Hiya Gracie

Thats great news. You should have no problems. At least now you have the Harvoni dragon slayer sword. 

Best wishes for you.

Hi Gracie,

What excellent news that you`re about to start your Harvoni treatment, that`s wonderful!

I can imagine it must have been a shock to find out the results of your fibroscan, it`s not what any of us want to hear, but thank goodness you haven`t got a long and worrying wait ahead of you before you can start tx.  Harvoni is such a powerful drug combo and once it gets to work the Hep C virus will soon be a thing of the past and will stop causing any more liver damage.   And I`m sure that by the next time you have your fibroscan test you`ll see a definite improvement, so don`t get stressed about it.

I`m a bit surprised that your doctor doesn`t want to do any viral load tests before 12 weeks post tx, that`s a very long time to wait!  I can see the point of it though in some ways, but I think it`s very reassuring to be able to see that the tx is working.  If you`re not happy to wait that long I would request some more tests. 

Wishing you all the best of luck! 

Thanks Tig,

Not too worried about side effects. I've survived Inteferon 3 times a week with RIBA the first round, and incevik for 12 weeks the second round which wasn't very pretty... Lol. Im sure you know what I mean when I say I've danced the itchy bitchy dance more than once.

I'm more concerned with it working. Being f4 means I can't wait. It's nice to see more options popping up quickly. Now they need to come up with some reverse fibrosis meds for us higher f's.

Had to go get the Bloodwork done today that the insurance companies require, but my doc said I shouldn't have to pay anything. That is a huge relief.

She also said she'd get me another fibroscan 2-3 years after treatment to track if it improves and she's confident that it will...

..... I'll be running soon to board the train..... 

Hi Gracie,

That's great news indeed! I'm so happy to hear you have finally been given a ticket to board the Harvoni Train.

24 weeks does seem like a long time to wait for blood work. However, your doctor is following a procedure that many are beginning to follow. It's not unusual for people to go extended periods with detectable viral loads during treatment. That number is low though. While it's a powerful motivator to see an undetected result at week 4 and beyond, it can also be a strong disappointment if it isn't. With that said, I would still want one done every 8 weeks. The majority of people are going to be UND by then and if there is a viral increase, then some decisions have to be made. Unfortunately there hasn't been any futility rules established that I can readily find. The tests are much cheaper now as well.

Without Ribavirin you shouldn't have any problems with anemia and as a rule, your AST/ALT will see dramatic corrections soon after starting. So they probably aren't necessary either. It's always interesting to know though. Some people on treatment could care less about knowing their lab values, but most of us aren't among them! I'm sure if you present a reason to your doctor that is concerning, she will run some tests. If you're comfortable with your doctor, trust her to do what's right. That doesn't mean you close your eyes and ears though. We have to always stay on top of things and let our healthcare team know that we plan to be involved. 

I believe this will be the final blow you have to deliver to your Dragon. 24 weeks of Harvoni should pound the final nail in its coffin. Eat well, hydrate and get some exercise. The only problems we're hearing are muscle aches, headaches and fatigue. You may be able to avoid them with your administration time. Your fellow Warriors will know best and can tell you better than I. I think we can confidently say, it should be easier than the days of old.

Good luck!!!!  

Well, good news and bad news. Good news is she wrote the script for harvoni 24 weeks. Bad news is I was right about my fibroscan. 15.5 which is F4. She says not to worry that its just at the cusp of cirrhosis and will most like regress with successful treatment back down to minimum F3. No riba though. She said they would only prescribe riba with a 12 week course. I'm glad I peaked at my scan result and was prepared as it would have floored me had I not been. I have minimal symptoms and my liver function blood tests were normal last time. Plus I had an ultrasound that showed no signs of cirrhosis late last year. It sure can sneak up on you. I wonder how many are walking around with F4s and not knowing as they didn't get a scan or biopsy. 

The absolute worst thing is --- NO BLOOD WORK - until 12 weeks past treatment. She said it does no good. Some get excited because they clear early and others get depressed because they don't. It makes no difference in dose or duration, that the only test that is important is the 12 weeks post treatment. How will I ever survive that long? Do you guys feel it if its working? Does liver pain lessen? Do you have more energy? I'll be a walking stress ball  

But I am really glad to be getting the treatment and grateful that I can. If you have no medical plan where I live, you have no options. She says its very frustrating for her to have to watch people get sicker and sicker who don't have plans. They are using me (and others who volunteer) in a study to try and get the government on board to start paying for this. I really do feel grateful that I can get this treatment and that success is over 90%. I feel it will work as it worked last time for a bit. I relapsed between week 8 and week 12 after major dose reductions of riba and interferon.

Any suggestions on how to help it along? I know the obvious - no alcohol. But time of day perhaps - or what not to eat. I want this to work so bad!!!