Can Hep c come back if treated?

[kxsx]

Hi all

I start treatment for hep c on Monday...(pegasys and ribavirin)

Im genotype 3 so I'll be finished the treatment on the 7th of Feb.

Just wondering if I clear the virus at the end of treatment will it be it gone for good or can it come back?

Also, can you tell me what side effects you all got when starting treatment? I know it varies...

And did you get hairloss if so when does this happen..

Just tryin to prepare myself for the worst n was just wantin to know from people that are going through the same thing!
I'm hoping I won't get toooo drained out as I'm a single parent with a 5month old baby but I do have my parents support if I need a hand!

Thanks

Kyz
26yo female uk

[Diane12855]

If you are clear after 6 months post treatment they say that it won't come back... because there isn't any live virus in your body to replicate. That's why they wait 6 months... because if there was any left it would already have starting replicating and would show up on your blood tests.

Diane

[kxsx]

Thanks for that :)

So if after treatment it does come back can it only come back if you catch it again (through blood etc?) or can it just come back by itself? ;If so how long can you be cleared for after treatment where there's  little chance of getting it again?

I don't inject etc.. so if I do clear there's a very low chance of me gettin it again!

I hope that made sense :)

Thanks x

[eureka254]

You got great info from portann there -- knowing that relapse after treatment is a real possibility emphasizes the need to stay on schedule with all your medications 100% of the time to optimize your chances of SVR.  The good news is that as a genotype 3, your chances are better than most of clearing the virus, and in a shorter duration of time than the majority of people.

As far as side effects, I hope you don't have any!... My husband has cirrhosis, so his side effects may have been more significant than most people expect to have, but he's had fevers, chills, nausea/vomiting/lack of appetite, brain fog, some healing/infection problems, and anemia (not fun, made him fatigued, short of breath, etc.) -- but not all of the above every day.  Most days he feels fairly functional... just some bad patches here and there.  And speaking of patches, his hair did get thinner, but as it started growing back, the texture changed from curly and hard-to-manage to a fine, straight, baby-soft texture... he keeps joking that he wants to market peg/riba as a weight loss and hair straightening product all in one!

It's great to hear that you'll have support from your parents with the new baby... and congratulations on bringing new life to the world!  Good luck on starting treatment!
~eureka

[kxsx]

Thanks for that reply, it helped! :)

[portann]

Hi Kyz,

I hope the delivery went well!

Unfortunately, being clear at the end of HCV treatment doesn't guarantee that the virus won't come back. You'll wait a certain period after finishing the meds to see if you're clinically cured. In some people, the virus returns, which is called relapse.

We call ourselves clinically cured after six months of being virus-free post-treatment and a three month test is close to 100% accurate in the absence of cirrrhosis.

If you sustain your response (SVR), then you're clinically cured but that doesn't mean you have immunity from catching it again from a different source.

The hair issue is one that the gals talk about a lot. Either you'll lose just a little, so that noone notices except yourself, or you'll lose more, like MeaKea and NYG, who wore wigs and seemed to enjoy that. One way or another, it'll all grow back.

Take it a step at a time and ask questions as side effects crop up. Lots of hot tips in here about dealing with these.

I wish you an easy journey and am glad to hear your folks will be there to help you and the baby. Irritation can be one of the side effects of the meds, so make sure they understand that you may get bit-chy and that the meds can affect your moods.

Susan