Well I stopped

[jankar]

Hi to all you people who have been with me on this journey - I stopped treatment today at 27:5 weeks with the advice of my hepatologist. I am a good candidate for SVR at 24 weeks treatment instead of 48 weeks.  Will keep you up to date and good luck to me!! Jankar

[Marcia2202]

Wonderful news!!! I too think it is a good decision you made. Individualized treatment is strongly being promoted since the last Liver Meeting in SF, and I definitely believe that the shorter time one HAS to treat the better. The whole point is to be able to obtain SVR without having to be exposed to the drugs too long and eventually to less damaging drugs.

For others, like myself, unfortunately the only way to have a chance to get rid of this virus is to extend treatment. Fortunately I only had to extend to 32 weeks, being a geno 3.

I take my hat off to everyone going through this tx, no matter how long they treated, but we do have a few super heroes and heroines here.

It's a tough ride... and you made it!!! Be proud of yourself and may we all achieve a big fat SVR.

[IAmTheWalrus]

Best of luck for SVR. You have a lot going for you with the RVR. While I opted for a long treatment, my situation was a little (actually a lot) different than yours. In your situation I can see the wisdom in your decision. Here's to SVR!

Brent

[epiphiny]

Wow, that is so great that you fit the criteria and could shorten treatment.  What a relief for you!  I'll be tracking your progress, hope you start to feel your old energy and more returning real soon!

Epi :)

[justme53]

If I were in your shoes, I'd be making the same choice.

Good luck i detoxing and getting healthy and fingers crossed for that SVR!

Pam

[jankar]

Thanks for all your good wishes - without the support and expertise of this group I would not have fared so well, I think. I have learned so much from you people and have really valued your input whenever I needed it. Great, practical and useful advice and real research information all the time.

Thanks again,  will keep on board.

Jankar

[meakea]

Way to go!  Congrats on fitting the profile!          

[GreatBird]

Sounds like a very wise decision. These meds are really tough on a body and you don't want to take any more than you need to.

[apache1]

IMHO, a very good decision, and one with new studies to support it.

Its all about weighting and balancing your options. For some of us, with all things considered, it doesn't make sense to continue. I also stopped early.

Also, with no liver damage, if you unfortunately have to revert back to plan b, plenty of time for the new drugs to be approved and or other developments in HCV tx.

RVR, and low starting VL, plus "no liver damage" puts you in a very elite geno 1 demographic. You have every reason to believe SVR is in your near future.

Good luck

apache

[kickboxingmom]

Also, I wanted to send well wishes.

[fretboard]

Good for you, way to go.  good luck on your way to SVR

[Kristina538]

Congrats on doing a good haul and getting outstanding results thus far.  In my prayers also and best wishes for the coming weeks of nil chemical input.

[jt57]

I wish you the best.  I pray you remain svr.

Jean

[alijee]

Best decision. gud luck

[springfever]

Good luck with this approach.  It's one I intend to consider, if I have the good fortune to RVR.  Even if re-treatment is necessary, total exposure to interferon would only be 48 weeks with new drugs.  I like it.
Best wishes for your SVR in 27!

[Bill1954]

I just wanted to wish you well as you go forward; be sure to let us know how things work out, OK?

Take care—

Bill

[jmjm530]

Wise decision. Good luck.

-- Jim

[GSDgirl]

I hope all goes well for you and you clear the Beast.  Good Luck

Denise

[jankar]

I definitely agree that it is much harder having a choice - with no choice I would have just got on with it in the stoic manner I had approached it anyway, albeit with lots of moaning.  The positive thing was that I knew early on I might have this choice and spent all of the 27 weeks debating it in my mind, reading and researching so I didn't have to make the decision quickly. It didn't really look like it was going to happen at all until week 24 when the hepatologist took final EOT PCR and said we would wait for those results to come back.  My partner will be delighted I know but he never ever tried to influence this decision.

My final decision was based on a combination of my good results, my likelihood of achieving SVR, less exposure to the interferon and ribaviran, the fact that I have no liver damage.  I will be able to have another go with the new drugs in a couple of years if I relapse as I do have that choice to wait.  In hindsight though, delighted that I chose to treat now because my chances were so good from the beginning and my individual response made them even better. Not out of the woods, yet by any means and I have debated my approach to risk taking behaviour but it is done now.  A calculated risk.

Week 46 - way to go.  I think those last few weeks of waiting are really hard.

[portann]

Very, very good luck to you. I would have made the same choice, except I didn't RVR.

In a way, you had an abundance of riches, that is, the option of doing shorter treatment (mainstream, I believe, in Europe) or going for the long haul. Sometimes it's harder to have a choice.

Personally, I'm sure my husband would have unhesitatingly wanted me to do the shorter course, if I could have. Midway thru tx, I may have been too confused to be decisive.
Looking at it with hindsight and now in week 46, I also would have taken that road at the fork.

With my end of tx around the corner,heck, I'm still faced with the cold, hard fact that as a Genotype 1A, my chances are, well, what they are and not nearly good enough for those who have a choice to wait.

[jankar]

I am actually a Geno 1b......German hepatologist may make a difference?  I read the research and we decided this was the best choice for me. Low VL, RVR, no liver damage, no Riba reduction, etc, etc.  I know this is not common practice in the USA but it in other parts of the world.

As for the red meat - it seemed like a good theory at the time but once my Hbg went up I had already reverted to a more vegetarian diet and there seems to be no real correlation to my theory and practice.  It is all guess work and what you feel at the time.

[Virusbuster]

Congratulations!!! You had such a hard time, I'm very, very happy for you. :-)))
Do keep us posted on how things go from here. I'm curious to see how quick you become your old self again.

BTW, I read in your journal that you suspected a good influence of red meat. Have you been able to confirm your suspicion? ;-)

[merryBe]

well, my very best to you...I surely hope your doc is right about that...being you're not a Geno type 1 the shorter treatments do work on most.

Here's hoping you pull it off kiddo.
Keep us posted.

merrybe