Thanks Jill, Tig and Wendy. I feel very lucky to be surrounded by this group of people - my massage was helpful and I did half an hour if some basic yoga with her too. I don't really think the pain I'm in has anything to do with treatment, but regardless if its cause, I've got to become more determined to overcome it as I want to enjoy this post treatment - just one last hill to get there!

so good to see your blood improving Anna. Tingling anti dragon juice sounds like it's hitting the spot. 

Syd

Looking Good Anna,

Keep up the good fight!

SF

Hi Anna, those numbers are looking very good indeed, and have dropped down to well within normal range.

I love your imagery, there`s a battle going on and I think I know who`s going to be the winner!

Good luck for Thursday, let us know when you get the news! 

Nice drop on ALT / AST Anna! It is working well!

JimmyK

Side effects 3 weeks in to Harvoni?  None to speak of.  Sometimes I feel like my body is buzzing.  I call it electric blood.  It's not uncomfortable.  I just imagine it's the Harvoni in my bloodstream getting to every nook and cranny with sword in hand.  My ALT/AST on 3/31/16 before SOT (4-18-16) went from 52/40 to 18/16 yesterday.  I see doc Thursday for viral load and my refill for my next month, then cross fingers to be done.  I hope for good news Thursday.  Thank you all.  Even if I only post rarely, I'm reading forum posts often.  The good news just keeps rolling in! Anna

Hello Sister Syd.

I don't talk much about my realities at EOT last time around, nor the weeks leading up to it. And I don't intend to do so now other than to say I understand what you are saying.

Fast forward a bit less than 5 months now I can tell you for a certainty, it gets better. Clouds do pass and birds do sing, all in their season. 

JimmyK

Syd hope the masseuse appointment was a tad bit enjoyable. When I was on interferon and riba I got them monthly to help rid my body of the toxins. That with the water helped flush. And dang it, it felt good! You deserve that. 

Hard to stay out of the ole noggin sometimes, but I tell myself to get out of there, its like being in a bad neighborhood! 

And it's ok to have a bad day now and then. Just try to not dwell there. 

HUGZ,

wendy

Hang on in there, Syd, you can do this! 

Every minute, every hour, every day you get through is a triumph of determination and another step towards your goal, and every day is another that you won`t have to go through again.

Try not to let stress and negativity enter your mind, your job is to look after yourself and do whatever it takes.  It won`t be much longer now, and you`ll look back and be very proud of yourself for what you`ve achieved, believe me...   

Thanks so much you guys.

Hi Syd,

The wait when you're this close to the finish line can be daunting if you allow it. Do your best to dispel the negatives and consider the benefits you will gain when this is over. You have some advanced liver damage, but there is every reason to be hopeful for improvement. 24 weeks of anything gets old, even if you're having fun doing it! You have an expectation of success and we do too. None of us should enter this journey not believing we will prevail. Our mind just naturally grows tired toward the end of treatment and not having any feedback through tests or rapid improvements can add to the doldrums. I understand that completely, just do your best to not let it ruin another day. This will be old news on the 28th, because that's the proverbial first day of your new life without Hep C. Plan on celebrating the day with us, Jimmy and Clyde are cooking!

Stay involved here and let us walk the rest of the way with you. We're in it to win it, with you on the throttle of this train! 

Syd,

It seems we spend so much time waiting, just waiting for everything and yes I found myself very apathetic especially in the last three weeks of TX. I did not post much but I read. I wanted to post but when it came time to, just, well you know.

We are all here to listen to the good, the bad and the ugly and personally I know it was you and the rest of this group that got me through my TX and will continue to get me through to hopefully SVR and beyond.

If I can even offer a fraction of what I have from this group, I feel good.

Take good care of yourself and keep us posted always.

SF

Hey Canuck,

You mentioned Iron Saturation that failed the first two times. In fact, they did not even mark that on the Req this time as they were interested in other things.

THAT being said, I had my physical a week before EOT and I got my GP to write all the Iron and LFT`s and a bunch more on that REQ ... 

I expect to have that blood work done tomorrow. So two weeks after EOT I will see another glimpse of what is going on and I have two more Req`s from my specialist that were for EOT and EOT + 4 .. that will now be EOT + 4 and EOT + 8 because I can. They wrote up a new one for EOT.

SF

Canuck, Sf, Jimmy,

its 9am and I still haven't got up. So enjoyed your description of Jimmy, Canuck - how do you manage to verbalise it all so well? Jimmy's answer too was a gem. So glad that your Mrs' bloods are showing such improvement too.

and yes I agree so strongly re results. I haven't seen any blood results - I can't even remember how long it's been. I had an ultra sound last week to check for fluid. I was secretly hoping that it had disappeared and that might mean my liver could already be classified as compensated rather than decompensated. Pretty significant difference - but no one to tell me what the results showed or when and if I will receive them. It really is debilitatingly depressing.

im not even really caring about the end of treatment any more.  What's that going to mean in terms of what I'm told? Just trying to cope with pain and fatigue as though they're unrelated to Hep C. It's a state of denial I'm pretty accustomed to anyway. Have another Appointment with medicinal masseuse today. She doesnt know I have hep c or am on treatment. And I can't see any point in telling her because I know virtually nothing about my state of health in that area. RIBA gave me the energy and aggro to fight to find out but now it's just apathy there. Fighting them for information which should be mine first, OP's later, is just too hard.

I have another appointment at hospital on Friday and I'm not going to waste half a day over there having a blood test done prior because they print the first page, if I'm lucky. Why should they get to flick impersonally over tests that im not privy to? 

geez, sorry, didn't take long for me to turn into a party pooper did it? 

Syd

ps. I'm better thinking about barbecues and Easter eggs it's true. 

Greetings Lil Sister.

It seems like yesterday, Carolyn and I were sitting on the bed and she was so scared after running out of excuses to put off "for just one more week until I..." She was terrified to start treatment but knew she had to.

For her the entire ride has been trouble free. She has done fantastic and now as of this morning is a mere 18 days from EOT. The drop in AST and ALT, the rise in Platelets, and of course the ever coveted UND at 4 weeks has all contributed to amazement at how foolish it is to fear treatment and cling to a Dragon. We both look forward to her EOT and ultimate victory wreath and yes that is approaching quickly now.

To those still struggling with seeking or starting treatment, you cannot win a race, if you don't run.

I must confess I am not quite a weird as I sometimes seem. To be honest, I am extremely purposeful. It is strange to think perhaps, but sometimes a distraction can get one back or more on course. 

What I like to do, and hope to succeed at it is get someone 3 minutes closer to their goal by distracting them from their current concerns. It is hard to dwell on your own problems when confronted by a guy who has adopted a rock.

If I intrude into your space for just a moment, and that space was dwelling on, how long the wait is, or how bad the rage is, or I hate this damn box of instant potatoes with all my heart and soul ! Then I have accomplished my purpose.

But I do draw the line when it must be drawn. There are limits to where Jimmy will go. I recognize I may skirt the very edge of the same but I know when enough is enough and  things are turning for the worse.There are some things that are out of my amateur abilities to deal with and if you are collecting Turkeys, please seek professional help.

Hey you read it but have to admit you are further down the tracks than when you began to read this.

Your Brother!

Jimmy

Hey big bro Jimmy,

Still chugging along eh? Been a real long ride for you. But it can't be too much longer for the Mrs. to be finished now though, is it?!! (I recall you saying that here somewhere?) - THAT will be a lovely day to look forward to SOON.

And, our lovely dacla lady syd must also be pretty soon to the finish line.

Your riba rides will soon be nothing but a fading memory, like a bad vacation. Harvoni and dacla must be more like going to Disneyland in comparison.

Yesserie, you're weird Jimmy, but I like you that way!!, dang, I actually prefer you that way, really wouldn't want you any other way, I might go so far as to insist on you being so (if I may be so bold), SOMEONE has to be both the fun kid AND the adult in the room, ALL at the same time (in my kind of family), or the world would just not-be-right!!. Like ... your penchant for inanimate objects and such (compulsive rock collecting, your watch addiction, BBQ hoarding, your candy egg fabrications/confabulations, pyromanical smoked meat obsessions?) - note - I do not even bring up you talking to rocks - don't worry about what other people think, I will keep you company - I have my own confession, if it makes you feel any better about your OCD's ... since Jul of 2015 ... turkeys are speaking to me!! I find them irresistible, they beckon me (at .99 or .79 or .69 cents a pound)! I have bought 3 since last July!!, I could not stop myself, even though I know I have NO room for them in the freezer, AND I have not cooked one yet!!!! I may have to rent a warehouse for them soon if I keep this up. Please help - any advice big bro? And yes, I admit it, I have been doing some drugs, but I never touched the riba, or even harvoni! C.

Hey SF, 

Good looking ALT, AST, ALP!! SO boringly perfectly NORMAL!!! So nice to see these eh?!! Celebrate mightily for these!!! 

Jeesh, why oh why, do they HAVE to be SO stingy with the lab work for nice folk like you and Linux - waiting,waiting, waiting - being kept waiting for so long, for just a wee bit of feedback that SHOULD have been frequent and ongoing!! I don't know how they sleep at night keeping folk waiting like this.

Especially bothers me "their balking" at the "expensive"  VL's!! Cruel and unusual punishment I say - I just can't agree with them about the stingy withholding, and all the focus being on the the 3 months after, and beyond. All along (throughout), the feedback is important to us!! Nor can I agree with the concept of "justifiable" expense versus frequent regular fibroscans or U/S to assess and to keep following us!

Lab work is such a simple and relatively cheap insurance/reassurance for people - ongoing communication between doc/mind and body via labs. 

I have U/S envy!!. You and Syd at least got one! I asked for one but it was declined, but you know me and those unturned stones .... I WILL keep trying.

Yes, US, doing "hard" time (pun intended) DO have firmer livers, that we may not expect to become baby soft again instantly after 12 or 24 weeks of treatment, but what the hey, give us some ultrasounds and fibroscans anyway!, preferably every 3 months!!, just for following purposes!!!!

Well ... at least you got your shopping bag filled with some more things to look forward to ... a VL result soon,  U/S result soon, iron sat (missed prior), and to know (as a bonus) what your "annual" bloods are, and what your HAV titre is holding at.

Your last ferrittin was down, of it's own accord, and was good (if I recall correctly). Perhaps your iron sat, is nice. Platelets?, not too low,  (I suspect Mike kindly posted his so you would have a nice comparative to keep in mind).

I think you look great just based on LFT's alone! Celebrate more (you normal LFT person you)!... that is, until the next sweet thing appears, then more partying in store. C.

Okay, okay! I'm going to be ready for some of that smoked brisket when it's done. Nice BBQ Jimmy, that's a sweet one. That should serve you well for years to come.

If you start posting pictures of the food and full bellies, lets start a thread in Off Topic!

JimmyK wrote:

---

4) See attachment. This will be mounted on the far right. It will act as an indirect smoker for the charcoal grill to the left. BBQ assembled weight is 144 lbs, add the side box at 34.8 lbs and I now have a 178.8 lb BBQ and I always wanted one.  LOL

 

Hopeless.

 

 

---

Update for Syd.

Mission accomplished, I did it. I have completed the modification and installed a side Fire Box. (far right). It vents into the charcoal side (kind of in the middle now). So the fire goes in the side, the smoke and heat vent into the large middle area where the meat sits. Heat is controlled via the right side vent and the top chimney. (The more air the higher the heat.

Ideally the middle gets smoked for about 8 hours on a nice brisket keeping a constant around 250.

This is indirect cooking and man is it great!

Thank you all and I love BBQ's so .. post away Syd  

I will not really get the results of my ultrasound until my appointment the end of May but I probed the tech who of course is not allowed to say anything.

I told her, well you have all my results from years to compare and in past there has been no change. She only said, there is nothing urgent so to me that means, there is something (Sorry for seeing the cup half empty) but I will not obsess about it since it must be ok whatever she saw for now.

I will go for more blood work next week because I also have a req from my physical that I had my doctor put additional tests on that they did not do this time. Iron Saturation that I never got a result from and once again to test my immunity to A ... I did take twinrex shots and was immune to it. I want to ensure I still am, this was about 4 years ago. That is very important to me or I need to get boosters to ensure I don't pick it up from a head of lettuce. 

Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Mothers day to the Mothers in here and the rest of you Mother's

Sorry SF,

i keep on posting random barbecue and Mothers Day crap all over your EOT data.

Let us know how your ultra sound went and I will swap notes with you. I know already that my bloods won't look like yours but then they started off a lot worse so improvement for each individual is what it's about. 

Take care,

Syd

Ps. Jimmy, I'm going all high tech and starting a thread in unrelated crap, okay? 

Hi SF,

Looking great! Nice Numbers!

Now, don't forget to eat your Kale Chips between blizzards and you'll be fine ... LOL

Enjoy being Tx-Free ... I know I am ...

Dave

Hey SF

Your looking real good will your numbers and I see SVR in your future. YES!

matt

Great looking numbers there, SF, it`s all coming together nicely!! 

Hi SF.      Those numbers are. Looking good and low!!   I can remember when my #"s were low like that, and it was the first time in 25-30 years they had ever been under 50 each.  Looking at your numbers, you remind me of someone with a well operating liver!  You must be feeling good??    Have a good U/S tomorrow, I will be thinking of you.  RC

Thank you everybody! I am pretty happy about the numbers.

Syd, I have an ultrasound booked for tomorrow and yes sometimes no news is good news.

Yup, you can.

Walnut, Plumb, Pecan, Pear, Persimmon, Peach, Oak, Mulberry, Mesquite, Maple, Hickory, Grape, Cherry, Apple, Alder.

Each has its' own Characteristics. Example: You may want to mix in some Grape with some Apple. Very Aromatic like a real sweet berry. It will leave folks asking, what in the world is that? Then ya respond with, if I tell you I'll have to kill ya kind of thing.

Now whereas it is said Texas is the Capital of The World where Steak is concerned, I would beg to differ even though I am Lone Star through and through.

Brazil has by far the best of the best. Maybe not by a real length, but credit where credit is due.

I took this shot of one of my Engineers back in 2012 at Laga Sul in Rio. The meat there was incredible.

JimmyK

Sounds like a plan Jimmy. I didnt know you could get pecan and apple wood!! 

And I can see the neighbourhood guys scratching their arm pits as they drool over the fence - there'll be something bigger and better coming to a house near you soon! 

Do you cook lamb in them there necks of the wood? I know you have steak down to a tee but not sure what other animals you incinerate. Chicken is a popular barbecue meat here. In fact if it's in the butchers its on the barbecue. But lamb is my favourite as its a fatty meat and as that cooks off the meat becomes really tender and tasty.

Its Mothers Day here on Sunday and my three kids in Oz are coming to a barbie at my daughters house. But it won't be th food I enjoy the most. 

Syd

Sydhanrahan wrote:

---

And Jimmy, have you splattered your new toy with fat and marinade yet? 

We want details of the menu.

Syd

---

 Hiya Syd,

Not yet. I still have to "Season" the BBQ. Not a big deal but something a lot of folks are not aware of. When you get a new BBQ you should take Vegetable Oil and a brush and completely cover the insides with the oil.

Walls and Racks, get it in the cracks <~~~( Patent Pending Jimmyism).

Once you have done that, then you fire it up and let it cook for 30 minutes. This will coat and seal the BBQ against internal rust and corrosion.

Since the side box comes in tomorrow I thought I would just wait so I can do it all in one sweep.

After that, I am going to make the neighborhood jealous and do a slow burn/smoke and maybe use some Hickory. Or maybe some Apple? Possibly Mesquite? Pecan?

I have not decided yet which chips to use but I will go all out to make the men of the neighborhood get into their Caveman attitude. Kind of funny to watch and listen. Whole bunch of Tim Allen skits coming from all directions.  LOL

JimmyK

terrific numbers SF.

Wow SF,

those blood results are amazing, and such a great accompaniment to your end of treatment week. 

I had an ultra sound today, but like the blood tests, the results will remain a mystery.... better that, I suppose than a phone call to say come in, there's something suspicious on your liver.

And Jimmy, have you splattered your new toy with fat and marinade yet? 

We want details of the menu.

Syd

The numbers are great! The Platelets will rise at a gradual pace. I think you are doing fantastic!

JimmyK

That's awesome SF! The platelets are generated slower with a cirrhotic liver so although you can expect an improvement as your liver recovers from HCV, you'll need to be patient. I'm dealing with the same thing with my platelets at 74, but they are getting better every time I have my labs done. Steady as she goes. We'll get better - It just takes us longer.

I want to share my first lab results here even though it will be weeks before I know about any Viral count.

SOT 2/9/16 /ALT 187/  AST 114 /ALP 116   VL 2.3M

EOT 5/2/16 ALT 35/ AST 25 / ALP 68/  Platlets 126 C VL TBD B VL TBD

I have not seen results like this in 40 years. Platlets? We will see how that goes.

SF

Canuck wrote:

---

Hey, hey, hey SF!

Speaking of sweet things to eat! ... that musta been thee most delicious pill of all to swallow! - THE LAST DANGED ONE!! (Ya, ya, I heard about you beating me to DQ, and yes I was bit jealous about that .... but I'da shared my wendy coupon with ya any day bud!) Now, just wait for the best part, covered with sprinkles and a cherry on top - a lovely U/S and VL next! GBDF and much more. Sweet to be done! Good going.  C.

 

---

 Well I had that coupon right? The next one goes to you but of course they usually put them out in the winter when most people don't want one and their business is down.

Sydhanrahan wrote:

---

Jimmy,

What a bargain! There's nothing like a big tick of approval from someone whose life is Transformed from the drudgery of a hot stove to a tinkling glass on the patio while she watches incredible advances in cave man skills appearing before her slathering face. 

(Warning:'she's rolling very happily with the high tech galvatchery up to here... Don't push too further.)

---

 Well I don't know how transformed her life will be. The fact is I do almost all the cooking at my house. And I don't mind it in the least bit. Truth be told I also generally clean the kitchen afterwards. She deserves it. She gets off of work later than I do and if I do say so myself I am a fairly good chef.

Years ago, before I saw the light I used to be a cook in the Pen. Tough crowd and I didn't even get stabbed one time!  LOL

JimmyK

Jimmy,

What a bargain! There's nothing like a big tick of approval from someone whose life is Transformed from the drudgery of a hot stove to a tinkling glass on the patio while she watches incredible advances in cave man skills appearing before her slathering face. 

(Warning:'she's rolling very happily with the high tech galvatchery up to here... Don't push too further.)

But im not being sarcastic in my enthusiasm. We get smokey wood bits to give flavour to our slow cooked meat here and it's all imported from the US. one of my sons has made his own electric spit - the meat he cooks is out of this world. Low fat, high in protein. Just the ticket for a Harvoni Side order. 

Now as for moving it... Might have to find the best spot straight off.

you might also have to treat yourself to a few of the latest gourmet barbie books, and some day dreaming on the patio now.

Syd

Xxx

Sydhanrahan wrote:

---

Jimmy,

Who can resist the temptation of a new barbecue, especially when you can smoke meat on one side and do some quick grilling on the other side? Patio's looking a bit chogged up though.

Do you do Frontbay over there? If something works, and maybe someone else might regard as the freebie gem of the century, we put it on the nature strip outside our house and it magically disappears in a little while.

(I'm not sure Carolyn's going to roll with yes we really do need three barbies.)

Of course if you had some beautiful marinaded chunk of something wafting gently around the side of the house, it could help enormously.

Syd

---

 Hiya Syd!

1) The Patio will get cleared of the two BBQ's Sunday night. To the curb. Someone will drive by and snatch them up, do a clean up and sell them. (There is this real nice Black gentleman that comes by in an old beat up Truck. I like to put useful stuff out there he can use and make a few bucks off of).

2) Carol liked it! It has a side burner (far left) then the gas grill followed by the charcoal grill. In fact, she liked it so much that I sensed a green light and on to 3.

3) I am hopeless. When Carol seemed cool with the purchase I found my self looking at Char-Griller dot com. Did not take long to find a "needed LOL" modification so then it was off to do some comparative shopping and landed on #4....

4) See attachment. This will be mounted on the far right. It will act as an indirect smoker for the charcoal grill to the left. BBQ assembled weight is 144 lbs, add the side box at 34.8 lbs and I now have a 178.8 lb BBQ and I always wanted one.  LOL

Hopeless.

Hey, hey, hey SF!

Speaking of sweet things to eat! ... that musta been thee most delicious pill of all to swallow! - THE LAST DANGED ONE!! (Ya, ya, I heard about you beating me to DQ, and yes I was bit jealous about that .... but I'da shared my wendy coupon with ya any day bud!) Now, just wait for the best part, covered with sprinkles and a cherry on top - a lovely U/S and VL next! GBDF and much more. Sweet to be done! Good going.  C.

https://youtu.be/HLjS3gzHetA

Is that going to work with the full stop in the middle of youtube??

Jimmy,

Who can resist the temptation of a new barbecue, especially when you can smoke meat on one side and do some quick grilling on the other side? Patio's looking a bit chogged up though.

Do you do Frontbay over there? If something works, and maybe someone else might regard as the freebie gem of the century, we put it on the nature strip outside our house and it magically disappears in a little while.

(I'm not sure Carolyn's going to roll with yes we really do need three barbies.)

Of course if you had some beautiful marinaded chunk of something wafting gently around the side of the house, it could help enormously.

Syd

wendyo wrote:

---

They are his and hers barbecue's. Geez

---

 That is what I said the last time! Did y'all miss the new addition?

They are his and hers barbecue's. Geez

Careful. Those things are dangerous!

** Wants watermelon now ... 

Gadzooks THAT'S IT MY MAN!

THE WATERMELON!

THANKS!

As a BBQ fanatic I have no problem with two BBQ,s  to be honest even if my season is short.

I never had any urges during TX. I have a sweet tooth naturally so I still ate my snack and always will until an old folks home won't let me

Do you have a legit claim? Considering Carolyn is on it as well, probably not but then there was the watermelon ...

Keep well

SF

* going out to BBQ right now.

Greetings,

Well now that SF is safely off the train, I thought I would ask if anyone else here, besides me, has noticed any kind of strange behavior while on treatment?

As you may recall, while taking V-PAC and RBV I suddenly developed an urge to buy watches. I have six of the things now!

Ok I believe I have gotten past that now. NO MORE WATCHES!

But I was feeling not so bad and decided to get out a bit and go to Lowes. Wanted to get a few things for the yard and get a late start on Spring cleaning.

The first picture, "Time for Spring Cleaning" is where I will start. ( I know I know who needs two BBQ's right?)

The second picture "Oh Oh" is the only title I could think of before Carolyn gets home.

Serious question now guys. Do I have a legitimate claim and would my position be strong if I blamed it on treatment?

Thanks in advance.

Thank you all so much and yes I need to move over to another thread but of course be here always for those still on Harvoni and those going to start.

I am sitting here realizing that 9AM will be here in 20 minutes and I don't have to take my pill today. It's a good feeling and wondering how I will feel in a week when my system is cleared of much of it. I need to change my signature and will do that soon.

SF

So happy for you SF.

I counted my tablets this morning. Twenty three to go! How sweet that last pill chomp must be! 

Take care and now get out of here and over to the post treatment.

Syd

A Very Happy EOT to you!

We are Grateful that the Dragon's Dead ... that's for sure!

Good Job, ya actually made it look easy ... when in fact we know it's way more complicated than that.

Glad you are here my friend, Best to you moving forward!

Dave