Thanks MtG, that’s good advice and indeed it may become necessary to put it to use with my specialist, since he seems to think otherwise regarding what’s required, or the “norm” for EOT testing. Everything I’ve ever read says 4 and 12 weeks after EOT.
I’m waiting to hear back from the office per my request. I have a feeling I’ll get the 4 wk test as requested. If not I’ll order it myself and submit it to my insurance company myself with the reminders you’ve suggested concerning how much money I’ve saved them already.

Thanks to you too Sven,
Very encouraging words from you. You’ve become a one man cheerleading section on the forum and I’m happy you’ve included me in your cheers.

Matt

Greetings to one and all,
I know this is just me but … I’m feeling guilty about my recent absences from the forum. Truth be told, life catches up to us all and as a few, (well, maybe just one of you) know, I had to briefly suspend my retirement from carpentry to help a former employer out. It came at a good time in a financial way for us but highlighted the fact that I’m not as young as I think I am and the work has proved harder than it used to be.
Also catching up to me is my treatment with the generic meds. I took my last pill Wednesday night.
It was, as others have said, mixed with emotions. I find myself in the unexpected circumstance of only having been tested at 3 weeks into treatment. “Unexpected” because originally my Family Practitioner, agreed to follow the testing guidelines as outlined in the Redemption e-trials, then decided to give my Hep C specialist the prerogative to make those decisions. He has decided to wait until 12 weeks after EOT to test. Since I have an appointment scheduled with FP 3 weeks after EOT including standard blood work, I’ve rescheduled that to coincide with 4 weeks after EOT and test to include Hep C levels as well. Have not heard back concerning the blood test request. Hopefully a on that.
Overall, I feel great, despite the return to work. Needed to get off my duff anyway.

And now, this I feel impelled to write,
I really appreciate what you’re accomplishing here Dr. Freeman. Thanks to you, GP2U, and MonkMed for making this all possible. Words come hard, (I’m looking back at this post posting, and see that last bit … not so much as I thought) and you’ve heard them all before I know … I guess this must be in a sense, what it feels like to be a kid on the “Make a Wish” program that has been granted his wildest dream to come true. The ones who stepped forward, like yourself, Greg Jeffries and all those who bravely tested the waters for the rest of us and accepted the risks involved, (highly publicized and exaggerated by the Pharmaceutical giants as they were/are), and in spite of it started treatment. I’ve seen you referred to as Dr. Freeman’s “guinea pigs” but I prefer to compare you to the volunteer test pilots of our modern era, and not as witless animals, unaware of your potential fate as you march off to the lab. It indeed takes the same kind of well thoughtout courage and will that it took to step into those cockpits and cabins, not entirely sure how the test would end. Still you stepped up and made that choice. I will always be humbled and grateful for your selflessness and bravery in doing so. Thank you, to those who’ve been there from the beginning and who remain here, steadfast in your support of those of us who arrived later. Giving of your time, your experience, your knowledge, but even more so, sharing of yourselves, personally and literally to help total strangers feel like long lost friends. You may never truly understand the impact you’ve had/have on those who’ve landed here. We come from different countries with different customs and life experience but with one common goal that unites us like family, stopping Hepatitis C, in all its types and manifestations from killing us, and to support each other in the battle however we can on this forum.
You, “old hands” and not so, “old hands” from what we here affectionately refer to as the, “land down under”, I’m sure you’re familiar with the term are among those who went before many of us, and I single you out because you are among the most supportive who post here. You are the “best of the best” IMHO .. and I want to express that to you personally. Thank ye from a Yankee!
Thank you for this forum, especially those who moderate it and work all of us through the “glitches” common to such technology and those that can only be attributed to the “human factor”. I’ve PM’d some of you my thoughts toward you, but let me publicly praise you all for your self sacrificing attitude toward this forum and your indispensable place here and in my heart. Your efforts here are one of the foremost reasons I was able to place my confidence in Dr. Freeman and Fixhepc. In no small way I owe you a debt of gratitude I can only repay in these words and in whatever way I can pay it forward by continuing to support your completely volunteer work here.
Done for now.

Matt