Curing Hep C, Genotype 3?

[Mack Tooey]

Somehow I ended up witht he fairly rare genotype 3 (from Pakistan) 6% of US cases.



I read that the recovery rate for geno 3 is about 80%.



Has anyone had experience with Peg & Riba clearing geno 3?

[way]

No experience with geno 3, but I am 2b. Dude just be GLAD you are not 1a because that is the HARDEST and longest to treat.

[hippygem]

Hi, im a geno 3, stage 2 fibrosis, i was on the tx that you will be on, same dose, before the tx i was stage 3 fibrosis.

I was undetected during tx, but unfortunately 6 months after when i had blood tests i was told that it had returned, so, im a relapser.

Please dont let that discourage you, from the research and stories that i have heard, most geno 3 become Undetectable after tx. Like they say, 80% is pretty good odds eh.

I just fell into the bracket of the odd 20% that failed.

I spoke to a geno 3 person today, he was on the tx in 2001, and he has been clear of the virus for 5 years now, thats pretty good eh.

You can do this, just go one day at a time and go with the flow, and I hope that you have someone that you can talk to while on the tx, it helps a lot, then again, everyone in here is fantastic.

I couldnt work before tx, im on a disability pension.  I couldnt work during tx, i was extremely tired all the time, but when i had to go out or do something i pushed myself to do it.

We are all different in how we cope with anything in life really, so how you go yourself on tx will be different to anyone else.  All you can do is try, give it your best shot.

I wish you all the best and take care of yourself.



Linda

[FlGuy]

I don't think geno 3 is that rare.  Many of the people here, including myself, are geno 3.  I also did 24 week of pegintron and ribavirin, was clear (undetected viral load) at 12 weeks and 24 weeks.  Follow up testing post treatment (tx) showed the virus was back (actually never gone), a relapse.  Althogh geno 3 is one of the 'easier ones' to treat people do relapse.  Best thing is to hook up with an experinced heptologist and get all pertinent information (condition of liver , condition of health etc) and take your time to figure out a plan for next steps.  There is a lot of information available, so become a student.  Here's a place to start....http://janis7hepc.com/

[GrandOak]

Yea, but us 1's (a or b or both in nygirl's case) are in the majority. Although me thinks those like nygirl who want the best of both worlds ;-P are probably either in the minority or get two majority votes :-O

[NYgirl]

Genotype 3 seems to get the rap for being very easy to cure but there are a few people in here who did not.  I think they may be discovering it's not as easy a genotype as they had thought in the first place.  My personal opinion is they should move it to 48 weeks.



Look you giant tree...stop reminding people what a greedy little piggie I really AM...I, like Veruca from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - want it ALL (so I guess that includes even with diseases!  One version was just NOT ENOUGH for me,,gimme gimme gimme!)  ;)



(I didn't get enough weeks either so I am going to beg the doctor to please let me do 72!!!!! haahahaha oh boy ;)

[GrandOak]

Hey, I found an easy way, simply let your VL increase while on tx and they'll give you as many more weeks as you want.



Dang, if I get get the lowest Hgb (9.5 was low enough for me thank you), or the most geno's at once (1a is also more than I care for), then maybe I can aspire to another record like most weeks on tx, longest period of ribarage (which BTW my wife has equated to the male version of PMS, no pun intended me thinks), most dense fog, most tracks for a non-IV drug user, the list seems endless ;-O

[NYgirl]

Oh I just forgot who and I KNOW this (dang brain fog) but I know Cuteus was on for 72 like I'm going to do and one other person was on for 88.



I have two strains (and haven't heard of anyone having more than that but I know Susan does two) and my hemo at one point was down to 8.9 but nobody and I mean nobody that I know (except Mauka who I am not honestly so sure about as they really weren't "known") beats the Beagle Man when it comes to hemo...not just cause of the number but how LONG he had to endure it (and still will thanks to his Thal.)



So even with all my greedy grabbing - I STILL don't win any of the contests!!!!!!!!!  I lose two out of three and only tie for first on the Amount of Strains contest!



DANG IT!  No prizes for me!  I want roses thrown at my feet and a crown for my head!



(Well I suppose if I'm that desperate I can stop the Epoogen and let myself slip into a coma or something right?????  LOL)

[GrandOak]

LOL,  if you're in a coma, how will you know if you're stepping on rose peddles or something else ;-P



I'm not sure if the prize is worth the suffering.  After hitting 9.5 and hovering in the 10's I think I've learned one lesson.  I think now I know why a beagles ears drag ... they're too darned tired to lift them up ;-)

[way]

What?

I know 1's are the most common genotype,hardest to treat(and longest TX) and higher relapse.



That's why I started praying-- before I found out, to NOT BE a 1. My luck is so bad normally and I really couldn't believe that I was a 2.  



In no way was I trying to put down 1's. I respect all you 1's big time because you are tx for twice as long. I don't really know if I could do 48wks.

[GrandOak]

Not to worry my friend, I know what you meant.  I think nygirl probably said it best when she said that experiences seems to be showing that the statistics of G3 being easier to treat on short tx periods may not always be as true as the medical profession thinks.



Me thinks that just like tx, the Geno types simply predict how one might expect tx to go and that until one actually goes through it they can not say with absolute certainty how it will go.

[cuteus]

LOL! you just reminded me the steps I went through after learning of hcv antibodies presence. I was praying to be the 20% who cleared on their own, and when THAT did not happen, I pray I was not a Geno 1. Another dissappointment. Then, while on tx, I prayed I was cleared by wk 12, and when that did not happen also, I could only pray for SVR. In the end, that was the only prayer that was answered and the only one that counted, in my case.

best luck to all.

[way]

I can't believe all the 2's that have relasped, are there any that have cleared?



Scary.

[Stvski80085]

I was actually thinking the same thing.  It seems like a lot thats for sure.  



Take care,



Steve

[NYgirl]

We've certainly had way way too many 2s relapse in here it's spooky.  I honestly think that it's all really just a crapshoot - dang the odds you know?



I'm not only a ONE I am two VERSIONS of a ONE thank you very much...1A and 1B.....  I totally rock and can't wait to do my 72 weeks. Was originally scheduled for "ONLY" 48. Really changed my perspective on "weeks"



If and I mean IF you have to do a bit longer than the 24 weeks to make sure it doesn't come back...just realize we do what we HAVE to do to beat this and THAT is ALL that matters in the end.



You just hang in there and FIGHT this stupid disease with both feet planted on the ground and sock it in the nose!



That's all. The amount of weeks is nothing.  BEATING this is EVERYTHING and I know you will!



CUTEUS thank you for being the beacon of light that you are. I felt the same way but never could have ever put it down like that. All the negatives do get to you...but in the end the ONLY winning fact that matters is SVR.  You are SO RIGHT that I"m sort of glad I have all the marks against me.......like you...I will do my 72 and get the SVR and realize...you were RIGHT.



(Even though I fought against this concept in the beginning and I remember when I just started out here going WOW you are so AMAZING you did THAT LONG??? I should shut my wide eyes and stop thinking it was so cool LOL!)

C Jr.

[niceguy2007]

hi ,



sorry to hear you got HCV...i'm also a genotype 3...i'm 3a.



yes genotype 3 has a high rate of cure.  but there have also been some relapser.  



genotype 3 is also associated with higher fatty liver (steatosis), and may be associated with higher rates of fibroses progerssion, which may be debatable.



i'm trying to manage my own case with milk thistle and homeopathic treatment until better, less stressful treatment options come up.  i've been successful in reducing my ALT from 216 to 24.  i hope that i can maintain that.



i contracted the disease from Pakistan, btw.

[cuteus]

I so hope it works for you, it would devastate me, believe it or not, if 72 did not do it for your strain. Ok, Cheesecake factory just to celebrate the 72!

[scoop49]

good luck on your slaying
im a 33 year w/ hep c g3-1/2 way in combo treatment-(age 59) i have advanced liver disease and no 2 log drop at 4 or 8 weeks (the big 12 week coming up). one bad thing is my low platelet count that if too much lower could knock me off tx.
i wanted to share with you that this is a very complicated disease with some blood test results deceiving if not reviewed in aggragate by a very knowlegable hepatologist. i do know two things (kind of).
1.) i wish i had started tx before my liver went to cirrosis making it much harder to treat, especially as it dropped my platelets.
2.) alt levels can drop as the disease progresses.
for over twelve years i was happy my alt level stayed the same or dropped (maybe allowing me to not face up to the reality) until i learned this does not mean (necessarily) that the liver is holding it's own.
i hope this is not the case with you-just wanted to share one of my regretable mistakes

[BelB64]

There is NO doubt that 3s are easier to treat than 1s but not as easy as 2s. Too many studies in several different countries have come up with the same results. I believe that many on this board either relapsed or had a viral breakthrough so it APPEARS that 3s are extremely difficult to clear. Remember 20%-30% DON"T clear so that is still a big number. It IS evident that being UND at week 4 is crucial to getting that 80% clearence rate. It's going to be interesting when the results of the European trials of Teleprevir on 2s and 3s come in. Hopefully they can get that RVR rate at week 4 into the 90%-100% range! I guess we'll all know in The Fall when Vertex is supposed to report the results.