Excellent news, MM, congrats!! 

You`re doing so well, keep up the good work.  I`m very pleased for you! 

Hope you enjoyed your travels in Europe, are you home yet?

Hello my friends!

12 week PCR on treatment- DRAGON NOT DETECTED!!!

Hi MM,

Those results do indeed look good. The bilirubin elevation is common with this Tx. Glucose is better and your platelets are heading up. It's all good! You're days away from going over the hump, yay!!!! You'll be able to coast into the station, good luck!

Tig

Hello to you, MM!

Thanks for sharing your latest results...that all looks fine, and your platelets are holding steady as you said.

How are you feeling now?

Keep posting your updates and take care! 

Hello world!

PLTs still low and stable, but all others parameters are encouraging.

Waiting for an email from my nurse in 10-12 days with PCR results. Will keep you informed about. 

MM

Thanks CG and Groupergetter!

My PCR is scheduled for April, the 7. 2 weeks for results will be a long waiting... However will post as usual my blood test this Wednesday

MM

-- Edited by malekula man on Sunday 5th of April 2015 06:53:49 PM

That`s great news, MM, you`re getting through it, so pleased you`ve reached the half-way mark!

Keep us posted on your platelet levels and any other lab results you get. 

Take care and all the best of luck! 

Congrats on being halfway thru MM, started my last bottle a few days ago.  I too was a Sovaldi relapse. Hope we make it this time......Darkstar hoping for you as well.  Much more reserved this time around. 

There is a bit of misinterpretation here.  The platelet counts reported here are all the same!  30 and 40K are within the error of the test.  Risk of bleeding is increased, but not dramatically so.  The likelihood that this is hypersplenism with a completely nl WBC is low.  Having said all of this, since Harvoni does not suppress bone marrow, I would ignore these findings.  I would certainly not use agents to increase plt count.

Hi MM,

Your bone marrow is obviously OK with your other parameters. Your spleen must be going beserk.

You obviously know the deal, having had Revolade before. Get your eyes checked for cataracts, and yeah, optical bleeds have been reported.

I'd want the lowest dose, maybe 25 mg. to get the platelets above 50K.

Everything else looks good. Cheers.

Hi MM,

Plts 34? How are you functioning with a level that low? I wonder why some attention wasn't paid to that some time ago. They haven't been Higher than 42 since you started. Don't play with anything sharp! I hope you can be seen by your Hematologist soon. I would be interested in why it has dropped so low. There may be some blood in your future. It would certainly help boost your platelets. Take it easy and let us know what you find out.

Tig

Blood test after 8 weeks. The PLTs one more time decreasing... Had my reference to hematology, waiting for appointment. My doctor doesn't understand why with all good dynamics its go down... Probably my dragon did some very serious damage...

Good deal MM!! I bet you feel ready to run a marathon, eh? At least it's heading north! I hope you continue in that direction! Good luck and keep hydrating like it's about to run out!

Tig

Sorry for the fail. I went thru 3 fails well 4 if u count the one I was only on for three weeks. all those shots, that riba rage, yuk.. BUt You can do this & You will be free. Keep the faith!!!! some days may be hard but from I ma hearing on the harvoni it is a whiz.. good luck & will be waiting at the gate for the first yahooooooo... :):)

Peace Out

Taz

JLynch30 wrote:

---

same thing for me - I am on 24 weeks of harvoni.  I failed solvaldi triple over the summer.

---

 Hi JLynch30,

I'm sorry for your failed Sovaldi. I know how it can upset you. I experienced the same.

Hopefully you are on 24 wks Tx with Harvoni. You will be a winner in this battle, I know it for sure!

Good luck!

MM 

Hi MM,

Your platelets are approaching the critical level. You should discuss this with your doctor. Once platelets reach <20K, the risk of intracranial bleeding increases (stroke). There are drugs for this or you can get platelet transfusions.

With those levels, I'd suspect you had cirrhosis and significant portal hypertension. Cheers.

same thing for me - I am on 24 weeks of harvoni.  I failed solvaldi triple over the summer.

Hi Tig,

Yeah, I'm aware, same thing with PLTs on previous Tx. Yes, they did CBC and the next one is scheduled for the Monday, the 23rd February. Everything going well except the PLTs. I cannot foresee the next level of PLTs but probably they are increasing now, I have form"less" to "nothing" blood in my nose every morning for last week.
My team is very nice to me, I'm using their advice every day and we have a good relationship since 2013.
You are right for bilirubin, thank you for confirming my supposition - it's like a side effect of the treatment.

Unfortunately I cannot give you copy of my PCR, the lab is in another hospital and they send the result directly in the system, without giving me a copy. Even so, the batch is still in the lab, the nurse called directly to a technician to know how I did.
My next appointment is in March, I will ask my nurse for a copy.

Thanks for your advice! Will keep my thread up to date.

MM

Hi MM,

First thing I will tell you is to not play with anything sharp, lol! That's a low platelet count and your doctor may want to do something to boost that. Trust your healthcare team to make a good choice, but I would ask nonetheless. 

Treatment is doing its thing, that's obvious. Your LFT's are improving very well, your Hgb is normal, so the fatigue is hopefully not a problem. Did they perform a CBC? I see a white count, Nuts., Plt but no Red Blood Cell count etc. But overall what is listed is good, except for your platelets. Your bilirubin and glucose can elevate simply from being on treatment, mine did. Different protocols I know, but I've seen it happen many times with various protocols. I would ask for a copy of your PCR, and post it if possible. But I wouldn't be concerned. A VL of <12 IU/ml indicates an excellent response to treatment. That's a multi log reduction in your viral load and I would bet the farm that next time it will be a documented undetected, if it isn't already. So overall, I think this is a good set of results. Listen to your doctor's advice regarding your platelets and let us know what you hear. Keep up the good fight, you're doing great!

Tig

Hi Ladies and Gentlemen,

So, here is my Monday blood-test, 4wks PCR will be ready next week.

The PLTs decrease, that's the thing my nurse worries about, she will transfer details to my doctor, we will do next test in 2 weeks to take a decision for possible solution. I suspected PLTs because of bloody membrane in my nose every morning...

Bilirubin increased to 40, same thing - test in 2 weeks, probably Riba will be added...

Thanks God, the rest of it looks good and shows a positive dynamics.

The ultrasound I did in mid-December 2014 (they pronounced the result this morning) shows now only early cirrhosis, very good flow in the portal vein, now it's only light  splenomegaly (possible positive effect of previous Tx), NO LESIONS !

 -- Edited by malekula man on Thursday 12th of February 2015 12:32:50 AM

-- Edited by Tig56 on Thursday 19th of February 2015 04:43:13 AM (To reduce format)

Jener, I also relapsed on the Sovaldi w Olysio, it was a major letdown.  We're gonna make it this time,  This train don't stop til SVR

Hi Jener,

Glad to hear about your perfect birthday gift! That's awesome!!!

Feel free to ask me how my treatment goes - I'm on week 5 now, I normally take notes for all strange effects I remark (still 0 in my Harvoni list! hahaha!), I discuss them with my nurse or doctor.

Just to let you know, as I said earlier, the ABBVie product wasn't tested on experienced patients with inhibitors like Sofosbuvir, Simeprevir, Boceprevir, Telaprevir and etc... 

BR,

MM

Matt Chris wrote:

---

Hello Jener

Congrats on receiving your first bottle of Harvoni, cute little pinkage/orange pill that does wonders. Your doctor, like most is convinced that Sofosbuvir is unequaled in the HCV medicine world. But if you are a Geno Type 1b the ABBVie drugs have a very, very high SVR rate.

matt    

---

 Hi Chris

The ABBVie drugs VIEKIRA PAK was studied only on patients both previously or never treated with Peg+Riba for 12 or 24 weeks. My doctor said they will not prescribe ABBVie product to patients relapsed on any Tx with inhibitors. FDA did the approval only for these "inhibitors-free" patients. https://www.viekira.com/

MM

Hello Jener

Congrats on receiving your first bottle of Harvoni, cute little pinkage/orange pill that does wonders. Your doctor, like most is convinced that Sofosbuvir is unequaled in the HCV medicine world. But if you are a Geno Type 1b the ABBVie drugs have a very, very high SVR rate.

matt    

I just got my first Harvoni bottle today on my birthday (!), after a brief fight with my insurance.

What a birthday present!!! :D

Tried Sovaldi last year but I relapsed as well.

Interesting that you are on a 24 weeks regimen, which is the same I'm doing.

Initially I thought it would be better to take Viekira since it would be for 12 weeks only, althought it would be more pills to swallow.

My doctor, however, seems to think Harvoni is a better choice.

Well, good luck to all of us.

:)

No problem, MM, I`ve moved your thread.

Great to hear you`re feeling so good!  We`ve heard the same thing from others on Harvoni too.  Some people notice a few side effects, headaches for example, but not everyone does and keeping yourself well hydrated helps a lot to keep side effects at bay.

Good luck with your blood test on Monday!

Hi CG and Tig!
Thanks for supporting me! Yeah, I had a lot of hopes to be cured with Sovaldi but without success. However it gave me a good relief for 2 month after EOT.
Harvoni is my next chance to beat the virus and I hope to win this battle finally.
I have no problem with Harvoni, only once the first week I had some problems with disorientation and digestion. After that the quality of my life becomes better and better: full energy, I'm doing all tasks and living routine, no more fatigue!

I will keep you all informed, got it. My next blood test is scheduled for Monday.

If it possible I will ask you to move my thread in the " On Treatment" discussion.

Thank you,
MM

Hi there, MM, welcome!

Sorry your first round of treatment didn`t work out for you and I`m pleased to see you`ve started on Harvoni now.

You`re doing 24 weeks which is the correct duration as you`re now `treatment experienced` and you also have cirrhosis, and you stand an excellent chance of clearing the virus this time around.   As Tig said, you should find it much easier than doing Sovaldi with Peg/Riba.

Thanks for providing your lab results for us, do keep in touch with your progress and feel free to join in.  This is a very friendly and helpful group!

All the best of luck!  ~ Jill

Hi MM,

Welcome to the forum, I'm glad you found us! Looks like you've had quite the ride so far and not all of it pleasant. I'm sorry to see that you failed the Sovaldi triple, its rare but not unheard of. Let's be confident that the Harvoni is going to be the silver bullet it's proving to be for many others!

Thanks for posting your records, it sure helps explain your treatment experience and the action it has had on you. I know how rough the Int/Riba protocols can make you feel during the Tx process. I'm glad that you're feeling far fewer sides with your current protocol. Such a relief I'm sure! I wish you the best of luck and expect this will be your time to see better results. Please keep us informed of your progress!

Tig

Hello world!

Canada, MTL
Age: 38 yo
Weight: 100-105kg
HCV: G1B, stage 4, compensated cirrhosis
Possible cause of the infection: blood transfusion 7 days old

Naive detection: November 2013

1st Tx: Sovaldi + Peg 180mcg +Riba 1200mg for 12 wks: 9/Jun/2014 - 31/Aug/2014

Initial ALT: 168
Initial load: 4.67*10(6) UI/ml
Load on Tx: 4w < 12UI/ml (test sens), 12w - not detectable
PLT decreased to 28 on week 8, Peg dose variation during Tx: 1w 180mcg, 2-5wks 135mcg, 6-9 90mcg, 10w 135mcg, 11-12wks 180mcg
Week 9 started Revolade 50mg for 4 wks
PLT > 142 EOT, ALT 25 EOT

12 wks test - relapse, ALT 190, PLT 40, Load 4.35*10(6) UI/ml

2nd Tx: Harvoni for 24 wks, started 12/Jan/2015

 Edited by Tig56 on Thursday 19th of February 2015 04:55:57 AM (To reduce format)