4 week results

I don't have the specifics on this but I have had a 2 log drop.  I believe I started at 1.9 million and I am down to 160,000 copies.  I am happy it is heading down.  I won't know any more results until my 12 week pcr.  For those that don't remember me I have 1b and stage 1 grade 1 to 2 and I am 30 years old.  I am currently on shot 5\48.  Just thought I would pass along the news to all of you.  I haven't been on too much because my eye's can't handle looking at the monitor for long.  I hope it passes soon so I can get caught up in here.  Well bless you all and take care,

Steve

[way]

Great news! A two log drop at 4 weeks is how they tell if you are responding--and you ARE.

Sorry to hear about your eyes. Do sun glasses help at all. The reason I asked is because I have mine right here and just put them on and the monitor is not so bright. Maybe you could put some of that window tinting film on your monitor.

I am on shot 8/24.

Hang in there!

[Stvski80085]

I need to try something to make it easier on my eyes.  I have just been lazy and haven't dealt with it yet.  I will find something that works soon too.  Thanks for the support.

Take Care,

Steve

[bobbyullc]

A 1.9 MIL TO 160,000 IS A 6.278 LOG TO A 5.2 LOG OR A 1.07 DROP. CHECK YOUR FIGUERS AND I WILL RUN IT AGAIN.
BOBBY

[jmjm530]

Bobby is correct. You have a little over a one log drop. A two log drop would be 19,000 IU/ml. Still, dropping a little over one log is excellent and shows that you are responding. At this rate I'd think you have a very good chance of being non-detectible by week 12. You might ask your doctor for another VL test at week 8 to get a more exact idea of your progress.

-- Jim

[bobbyullc]

had to use this post, i do not know which it was but it zapped me and hurt some. it was about 5 years ago and was $500 and tx and about 6 tx. worked great until peg tx. i liked your post re 50/50. agree 100%. even at stage 3 if i do not svr he will wait for new drugs. i will also. i still have short term memory laps?
bobby

[painterlady13]

Steve it looks like you are well on your way to SVR  Good luck.

ok what denotes a 2 log drop and how do you figure it out?  I started at 2,500,000.  won't even be due for a VL test for a couple weeks as I just started but it would be nice to figure it out when I get them.

[jmjm530]

You just cross off a zero for each log.

You're starting with 2,500,000 so a one log drop would be
250,000; a two log drop would be 25,000; a three log drop would
be 2,500, etc.

What you will be looking for by week 12 is a 2-log drop (25,000 IU/ml) or better. Preferably non-detectible via a very sensitive test.

-- Jim

[painterlady13]

Thank you Jim.  At this point I am only 1 week down 47 to go. But it is nice to know what I am looking for when blood work comes back.

[friole]

Hi maamir -- sounds like you were talking about me.  I had 40IU/mL at 12 weeks and the sensitivity of the test went as low as 2 IU/mL (this was the LabCorp QuantaSure). I was definitely not clear of the virus.

Bill54 explained it really good one time -- for example, I had  40 IU's of virons in 1 milliliter of blood.  Now the average body has 5.6 liters of blood.  1 millilter = .001 liters.  so, I may have had 224,000 IU running around in me (40 /.001 x 5.6). (if you convert that back to copies which I think are the actual numbers of virons, it was about 560,000 of the little suckers (the LabCorp conversion from copies to IU is about 40% - other labs have different conversions)

LabCorp has two QuantaSure tests and the ranges are different --

The QuantaSure tests from 2 - 2,000,000
The QuantaSurePlus tests from 10 - 100,000,000

For me, like Jim was explaining, the low end of the test is what is important.  I no longer (in fact ever) needed to know if I had 100 million IU/mL in me. Thus I requested for my end of treatment PCR the QuantaSure

I didn't think too much of it - not being clear at 12 weeks since my vl was so low until a relapser posted that she had 45 IU/mL at 12 weeks and was clear thereafter and still relapsed.  That gave me pause, and I decided to researh further.  It was my decision to go 36 weeks after reaching clear.  Whether or not I need that extra 8 weeks to reach SVR I will probably never know.

Sorry so long winded here.  Sometimes I have to justify my extending treatment to myself.   You may have to research the websight for whatever lab your doctor uses, but you may request a more sensitive test and they should honor it.

frijole

[Gonna beat it]

My doc won't be testing me until week 12 to see if I have dropped.
I go today for cbc and lites, but nothing to do with the hep c until 12, I am so short of breath as of late, even if I talk to much, which for me is a regular occurance, I have to stop and take a deep breath.

[jmjm530]

Different tests have different sensitivities. For example, some doctors use a test that goes down to only 600 IU/ml. As long as someone tests under that amount they get a negative result, but that doesn't mean they are cleared.

Take the same person, the same day, and give them a more sensitive test that goes down to 50 IU/ml, and it's possible it may turn out that they have 200 IU/ml of virus in their system. So, indeed they weren't "clear" after all, only clear with the less sensitive test.

In general, any test that reports to 50 IU/ml or below is considered sensitive. In fact, at least as of a year ago, most of the European trials never tested below 50 IU/ml.

That said, many of us here use even more sensitive tests like Quest Diagnostic's quantitative Heptimax which goes down to 5 IU/ml. That's an excellent test to use either prior to treating or during treatment, as it's both sensitive and gives you a numerical result.  After treatment I decided to use Quest's qualitative TMA. It also goes down to 5 IU/ml but only tells you if you if the virus is detectible or not dectible. No number. But after treatment, the number really doesn't matter so much -- you really want to know if you still have it or if it's gone.

Going back to your question on what a 40 IU/ml viral load means. Again it depends on the sensitivity of the test. If the test is sensitive to 5 IU/ml, then the person has detectible virus in their blood, i.e. they are not clear. However, if 40 IU/ml is the tests limit, then they are indeed non-detectible according to a fairly sensitive test.

Hope this clarifies and please ask more questions because it can be a confusing subject.

-- Jim

[NYgirl]

As long as you have a 2 log drop you have it made!

You don't need to be UND until week 24 - that is the cut off for when they make you quit.  A 2 log drop at week 4 is excellent!

You are doing it keep it up!

[jmjm530]

I was talking genotype 1 standard treatment 48 weeks.

There is a newer European directive, however, that treats geno 1's for 24 weeks, however two criteria must be in place. First, you need a low pre-tx viral load, which I believe is under 600,000 IU/ml. And second, you have to be non-detectible by week 4. Hope this helps.

-- Jim