Post treatment question

Went to GI Dr. Thursday, I'm UND @ EOT . I am so happy but I guess the next big day is at 3 months. He told me I should go back to my eye Dr (pre-treatment) because I have some light sensitivity and fuzziness at times. I have a couple questions, 3 month labs should they be at 12 or 13 weeeks.Should I have a 1 month CBC, the nurse gave me 3 month lab for pcr and hepatic profile only. I was in a hurry to get to work and didn't notice till I got in car. Also we have done lab Corp Quantasure . Is it still necessary to do this test ? it takes 2 weeks to get results.
EOT LAB RESULTS   WBC 2.3 RANGE 4.0-10.5; PLATELETS 134 RANGE 140-415; MONOCYTES 16 RANGE 4-13; NEUT(ABS) 1.2 RANGE 1.8-7.8; GLUCOSE 92 RANGE 65-99 ; TSH 2.006 RANGE .450-4.5 ; T4 9.3 RANGE 4.5-12-0;Everthing else Normal. LOST 13 POUND ON SUGAR BUSTER Diet. RIDING BIKE 30-45 MINUTES A DAY DRINKING H2O EASILY ANGER PCR DUE IN NEXT WEEK.  
Only meds on now levothyroxine 0.05mg(50mcg) Would like to stop this med. 3-27-09 b/p 113/74 hr still up 96 .


  

[mrvacation]

That's just sad no one could say not one word about this post...

[apache1]

Well... thats great you are still und. congrats !

To be blunt, the the real news will come at least 1 month post eot.

And yes, all VL tests should be counted 7days after last taken peg shot. So a 1 month post eot should be taken 5 weeks after last shot... 3 month post eot, at 13 wks, etc.

A  detailed blood draw 1 month post tx was done for me. It had a cbc with differential, liver panel, iron, cholesterol, uric acid, thyroid , Ferritin, insulin, and the most important, a less <5 pcr/tma was ordered.
Seems to be controversial topic if a sensitive post eot vl test should be used or a regular <50  is good enough.

Things got better for me every week. By 3 wks post eot, was almost back to some semblance of normal.

good luck, stay positive !
apache

[desrt]

Doesn't matter if it's 12 or 13 weeks post-tx.
Yes you should get CBCs at one month post and with your 3 month PCR.
All PCRs take a while to get back. The Quantasure is a good test but if you can't afford it or your insurance co. won't cover it, just about any viral load test is fine for 3 months post-tx.

[mrvacation]

Thanks for the feedback.

[Trinity4]

Per jmjm which is what I will do 3 months after EOT.

Next PCR you might want to try

"Quest's "HCV RNA QUALITATATIVE TMA" written on the report form as " HCV RNA QUAL TMA". As it's name suggests it's a qualitative and goes down to 5 IU/ml, the same sensitivity as Heptimax. At this point, you don't need numbers, just need to know whether you're UND or not. There is less chance of a false positive given the way the test is run. Also regardless of where the blood is drawn, the test is only run at the Nichol's Institute at Cupertino, CA, which supposedly has the highest standards."

Labcorps NGI Ultraqual ( LC# 140609) limit 2 Iu per ml as recommended by HR. The NGI Quantasure is a good test but the added steps and expense is really not needed at this point.

[mrvacation]

My insurance pays for test, what I would like is an senitive test that doesn't take 2 weeks to get results. Does lc#140609 take 2 weeks to get results?

[Trinity4]

There are no additional steps with 140609 which leads me to believe results should be available much faster than Heptimax or Quantasure.  140609 is a qualitative PCR which detects and confirms hepatitis C virus infection with an assay sensitivity: 5-8 copies/mL (2-3 IU/mL)
As Jim indicated, the frozen specimen is sent to California, so I'm not sure about the time frame involved.  Maybe Jim will chime in or someone who has used the test.  

[jmjm530]

Yes, HCV NGIs Ultralqual ( Labcorp#140609) is the correct test to order. It takes less time than LabCorp's HCV NGI Quantasure ( LC#140639). It is also just as accurate because, in fact, its actually part two of the Quantasure test.

As to when to start counting weeks post treatment, assuming you did 48 weeks on the drugs, then week 49 would be your first week post treatment. You should also realize that if you test your viral load five weeks after your last injection that an UND at this point will correlate around 90% with SVR. Personally, I'd ask for CBC' at both 4 and 8 weeks posts as well as 12, including a thyroid panel.

[jmjm530]

First paragraph should have read  in part "...It is also just as sensitive .."

The Quest test mentioned in Trinity's post, above, is also a good one post treatment assuming you use Quest labs. Takes around 7-10 days for results

[jmjm530]

As to the Quest test turnaround, it could take less or possibly a few days more because the last time I checked it was only run 2-3 days a week. So, the turnaround depends somewhat on what day your blood arrives at their California lab where the test is run. If you're really in a rush for results -- I was -- then test five weeks after your last injection for a pretty good take on whether you will be SVR or not.

[apache1]

Not that it matters much, just a little trivia, but the 5 Heptimax tests I have done did not go to California.
They went to Chantilly Virgina.
Quest has 2 Nichols Institutes that can do the Heptimax.

The 5 Heptimax tests I have done, took anywhere from 3 days to 7 days to get results. Most of the results for me took 4 or 5 working days.

Performing Laboratory
Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute-Chantilly VA
14225 Newbrook Drive
Chantilly, VA 20151-2228  

[jmjm530]

The test I was referring to was not Heptimax. It was Quest's "HCV RNA QUAL TMA" sensitivity 5 IU/ml. Last time I checked it was only done at CA Nichols but maybe that has changed

[copyman]

i got my labcorp quantasure's back in 3-4 days so someone is misleading you. like the others said the more sensitive tests take longer,  7 days to complete "after" they arrive at the california speciality lab. I think all you would need at this point is the qualatitive test. keep in mind that labcorp has changed their quantasure from a sesitiviity of <10 to one hundred million to a less sesitive <43 to sixty nine million.

Good luck

[jmjm530]

Do you mean their Quantasure Plus has changed? This is a different test from the NGI Quantasure and from the Ultraqual. I think both the NGI Quantasure and Ultraqual haven't canged. . LabCorp can be a confusing maze both in the way their tests are named and the way they are reported. Always best then to use the actual test numbers.

[copyman]

Yes Labcorp can be confusing. I meant the quantasure plus has changed. this was discussed here a few weeks back.

On another note do you recall HR or someone else saying "this is one test that you want the results to take longer"? I forget the test that was referred to but I think it was one of the more sensitive tests. I know with a test like the quant + the faster you get the results the better but i thought i heard it was different for the sensitive ones.

[mrvacation]

O.K. I live in Houston. I've done 2 quantasure lc 140639, they both took 2 week to get results. Has anyone done Ultraqual 140609 and received results in less than 2 weeks. Like I said b/4 my Dr. gave me paperwork for 2 labs to be done I think he said 3 month and 6 months with only Pcr and liver profile on them. I think this is wierd because  no one has tested cholestrol the whole treatment and because of all the labs that were abnorrmal above, don't we need to make sure labs are going back to normal. I do lab work at a Lab Corp by work, I guess some ink could fall on my lab request  for more lab work  order and maybe he said go in 6 week and 3 month I don't know. I guess I could call , I don't know.  Brain fog . I do feel better these days .Please advise