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I was saying that at the end of week two still no side effects. Well I was too quick too jump in the happy boat. Week 3 & am low on energy but really that is not a big deal. My blood tests so far are positive. My treatment is only 12 weeks.Only a short time, Christmas without this Hep C which I've had for 20 odd years will be the best present ever.
Thanks Marianne, that's very kind of you. If I can make one more suggestion, head to the Hep Forums - there are people there at virtually every point on the treatment continuum, from thinking about it, to having finished it. They have lots of great advice about treatment with Harvoni, Viekira Pak and a few other combos. It's really worth joining up and reading the conversations.
Thank you for writing this! I've been looking for exactly this with no luck, until now! Starting Viekira and Ribavirin in a few days. This is scary and exciting at the same time. Predominantly, dread of the unknown and the side effects at this particular moment. But, I want real info. God bless you for sharing!
I managed to get on the first compassionate access program (cirrhosis), and yes, very lucky. I was still clear at 4 weeks post treatment (SVR4), which has high reliability for success. I still feel good so it augurs well. Test for SVR12 later this month. Grace, I think it's great you're doing this treatment blog, and I do hope you'll stick with it, however if you're feeling lonely in your situation I recommend checking out the Hepatitis C Australasia forums (sponsored by Hepatitis NSW). Excellent forums with a number of people currently on these meds. Here's a link: https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhepcaustralasia.org%2F&ei=8N0dVbbJHoGA8gXp6YFI&usg=AFQjCNFcM59cGMBBFuzVZ4nDo6x30ZxFSA&sig2=661cSSwDnjSV0jx9NopXhg&bvm=bv.89947451,d.dGc
Thanks Lucinda and Dalllas. I am having routine blood tests at the end of two weeks. That will be Tuesday. It should have been Monday but - Easter, public holidays, etc etc etc. Dallas, I appreciate your insights into treatment! I'm sure you'd agree that it's lonely being in the Aussie Minority in terms of people accessing this treatment and all the unknowns! But on the other hand, how lucky are we?
I'm about 9 weeks post-treatment with the same drugs. A pill box really is a good idea, and luckily I had one from the first time I treated (IFN/riba) back in '05. Found it invaluable. You should get a routine blood panel at the end of week 2. A bilirubin spike is common with these meds. I had one, though less than twice baseline, which wasn't too bad. Resolved with continuing treatment. I had some minor nausea early on, about 2-3/10, so not too bad, however the fatigue some days in the second half of the regimen (I did 12 weeks) was quite bad. Lots of afternoon naps... Generally speaking though my general cognition improved lots as the virus declined, and my general mood lifted a lot. I'd been a bit depressed, probably for years, and didn't realise it until it began to lift. All the best, Grace, from a fellow Aussie.
Great tip on the pill box. Hope you get that bilirubin checked out soon.
Grace Campbell
Great news about your blood test results Warwick! I found week 3 a real killer too. The ribavirin dropped my haemoglobin and I was a bit of a wreck. We have to play the long game, and christmas virus-free sounds pretty good to me! Best wishes. :)
October 16, 2015