After getting my dx of active virus present, I started reading everything about treatment. I thought I had this all figured out - mostly, anyway - thanks to the amazingly helpful experiences and information posted here and on Greg Jefferys' blog. Lots of options to obtain the meds. I’ve always wanted to go to India, not exactly under these circumstances, and though I’ve been to New Zealand I wasn’t able to get to Australia so that was attractive too. And importing/shipping the meds still seemed viable. Options. Little bits of risk, maybe some hassle, but all completely doable.
Then I got my genotype results. 3a.
And now everything seems complicated again.
From what I have read, the best odds for the best results with GT3 is the sof + dac, no Riba, for 24 weeks. Which is fine. But how do I finagle that when I’m restricted to a 3 month/12 weeks supply for meds either imported or carried back with me?
It seems the easy answer is that I have to go through the process of procuring the meds twice. Which, again, is fine. Do what you gotta do, right? But the specter of TPP making all this infinitely more difficult if not downright impossible at a moments notice has the red flags flying.
I have ideas but I’m not sure they’re workable, let alone sane. Like: sign up for the Redemption-2 and (assuming it’s still open and I’m accepted) while the meds are in transit hop on a plane to India to secure the other 3 months worth to bring back to the U.S. with me. Or, can I do the Redemption-2 twice - either simultaneously or consecutively? Or…???
I’d hoped to spend my treatment time popping pills, feeling good, braving sx, and swatting away fears the drugs wouldn’t work, rather than worrying about failure because I might not be able to complete the necessary tx.
Any thoughts on this that would help me straighten out my head would be greatly appreciated.
GT 3a, tx naive, dx 4/12/16
4/12/16 V/L 824,000
2/03/16 AST 119 ALT 239 platelets 109
4/12/16 AST 87 ALT 164 platelets 118 (different lab)
5/5/16 FibroScan 8.9 kPa F2
5/16/16 AST 86 ALT 157
5/16/16 Fibrotest 0.6 F3 Actitest 0.79
5/31/16 VL 14,413,000 (uh... YIKES)
Y93H @ baseline
6/20/16 Started Redemption 2 Sof + Dac
7/516 QUANT VL: NOT DETECTED
7/5/16 AST 34 ALT 60 Platelets 128 (diff lab though)
12/06/16 EOT VL UNDETECTED
1/03/17 EOT+4 VL 12,222,000
no new RAVs; IL28B = CC