Hey mate
i think it’s a bit of a personal thing really
For me, the beauty about all this that I am the master of my own destiny up to a point
I’m just going to pop 1 pill of each a day or as prescribed on the pack if there is one (they should arrive within a week)
i will be getting a blood test at weeks 4, 12, 24 + 12 weeks or so after tx has finished
I am having a fibroscan on January 11 and an appointment at the liver clinic in about a month

I am prepared to be given no support during tx, so any support i receive will be a bonus
One of the worst things about my previous tx was being owned by the Department of Health for the duration of tx
If this time they choose to ingnore generics, then that’s their problem of ignorance and at least i won’t have to make the 45 min drive
Once tx is finished i will be seeing a naturopath with a medical degree to give myself the best chance at rejuvenation

Alternatively, you could go to GP2U and get an appointment with Dr Freeman to discuss any concerns
It costs, but you get advice without the ignorance and any scripts/ testing you need

You’re welcome, Zhuk
it’s $90 or so, but it’s cheap peace of mind just to speak to the doc about any concerns

As far as clinics go, I think it’s the luck of the draw
For example, a friend of our is a social worker at the HIV, Viral Hepatitis & Sexual Health clinic on the mid North Coast
Apparently on Greg J’s blog it was mentioned that some nurses there were very helpful
She wondered who they were because most of the ones she dealt with were completely unhelpful and rude at the mention of generics
(this may have changed a little since a memo went around supporting the support of people on generics)

My wife worked in the health system and morale is generally low
People get stuck there and become jaded or think they know everything and patients are stupid
You just have to try and get them to help where you can
But generally I’ve found – if you pay you have options and better advice
If it’s free you are told what to do and it may not make sense

Anyway, good luck matey – you’re on the right path

I’d call that a win for sure
And while they monitor you, being in a category with a very high success rate, they will see how well the generics work
They will then be forced, just out of common sense and humanity, to support anyone else in the same position
So it’s a win for all

Zhuk,Your GP is a cowardly whimp.As for saying she doesn’t know enough about the medications,thats crap,and she shouldn’t be practicing medicine.It’s got nothing to do with her insurance.
Doctors have a computer on their desk with instant access to all the latest “How to treat”Information.And they are all very aware of the generic scenario that is happening.
One suggestion I might make, is to find out which doctors members of the Gay community who have HIV are going to.They have a knack of finding out who is genuinely on their side.
Generally such doctors are likely to be more compassionate,better informed,and are less likely to be adverse to generics.
Many go to conferences on HIV which often include HCV as treatment mechanisms have a lot in common.
Just look for a new GP Zhuk.Sit down and explain what you intend to do,and if there is one iota of hesitation on their part,
get up and walk out.You will find the right one sooner of latter and be very grateful when you do
Good luck.

Hi Zhuk

While my GP is James I don’t expect too many visits re monitoring it’s really about pathology referrals for me however we do chat broadly about tx, the site, buyers etc. My view is that we all know enough about the disease to realise if something does go pear shaped where we should get help. So I take my meds, minimise the sides if any and know your clear date (within a week) to to determine 12, extension or adding addition ammunition. Test at 12 weeks post tx and home free (hopefully). Bit like a hang gliding without a parachute lol, just the way I like it. Em

Yep the insomnia slowly crept up on me. I guess im having 6 hours of broken sleep. I feel good dispite this and thinking theres a bit of good stuff in the meds. Energy levels not being affected by the lack of sleep. Em

Hi,
I am in the U.S. and have two docs monitoring my generic treatment-my local, long-time GP-who diagnosed me, and my GI, who has written me 3 scripts for HCV treatments , which she fought like hell to get approved for me, but were denied after exhausting the appeals process. When I told them my plan to import ditectly from Mesochem, the GI said fine, as long as she could monitor the tx. So my GP orders the blood work, checks it out and sends the results to my GI several hundred miles away. We did a pre test and will do a 4 week, 12 week,12 week post and 12 month post tests.
Now, my GI said the tests were for two reasons:
1. To see if the virus is being destroyed effectively
2. See if these really new and really powerful drugs are having some strange impact on something else, like glucose or potatsium levels, for example-all those things they can check that have norms.
That’s what they told me the monitoring was all about in MY situation: F-1, Tx naive, good health, vl-1.6 million, 62 yo.
Good luck!
Mike