This thread should be required reading. It shows me how much we've accomplished here and how close we have all become. Even across oceans and continents, we have connected to try and make lives better. If we can do that, we've done something good. That's what it's all about! My sincere thanks to all of you....

I am thrilled to see people here. What Jimmy said is so true. We are cured and we are still here. There are so many that will come and need to see us and know that they too will be able to post like this as well.

My nausea did in fact dissipate by day two. I got my blood results yesterday and since I don't have them with me will just say, after one week I did not expect major changes but there are some.  The cholesterol ones went down a bit and my AST moved from 21 - 27. ALT is still the same. 

I will repeat these in a few more weeks to see how everything is going. I am one of those people that Tig speaks about, we just genetically manufacture cholesterol.

Jimmy, yes, it's a good thing you are not like that

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

SF   

Hey SF,

Just look what you started here! All this counting/timewarp and reminiscing going on, has got Tig wishing for "by the decades 10/20/30 year old meds"??!! I know, I know ... he didn't actually mean he was pining for stale, outdated drugs, or he could land himself back in the days of sub q/interferon, riba and such, but rather, he was alluding to the longing for the "good ole bristling cardiovascular days of our youth, when our hormones were a-plenty and DNA stands unblunted" via big pharma intervention as seen on those nowadays enticing TV commercials! We are going to have to keep tabs on Mallani then, he is on Metformin!!, off-label (aside from diabetes purposes) it is being touted/tested as having sides such as possible  "fountain-of-youth" fostering. Might be something right up my alley!

BTW - that gastric feeling you noted, the first day(s) of being on the new chol med, did it/does it persist?? 

I sure enjoyed my Dilly Bar celebration with you last night.  C.

Greetings SF.

It occurs to me how quickly time has flown, for those of us who walked this path together. If I were completely anal I would probably say something like I am 218 days since EOT. Or perhaps 190 days since EOT + 4 weeks or maybe that my EOT + 12 weeks was 134 days ago or that Carolyn is 174 since SVR 12.

Man oh man am I relieved that I am not like that.

Ok the fact is I am in every way just like that and probably because it is so hard to comprehend. In particular when I consider it has been 103 days since Carolyn and I boarded that Victory lap Cruise. ( Must be time to book another one! )

Time goes so fast.

My name sake at 4:14 states;

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

One does not have to confess that The Bible is The Word of God to be able to agree with this passage. As we get older it just seems to become more of a truth than we had ever considered before.

However, the fact is each of us who have been blessed with the cure have been blessed with the fact that we have likely added to our days. That is something for us to really consider and we should ask ourselves, what shall we do with our added time.

I watch Tig here and I can clearly see what he has decided to do with that which he has been blessed with.

He intends, via this web site to help others facing that which we all have. The unknown. That is a cold place to travel alone and he makes it possible that no one has to.

For some it is an easy thing to come here, get help, have their hands held lovingly and then once cured move on. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and I say God bless them all.

For others there may linger the desire to help the newbies who clumsily seek hope in a place where hope lives. To these SF. of which you are one, God Bless your loving hearts.

In this short thread alone.

SF

Tig

Scruffy

Wendy

The Canuck

100% of those responding are in fact CURED yet are still here. What does that say to you the reader about these folks?

Indeed I go to war with the brothers I trust and none of those mentioned are less than a brother. Well except of course the girls. Holy Crap Jimmy you can't say that! 

Sure I can. I am forgiven! LOL

Indeed there will be threads EOT, SOT, SVR12 + that will continue here as long as the site stands and let that serve as reminder to all who come here. YES there is hope. YES it may have some rough moments. YES you may not feel great for some time to come. YOU may feel like saying something stupid while on treatment and YES you well may do so but the fact is we are those who have cleared the path to FREEDOM from a Dragon one time close to invincible and now a mere Lizard waiting to be stepped on.

This site is a beacon of Hope and the folks here are among the best. I am proud to have been given the opportunity to walk with y'all. And to the newbies that come along, you are not alone and we will walk with you.

There I said it.

Tig my Brother you got mail.

JimmyK

Hey Scruffy, you're fortunate to be able to control your cholesterol and triglycerides in that manner. Some people are bad cholesterol factories! People that can't control it with diet and exercise can cause higher stress on their liver and vascular system by not taking a statin or similar Rx. Turns out high LDL cholesterol levels are particularly difficult for the liver to process. So left untreated the risk of stroke, liver and cardiac disease increases significantly.

Still, I sit here amazed by these TV commercials that mention a single benefit, while quickly going through a dozen probable or potential life threatening possibilities. I ask myself why would I want to try that stuff? If you can do it naturally, by all means do it. If not, seek the advice of your doctor. It's not a good idea to ignore it. My Dad did and he had a stroke. Arteries so clogged that one carotid artery is completely occluded. Now he lives on statins and blood thinners. There are times he's one big bruised skin tear. He wishes he hadn't been so quick to refuse a prescriptive path. Damned if you do, damned if you don't... 

Now, I'm in the market for that elusive 30 year old pill. The one that makes us feel 30 again? I heard you can get them in "decade" strengths. Go back 10 or 50, it's up to you! It may be a strictly artificial environment, but I hear it's fun! 

Congratz on the svr+1

After my treatment my Doc tried to get me to take Lipitor. I out right refused. No cholesterol meds for me. I fought to hard to put any more strain on my liver. Diet and exercise. my triglycerides went for 200 to 83 in a few months and every thing else was normal, Its tough to stick to but can be done just saying. Anyway best wished for you.

I am cheering you right now SF with my  

Dave and I emailed last week and he is well and says hi to all

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SF!!!!!!

It was almost impossible for us (back then) to be able to project and imagine ourselves, at what seemed then, a long-away milestone like this eh?!

Such long roads we travelled, the journey sometimes jolting, but really, joined in a seamless complicatd worven chain of events, all in continual forward motion, hopefully most-memorable events end up being the puncuations of the rewarding happy milestones we mark, like these. To be able to say, "I'm cured", one year after that first tentative pill full of unknown promise passed your lips - huge!

I chug-a-lugged some maple syrup last night in Re-Buys milestone celebration. So, tonight, in honour of your very special day, I am breaking out the Dilly Bar I have stashed in the freezer - and I will enjoy it/savour it in special crunching celebration of you, this day.

I am so gald we were in company on this journey.  C.

Hey SF,

That's the kind of news I really enjoy! It's one of those posts I read a few times to make sure I 've absorbed every drop of goodness! We have witnessed you fight hard to get where you are today. You have quite a story to tell and offer a wealth of knowledge, support and friendship here. You deserve this success! Happy Anniversary!

In full agreement on the Pin Cushion comment. I think you have pulled ahead in the competition, so here's your award!!

Nothing more really but I just wanted to post that today is the anniversary of swallowing my first Harvoni Pill. I do recall that day as if it was yesterday. One year later, a few nervous scares and incidents and still UND as of Dec and I am quite sure now as well.  I owe so much to the people on this forum and to some who have moved on for their own reasons. If you are new, this is the place you want to be.

SF

** Ps  Had blood work this morning to still watch for anything abnormal due to my start of a new cholesterol medication. We are all human pin cushions I suppose.  I don't think I will see anything tomorrow when I look at the results so I will rinse and repeat in a few more weeks.