Hello Chejai,

I enjoyed the Southerly change Friday night too – what a stinker the day was! We must live in similar latitudes.

I took the last of my first 12 weeks Sof/dac this morning and enjoyed a good time with family and some friends on my birthday!

The odd physical feelings you talk about are familiar but a distant memory now. Appears you too are on the mend!

The emotional stuff? I am lucky enough to have not been touched by losing close relatives; the now feeling a bit overwhelmed is something I share though. I know that my liver is damaged, but being told last week my VL=UND, it is also a like being set free in the middle of the night on a dark country road by kidnappers!

I was/am grateful for all the people who posted their experiences on this site about their side effects (you too) as this normalised what was happening to me. Look forward to reading your continuing posts as you get better.

Yours J.

Hi Tomas and Alsdad,

So I am attempting to encourage others to take as much control of their health as possible, while acknowledging that new DDAs are the magic bullet for the outstanding obstacle of HCV which is otherwise beyond our control.

I have always fought with depression yet mostly remained productive throughout, but what a hellish existence it has been to fight something you cannot beat; HCV. A race towards the freedom from HCV, against the march of passing years and aging, produces an ever shrinking oasis; a portion of ones life free from ailments, in which the individual can flourish.

Says it all.

The last sentence about the potentially ‘new found oasis’ is something I expect we may hear more of as people move through UND to 12 SVR then 24 SVR.

Cancer may be a word, but for me HepC feels like it has been a sentence. The disease, no matter how much the medicos have tried to make it not so, has been disenfranchised from the mainstream. The feelings post Hep C, perhaps similar to grief, need not be disenfranchised as well if people like you continue to share their thoughts.

Reading an article last year in the Sydney Morning herald about Dr Freeman and Greg Jeffries has given me better health since early November 2015 through to now and I hope beyond. If it is a second chance, I agree that I have to make the best for it: – for me, family, those who may have stuck their necks out, and the people like you who share their thoughts here.

Yours

J.

P.S.

I also remember my last DRP. I thought I had lost the plastic handle, that is until I was on the ground and found the handle still sitting there on the harness. I had yanked the velcro strip open instead.

Stayed mute about that and used two hands for the first 3 sec delay and consequently was pointing straight down when the bag left my back going between and hitting my lower legs on the way though. It was in interesting commotion when the canopy opened and the shroud lines started spreading.

Quite a day to remember, that one, in the mid 1980’s.

Hi Chejaj,

a lot of the ‘side effects’ mentioned on this forum seem familiar to me. What I found is that they were so indistinct that by the time I could put a finger on them, they had gone.

By end of week 1, I had discovered a life free of fatigue. The wanting to have a snooze come back later though – because I was more active? Now I am again fatigue less which is good as after all the rain the yard is overgrown.

Maybe there is some emotional catchup as well. Prior to going on treatment my AFP levels were high and my G.P. concerned about this being real bad news for my liver. Last year I was focussed on how I could manage for my family as I felt my working career was going to be very restricted. Now it isn’t (I hope).

With treatment and the LFT’s looking more like normal (after 25 years) you get the idea that there is some silver lining. It is always then the submerged feelings of grief will surface?

These observations are just mine and tempered by my own ability to quickly turn up at my G.P. if I sniff something is going wrong for me.

I also think this forum is a good safety net for people on treatment – you can voice a concern and others will quickly offer some advice/explanation from their own experience/learning, and most importantly a heads up that you should see a medico if needed.

Best wishes on your journey

J.

“One of the first things a teacher must realize:

It may have been said before, but I think the information in the signatures on this site speak volumes and people surely must notice them?

J.

Hello,

a good indicator of assessing what is going on here on this site, is to look at people’s “signatures” below their posts.

People often post their treatment journey and will comment about VL (viral load). – Look for the ‘UND’ – you will know what it stands for.

Yours

J.

Hi Kevin,

“I’m bringing this up because I’m very concerned about what will happen when we start succeeding in reaching the larger numbers out there and they simply can’t figure the whole process out by reading this forum. There are not enough of us here to hold all their hands.”

I read the first part of your post and it is a good way of understanding how unfortunately the world operates most of the time.

The second part above begs the question of what should the individual do about it. At this time, I am just trying to get better and while doing so I am aware that:

1. people in other countries that should know better cannot access the meds for financial reasons (read gouging).
2. people in a lot of other less well off countries will have trouble affording meds anything – perhaps as our demand pushes local prices up?

and

3. lots of people will not get the message too soon an live lesser lives in the meantime.

So? I guess I rationalise my own actions as me getting better somewhat ‘in public’. Anyone who has been involved in my treatment will know who I am from my signature and posts anyhow – if they read this forum.

I have mentioned in a rambling way in other topics that I feel an obligation to ‘get better’ for reasons of family and not expecting the rest of society to carry me if I get seriously unwell. A bit pious but not judgemental about others – just a statement about being a good citizen with I think a strong correlation with others who give their time (much more than I do) to post their support for each other on this forum. This obligation extends to governments helping as best they can like happened here in AUS.

There is a trite little dog here the Superannuation companies use in advertisements: “from little things big things grow.’ There is someone else from the USA who just posted on this forum that they had got their meds from the same place I did here in AUS.

Yours

J.

It was easy for me being Gen 3; I think I dropped out at part (V) – which is fair enough?

I expect everyone else will have to read further on to reach their exit point.

Yours

J.

P.S.

I did notice that following V there was no VI and it went to VII??

I was assuming they are attempting to use Roman numerals?

Hi Splitdog,

forgot to mention in my post my good wishes for you in treatment. I got my sof/dac from the same place and you can see from my signature below things are travelling well. I am Gen 3a Hep C.

Hope/know you will be in a good place in a few weeks.

This forum is a good place for information – particularly for all the stuff we never ask our doctors or don’t get to ask until the next appointment in three months. In that way it is probably a good safety net as well.

Yours

J.