I meant to/should have replied to your post sooner, but I want to share in your happy 4 year anniversary. Congrats on your cure!
I understand completely (I think) when you said ... "It's still not believable. After literally never knowing life without HCV until treatment, I think it will take more than 4 years for it to become real, if that makes sense." ... to me your feelings/thoughts/statement is very understandable. The time it takes, for every smile to yourself, feeling healthy gloat, self-pride in overcoming such a long held foe, knowing how strong you were in dealing with the trying treatment, feeling grateful, and with each and every SVR and freedom celebration, all of it brings the joyous reality home. I think it was Boxers, who, not so long ago, was articulating there is sometimes a fine line between real and surreal.
Traumas, struggles, adversity come in all shape and sizes, I think we can all recognize some of what you have gone through.
I am so, so happy for you that you are free now. Sof/riba works, my only regret is that you did not get one of the easier drugs. Be very proud of yourself in how well you mustered through and came out the other side, well! My hat is off to you and a big congrats from me.
Nice your doc is being helpful about the follow-up, after packing HCV for 31 years, follow-up and scans are good, ongoing reasons for continued bursts of celebration.
I'm with Tig - enjoy every moment of your hep-free life.! C.
Tig said
Feb 9, 2018
Now I had a chance to read your post. I wanted to say hi while you were logged in. We had some good conversations when you were fighting to get treatment, then getting it and being successful. Yah, I remember that time well. So great to hear you’re still undetected! It‘s hard to put it out of your mind, but after 4+ years, we should.
I wish you continued good luck and with LFT’s like yours I see a lot of it in your future. Oh, you’re only 35? How I wish I could be 35 again. That was a wonderful time in my life. I’m so glad your health is better. No Hep C stopping you now! Enjoy every moment...
Tig said
Feb 9, 2018
Hello Kristen!! Great to hear from you!
Enavigo3891 said
Feb 9, 2018
Hello old and new friends - Happy Friday to you all. So this coming Monday 2/11/18 marks the 4 year anniversary of the day I began my Sovaldi/Riba journey. And 84 days later I was tired, weak, and angry (RibaRage)... but I was UND.
I posted a few weeks ago that I hadn't had my annual check up at the liver specialist this year so I hadn't gotten any blood work and was equal parts nervous and curious as to whether I was still "CURED". Well, this past week I had my physical and I asked my new PCP if she'd run it for me (kudos to her for knowing the correct test to run). My PCP's office has an online portal where you can see your lab results as they become available so I had been checking of course feverishly, the boring things like WBC's come in a day before the rest of the LFT's and then another day or so for the Quantitative test. Before I could see the HepC results the nurse called to tell me that the doctor wanted me to know that my lab work came back "acceptable" and that I needed to start taking VitD again as I'm real low; "oh and by the way your Hepatitis C test was negative" as she rushed to get off the phone. HOLD UP... NEGATIVE? I asked her to confirm which test was run by the lab and she confirmed it was - I asked Negative? As in, undetectable? and she replies; "oh yea, undetectable, have a nice night".
So I logged in and was pleased to see from the lab report; "No HCV RNA Detected". I'll admit, getting that call from the liver specialist is way more fun as he's always so damn happy about it! Either way, as for the rest of my "acceptable" blood work - ALT: 9 and AST: 11. My PCP wants me to f/up with the specialist for a scan. I expressed my concern that insurance may not pick it up so she was kind enough to write up my visit notes to include that despite the fact I've been "cured" the truth is I had the disease for 31 years and it would be beneficial to get a clearer picture of what may have happened to my liver during that time frame. So I'm hopeful they will pay it.
I also had a stress test which turned out totally fine. So next month I'll turn 35; I'm 11.5 weeks since my last cigarette; last BP was 111/75; stress test all clear; and after FOUR YEARS, I remain, UND! It's still not believable. After literally never knowing life without HCV until treatment, I think it will take more than 4 years for it to become real, if that makes sense.
So to all of you... keep on trucking, the dream is real!
Hi Enavigo,
I meant to/should have replied to your post sooner, but I want to share in your happy 4 year anniversary. Congrats on your cure!
I understand completely (I think) when you said ... "It's still not believable. After literally never knowing life without HCV until treatment, I think it will take more than 4 years for it to become real, if that makes sense." ... to me your feelings/thoughts/statement is very understandable. The time it takes, for every smile to yourself, feeling healthy gloat, self-pride in overcoming such a long held foe, knowing how strong you were in dealing with the trying treatment, feeling grateful, and with each and every SVR and freedom celebration, all of it brings the joyous reality home. I think it was Boxers, who, not so long ago, was articulating there is sometimes a fine line between real and surreal.
Traumas, struggles, adversity come in all shape and sizes, I think we can all recognize some of what you have gone through.
I am so, so happy for you that you are free now. Sof/riba works, my only regret is that you did not get one of the easier drugs. Be very proud of yourself in how well you mustered through and came out the other side, well! My hat is off to you and a big congrats from me.
Nice your doc is being helpful about the follow-up, after packing HCV for 31 years, follow-up and scans are good, ongoing reasons for continued bursts of celebration.
I'm with Tig - enjoy every moment of your hep-free life.!
C.
Now I had a chance to read your post. I wanted to say hi while you were logged in. We had some good conversations when you were fighting to get treatment, then getting it and being successful. Yah, I remember that time well. So great to hear you’re still undetected! It‘s hard to put it out of your mind, but after 4+ years, we should.
I wish you continued good luck and with LFT’s like yours I see a lot of it in your future. Oh, you’re only 35? How I wish I could be 35 again. That was a wonderful time in my life. I’m so glad your health is better. No Hep C stopping you now! Enjoy every moment...
Hello Kristen!! Great to hear from you!
Hello old and new friends - Happy Friday to you all. So this coming Monday 2/11/18 marks the 4 year anniversary of the day I began my Sovaldi/Riba journey. And 84 days later I was tired, weak, and angry (RibaRage)... but I was UND.
I posted a few weeks ago that I hadn't had my annual check up at the liver specialist this year so I hadn't gotten any blood work and was equal parts nervous and curious as to whether I was still "CURED". Well, this past week I had my physical and I asked my new PCP if she'd run it for me (kudos to her for knowing the correct test to run). My PCP's office has an online portal where you can see your lab results as they become available so I had been checking of course feverishly, the boring things like WBC's come in a day before the rest of the LFT's and then another day or so for the Quantitative test. Before I could see the HepC results the nurse called to tell me that the doctor wanted me to know that my lab work came back "acceptable" and that I needed to start taking VitD again as I'm real low; "oh and by the way your Hepatitis C test was negative" as she rushed to get off the phone. HOLD UP... NEGATIVE? I asked her to confirm which test was run by the lab and she confirmed it was - I asked Negative? As in, undetectable? and she replies; "oh yea, undetectable, have a nice night".
So I logged in and was pleased to see from the lab report; "No HCV RNA Detected". I'll admit, getting that call from the liver specialist is way more fun as he's always so damn happy about it! Either way, as for the rest of my "acceptable" blood work - ALT: 9 and AST: 11. My PCP wants me to f/up with the specialist for a scan. I expressed my concern that insurance may not pick it up so she was kind enough to write up my visit notes to include that despite the fact I've been "cured" the truth is I had the disease for 31 years and it would be beneficial to get a clearer picture of what may have happened to my liver during that time frame. So I'm hopeful they will pay it.
I also had a stress test which turned out totally fine. So next month I'll turn 35; I'm 11.5 weeks since my last cigarette; last BP was 111/75; stress test all clear; and after FOUR YEARS, I remain, UND! It's still not believable. After literally never knowing life without HCV until treatment, I think it will take more than 4 years for it to become real, if that makes sense.
So to all of you... keep on trucking, the dream is real!
Have a great weekend everyone!