Is This A Good Treatment Result?

Hi Everyone just found this place, wow, lots of good info. I started treatment for hepatitis c type 1a the end of september. I got my six week result lab yesterday and my doctor said my results are "very promising".

My starting virus count was 2,407,184. My result yesterday was 143.

This sounds really good to me, doc actually said at this point in the treatment, it's very close to "not finding anything" at all and that we just continue on. He did this test once before, I think at week number 3 or 4, but I don't have that result. He said then things were looking very good as well.

Just wondering how good this is.

[Trish77]

If you could post your Genotype and your stage of liver damage if known, we could give you better answers.

Treatment for Genotype 2 and 3 is 24 weeks.  Treatment for Genotype 1 is 48 weeks.  To be detectable at 6 weeks has different implications depending on which Genotype you are.

Did you get a 4 week lab also?  You wuold likely have been detectable at 4 weeks, I was simply wondering if your doctor did a 4 week test.  

Trish

[JustForGrins]

Hi TRish 77,

Thank you for the reply. Is 1a not the type? I thought that's what doc said. I'll call them up and double check. I'll also see if I can get the last test result. I think it was week 4.

My liver damage is he said, I believe he said I'm a 2 of 4? He talked about waiting until next year because some new drug is coming out, but I'm not going to have medical insurance then so we decided to start my treatment now, there is NO WAY I can afford this stuff on my own.

Thank you

[Trinity4]

That's a 4.22 log drop in six weeks.  Very impressive response for a geno 1a.  Actually, that would be excellent for any genotype.

UND is just around the corner.

Keep up the good work,
Trinity

[Diane12855]

You are correct about the genotype. You're doing great!

Keep up the good work and an SVR is in your future.

Diane

[willbb]

Yes you are doing great!  Another important benchmark for you will be the 12 wk. test The way things are going right you should be very optimistic!!

Good  luck!

[JustForGrins]

Ooooh that's goo dnews  thanks everyone!

I just talk to the nurse on the phone, she did say I was "1a" type for certain, and my virus count at my last test which was week 4 was 15,650.

Thak you all very much for replying to my message! Now that I know where this web message board is, I'll be reading a lot more on this. My doctor is pretty good about telling me the score, but I need to llearn what questions to ask. thank you again!

[RobertBeWell]

You are rocking my friend, as others have said. Stay the course. You're about to crush the beast underfoot.

Best of luck,

RBW

[nygirl7]

Keep on killing those critters till every single one of the suckers is dead!  Kill them all! Dead!    :)

You are doing great and should be UND very shortly.  Then you keep it up and keep taking all your meds on time and look forward to being SVR.

You sound like you are also doing pretty well side effect wise (although it could be just because you are so happy that is what I'm hearing in your 'tone') but all in all sounds like you are really on the right path.

Keep it all up!  :)

Deb

PS If you have any questions, ask away the gang here is mostly pretty knowledgable (some even more so than most hep doctors) and without thier input I doubt I would have succeeded.  But I did (almost 4 years ago) and I was very glad I asked away. Knowledge is power with this disease dont forget that!

[Bill1954]

A four log+ reduction in viral load is outstanding by any measure, and will hopefully produce excellent long term results.

Welcome to the discussion group, by the way—

--Bill

[eureka254]

Welcome, and glad that you found the forum too... especially with such great news! :)
Indeed as others have said, you're showing an excellent response to treatment, especially exciting being a genotype 1, considered the toughest to treat.  If your doctor checks viral load at 8 weeks, make sure to keep us posted... with the decline in viral load thus far, there's very good likelihood that you might reach undetectable virus by week 8!

The most essential week to measure viral load at this juncture would be to check at week 12.  As a geno 1, if you are clear of virus before week 12, your course of recommended treatment would be 48 weeks.  Detectable virus after 12 weeks may indicate a longer course of 72 weeks, but it sure looks like you'll be making that milestone... 143 and counting down!  Best wishes. ~eureka

[banarep]

those are great numbers.  congrats.

[fretboard]

WTG!!  You're on the road to beating down that devil of a dragon!!.  Onward Christian soldier or atheist soldier!!  As the youngsters say, you go girl!!  lol

[fretboard]

Sorry about that my bad, you go dude!!  Somehow it doesn't sound that good but you know what I mean!!  Knock that dragon on his butt!!

[JustForGrins]

Guess I was kind of hoping it would be gone by week 6, but Im very encouraged by the notes here. I didn't realize this stuff took so long to get rid of... I mean I know my doctor said it was darn near a year of drugs, but for some reason, I had the idea that you took the shot and BAM the virus was gone and it was just mopping up from there to make sure nothing came back.

Can't really base that on any facts, it was just the impression I got from him but im starting to do hmework now and will have better questions. Know its a little late for that but better late than never.

[Trish77]

You're just in time, particularly with a viral load of 143 at 6 weeks.  I didn't quite get my 4 week RVR either when I was on treatment but by 6 weeks I was at UNDetectable...and frankly at 143, you could have been undetectable the very next day after your blood was drawn for the lab.   This is a great result for Genotype 1a.  Not so great for Genotype 2 or 3 as the 4 week milestone for Gen 2 and 3 is the same as the 12 week one for Gen 1.  You want to be UND at either of those depending on your genotype.  So.....yay!!!!!  Great news and keep it coming!

Trish