Harvoni at last : Happy to announce... - British Liver Trust

British Liver Trust

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Harvoni at last

ballie52 profile image
20 Replies

Happy to announce that in a few wks i will be started on a 12wk course of Harvoni. ..i feel I'm cured already and i haven't even started. .so exited about ending my journey with this awful virus that has left me with cirrhosis and completely drained after 26yrs.

I'm a very happy woman!..yeah bring it on Harvoni i can't wait!

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ballie52 profile image
ballie52
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20 Replies
Estiebargle profile image
Estiebargle

Congratulations... I sines rely wish you all the best. What genotype are you?

Very happy for you.

ballie52 profile image
ballie52 in reply toEstiebargle

Genotype 4..no Ribaverin my nurse said that's all that would be offered even with cirrhosis for genotype 4

May I ask did you drink much over the 26 years .

ballie52 profile image
ballie52 in reply to

Never drank in my life before just as well ..as i progressed from mild inflammation to cirrhosis over a period of only 4yrs

in reply toballie52

It takes a few weeks after the 12 week course for it to work or as they say not detectable good luck , it took 6 - 8 weeks before they tell you !!!

art4949 profile image
art4949

Hi Ballie,

This is great news! I felt the same when my first delivery of Harvoni arrived.

I have been on Harvoni for a month yesterday. I take the pill in the morning with my breakfast...around the same time everyday 8:30-10:30am I drink loads of water (&tea) about 60oz daily...help clear out the virus...this suits me. I also decided to have the same breakfast everyday just during treatment...keep it simple. It is an easy pill to take. My diet is simple as usual.

My viral load has never been above 6 million since 1993 when first diagnosed..my viral load baseline was 584,000 at the beginning of treatment...after 14 days on Harvoni it was down to 401 ...that is hugely significant...and, I have had no side effects.none!..No symtoms that I did not have before taking Harvoni...in fact...not to get your hopes up..but I have never felt better in years...it has made me realize that the HCV had ruined my energy levels...even my indigestion has so far...disappeared! I am waiting for my 4 weeks viral load, which my liver specialist nurse will email me whenever she gets them from lab prob Monday or Tuesday. So far...amazed! I sleep well too...

Everyone responds differently to drugs, but without the Ribavirin complicating the picture, Harvoni is definitely, in my experience so far, an excellent treatment from patient point of view.

I have had mild jaundice for years..my bikini sun tan due to cirrhosis (borderline) disappeared in 10 days...I'm pink again after years of yellow tinge,...even the whites of my eyes are white now not yellow!

Let's hope we clear the virus! I feel 8 weeks might have been enough for me...but will stay on for 12 weeks of course! Evidently, the NHS will be rolling out final framework for treating all HCV end of this month. That is also good news.

Keep us posted how you are doing! Again, Great News! Drink lots of water...ha!

ballie52 profile image
ballie52 in reply toart4949

Thanks Art..great to hear how good your feeling..yes I'm very confident of the end cure..so exited at last to see the end of this for me..no more low platelets causing constant nose bleeds. .no more sleepless nights and last but not least the end of any progression of cirrhosis. .yeah life can't get better than this!

chandler54 profile image
chandler54

Its worked for my husband.been free for 4months now but going for transplant assessment in march xxx

ballie52 profile image
ballie52 in reply tochandler54

Can i ask why your husband is still going for transplant chandler

Does he now have end stage cirrhosis? ?.

My husband got treated after his 3rd liver transplant and cleared his virus and that was even with interferon and Ribaverin but that was 7yrs ago and he is doing great..be postive there is happy endings believe me..i have been on a very long journey with this virus with both my husband and now myself and i am still postive that for people there is light at the end of the tunnel. .good luck for your husband and hope it all goes well Xx

chandler54 profile image
chandler54 in reply toballie52

Did you get it from your husband?my husband got hepc from his late wife who was my best friend.we married three years after she died. I am lucky,I dont. have it

chandler54 profile image
chandler54 in reply toballie52

Yes he has end stage.very ill

ballie52 profile image
ballie52 in reply tochandler54

Yes Chandler my husband got hep c from a vaccine they used in Egypt..they used the same needles for a huge amount of people and contaminated a huge amount of people in Egypt with hep c..my husband was one of them..we never knew he had hep c until he got ill..sadly i caught it from him most likely through sharing a razor..3 transplants later and beating hep c and cancer my husband is doing great. .a long journey for both of us that hopefully is coming to an end soon for me as well.

chandler54 profile image
chandler54 in reply toballie52

I very much hope so. I'm lucky I did not catch it but I knew he had it so been careful. The pressure of it all is making the marriage fail. He has turned so selfish. I've given so much up to look after him.

The source of the hepc my friend caught came from blood transfusion in uk.

Wish you both all the best

ballie52 profile image
ballie52 in reply tochandler54

Awww Chandler it's a really hard road for couples with someone having hep c..it must be a really hard time for both of you..sometimes end stage liver failure effects people's behavior the disease itself is very difficult both for the person and other people involved..you can get through these difficult times hard though they are believe me!

Hold on in there and you both can get through this ..it's hard for anyone going through liver disease for both the person and family involved in caring for a loved one that is very ill..it made me a stronger person and able to cope with a lot of things in life that would otherwise be difficult for me to cope with..being on this site helps a lot of people that care for family with liver disease,it gives support and advice and most people understand how it feels being on the other side..hope you can talk things through this difficult time for both of you Xx

chandler54 profile image
chandler54 in reply toballie52

Thank you x

retwos profile image
retwos

Sounds very positive for you , you seemed to have your head in a good place but without dampening your positiveness may I say some people have been on the treatment n not got rid of the. Virus , I'm only tellin you this so your seein both sides .are you havin interferon with it ? Another truth is you will still have cirrhosis either way , the only reason I'm tellin you this as when I read your status it was all about your defiantly goin to be cured n back to how you was before your illness got you , I'm not satin that's not a good way of lookin at it but I'm try to say is keep an open mind to both sides , when I was on the treatment over 18 months ago I wouldn't let my mind run away with it , although they keeped tellin me it was undetected, I didn't build my hopes up till my final blood test , you deal with it how you want to I just thought you need to hear both sides to be best equipped, good luck to you )))

ballie52 profile image
ballie52 in reply toretwos

I understand i will need long term follow up as i still have cirrhosis but I'm hoping over time it might reverse..even if it doesn't i do think it's unlikely to progress as the real cause hep c has been delt with

.thanks for your advice i know certain genotypes are difficult even on Harvoni but i hope my genotype 4 does respond well like genotype 1..i am just trying to be positve and hopeful of a good end result

rickyrocket1 profile image
rickyrocket1

hoping it all goes well for you ricky

dizzime profile image
dizzime

Fantastic news. it is a great feeling. good luck with the treatment and fingers and toes crossed that it destroys the virus forever. stay positive :) :) :) x

ballie52 profile image
ballie52 in reply todizzime

Thanks Dizzime..I'm very hopeful of a good result Xx

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