That’s just WONDERFUL news Cindi, for you and your family and all your Hep C friends here.

I feel uplifted, inspired and heartwarmed.

Yes V, I remember lining up for TB vaccinations at school. Australia in the 1960s.

As for stigma, I had an ugly experience yesterday at the chemist. I was there with my elderly mother who was filling a script. It’s a busy pharmacy adjacent to a busy bulk-billing (ie free) medical clinic on the border of Queensland and NSW.

While waiting I heard the senior pharmacist complaining to another elderly customer about the new Hep C medications. How they cost her $22,000 for each 12 week treatment. How she refuses to stock them. How ‘they’ don’t deserve to get medication on the PBS when ‘they’ are responsible for getting Hep C in the first place.

I was dumbstruck. I didn’t expect to hear such malicious misinformation from a health professional, or in such a public way.

So I took her aside and let her know I strongly disagreed with her views. How for a start not everyone with Hep C got it from using drugs (the faces of Lynne and Tina helped me along here, as I tried to shove my own guilt aside). How the new meds are saving lives.

Her response was about how much her husband’s cancer and chemo treatment are costing, while ‘those drug addicts at Mirikai’ (a Gold Coast rehab) pay only $6.20. I didn’t think to say sorry about your husband. Maybe that would have softened this stressed out, angry and intolerant person. Or not…

Instead I pointed out that her attitude is discriminatory, and exited with ‘someone in your position should know better than to mouth off like that’. My blood was boiling.

Do I take this further? Name and shame? Complain to the Health Care Complaints Commission? Or let it go as another sad example of human ignorance?

To remove the stigma of Hep C, perhaps we need to remove Hep C.

Hi Cindi, here’s one for you and J and all youngsters living with Hep C – a successful trial of DAAs on adolescents, from EASL 2016:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/eaft-nsd041216.php

May all children be cured of HCV.

Thanks for the link Johnboy, excellent article.

From another press release:

“Our interim data suggests a potential solution for Hepatitis C patients in areas where treatment access has been restricted as a result of the high prices demanded for branded treatment,” said Dr James Freeman, of GP2U Telehealth, Hobart, Australia and lead author of the study. “At the price level of generic direct-acting antivirals, treating the entire global Hepatitis C epidemic could be financially feasible. Furthermore, if a patient is cured of Hepatitis C, there is evidence for improved survival, and lower risks of liver cancer and liver cirrhosis and cured patients could return to work, delivering further economic benefits to society.”

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/eaft-lgd040816.php

I just found this thread. After following the doc’s links I wonder if I have Cryoglobulinemia (creepy name ).

One week into sof/dac I got a single purple blotch on my shin that grew to the size of a crumpet, was insanely itchy, hot, and red turning to purple. It lasted a couple of weeks and vanished. I put it down to the meds.

Around New Years, week 11, several more appeared on my upper back and shoulders. I remember the first one distinctly, I was in Aldi, and thought a spider had hidden in my shirt… until several more appeared in the next few days. It was nearly EOT and I was probably over-treating by about 4 weeks anyway. So I put it down to the meds.

And now, to celebrate SVR12, some beauties have appeared mid-back and smaller versions on left arm. Can I still put it down to the meds?

Creatinine is still on the low side, any relevance?

Fantastic news Paul!

Congratulations Ken.

Thanks everyone, your support stokes my fires.

Yes GAJ, feeling like dancing – that smidgen of doubt gone for good now. illy:' />

Lynne, the doc has my results on the GP2U file, which I’ll update with the SVR12 very soon.

Thanks for the app LG – on the way there I found the EASL facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/EASL-The-Home-of-Hepatology-111174402293114/

More excited about Barcelona than my results now!