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I contracted HCV as a teenager; carried it around for 40 years; killed it last year with EPCLUSA; my liver tests reflect zero (0) damage; and I succeeded in my ultimate goal—-getting an insurer to issue the key man life coverage that I needed.
So, I am just one of those blessed people for which HCV has no negative consequences. I thought that it simply carried no symptoms for me………….until I applied to renew my expired U.S. Passport.
The passport photograph of the 2005 Tigerfan reflects a knarled, wrinkled, conflicted face, while the 2019 passport photograph reflects a man clearly 20 years younger. The contrast can only be explained by the absence of the bug.
Good luck to all!
Tigerfan
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.Thanks to all for the responses, which is what I expected–the nature of the HCV virus is something different than bugs for which inoculation is traditionally effective.
(The motive for my question was purely academic— I had no intention of revisiting behaviors which are high risk for contracting the virus on the naïve belief that I was immune).
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.So, Dr. James (and anyone else with knowledge of the subject):
Louis Pasteur barely missed the guillotine because of his heresy which evolved into modern day immunology. Much like the small pox and polio antibodies that are in my body, so are HCV antibodies generated from the 40 years that the virus was active in my body.
Under basic principles of immunology, does SVR not mean that I am immune from further HCV infection? Or, is this virus different from the many other bugs for which I have been innoculated?
Tiger Fan
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.27 August 2018 at 4:36 pm in reply to: after treatment ends how long till i feel normal and have energy #28509I had HCV for 40+ years, commenced Epclusa in February of this year, had my first UND a month later, and expect to have SVR next month.
My physical lifestyle involves swim, bike, run, and I had to stop all of that about one month into treatment because the Epclusa made me so dehydrated. It is only now that I am getting close to the shape that I was in a year ago.
So, my non-medical opinion is that eliminating the virus after 40 years requires months of readjustment simply because your body is dealing with a different metabolism.
L
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.I received my latest Undetected test on 8.1.18, 3 months after EOT. Another Undetected test late next month and I will be at SVR.
Thanks for the great service, support, and information that is provided through this venue!
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.Nick-
A February, 2007 article from the Mayo Clinic touts Lactoferrin and Phosphatidylcholine as supplements which protect the liver. I am convinced that my use of these and other widely recognized supplements (Milk Thistle, Dandelion, Artichoke) protected my liver from damage that would otherwise be caused by HCV.
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.Nick-
Like you, I contracted the virus when I was a teenager. (I will be 60 in December).
I started the pills on 2.5.18, and was undetected 4 weeks later. My abdominal scan reflects no damage to my liver.
Scrape up the money for the medication, let the Doc and others on this website mentor your treatment, and you will be fine.
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.Thanks, Doc. That information is very helpful as I plan my post-treatment regimen.
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.I’ve got 51 Epclusa pills down, 23 to go, estimated EOT of April 28. UND at 4 weeks, pristine abdominal scan. I am blessed.
Now my focus is how soon I can get the Epclusa out of my system after April 28. My only side effects are (i) a bizarre dehydration which keeps me from spending more than 30 minutes in HR zone 3, and (ii) boundless HR zone 1 and 2 energy, which I suppose could be considered to be insomnia.
It sounds from others here that it only takes a few days to clear out. It would be good to get a long, hard ride in the weekend after 4.28.
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.A July, 2002 study published in the Digest of Liver Diseases concludes as follows:
“Assessment of liver echogenicity is of value for detection or exclusion of moderate to pronounced fatty infiltration (correct classification 86.6%), but cannot be relied upon in diagnosing fibrosis, not even cirrhosis in asymptomatic patients with mild to moderately elevated transaminases”.
So, I may just walk down to the GI Clinic and see if they will sell me a $65 Fibroscan in the next few weeks.
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.John-
The test is labeled a “US Abdomen Complete”.
Do you have any insight as to the reliability of this test?
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.Here is what I think, my friends:
1. I benefited from contracting the virus in my teens because it allowed the time to permit my juvenile immune system to get stronger as it grew into an adult immune system.
2. After the non-responsiveness to the 2002 F-2 score and Interferon Treatment, I educated myself and changed my diet to significantly include available trial-proven foods and supplements conducive to protecting the liver- milk thistle, dandelion, beets, avocados, etc. Somewhere out there is a study concluding that Phosphatidylcholine (a lecithin derivative) reverses fibrosis; I have been taking it for 15 years.
#1 is a non-scientific hunch derived from the fact that I am a Keith Richards fan. I’ll bet I could get #2 admitted as evidence in a court of law that Phosphatidylcholine does indeed reverse fibrosis.
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.Thanks Doc. I will denote my TO DO List to be thankful, happy, and commit to help others with HCV.
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.To my Knowledgeable Friends whose opinions I respect:
My US Abdomen Complete scan results reflect that my liver has “Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.
Should I be (i) skeptical and order another type of test, or (ii) thankful, happy, and commit to helping others with HCV?
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”.Yesterday I (i) received my 4 week VL results reflecting HCV as undetected, and (ii) had a full abdominal MRI Scan to determine my liver damage after 40 years of the virus.
While the technician was scanning my liver (which I could see in the screen on the wall), I joked that I didn’t see any damage. The technician didn’t either. If I understood the call from the NP this morning, both he and the radiologist thinks my liver is pristine–no damage at all. I will see the results of the scan in a few days.
After a liver biopsy in 2003, I was diagnosed as F-2. After 15 more years of the virus, I was prepared for more serious damage.
So, to follow up the previous poster, is there something odd/unreliable/inconsistent, etc. with these diagnostic tests?
1970’s-Bad behavior as a teenager.
2001- Insurance Company denies coverage due to HCV positive
2002- Another HCV positive reading and referral to liver doctor.
2003-Commence Interferon Combination treatment. VL 205,088 after 3 months. Doctor says stop.
2007-VL 1,045,320.
2017-VL 3,121,174.
2.5.18-Commenced generic Epclusa.
3.7.18- VL Undetected!
3.13.18-US Abdomen Complete scan reflects Normal echogenicity with no mass detected. No dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts”. -
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