5 week test results -- SOC + Alinia

Hi Everyone, hope ya'll are feeling as well as can be expected.  I received 5 week tests and they're a little confusing because the 2 week test was a PCR and showed an almost 4 log drop and the 5 week test is a TMA and still shows detectable at 138.  After that first huge drop I'm surprised I'm not detectable.  It seems the little buggers are digging their heels in.  

Also, WBC is 3.1, hemoglobin 10.9, absolute eosinophils are low at 12.

Can someone please explain the numerical difference between the PCR and TMA tests and is my hemoglobin low enough to start thinking about rescue drugs?

Thanks,

Kittyface

[jmjm530]

The four-log drop may have been a little  misleading because you had such a high pre-treatment viral load (50 million). But for what it's worth, my week five viral load was about the same as your week 5, and I was UND at week 6. Hopefully, you will also be if you test at week 6. Keep in mind that most of the killing is done with the first injection, and a little slower after that.

As to your hgb, rescue drug intervention is a very indivdual thing and some start Procrit (epo) with hgb in the 11's, while others wait longer. A lot depends on your age, symptons, sex, pre-tx hgb, rate of drop, etc.

That said, "10" seems to be some sort of benchmark number, and you are not too far off. So, even if you doctors don't think you need it yet, you might want to get the rx and insurance paperwork moving just in case. Procrit takes 2-4 weeks to kick in, so thinking a little ahead is not a bad idea because you want to avoid a riba dose reduction if you can. Weekly -- or even more frequent CBCs -- will also help track things until your hgb stabalizes.

-- Jim

[kittyface]

Thanks, Jim, it's good to know your numbers were the same and you cleared.  And I'll get the procrit ball in motion as I'm applying for patient assistance.

How are you feeling these days?  Did all your post tx sx clear up?

Best regards,

Kittyface

[CockSparrow]

8690 down to 138 is still a 1.8 log drop, so its still looking good.

Not sure what type of PCR test you had but the main differece between it and TMA will be sensitivity.

All the Best
CS

[willing]

great results!  some reduction in the slope of the decline seems very common at this point but those are very encouraging numbers. Jim's point about planning-for-procrit seems good advice particularly because you're still very early in the game and it's likely the Hgb will drop further.

[orleans]

1.8 log from week 2 to week 5 sounds pretty darn good!   You are on your way!  jerry