Hi there, I'm a new member, who has gained some hope reading this forum, fixhepc page and Greg's blog.

20 years of HepC, Gen3, fibroscan form 4,5 to max 6,9 (different readings every half of year - don't know what to think about that). Viral load was quite low half a year ago, have a lot of anxiety issues wich can be from the HepC or simply because of living with this devil and all that comes with it.

I refused to take Int/ribavarin treatment so now I'm putting all my energy together for getting generics. I have a few questions but most important: should a prescription be for Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir or for the generics? Just to know what to tell the doctor (if I finally find one - my HepC doctor has refused to write me a prescription, telling me to go on Riba/Peg or wait to get worse and get Sofa/Riba for free).

Second question is, should only a hepatologist write a perscription or can it be a GP or maybe even a dentist (I have one of those who I might ask).

Third question, is anyone here from EU? Not UK but maybe Eastern Europe?

Thanks a lot!

Thanks Joy..and thank you to all who post their experiences. I feel the support and identification which really helps with breaking the isolation. Also Thank you to Dr. Freeman and the Team who have created this opportunity for all of us the be cured.

That's awesome Joan, I look forward to reading about your journey.

Go Joan!

In my experience any side effects are temporary, and a sign that things are changing.

Enjoy the journey to health and liberation.

Hello All
My meds arrived yesterday and I have just taken my first dose. All the pretreatment anxiety left a few days ago and I am feeling really good about treatment and the next few months ahead and finally a cure!!

This is an extremely good point. My old understanding was that it could like for 4 days outside the body, however it has been shown the virus can remain viable for 6 weeks

jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/201...fdis.jit648.abstract

There is further discussion about this here:

blog.aids.gov/2014/01/scientists-discove...r-up-to-6-weeks.html

I have personally seen the parents of an HCV son acquire acute Hep C due to razor sharing so there is no doubt the virus can survive and infect from this source.

Viral loads fall rapidly on treatment so after a couple of weeks there will be very little (or no) virus in your blood to coat either a razor of a toothbrush, so if you are contemplating frequent replacement of razors and toothbrushes there would be more benefit in doing this daily at the beginning of treatment than at the end.

Here is what the CDC has to say about disinfection:

www.cdc.gov/hicpac/Disinfection_Steriliz...aminatedDevices.html

So soaking razors and toothbrushes in a 1:10 dilution (1 part bleach, 9 parts water) would be an acceptable alternative to replacement.

The DAAs work without assistance, and this was how they have been tested.

My advice to patients is to stop taking things like Milk Thistle, tumeric, etc because:

1. They are not required to achieve the desired results
2. It is possible they may make treatment results worse

I will be starting treatment shortly and I have already purchased bulk of those 5 for $2.00 toothbrushes, pump bottle toothpaste, and will use Nair cream instead of razors.

Hi everyone. Just my way of thinking.....As we go through our weeks of treatment Iam aware the virus can live outside of it's human for 4 to 5 days, and staying alive on our toothbrushes, razors, and anything else you can think of which might present a risk of reinfecting ourselves. As someone passes the threshold into their new world of undetected, and was then to pick up their old faithful tooth brush or razor... you would be reinfecting yourself. It might be short lived as you continue the medication., however it might be better not to reintroduce the little bugger into your personal hygiene routine. And certainly not after you have finished with the medication , please do a spring clean on the bathroom cabinet and get rid of the old you. Iam changing my toothbrushes every second day, and not reusing razors or anything which could send a live one back into the system.
Best wishes from The Poodle !

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

Thats such good news that story made me think about how close some of us get to the edge of no return. Thank God for DAAs em

Thank you. The viral load test was repeated and It turned out to be a false positive!

P

Outstanding stuff Sean! very glad that it all went smoothly and you were able to get the meds you need to give yourself a great chance of getting well, and permanently. Speaks volumes about how important the work is which the club and Dr Freeman are able to do for patients who have no other recourse. Awesome to hear it

Mate I would say that's one well deserved rant...less than a mile from a warehouse full of Harvoni, damn! And it looks as though Ireland weren't able to pull out that magic rabbit either, and beat down the price to affordable levels - well there's a surprise lol


All the best for kicking off your treatment Sean, hope it goes great for you.

I am delighted to say that I am back in Ireland with my meds ( Sofosbuvir and Daclatasvir ) after a two-week journey to Australia. I had no problems with Customs at the airport and all went well. My sincere thanks to Dr. Freeman and his crew in Tasmania, especially David and most importantly, Lucianna in City Capital Chemist who encapsulated the meds for me at very short notice. Without her help, I would have either had to extend my stay or come home empty-handed. Fortunately, all went well and I plan to start my course of treatment next Monday, once I get over the jet-lag.

This is the culmination of waiting for 5 years for these drugs to come on the market, saving every penny I could for the past year and travelling to the far end of the earth to purchase them ( it is illegal to receive meds in the post in Ireland ). The absurd thing is that Gilead have a warehouse full of Harvoni less than a mile away from where I live ! Gilead get all kinds of tax-breaks from the Irish government to entice them to locate here but they give nothing back in return. There is no compassionate access program or 'Support Path' here for the uninsured or less well-off and they charge the Irish health service Au.$90,000 for 84 Harvoni pills. The management of Gilead have worse morals than any heroin dealer out there and I hope they get their comeuppance soon.

Rant over. Once again, thanks to everyone who helped me get to this stage and good luck and keep the faith to all my fellow heppers out there. We WILL beat this

Yes, it shows that the med is working

i have heard the muscle aches stay for a while even after treatment

more nescafe to ease the muscle aches haha