TOPIC:

awesome 4 week result Fitz
I hope your recovery is going well
and you are feeling more comfortable

Yay Fitz congratulations on the 4 weeks lab results.
We already knew your LV functions were back to normal, now the great news on the HUGE VL drop! That is awesome!
I also hope you have as a prompt recovery as possible from your nose surgery and that ice will help you with all that swollen tissue.
You look handsome in spite!
Big hug from Brazil and stay hydrated!

Generics are roasting those scummy little viruses! Excellent VL drop with UND around the corner!
Great news.

Awesome news Fitz

We started our tx one day apart and my 4 week blood draw showed all LFT's returned to normal range. I had the viral load from the Thai lab and I just got it back. This one is difficult for me to fully understand. I was hoping for UND but I assume I'm going in the right direction. BTW went through customs in Boston Wednesday night like hot knife through cheese, no problems. Take care my friend and enjoy the good news.

Baseline VL before tx > HCV RNA (quantitative) 4480000 IU/mL
Log Equivalent 6.65

VL now > HCV RNA (quantitative) 147 IU/mL
Log Equivilant 2.17

Any VL experts out there, no doc here in bean town yet.

Well, your viral load is down from about 4.5 million to 147. Not an expert, but I'd say that's a HUGE improvement, and your treatment is working.

I'll tell you what they said when I talked to the G.I. Doc's office yesterday. "You are well on your way. Just keep taking your medication and don't miss any doses. You're doing great!"

Thanks Fitz, I still don't quite understand the terminology quantitative, qualitative, Math was and is not my strong suit, but you are right 4.9 Million to 147 is a good sign. Take care my friend.

Hi Fitz
Well I have my blood draw tomorrow morning and I take my first med right after! I am so stoked, nervous at hand same time it unreal.
Is there any final things you can suggest:
1) lots of water ( how much is lots?)
2) exercise
3) no herbal supplements what so ever
4) take it at same time everyday

And?

Thank you Fitz, I appreciate anything pre dosing you can give me. Also any sides that I might want to be aware of etc..
Thanks man.

Wow! Really happy for you Sven!

"Lots of water." Definitely. I've read 64 ounces.
Exercise... I walk. You're going to be brain fogged, so keep it simple
I take mine in the morning before coffee. Taking the med the same time every day, and making a little celebration of it helps me remember I took it. When in doubt, count the doses left.
My GI doc said no herbal supplements.
Don't expect to much of yourself the first four weeks. You won't feel bad, but will definitely not be on your "A" game.
I got intermittently grouchy (more than usual). So, remember to take a step back once in a while.
Pat yourself on the back brother, and let the magic happen!

You made it happen. Proud for you, Sven! Time to get well.

Hi Sven,

There are a couple of additional things you could consider: You could take vitamins D and B12. There's lots of info about this elsewhere on this forum.

All the best

Congrats Sven on starting your trek.

Fitz pretty much nailed it on recommendations. As Usual,,,,

I would only add one thing, maybe get one of those 7 day pill dispensers. It only happened to me once, but I could not remember if I took my pill one night last week so I had to count pills back to June 7th to confirm. That was a few days after an 11 hour time zone change where my pill schedule went from first thing in the AM with coffee to 8PM at night. Did not want to mess with the pill clock so I have a 24 hour timer that reminds me at night and also the 7 day pill dispenser as a backup. That's probably unique to my situation but for'.88 cents it was a good investment.

Also listen to your own body, you know yourself better than anyone, would not force anything down that you do not feel like taking.

KISS

Keep it Simple Sven

Cheers and all the best

Hey Fitz I'll try this again, my last one disappeared!
I'm happy your moving forward with not many negative side effects, that is excellent.
The Mel you had removed was a great find by you and you got it before it dug it's heals in. The plastic surgeons are awesome and they dial the scar in if needed, however you may not even need it as like they did an incredible job of doing great work initially.
I also wanted to say you are a positive source/force for pointing us all toward success on this forum, you never have a bad thing to say and you are strong enough to set the right tone if you differ from one posters thoughts. That takes incredible finesse and insight to be able to do that. So before I throw down my next dose in about 15 minutes, I just wanted you to know how important your posts have been to all of us.
In good health my friend.

Thanks buddy. I appreciate you!

The skin cancer they removed turned out Basal Cell Carcinoma, or 'BCC'. The surgeon said he got it all, and that was just what I needed to hear!

Honestly, the surgery wasn't that big a deal. My wife says the fading remnants of black eyes, and the scar on my nose give me a certain 'je ne sais quoi', so I'll roll with that while it lasts

Skål, min bror!

fitz wrote: So, my specialist's office called today. Viral load is way down from the rosy 5,500,000 or so reported earlier this year. 4 week labs show a viral load of 35 (Thirty Five).

Hey Fitz that's perfect.Your week 4 results are so similar to mine. You are absolutely on track for EOT UND.

How's the nose going?

beaches wrote:

fitz wrote: So, my specialist's office called today. Viral load is way down from the rosy 5,500,000 or so reported earlier this year. 4 week labs show a viral load of 35 (Thirty Five).

Hey Fitz that's perfect.Your week 4 results are so similar to mine. You are absolutely on track for EOT UND.

How's the nose going?

Thanks for asking Beaches

Right now it still looks sorta like the dog ate it, but they tell me it'll be (nearly) good as new in about 5 more weeks

July 18, 2016 - Last Friday's meeting with my Gastroenterologist was a mixed bag. She bopped into the exam room first thing Friday morning with an iced Starbucks coffee in her hand, smiling and looking sharp and ready for the day.

We sat down and went over treatment progress so far, and discussed lab results. As stated previously, at 4 weeks virus was still detectable - but with a viral load of 35 vs. ~5.5 million earlier this year, treatment is obviously working. She reiterated that labs were normal (something of a miracle in and of itself).

I asked about whether she would order a viral load assay at 8 weeks along with my regular labs, and she said she would not. When I expressed my concern that we should know what happening before EOT, she became visibly irritated and responded to the effect that if I were to have the viral load assayed at 8 weeks, and I were not undetectable that she would just take me off treatment. I was stunned, but tried not to let on.

Whether or not to blog about this was something I thought about, but decided to do because it is so important. My Gastroenterologist had shown such courage in bucking the system to go ahead an follow my treatment with generic DAAs.... To then assert that she would "take you off treatment", came across as callous, condescending, and egotistical in the extreme.

She needn't worry though. I will take care of myself - and I don't need her to do that. I do like her, but will fire her as my specialist in a heartbeat if she ever says anything like that again, or attempts to interfere with my recovery from HCV. The "Me doctor, you patient - and shut up and eat your peas, or I will withhold treatment" is hostage taking nonsense, and has become tiresome and irrelevant in my life.

Doctor, if you read this blog - understand that I am not powerless anymore. You can be part of the problem, or part of the solution. It is completely up to you.

We are so fortunate to have Dr James, the physicians at GP2U Telehealth, and Monkmed and their physicians. No matter where we are in the world, we have a crack medical team behind our recovery, and access to the best cutting edge medications available. Taking charge of our own recovery with that team behind us provides such a wonderful and real sense of empowerment.

For the first time in two decades, I no longer feel as if I am in continual retreat from, and at the mercy of something I know is there, but cannot fully define, or effectively fight.

The notion that someone can use their position as the arbiter of life and death to push me around, or intimidate me has become laughable. I simply won't play that game anymore.