A very merry Christmas to everyone, especially Dr James,

It's a long time since I posted on this forum but I do look in from time to time. Thanks to the good people at Fixhepc I no longer have Hepc and have just enjoyed a really good Christmas, with a few glasses of wine.

It was a sudden inability to cope with alcohol - having a glass or two with dinner gave me day long hangovers - that alerted me to the fact that I had a liver problem. People can be pretty stupid, especially myself! For several days I suffered and thought it must be an ordinary viral infection, but it didn't improve at all until I stopped my (very moderate) drinking. That's when the penny dropped.

Now the next bit may make you laugh. Many years ago, actually about 25, I had an HIV test which was negative but was told that I had contracted Hepc. At the time I said, when offered counselling, that it was about the least of my problems since I was going through a very painful divorce. So I did nothing about it. Some years on from that I moved to a new town and routinely signed up with a GP whom I told about the Hepc. He wanted to send me to a gastroenterologist who he said would do a liver biopsy etc. etc. What was proposed sounded very unattractive and the treatment sounded even worse. Please bear in mind here that I was quite healthy and had no symptoms - or not many but see below. Consequently I said to the GP that I wished him to take no action and decided simply to get on with my life and ignore the diagnosis! I actually forgot about it.

It must be said that I was right for all the wrong reasons (over many years certain people have had the temerity to suggest that I'm a posh, arrogant bastard who always KNOWS that he's right though it's a vile calumny) because the early treatments on offer for hepc were both unpleasant and often ineffective. In fact they caused long term damage to some patients without curing the disease. By the time I developed the alcohol problem DAAs had become available and thanks to Dr James et al they were affordable too, at a time when the NHS was rationing them and therefore keeping patients on waiting lists while their condition deteriorated leading to great suffering, an inability to work causing poverty etc. Frankly this is a damning indictment of a poor health care system which employs corrupt and uncaring medical personnel, but I digress.

So I want to express my enormous gratitude to an honest and caring physician and the good people around him here at Fixhepc as well as the many good people who post and have posted on this forum. One in particular stands out: Guy, or GAJ as he was known here, is no longer with us having lost his long fight with the disease. I think he was probably the kindest and most worthwhile man I have ever encountered in my 64 years on planet earth. If he hasn't disappeared into the oblivion which I think awaits us all and is actually floating around on a pink cloud that's within earshot then RSF says "Hello mate, hope the cloud is comfortable and there's something good to read!".

Again, I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a much more settled (and entirely Trump free) 2019!

Love,

RSF

PS For years I had what I thought was irritable bowel syndrome. But it wasn't because all the symptoms went when the virus did. Also, I am mildly asthmatic and believed that was why I got chest infections, needing antibiotics, every time I caught a cold. However I have had several
colds in the last two winters but no chest trouble, so that was hepc too. R

If things are settling down and trending better sounds like we can do nothing, with the expectation that will continue.

My update DrJames,

I feel much better than yesterday but still coughing with no pain now . Feeling a bit light headed too but less than before. Congestion still persist.

What do you think?

Thanks in advance

Thanks DrJames, I'll let you know

Hi Chris,

Let's see how you are tomorrow. If you're worse some antibiotics would be a reasonable idea.

We can sort that out easily enough.

Hi DrJames

I'm in australia.

I've been told for my GP that side effects last a month in most cases. What is your experience?

If we set up a "miserability " scale where 0 is not miserable and 5 fully miserable, i would say

Treatment start on the 6th of December = 1-2 (I wasnt felling ok already)

First 2 days = 1-2 (Nothing changed)

From day 3 to day 10 = 2-3 (Feeling very tired at the end of the day for 2 or 3 hrs only and back to 1-2)

From day 11 to 14 = 3-4 ( everything I felt before plus joint pain and general flu-like symptoms)

From day 15 to 16 (today) = 4-5 (Basically in bed with a cold/flu, cough with chest pain and mucus in my nose but not runny nose (make sense?))

What do you think DrJames? How i said I have had the same type of cold/flu before and what happens is the symptoms go away after 3-4 days but the cough stays for a couple of week but much subtle with no chest pain. Now is different because of the "Miserability scale". If the actual flu goes away I may still feel flu-like symptoms because of the DAA so how can I tell what symptoms are produced by each factor?

very confused at the moment

I hope you can help decluttering my thoughts

Chris

Hi Chris,

No this won't affect your treatment success rate.

In smokers who start coughing up stuff with colour I have a reasonably low threshold for prescribing antibiotics.

Normal smokers cough sputum is white. Viral sputum tends to be yellow and bacterial infection (that will respond to antibiotics) tends to be green(er) but there's not a lot of visible difference.

The trend is an important thing. You start off well and go downhill. If you keep getting worse that's a worry, if you stop getting worse and just settle into miserable that's more ammenable to wait and see.

What country are you in?

Hi DrJames and thanks for your reply.

The mucus is green (light green)
I started taking Paracemol 500 mg 24 hrs a go
I have fibrosis F3 produced by Hep C

I have had this type of cold/flu before with mucus on my chest. The last one was maybe a year a go. Pretty much every time I get the cold/flu is with cough and chest pain. In saying that, I get it no more that once a year.
I should mentioned that I do smoke but no more than 3 or 4 a day.

My main point is if the fact that I got the flu affects my treatment in any way?

Thanks again

Chris

Hi Chris,

Welcome to the forum. Normal doses of paracetamol or ibuprofen are both fine on DAA treatment.

There is both a flu-like illness (but without the cough and mucus) and a runny nose/sore throat type thing that can happen with DAA treatment.

From what you describe I'd be agreeing with you that you do have something more than just side effects.

What colour is the mucus you're coughing up?
Do you take any other medications?
Any other medical problems besides the Hep C?

It is definitely fine to take paracetamol if you stick to stated dose and timing, I was cirrhotic and it is all I ever took for anything. People say - it is bad for the liver!- but that is only the case if too much, too often. Four times a day, not 6, two tabs, not 3, is safe, our livers process no problem, works for me if I'm sick or have a headache.

Hello Chris, and welcome to the forum. Like Hazel said, I've never heard that getting the actual flu during DAAs treatment can affect your cure chances, but I'm not a doctor as well, so hopefully you will get confirmation from Dr James here soon. If it turns out to be actual flu and not 'flu like" sumptoms (which are very common with DAAs treatment), please make sure not to take any medication that may interact with Epclusa. Here is an excellent page where you can easily check any such interaction www.hep-druginteractions.org/checker Hang in there, it will all be so worth it soon :)

Hi Beahavan,
Thank you for your positive reply. I want to believe this. I dont wake up tired and still I feel healty so hope all is fine and will reach svr24.
at the svr4 and svr12 my alt was high too. Maybe I have another issue but I want to first finish this.
Cheers

Thanks very much Hazel for your quick response. Yes I'm feeling all the normal symptoms of a flu plus cough with mucus but no runny nose so far. Is it paracetamol safe to take? I have fibrosis F3 so I dont want anything that could affect my liver. Anything else that I can take for flu Symptoms ? Cough syrup maybe?

Thanks again!

Hi Chris, welcome.
Hmmm that is tough, I would say it sounds like actual flu or chest infection or whatever, not the treatment because what they mean by flu-like symptoms is temperature changes, aching bones, shivers, maybe headaches- but not the chest or much runny nose like actual infection or bug brings.
I'm not a doctor, can't answer if it matters on treatment but lots of people have all sorts of stuff happen in the weeks on DAA's, never heard of there being any connection with flu and not getting cured.
I'd say the usual advice, keep up fluids, watch your temperature, take paracetamol. Hope you feel better asap.

Hi Everyone:

I'm Chris and new here. I have been reading the forum for a few weeks now and finally decided to post my case.
Today is my day 15 after I started treatment with Epclusa (Sofosbuvir 400/Velpatasvir 100). I've been feeling pretty average since I started taking the pill. First 2-3 day was all good. After that I felt pretty exhausted at the end of the day only for 2 or 3 hours. After that I started feeling flu-like symptoms (tiredness+joints pain and muscular pain) and now I'm totally sure I got the flu. I've been coughing with very sharp chest pain when I do cough. I'm writing this because I'm at home and I couldn't go to work.
Basically my question is: Is this Flu/cold (Not sure what the difference is) produced a side effect of Epclusa or I just got the flu?
If I just got the flu, how this affect my treatment?

I would be very happy if this community can help me, this time of the year is very tricky to get an appointment with my GP.

Thanks in advance