Viral-Breakthrough

[shawna1968]

Has anyone ever had this happen while on tx?  I started tx 9 months ago, vl was steady decline.  I started at 636,000 (type 1a).  At month 7 it was 2.  It 8th month went back up to 245.  Now dr says I havve to do another year!!!!! any advice?

[Myown]

Still waiting on the 4 week pcr. did it the day of the 5th shot, so it was just last week. But I called NP and she said she got back info that it was sent now for TMA which would mean its below 50,(as you know). I didn't realize that that would add 'days' onto getting results.

I of course was freaking out thinking OMG the VL went up and she is waiting until she has time in her schedule to 'break the news gently' or something. Then my next thought was maybe the lab lost my blood. because btw Quest lost a 6 hr test that I sat thru. Imagine that! Sat there for 6 grueling hours, no water, food,no tv, nothing, stared at my finger nails, then my shoes for 6 hrs,lol talked to myself too lol. Only to find, THEY LOST THE TEST!!!!!!!! ahhhhhh!!!! Shoot me, that's how I felt. I wanted someone to shoot me!!. Its no wonder Quest has lost the contract to Horizon. The girl told me its not something that 'rarely happens' either. It happens alot!  if it was just a liver panel, no biggy. I would have gone back to get it again, but the 6 hr test, I said 'hey if I have low blood sugar or something, I will not find out cuz I will NEVER SIT THRU A TEST LIKE THAT UNLESS i can personally hand my blood over to the lab tech and watch him work on it. Well ya know that won't happen, so no more glucose tolerance test for me. This was just before hep dx.

yeah so hopefully next week I hear the new I'm UND. its a pain in the neck decision about the short course. but no sx, yes that makes it easy to complete 24, but the riba and interferon is really bad stuff to be running thru us. Granted ,thank God that it kills the virus, but long term stuff is scary. The effects of the riba on our good cells I don't think is the greatest, ya know. Granted the hep can cause cancer, but so can alot of the drugs we are using to treat the hep. Its all a gamble and decisions are not clear to me yet.

So much confusion we all go thru with all these differnt opinions from all these differnt doctors. Nothing is cut and dry with this disease which makes it hard for us all, ya know?

see ya later!

[jmjm530]

I'm sure they'll tell you to do 24, especially since you have few sides on treatment. Most doctors, even the good ones, tend to minimize the long lasting effects of interferon. This has been discussed again and again here.

Outta here to help a neighbor with some renovation,

-- Jim

[sfbaygirl]

you guys sound like me, "a special patient" as my doc #3 said. Usually my the time we are done in the office, the dr. is looking at MY binder, not his own notes. Last time he started underling stuff. So Myown you haven't gotten your 4 week pcr back yet? I understand all the shorter course stuff, but it would scare me. How many studies are there on this? Since I think I heard you say you  aren't having too hard of a time, why not go the whole way? This is all speculation, if you aren't sure what the PCR is yet.

[Myown]

It's the 'idea' or the knowing I guess. I have trouble knowing its there, better if I didn't know. You compared the male versus female thoughts of virus one time and I believe you were right. It bothers woman more than men to live with the virus.

Big decision, I have to mention this the next appointment.
thanks

[jmjm530]

MO: I don't know what would bother me more, long term sx or having the disease come back. But I lean towards having the disease come back to bothering me more.
------------------------
I've never shared this logic, especially if someone has little or no liver damage. Has the virus crippled you physically in the past or is it just the *idea* of having a virus in your body that bothers you? We have plenty of viruses in our body, many harmless like herpes if checked by our immune system. So you'd rather have some potentially unknown side effects for life than a virus that might not do any harm or that certainly could be cured another day with another drug. We're all entitled to our opinions but you might want to read these threads before making a final decision:

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/41434.html
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/41439.html
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/41446.html
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/41492.html
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/41498.html
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/41506.html
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/41513.html
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Hepatitis/messages/41515.html


Be well,

-- Jim

[Myown]

PITA lol yeah I guess you can say I probably have that title too. although the NP won't say that, she's nice about it and says 'sounds like your on pins and needles waiting for results. I said no "i'm freaking out waiting for results.'lol


I never bought into that saying 'no news is good news.' That saying works the opposite with some people such as myself. I'm somewhat a control freak, unfortunately, and have to know whats going on all around me, especially with something as important as this.

There are so many studies done concerning hep.But I wish they would do a study on how EVERY PERSON that comes into contact with the patient has a DIRECT EFFECT on this persons illness.

Doctors and nurses deal with illness all the time, but for most of us this is our first time and it can be very scary, to say the least. I think sometimes they forget this, not in a bad way, but they forget that there are millions of worries going through our minds about this and even something as little as waiting for lab results can cause anxiety. The disease messes with our mind, but sometimes our own lack of control of our thoughts are worse than what the disease can do to our mind.

I just read in the other forum bug asking you about the short course. That is something I would like to do to, but I am really afraid to take the chance. I don't know what would bother me more, long term sx or having the disease come back. But I lean towards having the disease come back to bothering me more. But its definitely something for me to talk to them about. Dr. A said he would be happy if I completed 16 weeks if sx were rough. I really have to think this out. I'll probably flag bug later and find out exactly what her doc said. Now thats a BIG decision to make 16 vesus 24.

see ya!