the viral load number doesn't influence on treatment a whole lot or level of damage on the liver. I think that number is , five hundred and sixty thousand, nine hundred and thirty six. The vital load test before that test was on April 25, 2016, the viral load number was 4189616. Thanks.

Thanks for the update JerryD

How do you feel compared to pre treatment?

I want to tell everyone that my first viral load after medication treatment came back undetectable. I am so happy to finally be getting rid of this nasty disease. Thank God for the people who found this cure and worked so hard for so many years. So many lives are now being saved and we are very fortunate to be still be alive while we finally have a cure. I cannot express my gratitude enough for the kindness people show in this forum. Thank you.

Hi Cherr1985,

I"m catching up on some posts and just read your messages. I also remember what it was like to wait for the medication and then to finally start treatment. It looks like you will be about one week in by now so I hope everything is going well. 2020 looks set to be a great Hep C free year for you.

Best wishes

Coral

Yes you are right. Fatigue is part of the fact of being infected with the hep c virus. Regardless of level of liver damage. I remember that the most tired I have ever felt since being hep c infection is when I was first infected. Before you even know if you will clear it or be chronic. I remember being super tired. At the time I did not know that I had been infected with hep c until some months later.

Thanks Cherr for this update, it has useful information for people with Hep C who haven't been treated yet. It also shows that Hep C can be the real reason behind chronic fatigue.

Hi Cherr1985,

Thanks for letting us know how you’re going. With any luck things will just continue to improve.

Compared to the old treatments, these new ones are very mild.

Please keep us updated with how things are going.

A lot of people find it hard to believe you can just import the treatment and get cured.

I have been taking generic Harvoni for 5 days now. Ledipasvir and Sofosbuvir. Thank God I got it through Fixhepc. They have been great to me. As far as negative side effects; I dont feel any. I am starting to feel better. Currently as of right now I have more energy then I have had before. Considering that I haven't even taken harvoni for a week: I do feel good. My appetite as decreased a little bit but I still eat. I am drinking lots of water. As of right now I am not having any weird dreams and I am sleeping less. But like I said I don't feel tired or sick. I have had hep c for 10 years, genotype1A. I got it because I engaged in IV drug use when I was younger. Hep c is the only thing I caught and I don't drink alcohol, that is why I suspect that my liver is not in worst state. My latest labs,right before treatment were somewhat ok. Some were a bit high but not too crazy either. ALT: 99, AST: 63. About 2 years ago I did a fibrosis score and I was in stage 0. My latest hep c Quantitative RT PCR (IU/ml) load test, that was in April 5, 2017, the number is:5609367. On April 25, 2016 my hep c viral load test was 4189619 and finally in September 8, 2015 it was 1580630. What I do know is that this disease is a progressive disease. In many of my labs the number of out of normal range is going up, slowly but its going up. Thats not good that is why I decided to do something about it. What I find interesting is that many of us assumed that if your liver is cirrhosis or at a advance stage of a fibrosis score that then you will feel tired, but in my case I am not even close to cirrhosis or even stage 3 or 2 of liver damage but nevertheless I felt very tired. I notice that, and this never happened to be before I got hep c and even during the first years of me having hep c, but after a long day of hard work I would get sick. Like literally catch fevers and it seemed like my body was weak. Like if my immune system was bussy fighting the hep c infection and leaving me vulnerable to other things. I aint no doctor but I do know that something is wrong when something is wrong. And I have been tested and I dont have any immune disorders. If I felt like this; imagine how I would be in 10 or 20 years down the line when I am in my 40's and 50's. No I know why they say that hep c is a progressive disease

Hello ale2271,

I am sorry to hear about your mother.

While a creatinine of 1.93 is about 2x normal, and indicates 1/2 normal kidney function this does not require stopping diuretics (torasemid).

Urea nitrogen is not really a problem.

Some lactulose might help.

Albumin will help.

How many weeks is your mother into the treatment?

Hi all!

An update from me and where Im at with the treatment so far. On the 18th of Dec I will have 3 weeks left to go of the 16 weeks taking Maviret and Sofosbuvir. Things are still a bit rocky mentally and the headaches still occur, but Im almost there. I've lost a lot of weight (close to 10kgs) which is connected, I believe, to the depression and its associated disinterest to food, insomnia etc.
I have another general meeting with my specialist next week but I havent had a blood test for this one.

I know I have to wait 3 months after the last dose to get a verdict, but should I have a test done at the end of the treatment i.e day after finishing or thereabouts (for a general overview of functions etc) or just finish it and then do the 3 month purgatory ending bloods?

I usually have to remind them of things so should I be asking for an ultrasound sometime between now and the final blood test and if so, when would you recommend is an appropriate slot along the time frame between now and mid April?

The 3 month wait feels like its gonna be intense, so does anyone have any suggestions or tactics to get through it or is it basically strap yourself in and count off the days?

Of course the result could go either way come mid April 2020, so Im wondering whether there is an existing thread, website, book or other resource available that would be informative and helpful in guiding someone through the stages, steps or realities of being left with Hep C and Cirrhosis? Something that addresses the changes in health that will occur and useful strategies to cope with the progression of the illness? Would it also be useful to yourselves and general research to create a diary of thoughts, observations and test results should that be the outcome? Remember I am a pessimist and have to prepare for any outcome as a rule of thumb, but you generously opened the door for me to try once more and have supported me through this and I would like to give back some of that energy if I can.

Anyway, I hope you all have an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas if I don't get the chance to post again before then. Have fun with your loved ones and don't take things too seriously!

Respect to you all

g

1. any site with a list of high protein food?

I'm sure there are heaps but it's pretty simple.

1. Any form of meat (beef, pork, goat, chicken, turkey, fish) is about 25% protein
2. Full cream milk is about 1/3 1/3 1/3 protein, fat, carbohydrate with low fat varieties being ~ 50:50 protein/carb but only about 4% protein by volume. Milk products like cheese are much higher protein.
3. Eggs are about 6g of protein per egg and you can boost the protein without adding extra fat by mixing 1 whole egg with 1-2 egg whites - still looks, smells and tastes like egg
4. Beans, soy, and lentils are the highest protein vegetables with about 1/3 protein to 2/3 carbs
5. Nuts are mostly 20-25% protein but also 50% fat so very energy dense
6. Grains are about 10% protein and 70% carb

While there are all sorts of protein supplements they are usually modified skim milk or soy and heavily processed. I like food that looks pretty close to where/what it came from. We were eating stuff long before we had factories processing stuff so it is more natural.

2. my mother is around half of the treatment, when (if it happens) does the liver can start to heal and the cirrosis get better (if it does)

If your mother's liver function has been tested you will almost certainly see improvements in the ALT and AST enzymes that get released when liver cells are damaged and die.

3. she is just on Epclusa, treatment for 24 months, as I read, when you have cirrosis, doctors prescribe another medicine at the same time… why ?

Cirrhosis goes from very mild to very bad. When it is mild no extra treatment is required. When it is bad we prescribe things like Diuretics (Furosemide and Spironolactone) to reduce fluid build up, Lactulose to remove toxins, Antibiotics (Rifamycin) to prevent spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.

4. can lymphatic drainage massage help her liquid retention?

No. Diuretics are probably the best option.

5. can Epclusa give extreme tiredness for all the treatment or can it just be her liver not working well?

Yes, some people do get tired on treatment. This is usually worst at the beginning when all the viral killing is going on. Most people have more energy, but some people remain tired until the pills finish.

With some people with cirrhosis we see that they get a little worse (at the start) before they start to get better. The CBC, CMP, AFP, and INR blood tests are useful in assessing what is going on.

Vitamin B12 may help with the tiredness and will certainly cause no harm. This can be as a single injection but the tablets in the pharmacy will work just fine.

Hi Cherr, thanks again for your kind words, and congratulations on your medication clearing customs, hopefully they will be in your hands very soon. Please keep us updated on your progress once you start treatment, all the best to you

Hi, some more questions! sorry for asking so many questions!

1. any site with a list of high protein food?
2. my mother is around half of the treatment, when (if it happens) does the liver can start to heal and the cirrosis get better (if it does)
3. she is just on Epclusa, treatment for 24 months, as I read, when you have cirrosis, doctors prescribe another medicine at the same time… why ?
4. can lymphatic drainage massage help her liquid retention?
5. can Epclusa give extreme tiredness for all the treatment or can it just be her liver not working well?