Hey RainyJ hi and welcome....I hope you are doing fine ... I'm waiting for my Epclusa to arrive in post...they have been ordered and I have just had pre tests done today so I could be joining you by next week eeeek.....we can ride this together   

Best wishes : )

jaggles

Hey Rainy,

SO glad to hear it's epclusa! I was hoping it was!

DID SOMEBODY SAY ICECREAM!!!! Sounds like a good idea to me, a wee bit of sugar might indeed help the medicine go down!

Of course ... along with all that WATER! (I know, I know, not as soothing sounding and comforting as a nice jamoca almond fudge, or maybe a little maple walnut?, man ... I wish I had some "nuttin' better" in my freezer right now!), drool. 

We know you might not believe us (now/yet) .... but DO do the water. PLAN on it - get it organized, and set up your water "plan" now! Pre-portion, pre-measure, pack it with you, strive for the gal per day in any fool-proof method you chose. Just make sure you do it. Your going to be fine, the peeing all the time may well be the worst you experience! 

My fatigue was more and more pronounced in the decades and years approaching treatment, especially the last couple years prior to treatment, it was really at it's height 6 months prior to treatment and then during treatment and has improved now, slowly and immensely post-cure, and is still improving! 

Something to look forward to alright. Very rewarding when you start to loose the fatigue. 

I have not heard too many others say their fatigue was really "much" worse, or in some cases any worse, on treatment, compared to the fatigue they may been struggling through before treatment!

There are tons of benefits in loosing this virus, you'll see!

Glad Tig metioned about how they arrive at Fscores (i was going to go there too), and about ultrasounds. Imaging, such as U/S's do impart reallly, really good valuable info, but they are just an important "part" of defining your current health/liver states. ALL the bits of info - bloods and imaging and tests and physical exams (combined) help paint the best, fullest, overall "guessing/indications" they can muster as to the amount of damage any disease may have done to a person (or subsequently indications of improvements) - I would ask for the additional fibroscan - they are great to have, pre-treatment, as baseline (just like your other lab and imaging data are) and when repeated, as you go along, after cure, they all help in the measuring/guaging of future improvements.

I am betting they already assessed you/checked into your Hep A/B and influenza immunity. If you do not recall this, then ask about it at your earliest opportunity. You could also ask at your next appointment if they would order you a fibroscan. 

Happy pill down the gullet Friday.  C.

Decaf tea is another suggestion for water intake. Watermelon will be in season soon, right Jimmy? And that is also a good source. Good luck today Rainy. 

I did different meds than you including the dreaded riba, and I have never had such a sweet tooth in my life than when I was on treatment.   Cream and sugar in your coffee is just fine.

As Tig says, you can find ways to enjoy water...

a bit of lemon, lime, orange or cucumber sliced in it can make it refreshing.

And remember, it's much better than the headaches.

When you are virus free, I'm pretty sure your fatigue will lessen.

Mine did. It used to take me a week to vacumn a room cause I had such a short 'shelf life' I had to lie down every 5 minutes...now I can clean a few rooms in the house, then walk the dog, then cook dinner, then wash up from dinner....all without lying down! I can't believe how great it is to be normal 

So tomorrow is the big day. Yay

A

The recommended intake per day is a gallon (3-4 L). We like to say "at least"  that much per day. If you feel better drinking more, good. You'll learn what works for you. Take advantage of the next 6 months (and thereafter!) to treat your body like the shrine it is. We all want a reason to start a healthier and happier life! 

That said, regarding the cream and sugar in your coffee, some things we will forgive you for! I will never hold that against you, lol! Everything in moderation I say 

Hey, that's good stuff! One of the best. We have several people here that were treated successfully with Epclusa. It has been an easy ride for all. I'll leave a link below to one of our Epclusa threads. Enter Epclusa in our search function above, you'll find more information there.

A regular abdominal ultrasound doesn't provide the information to diagnose cirrhosis. It basically visualizes structure, blood flow, shape and masses. The Fibroscan is a specialized ultrasound scan that shoots a sound wave (vibration) through the liver and is repeated several times. An average is taken from the test and the higher the kPa, the higher the fibrosis. There are also blood tests being used to help determine the likelihood of advancing fibrosis. These are utilized more often now as an alternative to biopsy. I'll leave a link for some fibroscan info too. 

You have to keep that water intake up! Must Do It!! Add fruit to the water, I used that squirt tea (like MIO)you mix it yourself. Avoid extra sugar in your diet and drink right now. A glass of soda doesn't count! Coffee is good. I drank tons and still do. It's difficult but very worth the effort. If you don't, you'll learn the difference fairly quickly. Do your best, and keep moving forward!

Epclusa Corner

Liver Stiffness

Welcome and hurrah!

Getting did of that nasty virus will change your life.

I had the virus for 32 years, I was very,very sick for most of that time with fatty liver, no immune system, early menopause, severe allergies and eventually chirrosis. Like you I wanted no part of the interferon riba. These new treatments are sooooo effective and soooo easy.  

The most important thing is to be consistant with the timing of your pill popping, dont miss any (many of us set alarms on our ) and of course DRINK water..... a lot of water.

Keep us informed about your progress... 

A

Hey thanks for filling us in Rainy,

Like Tig, I too would love to know what particular drug treatment regime they chose for you as a GT2b. 

Friday will come soon, do not approach it with trepidation, but rather with that excitement you spoke of, focus on knowing you have made the right decision, you are doing the best possibe thing for yourself, getting rid of this damaging hitch-hiker. Tig is right, take comfort knowing GT2's respond well, a plus, to your favour. You will soon be rid of this HCV liabilty, and can soon look forward to seeing what things improve for you following.

On the good news side, I am glad your "new" doc encouraged you that it was now a good time to get rid of this virus, good they have got a fairly good (aprox) idea (your baseline data) of what things they will now watch and follow you for, and so you can all watch for improvements in them. All VERY good things, especially when you know they are planning to take care of you properly, according to standard "following" practises. As a team, you will all be working together, pro-actively in annihilating this virus, that act alone may start a cavalcade of health improvements. I for one, am encouraged that they have already indicated they plan to follow you well.

You might just end up being surprized and pleased what kind of things improve for you after cure!

We have seen quite a number of people improve, in all sorts of ways after cure. I consider I am one of those people Tig spoke of, I was also F3 and then F4 at one time, and I also had a fatty liver before cure, subsequently, post cure, I am now considered in the F0 range (by my last fibroscan result), and, there was no mention of fatty liver with my last ultrasound or CAT scan - so what do you think of that! I tell ya, I am some impressed how things have gone for me, and what things have quickly improved! I was not expecting it, or at least not so much, so soon! So, I feel very lucky to have received the amount of follow-up I have had, as without it, I (we) could not have judged what stayed the same or improved.

Follow-up is a good thing. Welcome it. In the meantime, relish this opportunity to trounce this virus into oblivion.

Good your bili and albumin are within normal limits. Good you had the ultrasound. No fibroscan? No CAT scan?

What other imaging, assessments or bloods have you had (recently, or since 2007)? How long do you think you had HCV before you were diagnosed in 2007? How are you feeling?

I will be happy to hear you got that first pill past your lips on Friday!  C.

Hi Rainy,

Your lab results do indicate cirrhosis. Anytime the ALT is greater than the AST, with the ratio (AST/ALT) <1, enlarged spleen and low platelets, it indicates advanced fibrosis. That doesn't reduce or limit your ability to clear the virus. That shouldn't be a worry. Genotype 2 has always been one of the geno's that responds well to treatment.

Don't believe everything you hear about fibrosis regression either. We have people here that have witnessed it personally. It takes time, and yes you'll have to have a simple abdominal ultrasound every 6 months or as determined by your doc. The current guideline is every 6 months. That provides plenty of time to handle any potential HCC that might occur. That's the whole point. You should know that curing the virus, will serve wonders to stop further progression. If you regress, and further testing determines a lower fibrosis stage, further reductions in preventive care can be discussed. The good thing is we get the chance. 

Share what the coming week has in store. Tell me what your treatment plan is. There are some new choices out there and you will achieve SVR. Get ready!

Hi RainyJ,

Welcome here.

Yes, you are posting correctly.

I'm really glad to hear that you are about to embark on your treatment this Friday to get rid of this virus!

Tell us what gentotype (GT) you are and what treatment they have chosen for you, and any other info you may want to offer.

I hear you, when you say you feel terrified AND excited, but your comment in chatbox shows you are approaching this with determination and resolve ... "I got up the nerve"...

Don't let yourself be too terrified, we all know what you mean when you speak of fear, but that is of the unknown, know that you are about to find out some really good things are going to happen for you, and it will change your whole view of things, for the better!!! You have made a wise decision to get treated. With the choice of the very effective new anti-viral treatments nowadays, now has never been a better time, nor an easier time, to get rid of this HCV from your body.

Do share a bit more about yourself, if you will, whatever you are comfortable with sharing, as a bit of background info helps the folk around here more easily answer any questions you may have. Info such as your GT, drug treatment planned, how long ago you might have contracted the virus, how long ago you got diagnosed, your level of fibrosis or cirrhosis (your Fscore), if you have had a "fibroscan", and any labs you may know of, like ALT/AST/bilirubin.

There are a lot of really nice helpful folk here who have been just where you are now, and will offer to assist you with their experience as best they can.

Fire away for any burning questions you may have.  C. 

Terrified and happy at the same time. Hope I'm doing this right. Not sure if I'm posting correctly.