For anyone who's interested, here are a few links I ran into on the subject of SVR and durability:
<a href="http://www.natap.org/2004/AASLD/aasld_20.htm">Durability of SVR, 5 Year follow-up Pegasys plus Copegus</a>
<a href="http://www.hcvadvocate.org/news/newsRev/2004/NewsRev-74.html#11">Response to Hepatitis C Therapy Can Last for Years</a>
<a href="http://www.natap.org/2003/Jan/010803_1.htm">Is HCV Curable?</a>
Great to see you back as well. Hopefully we can all help stimulate lots of questions and provide access to new research for all our members to share. I think we need to constantly 'push' the medical and scientific communities to explore all the HCV issues as thoroughly as possible, AND to listen better to the people who have HCV, to understand where the real issues and questions lie.
Look at the Radkowski study linked by Willing (above), and think about how many doctors have summarily 'blown off' questions from patients regarding the possibility of HCV persisting in various organs AFTER the big SVR! "You're cured son, go have a good life, and don't ask any more questions"... "The interferon hangover will be gone in a month or two...maybe three... so go celebrate!" "This is a liver infection, usually without any real symptoms"....etc. OK, I see. Sorry for asking such goofy questions doc!
Anyway, welcome back.
DoubleDose
Great to hear from you...I often wondered how things were going. Please keep in touch with the forum...we miss your interaction.
By the way, the Radkowski study is very disturbing, as I interpret it, and reinforces my fears of 'HCV causing all the post-tx, SVR symptoms' Why do so many SVR's continue to have fatigue, cognitive problems, arthritic issues, etc. etc.
Are other studies looking at the same issues as the Radkowski study?? What is the US HCV scientific community saying in response to the study??? Ignoring it???
How about Schering Plough, etc???? Bet you won't see them trying to replicate the results!!!
Regards,
DoubleDose
Very good to see that you've posted here once more. And good to hear that on balance it appears as if your post-tx trauma is relatively minimal.
I'd also like to take the opportunity to say thank you. When I first came to MedHelp nearly a year-and-a-half ago you, more so than anyone else, inspired me to dig for information, dig deeper for even more information, and then to dig deep inside of all that information. The end result being that I've gained knowledge that has proven greatly useful and beneficial during the course of my tx - and beyond.
I hope all is well as you continue on with your personal 'study-of-one'. And may God's blessings and mercy be upon you.
TnHepGuy
thanks for asking. I hope all's well with you and wish you all the best in your upcoming tests. For me it's coming around to a year post tx. I haven't yet tested and think I'll wait another year since I'm still enrolled in my very own clinical trial with a sample of 1 : "Is post-tx quality of life correlated with SVR?". At this point, I don't have a clue. Most days are good, some not so good. How much is age? I think the meds accelerate normal ageing. Lately I've been bothered by that old familiar upper-right quadrant discomfort, which is pretty hard to pin to age, so if I had to pick today I'd guess relapse, but who knows? There's really only two things I'm absolutely sure of : it's good to be alive and it's absolutely great to be off those meds!
My goodness it's been a long time. Well I'm glad to see you here and hope you have been well. How are things with you? Have your sx gone? How long post tx are you now? Did you ever get a post PCR? Maybe you posted this stuff but I never saw it. I've wondered how you are more than once. Anyway, glad to hear from you. LL