Hey Jimmy, I love the Yucatan!!!   Oh.... Welcome, as a ex- 1a errr my AST/ALT levels used to look like that. Relax with this and do write with any concerns. This group is an Army now. There is alot of Warriors here cheering for you. I did my treatment in St. Martin to start!

Thanks so much for all the congratulatory messages.

Penelope, have you finished treatment now? Anyone waiting to take their EOT+12 tests, or awaiting results?

Welcome to the forum, Jimmy!

Thanks much Mike.

On a motorcycle it is about the ride and not the destination.

In this case it is all about the destination.

Hey Matt,

Thanks! and I am a 1a.

Good deal Jimmy!

 I agree with your decision to get the home improvements and Cozumel trip behind you and now you can focus on kicking that dragon's butt. Remember to stay compliant with your med schedule and stay well hydrated. This 12 weeks will be behind you next and you'll have the rest of your Hep C free life for more cruises with more energy than ever. SVR here we come.

Hello Jimmy

Congrats on starting your treatment, it should be a smooth ride for the most part and the forum is here to give support and answer questions to most of your concerns.

BTW what Geno type are you?

matt

Greetings,

Well I finally got started today. I will be on a 6:30 AM/PM schedule. Washed the first does down with a bowl of Rice Chex.

The train has officially left the station for me.

I received the package in July as some may remember. Decided to tie up some loose ends. External house work. New siding, paint and windows. Then the lil lady and I went on a 7 day to The Caribbean and that was both nice and needed. I also wanted to push to the fall due to the Sun thingy and here in Houston July is pretty intense. 

Well with all that behind me today was the day selected to start and I did. Note: The delay was with my Doctors permission and this post in NO  WAY advises anyone to delay or that it is cool to do so. That is for you and your Doctor to decide. ;)

I will be checking in from time to time. Anything I think worthy of talking about I promise to do so.

Y'all have a great day!

JimmyK

Great result Bob, looks like we have another dead dragon to heap on the pile!!  Big congrats on your SVR12!! 

Sorry I missed your post till now,very pleased for you!

Congrats Bob!

That's awesome news!

Wow Penny just a couple more days of treatment !

Congratulations Bob!!! Hooray!!! 

Penny, best of luck with your EOT next week!!  I am on the VP train, starting my 3rd week of Tx tomorrow.

AWESOME!!! That's excellent news Bob! Party time for sure. The dead dragon wagon is on it's way to get that stinky thing and dump it on the bon-fire. I know you are happy and I'm sure happy for you. Enjoy living your Hep C free life! 

WooHoo and Congratulations Bob !!!! 

It's time to party!!    Maybe we could lit him up and have a big bon-fire in the yard?

Seriously, it's encouraging to see a fellow VP traveler make it to SVR12...the VP train has so few travelers. 

I started my final week of pills today, so I'll be pulling into the station right behind you!

Best of health to you,

Penny 

So, anybody got the number for Dead Dragon Disposal? Need to get this thing outta my house pronto. Pee-yew!

Good luck on your EOT + 12 lab results Bob. I'll be looking forward to your SVR announcement on Oct 5.

Outstanding Bob! Glad you let us know, now we'll be sitting on those pins and needles with you. I have to agree with your doctor though, the odds are waaayyy in your favor, especially since you cleared so fast and stayed that way. You had plenty of time to get those drugs into all the nooks and crannies, so I feel the Dragons death certificate will be provided soon! Best of luck to you and I'm thrilled to hear that your doctor got you on the Viekira program at no cost. That's simply excellent.... 

Bubble, plenty of gas left in the wagon to drag that dead carcass off to it's final resting place, the dump....

Tig: Is there gas in the Dead Dragon Wagon?  Better start it up!  You'll get there Bob!  The waiting is the hardest part. Thumbs up!

To reference a recent topic, I too was turned down for Harvoni before my doctor found the free Abbvie program for VK. 

Sorry not to update in so long. I've been very heartened to see the reports here of people achieving SVR12. I hope to join you very soon! Just had the EOT + 12 wk blood test yesterday. Appt with the doctor to discuss results on Oct 5. As expected, I was UND on the EOT date (expected because I got to UND by the 4 wk mark). The doctor says the odds are very good, but *he has seen relapses*, so it's pins-and-needles time for now. 

Thank you Bubble. So good to hear you are happy with the thertment and I am sure you will get rid of the "Dragon" soon!

Thank you, Tig, for the detailed instructions on navigating the website. Now I got it! Thanks for your opinion regarding start of VP treatment. 

Thank you, Cinnamon Girl, for the nice welcoming. I do not have (or want particularly) to get started the treatment quickly; and you are right: with F0/F1 status there is plenty of time. I would happily wait if I knew that my next year PBM, OptumRx, would approve Harvoni. But who knows if i am approved for any drug next year, given my F0/F1 status? So it's probably wise to start Viekira Pa protocol now, once ES approves it for this year. I have to finally decide. 

Hello Dolphin, Welcome. I see your stats are extreamly low with the F0-F1.  1b is going to be with Vikera Pac. I was turned down with Express Scripts also, but I am just greatfull to have secured it in my hands. I'd say you have nothing to worry about. This forum has not had a failure with Abb-Vie's amazing drug yet. And you wont need Ribavirin!!!!  I am in the same boat with Mona and we are awaiting are EOT+12 results. You will be cured. My treatment went undetected VL  in all 3 tests so far and am looking forward to the grand slam EOT+12 SVR.  After over 15 years with the "Dragon" it is unexplainably good to be getting my life back. On the train you go!!!!!

Hi Dolphin, just wanted to say hello and welcome you to the forum!

Good luck with whichever treatment option you decide to go for, I`m quite sure you would be successful with either Harvoni or V. Pak.  With your F0/F1 status you have plenty of time, although I guess it depends how quickly you want to get started. 

You`re welcome to post anywhere on the forum, we know how confusing it is when first trying find your way around.  Although as Tig mentioned, this particular thread is meant to be for people who are currently on Viekira Pak or about to start treatment with it. Feel free to start a new thread `Start A New Topic` at any time if you`d like to.

We`re glad to have you with us, do keep us posted! 

If you look above, you will see in the dark blue line: Home, List All Users, Search, etc. If you click on Home, you will see an index of all the different categories. In the Discussion section you will find the "On Treatment" section, which is where this is located. You can start a new subject at anytime to establish your own thread. People don't change topics on threads started by an individual, or aren't supposed to. This particular thread was set up as a public thread, so anyone can comment on the general subject. The Search function in the same line is where you would enter your keywords. Doing so will open the main index with some of the threads where those particular keywords show up. Trying different combinations of words will provide different locations. We've got scads of posts here, so you won't run out of reading material! Let me know if I can help!

Hi Dolphin,

Given the way the approval process has gone for many, I would seriously consider the Viekira Pak protocol if ES has approved it. Especially since you are F0-F1. VP is an outstanding treatment and has equally high rates of success. Good luck!

Tig,

Yes, my Dr. appealed once to Express Script. I do not think the second appeal change the situation (look at Penelopes case). Thanks for general things you advised me. However, I did not get where shall I type key words to get info on a particular topic discussed in Forum. Also, how to get  to the Treatment forum someone mentioned?

Thank you very much, Tig, Lilbit and Penny/ Penelope! Its been comforting to read your responses.

Yes, Express Script sent me a denial letter for Harvoni, but offered approval for Viekira Pack. I preferred Harvoni (8 weeeks, 1 pill/day ), so was thinking about waiting until January, when my employer switches to OptumRx.  I know from publications that Harvoni (not Viekira pak) is preferable HCV drug in OptumRx, but do not know if they approve Harvoni at mild liver disease.

You are right, there is a chance that I will get neither Harvoni nor Viekira Pak from OptumRx, because the disease is not advanced. So I should probably start Viekira Pak, while I am with Express Script.

Penny, your husband, you and I were quickly approved for Viekira Pak by Express Script, because this Pharmacy Benefit Manager signed a deal with AbbVie, the manufacture of Viekira Pack, to only cover Viekira pak and do not cover Harvoni (in exchange to a discounted price for Viekira pak). So it is not our doctors who decide on the medication,  it iss  corporate deals that matter.

Thanks again everyone! Will keep in touch with the Forum.

Hi Dolphin123,

Just like you, Express Scripts denied our doctor's request for harvoni for my husband and me, twice.  Our doctor then changed our scripts to viekira pak and we were both approved right away.  Like Lilbit said below, don't be disappointed if you can't get harvoni.  From everything I've read, the cure rate seems to be the same.  The side effects seem to be about the same too.

But whatever you end up taking, I hope you keep in touch with this forum. You'll find supportive and knowledge people here who have experienced what you're going through.  Welcome!

Penny 

Hi Dolphin,

Welcome to the forum! I don't recall anyone talking specifically about Optum, but there might be others here that are better aware. If you register with Optum online, you can check their formulary and see if they are even offering Harvoni or Viekira Pak yet. Most are now doing so, but the approval process can be daunting, especially for those with minimal liver damage/fibrosis. Most recently the insurance providers, government especially, have required that you have at least an F3-F4 fibrosis stage by one of the recognized procedures. Most carriers will deny coverage and upon appeal they will approve. If you have time before you switch to Optum, you may want to appeal Express Scripts denial and see if they might reconsider. It's worth a try. Following a second denial, the drug manufacturers offer payment assistance programs that may step in to help, but you will require denials to get their assistance. Things are changing fast, so it will be wise to contact these manufacturers anyway and discuss their qualification requirements. We have a list of those programs and if you would like to review them, I'll add the link at the bottom.

Please feel free to introduce yourself to the general forum on our New Members thread. You'll get more responses to your introduction there. If I can be of assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. I'd also like to point out our search function at the top. A couple of keywords will take you to discussions we've had previously on the topic.

http://hepcfriends.activeboard.com/t56904226/payment-assistance-programs/?page=1#comment-56904226

Hi all,

If anyone  on this Forum with mild disease (F0-F1) got denial for Harvoni from OptumRx?

OptumRx will be my new prescription drug coverage insurance next year (through my employer). Currently, I have Express Script inc,  and got denial letter for Harvoni. 
I am Gen1b, Fo-F1 (byopsy and Fibroscan), VL 1.5 mln.

Thanks!

Hey Tig,

Don't know that an app would help, plus my cell phone is from the stone age!  I had my viekira pak and bottle of riba sitting right next to my cereal bowl, just like every other day.  I just spaced it out. 

When the specialty pharmacy lady called yesterday for my 2 month follow-up, she just couldn't understand that my reason for missing a dose was: "I just don't know why".  She's obviously never taken this stuff.

Thanks - Penny

Hey Bob,

Welcome aboard the Train! If you have any questions, fire away! We're here to help and you've got some great passengers riding that car with you. Keep compliant (Penny!) and pour on the water. It's a very effective treatment and you're going to whip the Dragon on your terms. 

Get a pill reminder and if you have an iPhone, there's an App I use for everything I currently take that sends reminders and keeps track of your progress. It's called "Mango Health-Medication Manager". Not sure if it comes in Android flavor! It's worth trying and I like the fact it lets you know when it's time.

Penny, 

Isn't brain fog fun? Hang in there girl, you're getting close! That App might help, check it out.

I may be on the down side of the hill, but apparently my brain is just as foggy on this side, because I missed my morning dose a couple days ago and didn't realize it until I went to take the dinner one.  Woops.  Guess I just spent that 1% noncompliance wiggle room.    grrrrr

Go Penny!

Your on the down hill slide!

Glad you are feeling better

Hi All,

I just started week 7 of 12.  The whole crying thing has pretty much passed, as have the headaches.  My only side effects now are some minor skin issues, major fatigue and upset stomach at bed time.  Trying not to eat anything after 6 or 7 but doesn't seem to make a difference.

The fatigue, it ended up, was due to riba induced anemia.  Saw the doc last Friday and he cut my riba in half.  Today is Tuesday, and I already feel a bit better.  What a relief!  And from everything I read here and elsewhere, my road to SVR will not be effected by the reduced riba dosage.  I see that as win/win!

Mona - you're right.  It's getting better.  I wish you the best of luck on your 12 week EOT labs. 

Bob57 - Welcome aboard the Viekira train!

Penny   

Just started 12 week VP with dasabuvir 4 days ago.

VL 6,220,000 IU/mL

Hang in, Hang in, Hang in.  It truly gets better.

I'm on the wait for 12 week EOT labs, will have on 11/9 or there about. I'm currently und! No reason I shouldn't stay that way.

Doc ordered an extra set of labs to check the hemoglobin.  I've made my list of sx to discuss when the labs come back. I watched my husband go through tx 3 times; interf/riba, peg/riba, then peg alone.  He had major sx and it almost killed him.  And the dragon is still with him; but not for long, as we're doing this together.  (He seems to feel a lot better than I do, much more energy,  Yea for him!) 

I feel guilty complaining with my little sx compared to what he and so many others on this forum went through.  So instead of moan & groan, I need to see what I can do to not get stressed out, and monitor my water to see if I'm really drinking as much as I think.  Only 9 more weeks!

Thanks for your kind works - Penny 

I am so sorry Penelope! Please don't feel bad to vent - that sounds exhausting and frustrating! are the docs checking for your hemoglobin levels (due to RIBA)? Perhaps there is something they can do for the itching and the fatigue?

Hi Natilia,

I'm so glad it went well for you.  I start week 4 tomorrow, and I hardly feel like myself.  I've become so emotional and start crying over any little thing. Non-stop fatigue is getting worse.  The skin on my shoulders and back has gotten all bumpy and itchy and I'm trying so hard not to scratch.

I've been reading how people aren't bouncing back to normal in spite of clearing he virus. Gotta say that except for fatigue, I never felt bad living with the dragon.  Guess I'm just venting - sorry!  I'm sure this will pass.  Just need to stop being a wimp.

Hi kickingit,

I was still detectable at week 4, 93 actually. I was a bit bummed and concerned, but at week 8 undetectable. I was already to go looking at the % of people with viral load at week 4 and figure out my percentages of being successful, but i decided to point my energy to just getting better. It worked so far. I have 8 days remaining and ready to be done!

Best regards,

maura

hi Penelope! All in all, my experience was great, save a headache on a few days, and some weight gain. How is your fatigue? have you noticed improvements in energy?

Hi Zavr,

Thanks for the welcome and please to meet you.  Finished week 1 today, and so far so good.  Main complaint is I get really tired, but after reading what so many here have gone through, I feel guilty even mentioning it.

I see you are UND at 12 wks.  Hurray!  How was your experience on viekira?

Penny 

Welcome, Penelope! I apologize for missing your post - I try to check every week or two.  I see you recently started the VP + RIBA treatment. How is it going for you.

OK, thanks.

Hi Penelope,

These threads see action based on the number of members with past and active treatment programs. It's not uncommon to see a time gap between posts. When people, such as yourself bring new interest to the thread, you will see increased attention to it. If you want to talk to people about anything, you're always encouraged to use any and all parts of the forum to touch base with others. Feel free to start a new thread anytime you would like to change up the conversation.

Hi Penelope,

Yes it`s still active, just been a bit quiet lately.   You can post anywhere you like, although it would be good to keep this train rolling along! 

Sure is quiet on this train.... Is this thread still active or should I post in 'On Treatment'?

Thank you all for the friendly responses. It looks like July is going to be a  very important SVR kinda' happening month. 

FemApples: That looks great!  The drudgery is over !

Zavr: You been a fantastic help and I think you are practically the first Vikerian on the forum. Your help got me through the insurance trek.

Malcolm: Keep up that good work. I am ready to return to the gym after three months absence.

July 20th.................................

Well done, Bubble!

I finished treatment on June 23rd and the virus remains undetected.  My hemoglobin dropped to 10.7 due to the ribavirin but I'm sure that will return to normal as the crap leaves my system.  Blood test for that will be on July 8th. Everything else seems to be normal or normalizing.  Waiting for my cryoglobulin test results and then will make an appointment with my nephrologist but I expect to be on the mend.

Now comes the nervous wait for SVR.

Femapples