We referred to is as being “the dope on the rope” rather than anything so fancy.

I fly hang gliders so am used to being in the air with not much else around, but I have to tell you the best bit is getting your hands onto the big bird and dragging yourself in!

Hello Trueblue85,

One of the reasons I stay involved in generic Hep C treatment (now that Australia has open access to the medications) is that in over 2 decades of clinical medicine I have never seen such amazing medications. My father likens it to the invention of penicillin.

Most student doctors have this dream of doing secret doctor stuff and making patients better. The reality is a bit different…

With DAAs I can give patients back their health. That makes them feel good, they usually say thanks, and that makes me feel good. Helping patients get treated, whether that is with originator or generic medication has been the highlight of my medical career, although this bit was fun too…

Hi John,

The usual case is that the ALT is higher than the AST.

When the AST becomes greater than the ALT we say “The AST/ALT ratio has flipped” or in the terms you’re using the AST/ALT goes from < 1 to > 1 because the AST is the bigger number.

It’s a rule of thumb rather than a hard and fast thing. We see the AST > ALT mostly in cirrhotics with Hep C but alcohol and fatty liver can also cause it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AST/ALT_ratio

It’s nothing more than a rough measure.

Hi John,

No, it should not be a problem for the treatment per se.

Long-term, carrying the extra weight wears out your lower back, hips and knees and we only get issued with one set per person.

I’m happy to share the standard advice I give patients about how to move the needle and keep it moving.

Hello and thanks to everyone who welcomed me.

Unfortunately I have been a patient of not only the HepC ‘not sick enough’ but also other medical ailments. In the UK we have, for many years now, had a National Sick Service which only serves a few people well.
I worked in the NHS for many years and have seen it personally. I get very irate about people having no treatment when they are mildly ill so that they can get back to work and pay taxes. The Governments are blind as well as stupid.

I lost a young friend of 42yrs, a mother who was treated so badly by the NHS, given incomplete biopsies which made her worse, put in gauze which they then could not remove and eventually giving her old pharmaceuticals because her consultant wanted to prove he could still use them regardless of killing his patients and then refusing to put a drain in for her and instead putting her through the agony of punching holes in her every week to drain off the fluids their mishandling had caused. It was pure torture.

I am so grateful for the HepC Trust in the UK who pointed me in your direction, for my Prof Rosenberg who encouraged me to go to you for my medicines because he has been trying for a year to get NHS England to approve my therapy (which they would not), and of course to Dr Freeman for his perseverance and dedication to eradicating this disease.

My medicine arrived within days, the chatline were extremely helpful and efficient and I have just received my consultant’s letter saying that “there is a dramatic fall in the viral load”.

I cannot say enough thank yous to FixHepC. Thank you, thank you…….
My best wishes to everyone in their continued efforts.

Hi John,

90%+ of all patients sail through treatment with minimal or no drama.

For a small % they do get side effects.

Unless you have end-stage liver disease it is highly unlikely you will require the services of a hospital during treatment.

The treatment is unlikely to make you unwell so you could start now without a high probability of having any issues.

The only way to have a 100% probability is to start after your trip but chances are treatment will make you feel better rather than worse.