Just 9 weeks 2 go, your thoughts please!

[pink86]

Hello :)

How u doing all?

First, just to remind some of  u I'm 22 years old, I'm having HCV geno type 1, my virel load before the treatment was 750,000, and my PCR became negative after 12 weeks of treatment.
For now, I end 38 weeks of treatment, and all my PCR and the other tests was fine and negative, thank god.  

Now Just 9 weeks left to end the 48 weeks, I'm feeling great but I'm a little ped afraid from the post-treatment period and getting the virus back. :o)

So, I have some questions please :)

- What is the best period post-treatment to do the PCR test? I heard 6 months but why not before??
It's better do it before rather than waiting all that time, right?!

- If the virus back again after the six months of the post-treatment, what is the next step? do I have to take the treatment one year more or less??!

- What do u think, How I'm doing for now?
- How much the chance of getting the virus back in my case?


Does any one here have a success story about the same virus?  



Thank u all .. :)

[pink86]

Sorry I forget to say thank you :)

I wish you all the best in your life

[pink86]

Hmmm, may be I will inform her by email :)

I read before that some people still have the interferon headache even after they stop the treatment!

Don’t worry, sure I will inform u after I finished. lol

It's now very early in the morning 3:15 AM :o)

[Bill1954]

Hi again Pink,

I don’t think a headache will influence your treatment results. It should go away when treatment is finished; if it bothers you now, you can talk to your doctor about it. Maybe she can offer you something to make you feel better until you are done with the treatment.

Be sure to tell us how the tests go after you are finished, so we can share your happiness :o).

Enjoy and be well… it’s very late in your country, or very early in the morning!

Bill

[pink86]

Ok, I have just one more question :)

It's about the interferon headache I just read about it, I didn't mention that before to my doctor and every time I go to her she asked my about how I'm feel and if I had fever or somthings I told here NO.

I do feel some times may be every tow weeks hurts in eyes and across the forehead/skull. Also feel nauseus with a littel fever and some times vomiting, it gose for hurs and some times to the next day. I didn't tell her that before because I didn't know it cause by interferon and also it was happen just in lately months may be in weeks 28 also didn't complain from anything before!!!!
I thought it's just a bad headache like before I start the treatment lol.

So, do I have to tell her about it or no need to mention it??

could that cause any effect in my blood test or any other test?

[jmjm530]

Peg Intron was was available both in the U.S. and Europe at the same time, in 2001.

[pink86]

I understand now, me 2 I DON'T think the drug will reach us in couple of years!

I will just wait my next appointment and talk with my doctor about that, I will inform u with any things new


thank u all for help and clearing things to me  

God bless u all :)

[pink86]

lol

Don't worry, I understand all waht's written here I don't need any one to translate  things for me :)


What is the point of being here if I don't understand :o)

[Bill1954]

Hi Pink,

The new drugs that Jim is talking about are called ‘Boceprevir’ and ‘Teleprevir’. They are in studies right now around the world, and will be added to the existing interferon and ribavirin for better chances of treatment success for genotype 1 patients. They might also reduce treatment time for us to 24 weeks.

We don’t know exactly when these drugs will be released to the public; they are considered experimental now, but it appears they will be available in the US in 2011. I don’t know when they will be available in Saudi Arabia; I believe it took a while for peg-interferon to be sold in other countries after it was available in the US.

I hope this is not necessary for you; and that you will not need anymore drugs ever. Good luck, and let us know about your test results soon,

Bill

[pink86]

hmmmmm,

It's hard on me to decide, because I can't work if I don't get clear the virus!
and I can not achieve my goals if I just stay and start the treatment over and over again!

What is the new drugs that your talking about?

[jmjm530]

maybe you have a friend or someone in your country who can help you translate some of the opinions being offered. it's important that you understand things correctly and I'm not sure if you are which is understandable since English is not your language. Also please understand that none of us here are doctors. But going back to what your Dr. said about taking a viral load test one-week after your last injection. Your doctor is correct. This test is for important. Listen to your Dr. on that one.

-- Jim

[jmjm530]

you basically have three choices if  treatment doesn't work out.

First, you can take some time off and then treat again with the current drugs. the specifics of that treatment are dependent on a number of factors but generally treatment would be between 48 and 72 weeks.    

The second choice is to wait a couple of years until the new drugs come out and then treat with them probably for only 24 weeks.

Third, you could keep waiting longer for even better drugs.

There is no right and wrong choice but a lot has to do with how much liver damage you have as well as your personal viewpoint.

[pink86]

So, If my doctor ask to do the next viral load after six months of post-treatment I should ask her to do it before right?

[pink86]

Thanks for your comment

I'm agree with u :)

[jmjm530]

Newleaf: I would not waste my money on a 1 week post-treatment PCR
---------------------
it's called an end of treatment (EOT)test. It's not a waste of money, in fact it's required by most knowledgeable hepatologists. The purpose of the end of treatment test is to distinguish between a viral breakthrough (EOT test  positive) test and a relapse (EOT test UND) in the case tx fails. Without this knowledge, a good clinician would be at a disadvantage in making the best choice for future treatments.

[pink86]

I don't think bill ment to restart 72 weeks, I think he ment to take 24 weeks if the virus back, so the total at the end will be 72 weeks right?

Ok, if u think 72 weeks is a crezy thing to do what is your suggesting to me?
You mean just wait for a new drugs, what if take a long time before any drugs come!

I'm a little confuse her!

[pink86]

Sorry, my english is not so good.

So, it's difficult on me to understand all your writing lol.
It just takes longer time lol

:)

[pink86]

My Doctor told me that one-week after my last injection I have to make the viral load test, I think she saide to me before that six months later I have to do other one to tell if the virus gone forever or not, six months is long period to wait, what if the virus back before six months!!

What if I just chose to wait 2 or 3 years if the virus back?! I'm not saying that I will do that but is it ok??


Thank u :)

[newleaf09]

I would not waste my money on a 1 week post-treatment PCR.  It took a whole month to get the meds into your system and if there were any virus still lurking, after a week, the meds will still be keeping it down.  I'd wait at least 4 weeks to test.

[jmjm530]

I'm not bill but I have more toothbrushes than he does. But seriously, because I tried to say before, voice dictating software notwithstanding, there is absolutely no reason to wait six months to find out if you are SVR. not only does an undetectable with earlier testing correlate 90 and 100 per cent with SVR per my post above, but a positive will force correlate 100% with relapse. As to retreating 72 weeks in the case of a relapse, personally I think that's crazy unless you have significant liver damage. In a couple years you a better odds with only 24 weeks. Remember, the idea just isn't to kill the virus, but to preserve the rest of your body.

[pink86]

One-week after my last injection I will make the first PCR, I think six months later I will make other one, to long ha?
It's better to do it before the six months than just waiting all that much right??

If the virus does come back again after treatment, and my doctor decide to extend my total treatment to 72 weeks, it means that I have to wait six months more to tell if it is gone forever or not, right?

I'm not worry about it, I just want to know my options in worst things that could happan. :)


Thank u ..

[jmjm530]

as far as your odds for successful treatment are concerned, assuming your first test was at week 12, and assuming it was pretty sensitive, but I pretty much agree with Bill that you an excellent chance of being cured. I guess a little higher, maybe 80-85% based on your age and low pretreatment viral load. Should you relapse, which statistically is unlikely, and assuming you do not have significant liver damage, my advise would be to wait for the newer drugs now on trial. If things go as they are, you would then be looking at probably only 24 weeks of treatment with a much better chance of being cured then with 48 weeks on the current drugs. The next generation of drugs after that, assuming you could weight, might even offer shorter treatments with even better odds. But were really getting ahead of ourselves these it sounds like you're going to nail it at this time

[jmjm530]

hi pink, sometimes best to take things one at a time.

First, there is no reason to wait six months to find out if treatment was successful or not, if you want a good indication early. You would first get what is cold an end of treatment viral load test. blood should be drawn for that test one-week after your last injection. four weeks after your end of treatment test you'll want another viral load test, that would then be five weeks after your last injection. an undetectable on that test will correlate around 90% with being SVR. The next viral load test should be 12 weeks after your last injection, and undetectable here is statistically the same as SVR assuming you are not stage four. If you use quest diagnostics laboratories, the easiest test the order is called "Heptimax". All your doctor has to do is write "Heptimax" on a prescription form with a diagnosis code. You can then bring it to any quest lab were they will draw and process your blood. If the Dr. has a quest account, you can then drove blood in the office.

[Bill1954]

Hi Ms. Pink,

Most of us share your concern about the virus coming back after treatment. Although it takes six months after treatment to tell if it is gone forever, many doctors here in the U.S. will test for virus at 1 month and 3 months after treatment as well.

I the virus does come back after treatment, there are other options. One is to try a different kind of interferon, another is to try again, and depending on how fast you clear the virus, the doctor might extend your total treatment time to 72 weeks.

Don’t worry about that now; good luck to you as you finish this treatment. You probably have a >70% chance of clearing the virus permanently at this point.

Have a nice evening, and best wishes :o)--

Bill