Go for it Joan and wishing you well

hey Lizzie , my memory's still like that, but I did have a lot of treatments with interferon, did you have past tx with interferon?
I'm sure it damaged my memory.

But I do find I can read a book now, where as before I cleared the virus I couldn't. So guess it's improved
x

Congrats Joan!!

Good luck, Joan,
I'm waiting to hear positive feedback from your treatment!

James-Freeman-facebook wrote:
How Hep C has impacted on you and your family
The mental torment of knowing cure exists but is unavailable
Your views on the Buyers Club and parallel imports being facilitated by others
Your views about Big Pharma pricing
Your suggestions about what Government can do to help (without breaking the budget)

James,
Buyers club excellent and urgently needed - but only a solution in light of the fact that treatment is not available otherwise. Govy urgerntly needs to support a fair , equitable response to HCV in the community.

Also buyers club is not accessible to everyone. Not sure how many people can afford to pay 2000-3000 AUD for treatment. I am lucky i can afford ti - but that shouldn't exclude other people from treatment if they want/need it.

The community understands that pharma needs to recoup their costs, but it is not fair that they can use their needs for excessive profits to screw the PBS. Banks are the same - but I digress.

HCV has had a huge impact on my productivity for 30 years.

For the last 10-15 years I have only been able to work part time due to ill health related to HCV.. This impact has gradually increased in the last few years. I am now 53 and still young but recently retired at took a package because i have been so ill. NB I have always looked after my health.
. Only in the last 1.5 year have i not been able to exercise at all. This made me unable to function at work. - Otherwise I would still be in the workforce.
Now with access to treatment through the buyers club, i anticipate being able to return to the workforce.eventually.

Govt should make an investment in this type of workforce participation by making treatments more easily available to all who need it.
Lizzie chan.

hi q
I agree that its a bargain. I just had to re-adjust my thinking and finances!

I am so sick of reading and rereading something to check that I got it right and then coming back sometime later and finding it to be completely different! I do hope that goes away with treatment...


\Lizzie

Well done Joan ! Wishing you a smooth side-effect free journey. From what I have read, some people can feel a bit flu-ee ( is this a word ? ) for the first few days and then it lifts. Good luck Sean.

Hello Bloot
good to hear you have received your meds. As far as drinking alcohol goes before or after treatment ..you will sort it out. You have enough info on this forum to make an informed decision, which is what helps us all.

It has been a very good conversation from all. I haven't drank for years & after treatment won't drink. Its something I just don't have in my lifestyle these days but have no problem with anyone who does with or without Hep C. Its your life.

Good luck with your treatment

Hello Joy,

This was my error. Before I knew more I knew less. Mesochem supplied in a standard quantity of 36 g (90 x 400 mg) so I made the incorrect assumption that it was 90 days treatment, rather than 84. To be totally compliant with the guidelines we now use 84 days.

If it was me I would reserve the extra 6 to resume treatment in the (unlikely) event of recurrence. That will minimise any delay while further medication is shipped to you.

Over treating for 6 days should not cause any harm, but given the recent Gecko data the 8 weeks works well for most people we are probably overtreating by quite a bit with the 84 day course.

The trouble is we can only ever know we under treated....

chrisp wrote: I feel obliged to step in and say something here in relation to Bloats experience as I have understood it.
I trust it will be taken in good faith.

In my 30 years of Hep C experience there has been 2 quite distinct MORAL messages ( as opposed to scientific or rather based solidly on empirical data) that I have repeatedly received from medical professionals as well as others.
I personally have never found them helpful.

They are as follows:
1. You must never drink ever, it is bad (evil) and bad things will happen to you.
2. The method by which you contracted the disease was a bad thing to do (evil) and in some way you deserve all you get.

After all of these years; numerous medical professionals, failed interferon treatment, sentenced to death at 30 if I continue to drink (now 55) various symptoms etc..... I feel I have never benefited from receiving these messages. No matter how well the intention.

I actually think moralizing health issues is dangerous in and off itself.
This is a health issue not a moral one. (my belief)
Any research I have ever read suggests that statistically your odds of recovery are significantly improved as a correlation to reduction in alcohol consumption. However this does vary a lot from individual to individual.
Given this it is probably a good idea to reduce alcohol consumption quantities however don't stop enjoying life (this one is not a dress rehearsal).
And had there been clean injecting equipment available when I was experimenting in my curious youth I probably would have never contracted the disease in the first place. It would be a damn good idea to ensure clean injecting equipment is made available to the next generation of curious youth.

Ok Got that of my chest, now I might have a glass of white because I enjoy it.

Agree with you crisp. Its the whole rationale of the model of harm minimisation...moralising is not going to be helpful, and people have to make their own decisions after being informed.

FYI clean injecting equipment has been available in Aust since the 80s and the first HIV scare - being pre-Hep C it was only brought in by a very forward-looking Govt (if you think that the US has still not followed suit, almost 30 years later) in response to HIV/AIDS.

I feel obliged to step in and say something here in relation to Bloats experience as I have understood it.
I trust it will be taken in good faith.

In my 30 years of Hep C experience there has been 2 quite distinct MORAL messages ( as opposed to scientific or rather based solidly on empirical data) that I have repeatedly received from medical professionals as well as others.
I personally have never found them helpful.

They are as follows:
1. You must never drink ever, it is bad (evil) and bad things will happen to you.
2. The method by which you contracted the disease was a bad thing to do (evil) and in some way you deserve all you get.

After all of these years; numerous medical professionals, failed interferon treatment, sentenced to death at 30 if I continue to drink (now 55) various symptoms etc..... I feel I have never benefited from receiving these messages. No matter how well the intention.

I actually think moralizing health issues is dangerous in and off itself.
This is a health issue not a moral one. (my belief)
Any research I have ever read suggests that statistically your odds of recovery are significantly improved as a correlation to reduction in alcohol consumption. However this does vary a lot from individual to individual.
Given this it is probably a good idea to reduce alcohol consumption quantities however don't stop enjoying life (this one is not a dress rehearsal).
And had there been clean injecting equipment available when I was experimenting in my curious youth I probably would have never contracted the disease in the first place. It would be a damn good idea to ensure clean injecting equipment is made available to the next generation of curious youth.

Ok Got that of my chest, now I might have a glass of white because I enjoy it.

This is exactly what all those who do have the DAA's already regulated in their countries face - you won't be covered by your insurer/public health system unless you are "sick enough"

This will inevitably be the case here, whenever the meds are approved. My thinking is - get treatment if you can at whatever stage of your progression...which all the more urgent if your results aren't favourable. Give yourself a fighting chance for survival and recovery.

Great news Joan Glad to hear you are finally on the treatment road now, hope it will be smooth sailing for you.


With a bit of luck I will be joining you in a few weeks.

LondonGirl wrote: I went to UK liver clinic yesterday.
Told 'no treatment for minimum 8 months '
And 'if I wanted to be monitored I would have to pay privately IF there were any Drs with space'


LG

That's appalling LondonGirl. So no (what we call bulk-billing) GPs can monitor your bloods either? I always thought the NHS had one up on Australia with dental care etc but this has really turned my head around on that fact. I hope you can find a way. good luck.

Take the Dr's advice kikki cat. leave all this alternative stuff until after treatment. they just might dampening the daa's effect. i have. one type of treatment at a time. kindly