Interesting real case...UND 6 months after taking only 9 weeks of TX

[meakea]

A friend of mine from another Hep C site (female, 40's, teacher) was geno 2 and started TX last year.  She got to about week 7 and here WBCs tanked.  She started Neupogen but it sent her WBCs sky-high.  Her doc finally told her she needed to stop TX (which was at 9 weeks by then) because of being unable to properly regulate her WBCs.  She was upset by that recommendation but she did what her doc said stopped TX.  She had a 3 post-tx month VL and a 6 month post tx VL and she's still UND!  Her doc told her that the chance of her relapsing was only 1% so he told her she doesn't ever need to have a VL done again.  It's so great that she's still UND, but don't you think her doc is jumping the gun by telling her that she can forever ignore her VL tests?

[zazza]

"Some of us treat yearly after that, but I haven't as of yet"

You are too funny!

[jmjm530]

Second sentence should have read in part "...Some of us TESTt yearly after that...

[jmjm530]

The 1% figure her doc gave her is probably correct. That said, probably a good idea to check viral load at 6 and 12 months post EOT when SVR approaches close to 100% durability. Some of us treat yearly after that, but I haven't as of yet and may not unless something like elevated enzymes suggest I should. You friend lucked out. Best story I heard was of a patient -- geno 1 I think -- who only took one injection, couldn't deal with the sfx and stopped treatment. Ended up SVR to everyone's surprise.

-- Jim

[alwaysconfused]

I am also a geno 2, 15 weeks post EOT, UND at 12 and 24 weeks.  My doctor will not give me another VL until post 24 weeks and told me that if I am UND at that time, there is no need for any more VL tests, just yearly liver enzyme tests and if they start to increase, then a VL test would be done.  I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the cost of these tests.