Welcome Ms.D

You have found a great place in this forum. It is comforting to know that everyone here has either been treated, undergoing treatment right now or waiting for treatment. The combined knowledge of the people in here is amazing and one of the best single places to find answers as opposed to reading what a label says or the Dr. regarding treatment.

Nothing will ever beat experience. You're going to do great.

Cheers

Hi Ms. D,

Welcome to the crowd! I see you've met a number of the members, I'm so glad you introduced yourself! You have received some great advice from fellow warriors, they can offer great insight into your treatment, so don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have. You're going to do well and we'll be glad to join you along the journey. Take care....

Hi Ms.D
 I'm glad you found your way here. As already mentioned we have plenty of knowledgable and caring members who will be happy to walk you through treatment and dance with you when you get that SVR news. The anxiety before treatment always has a bigger bark than it has bite so don't think all the negative side effects you read about are going to happen with you. It's different for each individual and in my case I only suffered from some depression due to the Ribavirin, but that was during the 2nd 1/2 of my 24 week Sov / Riba treatment. Since you are genotype 2 you won't need 24 weeks so you should do just fine.
 Make yourself at home here and feel free to ask any questions you have. Please let us know what you find out at your next doctors appointment. Until then, try not to worry, you're Hep C free life awaits you.

-- Edited by wmlj1960 on Sunday 31st of January 2016 01:31:10 AM

Ms-D.    Gift health pretty much said it all and is very accurate !   Sleep was a major issue with me, the RIBA ramped me up.  You may feel a slight inner shake that you only feel but you don't shake outwardly . At least that was my experance -  You should do fine.   RC

Hello Ms. D.

Welcome to the Forum. You have found a great place to discuss your concerns.

I also have (had) genotype 2 HCV and I completed my treatment with Sovaldi and Ribavirin about 7 weeks ago. Like you, I did not have any pretreatment symptoms from my HCV. My liver fibrosis staging was a 2 as confirmed by liver biopsy and Fibroscan. I have tried treatment with peg interferon and Ribaviirn about 5 years ago and stopped treatment after about 3 months due to no reduction in viral load.

Even though I am at stage 2 and my doctor told we to just wait and watch, I felt totally motivated to get this virus out of my body before additional fibrosis occurs. Also, I have learned that although most medical providers and news articles state that HCV is a "liver disease", this virus also can contribute to kidney problems, diabetes, increased risks for heart disease and certain types of cancer (other than liver cancer). 

I am very happy to hear that you have been approved for treatment. Yes, due to your 2 genotype, the Sovaldi and Ribavirin combo is the only approved treatment option. Treatment success (getting totally rid of the virus) is very, very high with this new treatment using Sovaldi. I also had to work very hard to gain access to these medications.

So, now to address your main question about what using these mediations is like...

Well, first you have to understand that treatment side effects vary greatly depending on the following:

1. general health when starting treatment

2. level of "self care" during treatment (are you working during treatment?, how much sleep are you getting?, are you maintaining a good diet? Do you have emotional support during treatment?, etc)

3. Individual variation to possible mediation side effects

Some people have reported that using these two medications did not produce any significant side effects during their 3 months of taking them. Others have reported significant side effects. Based upon my own personal experiences and what I have read from many others that have taken these medications, I would say that MOST people due experience mild to moderate side effects as follows:

first two weeks of taking medications - little to no side effects

week 3 - 12 - increasing fatigue (main side effect), some mood alterations (becoming easily frustrated and short tempered), dry skin and itching (can be easily managed), some people report sleep disturbances (although I did not experience this at all). There are possible other side effects, although much more infrequently experienced. 

When you finish your course of medication treatment, it can take a while to return to your current state of well being. This is mainly due to the effects of Ribavirin on your body. Based upon my experiences, I felt a little more energy and better mood during the first 2 weeks after ending treatment. I felt about 75% back to myself after about 5 weeks. Now at 7 post EOT (end of treatment), I would say I am 85-90% back to my regular self. Today I went on an 8 mile walk with my wife. Yesterday, I did a 3 mile run. I now feel fine, I just still need more sleep (about 9-9.5 hours each night).

Most importantly, my 1 month post EOT viral load is "undetectable". Yes, Sovaldi is a gift from heaven. I expect to receive a similar test result at 3 months post EOT which is considered a "CURE". 

You have a wonderful opportunity to use the fantastic medications you have recently received to rid yourself of this virus. Yes, during your treatment, you will probably experience some side effects that can be challenging, but with a positive attitude and a daily "eye on the prize" you will win your battle. 

I encourage you to continue reading the posts in this forum during your treatment and continue to ask question and call out for support. This can be very helpful. The best "self care" advice I can give you is:

1. drink a lot of fluids every day (avoid caffeine). Keep track of how much you drink. Whenever I experienced increased side effects, I always realized I did not drink enough that day

2. Get lots of sleep. It is Okay to sleep 9-10 hours each night if your body needs this during treatment. You may also feel like you need a nap during the day. 

3. Eat a healthy diet. Avoid a lot of sugar and avoid processed junk foods. 

4. Reach out to someone to talk to during your treatment (in person or via this Forum). It helps to discuss what you are experiencing while you are going through treatment.

5. Consider doing some daily stretching and meditation. I used (and still use) www.headspace.com. I found this very helpful

6. Your mood, decision making ability, and rapport with people will probably change during treatment. I recommend that you consult with a trusted friend or relative if you need to make important decisions during treatment. When I look back on my decision making during treatment, I now realize that I would have changed some of my actions based upon how I "think" now.

I would be happy to reply to any future concerns you have. Feel free to send me a private message if you like. I wish you all the best for a very healthy journey.

Regards,

Gifthealth

Hello , thanks for the reply. I am anxious about it . I don't like to take any pills . I have not had to take any medication my whole life accept antibiotics along the way but only when it was very necessary. I am glad to hear you got through it ok . Ms.D.

Hi Dave, thanks for the reply. Well I quess I will get this website figured out eventually. I am a geno 2 . I don't remember what my viral load is but will find out on my next doctors visit. I was diagnosed about 20 yrs ago. In stage o-1 according to my liver doc. So I have been very fortunate all these yrs. I donk smoke or drink and try to eat healthy . So anyway thanks again letting me know you are not having a terrible time with it do so far , just very tired as you mentioned. I quess I would plan on taking the ribrovin and Salvadi in late morning then the the

rest of the rebravin at night. I drink about 5 glasses of water a day normally but listened to what you said about more. God bless  Ms.D.

Hi Walkin',

Welcome to the forum! You came to the right place, this is a great support group with lots of knowledge and experience.

Everyone here is very helpful and friendly, you'll like it here.

I'm on Day 11 of Sovaldi/ Ribavirin treatment and I'll have to admit that (at least so far) is nowhere near as bad as I anticipated.
 I was also worried prior to starting treatment but you'll do fine.

I'm lacking any extra energy (just feel a bit lethargic) but don't feel bad.

I will advise to eat a little food with the Ribavirin and take your meds the same time every day. Drink LOTS of fresh or filtered water, it's important to stay hydrated and it helps alleviate side effects. You should drink a minimum of 8 tall glasses of water per day.

Below are some links that might be useful. Once you get settled in here, you might want to add some information to your signature (i.e. Genotype, Viral Load, Stage of fibrosis etc) Link below.

Directions to Add a New Thread.

List of abbreviations used on this site (in case you need it).

Directions to add Information to your Signature

Dave

Hello out there, I am new here and just got approved for Salvadi and ribravin, after a long wait. I am truly thankful that I got approved have never been on any treatment before and have had hepc for over 20 yrs. I am blessed to be in good health despite this. So when I heard about harvoni and the one pill a day mimium side affects I was very encouraged to try to get it and go on treatment. But I am geno 2 and I was told the combo they approved me for is what I have to take. So after reading all the info on all the side affects of these two drugs I am anxious and apprehensive now. I have to try to put my mind at ease about it all . there is no support in my circle or doctors office. I live alone and don't talk about this to my friends I don't feel comfortable doing it. So if there are people out there who have taken this treatment or are on it now please get in touch with me or respond to this here. I would appreciate some honest feed back. Thanks . Ms. D. 

-- Edited by walking through the valley on Saturday 30th of January 2016 11:34:06 PM