Eight weeks and one day into my twelve week course of Harvoni and one of my lovely liver nurses called me yesterday evening.. (They work long hours and late days). She gave me the wonderful news that my viral load shows zero Hep C in my blood.
My remaining 27 tablets will prevent reinfection once I finish the course. Now I can start to help my liver improve as it is no longer fighting off the virus.
My GP kept searching for the cause of my decreasing platelets, I was not worried, I did not feel unwell and any problems, I have always attributed to old age, but without his tests and perseverance, HEP C would have continued to destroy my liver unchecked.
When I was young Hep C obviously existed, during this time, it has been identified, huge advances have been made and now I am living proof of that. It shows that medical advances are always coming forward and bringing cures to us.
My, GP, my Consultant, my Liver nurses, Pathology plus phlebos... and the incredibly busy Gastro unit at my city hospital have been the silent army fighting the silent disease within me.
For me, this is a huge victory.... For the NHS who won this enormous fight for me, it is just another day in the ongoing battle against Liver disease. I celebrated with a cup of Americano intense coffee... but my Liver nurse simply went back to the front line to fight for the next lucky person.
The NHS is ridiculously understaffed, underfunded and yet still delivers a first class service that is envied by the rest of the world. Sometimes we do not appreciate what a wonderful hard working devoted team we have that pin those I.D. badges on each day and go to the surgery, hospital or go out into the community.
All I can say is Thank you NHS
Dave
Written by
DavyGravy
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Dave I do know what to say for once....I am over the moon for you, what fantastic news and well bloody done. I knew you were getting better all the way through, you could tell in your demeanor gradually getting better each day. 🤩🤩🤩Well done mate 👍 you deserve it ☺️
I have felt the general state of my health improving from the 4th day and a few minor aches that I have always thought of as old age have disappeared. My Arthritis (wow I sound old ) doesn't seem so pronounced. I've never taken any meds for it, I just get stiff if I sit too long but I am not so stiff now. My blood glucose has gone down so I think my type 2 diabetes has definitely benefitted from this medication as well.
And my sense of humour is definitely getting better (although I cannot guarantee my jokes will be any better )
Haha, with your jokes there's never any guarantees Dave hahaha 😆. I'm just thinking about talking with you 4 months ago and you were so down and now wow. New chapter pal enjoy every minute 😉.
Well done Dave that’s great news . I’m now down to my last weeks meds and 2 weeks ago I had some bloods taken and my viral load which was originally around 5 million was now down to just 25 so not fully gone . But like I say in 13 days I’ll have finished my meds and will get new bloods taken. Hopefully it’s below the threshold of 15 which is classed as undetectable. Also all my bloods come back all within a good range so hopefully when I get a fibroscan done again there will be an improvement on my score of 12.8.Well done Dave mate
I'm sure it will be Mike. I was told that once the virus stops damaging the liver the inflamation will subside and an improved fibroscan should be the result. I never asked for any numbers... it was the liver nurse who told me my kPa and Fibrosis score... I figured that was all I needed and the meds would work... now it is down to us. I wish there was a tablet that made bad food less attractive and running more enjoyable
Cheers Dave mate i know what you mean about the food though lol it’s far too tempting 🙈 but yep hopefully the figures will go down with the fibroscan . All in all feeling a lot better in myself apart from the odd occasions I feel exhausted , which I put down to the meds working against the virus. Onwards and upwards Dave pal 👍
That is great news Dave. And I agree with every word you say about the people who work in the nhs. I’ve just spent six days in hospital having a tumour removed from my liver, whilst taking Hep C meds. The team were joined up and caring and I’m hoping for good outcomes from both meds and surgery. You story gives me hope.
I hope recovery is going well. With the current antivirals, the success rate is phenomenal. There is a little fatigue, (but I'm sure you are already used to that ) and apart from that, I do feel chilly... but both are a small price to pay for being given this wonderful medication. I hope you will keep us updated on your progress back to feeling better.
Amazing news Dave! I’m the same age as you and had no idea my liver was suffering until I had to have a sudden unrelated hospital admission. The eagle eyed neurologist was the ONLY person who picked up on my liver results and requested more tests. Seems like I had the virus for decades!!! I feel like she literally saved my life as I would never have known until it was too late! Very scary. I was successfully treated with the 12 week anti viral medication a couple of years ago and I’m monitored every 6 months. Like you I’m incredibly grateful for our amazing NHS and the wonderful liver nurses.
There must be millions in Britain (probably hundreds of millions globally) walking around with this ticking time bomb inside of us. Luckily, the NHS are very proactive and are out offering tests in an effort to find Hep C before it can do too much damage... I was so very lucky having been diagnosed in the fibrosis stage.
Hi Davy, It’s a scary thought indeed, so grateful for the tests and medication. Must say it was a shocking diagnosis completely out of the blue! Unfortunately I have cirrhoses as a result, but no symptoms thank goodness.
Yes... I was more than stunned... I was in freefall until teletonetapper popped her arm around me and stopped me from spiralling out of control When my consultant told me I had Hep C I could not even think of anything to say... let alone what questions to ask... by the time my brain started to focus... I was at home without any info until I found this little oasis of kindness forum.
Hi there. So elated to hear the news. Like you say, all Staff in the NHS are overworked. They do their absolute best for patients and we are so lucky to have them looking after us. My thoughts are with you for the rest of your few weeks of treatment. I was confident the treatment would work for you and HEY - IT HAS. Absolutely brilliant. Fondest thoughts to you and your family. Big squeezy hug. xx
I'm on Harvoni. But there are a few different antivirals that target Hep C and I suppose certain factors dictate which is the better choice.Although all have incredibly high success rates
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Hep c 
hep c
Newly diagnosed Hep C I have no information
Hep c treatment employment and allowance benefits stopped 
