3 Months after Treatment and Positive

Question

Hello everyone.  First post here.  I am 27 yo and was diagnosed with HCV almost 5 years ago.  I was very lucky to find it in the first couple of months of infection and for the first couple years, I did my best to control my urges (drugs & alcohol), but by the end of the 2nd year I had given up heavy drugs, and alcohol and only smoked Marijuana for pleasure and pain.  Since the beginning of my 3rd year infected I followed my doctor's rules and guidelines and last year I started my Peg Intron with Rebetol treatment for 48 weeks.  It was hell, but I pushed through barely missing work or school.  Now only three short months after the completion of my treatment we have found that it did not work.  My question is what is the next step?  Can you reattempt the meds?  Are there other alternatives?  I want a family, but find it difficult to find a woman who does not run when you tell them of the situation.  Is there a way that I could have a baby, without passing it on to the mother or the child?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read my post.

cuteus · Answer

sorry to shorten name, I am lazy tonite.  Yes, that site contains some misinformation in many of their articles.  This site is promoted by a poster name Thanbey.   I do wish you luck, if you have time to play with alternatives because you are young, good for you.
  If you have actual valid studies where this alt has been successful in erradicating the virus, then by all means start a thread and inform us.  best time to start one is after 9 am eastern time.   If not, then I guess you are a guinea pig with your own tx....when will they do next vl?
Let us know results one way or another?  no judgements.

stay well

snook_man · Answer

I am only 26years old, but also have hep c. I have had it from birth, and will start tx soon..I have done alot of reading, because I too am young, and drinking and hanging out is just what we do.. Stop smoking marijuana!! It counteracts the interferone, and decreases its ability to work..It was in the book my doctor gave me.. Gods medicine, but wait till your treatment is done!!! What geneotype do you have??

GettingBetter · Answer

Thanks for the link...I looked at it and it was riddled with misinformation. They lump all types of silver into one category when it is not. And they also call colloidal silver a toxic heavy metal, which it is not. It's a noble metal and not toxic to the body as the article states. Sea silver is NOT colloidal silver! And argyria is not aquired by pure colloidal silver but from silver salts and protiens. Thousands of people use cs without turning blue!! Any "documented" case of argryia fails to make the distinction about the type of cs used. There are ZERO cases of argryia from using properly made colloidal silver. It's true you have to be very careful when buying cs otc because you don't know how it was made. For that reason I make my own using a simple generator and steam distilled water. A study done to assess silver elimination shows that most silver is eliminated quickly through urine, and the rest will eliminate completely within two months. It's a double edged knife when doing doing cs research. Colloidal silver has been used safely for hundreds, even thousands of years! And contrary to the article, it was not replaced when "better" anti-biotics came along...it was pushed aside for patentable and profitable anti-biotics. I did not get my information from places that sell cs because of the bias issue, but if you are willing to really dig deep, there's some legitimate research out there. And it IS used medically...in burn units cs is used to promote the generation of new skin and fight infection. Hmmmm...they know something. I didn't start this cs use lightly. I did tons of digging and reading before I made my decission to try it. I know it's killing the virus. I doubt after it's completely erradicated that it will be able to come back. Thanks again for the link :o)

cuteus · Answer

To dispelled the belief of horrible poisons, some of us after 39 shots are still working, still having fun with SO, and not feeling excellent but manageable nevertheless. 
 some have 0 sides per my GI.
 you can't know how YOUR body will react until you try it.  Pegasys/copegus seem less problematic. 
 At 52, I want to try something that has better stats of success than silver, I don't have time to play with alts that feature only anecdotal experiences.   Again, GL to you

cuteus · Answer

I hope this works for you, but I have not heard of many, if any, on that tx achieving and sustaining a viral response.
  VL are not a good gauge of how your infection is progressing, since  VL can have dramatic fluctuations on their own with no  actual tx of any kind.  6 months from now, when you still have detectable viral particles, you can officially label this alt:"snake oil"
 check this site, not in the market to sell silver:http://www.hcop.org/hcvinfo/articles/index.cfm?articleid=143

hope you remain well

GettingBetter · Answer

I just had to reply to the slam against alt treatments. I've been reluctant to try the conventional treatments for my hep c because of how toxic it is and the horrible side affects. I had a VL count done in Dec 2003, then I started using colloidal silver with HOPE that it would actually kill the virus as I had read in many testimonials. I was totally sceptical...until yesterday. After using the cs for 3 months I had my VL tested again. My doctor was so excited about the results of my lab work that she called me in advance of my next appointment to tell me the good news...my VL was cut in half. In Dec, before starting the cs, my VL was 1,200,000. It's now 600,000. Not bad for "snake oil" as many have called it. The beauty of it is that it body-friendly and there's no side affects to deal with. As a bonus, I haven't had any kind of cold or flu during the past three months. Just because something isn't "government approved" doesn't mean it isn't a good thing. It just means that the big pharmas can't patent it and make a fortune on your suffering.

cuteus · Answer

so I can be a guinea pig for dr. quack..er MErcola?  and still have the virus?  no thanks

muzz · Answer

Instead of being guinea pigs for your disease doctors with their experimental and toxic drugs, try an alternative therapy that's far less invasive and much safer.

Dr. Joseph Mercola's website is one of the highest rated on the web and a good place to start. Type in 'hepatitis' into his search engine.  www.mercola.com
Another excellent resource for health issues is Dr. Andrew Saul's website:  DoctorYourself.com

Good Health To You All

madbyron · Answer

I'm sorry to hear of your relapse. You may want to consider a dating service like this one or this one. There are others. Good luck to you.

Indiana · Answer

ACKKKKKKKKKKKK....I am SO sorry. I did read your posted numbers wrong. As was stated, you ARE respomding.....just not quickly enough. "Something" need to change if you are to succeed. The newest info says that they like to see a 2-log-10 drop by 12 weeks. I am not so sure I agree with all that for type 1's, but you should DEFINATELY be there by 24 weeks. For you that is 60,000. You STILL aren't there. You will NOT clear the way you are going unless "something" changes. I would still continue but with some changes. At the very least you need to get with your doc and lengthen the time frame for your tx. That depends on how well you are tolerating the meds. I am not one to think that spending an "unlimited" time on these meds is a good thing. I have seen too many folks have permanent damage caused by them. It seems to be worse the longer some folks are on them.  Possibly more Peg would help but that would lower your white counts even further so it depends on how they are holding up.
 As I mentioned to Schenectady above, I would e-mail Dr. Cecil and state your case. I am sure he would have "some" sort of a plan that could give you hope. Here's his site.....
   http://www.hepatitisdoctor.com/
 Let us know what plan you decide on.....but keep going until you have one.

layla · Answer

I think your SVR chances will depend on how long you stay on tx after clearing. My hep doc wants me to do 48 weeks from clearing. I have a personal friend who did 2 1/2 years tx. She is clear now. It was very hard for her. I imagine this is a hard decision for you. There is not a perfect answer as it's different for different folks. I wish you the best making your decision on this one. LL

thanbey · Answer

The study concluded:

jonihs · Answer

Unless I read wrong, Your numbers are going down, just slower than we'd like. Wait for your new numbers and depending on your age/ damage/ and Dr.s advice, I think I'd Go For it depending on how well you handled tx. to begin w/.
                         Joni

Indiana · Answer

Answer.....Not good. Your load is going up....even on the meds. Something is NOT working. You are looking at becomming a non-responder. That is NOT good. You and your doc need to brainstorm and alter your tx to be more agressive.....More Peg. Hopefully your body can handle that. If not then it is useless to carry on with the same way you are going. You will NOT clear at the rate you are going. If you get more agressive and DO eventually clear, then you should do at LEAST 24 weeks more at those levels. 
 There is no point in going on at your current rate. The toxic effects of these meds are not worth it if it isn't working. Depending on your bloodwork you may be able to get more agressive. 
I hope so................

cindee · Answer

Hi I got the same news today. I did 48wks also. My doctor wants me to go to Duke University Medical to be a "case study". I will keep everyone posted. Best of luck to you and you will be in my prayers. Much love, Cindee

Sunzoom · Answer

Sorry to butt in but i have a question, I have Hep C type1 and my biopscy showed little to no damage.,I am on shot 25/48, My starting VL was 6 mill. and my 12 week test showed 390000. and my 24 week test showed 89000. My question is should i continue TX. I have been on Peg full shot and 1000mg of reba. My doc says he would like to increase the peg and see me keep going on TX. I know that eventaully i will clear but what are my chances of SVR?

Indiana · Answer

I am sorry that the tx)treatment) did not work for you on the first round. The odds do go down for the subsequent tries. BUT...they are making some major strides in treating Relapsers. You are a Relapser. That is MUCH better than a non-responder. You have shown that your immune systen DOES respond to the meds. Pegasys is approved now and is usually NUCH easier to take than the Peg/Intron that I did. 
 If I was you now, I would e-mail Dr. Cecil. He has had some success in treating relapsers. He is Very agressive and has his own plan for treating Hcv. I have seen him work with a patients local docs to get then through this stuff. Here is his web site....http://www.hepatitisdoctor.com/
 He does answer his e-mails.
 You also need to get with your docs and get copies of ALL your test results. Keep them at home in a folder. That includes all blood tests and biopsy results. It's hard to make decisions or ask for specific help without specific information.
 Good Luck......Let us know how you progress through this.

Tony-z · Answer

Take a look at my web site. Treatment can be tried many times. My Web Page I hope this helps. Tony Z

Schenectady · Answer

What is SVR?  I truly appreciate your encouragement, it has helped to put a smile on my face today.  I just learned last night that the virus was active again.  I really hope that my doc decides to try again, it has not been mentioned yet.  April 20th I will see him to cover options.  Thanks again Scott and everyone for taking the time to read and reply to this post.  

Have a wonderful day everyone.

Schenectady · Answer

Thank you very much for your input.  I truly appreciate it.  I am getting to the point that I am beginning to think of starting a family.  I have found a young woman who seems to be very understanding, but the relationship is still young, as is she, so who knows?

Schenectady · Answer

Thank you very much for your input.  I truly appreciate it.  I am getting to the point that I am beginning to think of starting a family.  I have found a young woman who seems to be very understanding, but the relationship is still young, as is she, so who knows?

FreedomSoon · Answer

To give you some feed back regarding having children. the risk is very low for transmission from the positive male partner. ( I have had hep-c for 27 years and I have two healthy daughters ages 20 and 22. My Ex wife has not contacted this( free and clear.) I believe that it not only is hard to get is is hard to get rid of. From my research on the positive female risk of passing to offspring is low also but not as low as the Male. From what i understand, if there are complications and a c- section or excessive bleeding then the risk is higher but the percentages are very low.My two cents.

fabienne · Answer

I know someone who tried the meds three times and it finally worked.... and I guess it would depend on your liver damage... I tried the meds for 6 months and it didn't work but neither me or my Dr are worried because I have no liver damage and the disease progresses very slowly and even then there is only about 20% chance of it getting liver damage from the diseeae anyway....

Schenectady · Answer

I had a biopsy and I can not recall the exact stage he had mentioned to me.  I do not believe there to be extensive damage to the liver, and have done my best to lead a healthy lifestyle.  I was under the assumption that the treatment (tx?) was a one time shot, is that no longer true?  Do I have the ability to try it again, because I would be more then willing to go at it again.  My understanding was that I handled the meds extremely well and did not miss any more work then any other employee in the office.  I have an uncanny will power to accomplish things.  I feel alright for the most part, some days better then others.  I suffer from migraines, but it may be a heredity thing.  The energy levels fluctuate, but they may be due to my use of god's own pain reliever (marijuana).  Although it may on some days cause me to be less motivated, it helps a lot with the pain, depression and appetite.  I appreciate your support Scott.  

Thanks again to all who have taken the time to read. 

May health and happiness find each of you.

3 Months after Treatment and Positive

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