Forum Replies Created

Viewing 15 posts - 526 through 540 (of 543 total)
1 2 3 … 35 36 37
  • Author
    Posts
  • 2 November 2015 at 5:42 am in reply to: Radio National #3188
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    A degree in business management and PR is probably what they’d prefer lol

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    2 November 2015 at 3:10 am in reply to: Tinnitus #3183
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    Thanks LondonGirl, and the same to you.

    I agree that GPs seem a lot less ‘hands-on’ these days…and what investigations they have once done now tend to be farmed out to a variety of specialists, all at extra cost. Look for the old school docs who still have a handbasin in their surgeries heh

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    2 November 2015 at 2:52 am in reply to: Liver Clinics and Generic Rebels #3182
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    That great news you can get the help you need now Joan, before your condition worsens. I daresay you ware right that the reason the clinic wasn’t amenable to my suggesting treatment is that my disease progression isn’t very significant yet – but that is heartening that they are assisting some patients and haven’t put the blinkers on re generics. Good to hear.

    I hope all goes well with your treatment too, best of luck :)

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    1 November 2015 at 3:37 pm in reply to: Radio National #3168
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    ^ *crickets*

    Who is really surprised?

    Thank you unearthing that info, Dr Freeman.

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    1 November 2015 at 2:47 pm in reply to: Eight week treatment #3164
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    Outstanding news johnboy, and congratulations!

    Its nothing short of miraculous to read of the success stories posted here,..yeah the stats on paper are impressive but to read of you guys real-world successes, well its amazing tbh

    I can only wish everyone here going for treatment the best of luck :)

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    1 November 2015 at 11:04 am in reply to: Tinnitus #3151
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    Definitely makes sense to treat a bit more of the patient as a whole, yes. And if you can unearth a good GP this will be taken into account. Just making the point that I’ve never experienced that in a liver clinic. And strangely enough I have also lost about 5kg since last March (apparently, as I never weigh myself lol)

    Received the same instruction to ‘eat more’ too heh…but in my case I’ve had other health issues which have kept me inside and inactive for most of this year, which wouldn’t help.

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    1 November 2015 at 8:25 am in reply to: Liver Clinics and Generic Rebels #3144
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk
    Joan wrote:

    Hello Vicki
    Good to hear your story and that you persevered despite the discrimination. Also good to hear Geelong hospital have come on board and are supportive. Its a matter of education..even for the ‘Experts’. I am waiting for Sof/Dac to arrive, in approx 2-3 weeks. I have support through my medical team at RPA liver clinic Sydney. They are treating other people who have accessed their own drugs. I would have found it very hard to take the drugs without their support. My specialist didn’t provide me with a script, I saw my GP who wrote one for me, very willingly.
    I wish you well.

    That’s great to hear Joan. I have to say I was given the opposite impression by my doc at RPA, admittedly I am not in a bad way as yet with F0 so maybe that makes the difference – but she definitely tried to dissuade me of the idea of accessing generics…it was more of the ‘Wait, everybody will get it on the PBS early next year’. Although she has been saying that since 2013 heh

    So I will likely be doing treatment alone with GP monitoring…I’m glad that you have had a more positive experience :)

    And a great outcome for you Vicki, hope everything goes well.
    .

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    1 November 2015 at 8:13 am in reply to: Radio National #3143
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    Just catching up a bit late on some of the forum threads; this was a great interview by Dr Freeman, a breath of fresh air compared to the seemingly wilful mass self-delusion perpetuated by those in the Hep C ‘industry’ like Helen Tyrell. When I started yelling at the computer is when I realised this is why I’ve stopped watching the news on TV :pinch:

    She really refused to address the fact that its simply not affordable to treat everyone…or even a fraction of everyone. The same illogical mantra being peddlled to keep those afflicted thinking there is some publicly-funded hope..do they think there would be rioting in the streets if we were told the truth? I wonder. She is indeed living in a fantasy world if she thinks Gilead will drop their pricing so catastrophically…not with a $5 bil profit over the last quarter lol

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    1 November 2015 at 4:38 am in reply to: Tinnitus #3137
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    Also interested in the possibility of treatment improving tinnitus, and it makes logical sense that the brain would “fill in” any hearing loss with its own “white noise”. I’ve had a roughly 70-80 yo hearing level dating from when I contracted an ear infection at age 6 which knocked out the higher registers,. So I guess tinnitus is just as ‘normal’ to me as not being able to hear speech when there is competing background noises, birds etc. I got hearing aids a couple of years ago and was startled to learn that you can hear your feet hitting the ground when you walk lol

    Stress is another factor I’d always suspected had an influence on it too, good call on that emilio. I’ve lived through some pretty traumatic circumstances and at those times the tinnitus has elevated to sound like loud, high-pitched screaming. I’d be interested to see if treatment would lessen any of what I experience, and whether any of it might be due to hep C.

    LondonGirl wrote:

    Thanks Cue, I don’t really ‘do’ sugar – and recent bloods show VitB12 at normal levels.
    It seems, when the body is fighting toxic substances and virus, tinnitus can present itself, as well as other reasons which I believe should be checked with basic observations.

    I find it really odd that in England, in 18 months of being diagnosed, I have only ever had one thorough basic observations done.

    Well for what its worth LondonGirl, I don’t think I’ve had any thorough investigations past a yearly (or fewer sometimes) basic LFT in 25 years since diagnosis. Certainly no one has ever bothered to ask much about diet, beyond a couple of general questions. ..I don’t think its that uncommon.

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    1 November 2015 at 2:10 am in reply to: 24 week Sof, Led with 12 week Riba #3130
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    A very interesting and pertinent question.

    Like you, LondonGirl, though not particularly short I am quite a lightweight and find it difficult to put any mass on. Having had a run if hep C-unrelated health issues this year has seen me spending much of the time since March lying down, which of course hasn’t helped.

    Its not only weight which is a factor in dosage, but also age and the effect of a decreased metabolism. My 92 yo mother cannot tolerate even the smallest dosage of blood pressure meds sometimes and must try and cut the pills otherwise it falls to disturbingly low levels.

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    31 October 2015 at 7:01 pm in reply to: Poor Poor Gilead Ruined by Generics???? #3122
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    Almost $5 bil in 3 months???

    Egad :blink:

    And they have the barefaced gall to try and squeeze Govts on pricing…..

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    31 October 2015 at 2:52 am in reply to: Can hep C cause strange symptoms? #3099
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk

    I’m in Sydney.

    Yes I’d read that the Bangladesh meds are a little more cost-effective, wonder if the Indian ones will be comparable. I had a look at Greg Jeffreys site; it seems that exporting from Bangladesh has more difficulties, maybe why people are hanging out for Harvoni from India instead.

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    31 October 2015 at 1:29 am in reply to: Can hep C cause strange symptoms? #3095
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk
    Paul-Jarman-facebook wrote:

    I’f you have the cash to get the generics I would do so now Zhuk, as Dr John Freeman said in the radio national interview they are living in cuckoo land if they think the new meds will be listed in the PBS anytime soon !

    I’ve been getting the wait it’s coming for years now and just been getting sicker and sicker. There is no difference between the generics and the “genuine” meds. The generics work and you will get rid of the disease unless your very lucky and won’t have to speak to your specialist again.

    cheers

    Hi Paul, thanks too for your reply

    It really seems to be ‘ostrich-territory’ with them on this, doesn’t it? Bury their heads in the sand against all logical argument…I wonder what my doctor would have said if I’d been facing a cirrhosis diagnosis – you can still afford to wait? I guess she would :blink:

    As far as financially accessing it goes, I am on a disability pension so those sorts of funds are beyond my reach, however my mother (who is also a pensioner) has said that maybe she could liquidate some investments she has, so it could be doable in that respect. Right at the moment I have another pressing health issue to address, hopefully it will turn out to be the best case scenario and can be dealt with asap – then I will have to start sorting out everything that is necessary to look into treatment. Which seems to be a fair bit heh. I will also run the idea past my (newly acquired) GP and see if she is favourable to the idea.

    Just as an offhand question (now my mind is turning over the options seriously!), having read that India will kick off the production of Harvoni around late Nov or December does anyone have opinions on whether it is better to source from China or India? Realising that one comes in tableted form and the other an API.

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    31 October 2015 at 1:07 am in reply to: Can hep C cause strange symptoms? #3093
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk
    Chester wrote:

    Get treated now zhuk. Doctors telling you it’s ok to wait because you’re F0 should be ashamed of themselves. Hep C is a global infectious disease epidemic. When a cure comes along regardless of the infectious disease, we used to know how to deal with it ie. Treat everyone asap. We did it with polio. We did it with smallpox. Maybe because of the effectiveness of vaccines we’ve forgotten how to address these problems.

    I think there are compelling reasons for everyone to get treatment. They just differ from individual to individual. So the decompensated cirrhotic needs to get treated so they don’t die. For me, borderline F3/4, I needed to get treated before I developed full blown cirrhosis. You, like all of us will never got the years of lost quality of life back. But your compelling reason is that you can walk away from this with virtually no lasting liver damage if you get treatment now.

    IMHO doctors like yours who are peddling false hope to people about their chance of treatment are completely irresponsible. If and when the drugs go on the PBS, I’ll be very, very surprised if you can access them. Hell, I was told ages ago I’d only have a pretty good chance of getting them.

    Hi Chester, many thanks for your comments and encouragement.

    Yes it doesn’t make any sense, does it? This is what I couldn’t seem to get across to the doc yesterday – that I am unlikely to come under the criteria for treatment, if it does go through. Yet she insisted in a rather blase way that no everyone would have access to it, If we look at the two comparable countries who have certified these drugs for use, Canada & the UK, they have a triaged system of need deciding who gets treatment – its not a free for all there, so how someone can believe that it would be so here, well its a bit beyond me really lol

    I am very glad that you were able to get treated, being at that borderline fibrosis stage! Hope you are continuing to do well :)

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

    30 October 2015 at 5:04 pm in reply to: Can hep C cause strange symptoms? #3076
    Avatar photozhuk
    • Guardian Angel
    • ★★★★★
    @zhuk
    Joy wrote:

    Yes the same old conservative stance from your good doctor. Wait…wait…wait…

    I agree with Alsdad, jump in and fix yourself NOW.

    It’s LIBERATING.

    Thank you so much for your reply also Joy.

    Funny you should say that, heh…the doc has been saying just that since the end of 2013….first of all that new meds are coming, probably the beginning of 2014…then wait for the TGA approval…then wait for the PBS recommendation…now wait it will be passed by Cabinet and likely be the beginning of *next* year…for all patients, what’s more

    When all possible logic suggests otherwise Lol

    I am going to have to think seriously about it yes, I agree with you. Lots to think about, and consider.

    Thank you everybody for such warm welcomes to the forum on my first outing…its really appreciated :)

    GT1a since 1988, diagnosed 1990
    F0, tx naive
    VL 262,000 ALT 40 AST 26 GGT 13 Fibroscan 04/12/15 – 2.9
    Started Mesochem sof/dac 12 weeks 01/01/2016
    11/02/2016 – 6 weeks UNDETECTED
    AST 26
    ALT 26

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 15 posts - 526 through 540 (of 543 total)
1 2 3 … 35 36 37