Hepatitis C Support Group
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral disease which can cause liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood. Many people with HCV infection have no symptoms and are unaware of the need to seek treatment. Hepatitis C infects an estimated 150-200 million people worldwide.
I know, if this works it will be so worth it, BUT I feel like crap. Headache most of the day, fatigue, sluggish brain. I didn't expect this. Some people posted about having more energy. I guess every body is different.
Drink lots of water, cut back on sugar, salt and fat. Try to get enough sleep. You will probably start noticing a difference in the 2nd or 3rd week. The time will fly by !! Hang in there !!
thanks for the reminder...I too had alot of sides on Harvoni..nothing compared to death as I was heading to..lol
I did exaggerate symptoms that I had before TX..I had mild headaches that water took away..some refuse to drink there water..??? still rebels without a cause..I had aches and pains I never had in arms shoulders, back..I had fatigue, energy, tons of energy, dizziness, labored breathing...hunger , and anxiety, highs and lows...but Harvoni was at battle and doing his job..and WELL, I just needed to listen to the warrior and rest, eat well, little exersise, sleep, enjoy the ride...I forgot all this- - - now I just ENJOY THE RIDE :}
Also, are there any other premenopausal women here? Did they test this on women at all? Today I started bleeding midcycle. This has never happened to me before. It might be a coincidence, but it seems odd. I feel very lucky to only have 8 weeks.
Chronic Hepatitis Symptoms
Anxiety
Arthritis
Ascites (swelling in the stomach area)
Blurred Vision
Chills
Dark Urine
Decline in sex drive
Depression
Dizziness
Dry Skin
Edema (swelling of the hands, feet & legs)
Excessive Bleeding
Excessive gas
Eye or eyesight problems (blurred vision or dry eyes)
Fatigue
Fever
Flu-like symptoms
Gallstones
Gray, yellow, white or light colored stools
Headaches
Hepatalgia (pain or discomfort in liver area)
Hot flashes
Indigestion
Inflammation in the joints
Insomnia
Irritability
Itching
Jaundice (yellowing of eyes and/or skin)
Joint pain
Mood changes or swings
Memory loss, mental confusion
Menstrual problems
Muscle aches
Nausea
Rashes/Red spots
Red palms
Sensitivity to heat or cold
Sleep disturbances
Slow healing and recovery
Susceptibility to illness/flu
Sweating
Vertigo
Vomiting
Water retention
Weakness
Weight gain
Weight loss
I'm on week 7 of 12 on Harvoni. I am feeling better. I was detected
I was detected less than 15 at 4 weeks.( I'm wondering if using the less than is what is cutting off my posts. )
I am so sorry that Harvoni is causing you such trouble. The symptoms reported by people were reported by less than 20% of the patients. http://www.gilead.com/~/media/Files/pdfs/medicines/liver-disease/harvoni/harvoni_pi.pdf
Harvoni has a success rate of over 95%. I for one am so grateful to be able to get this. It's a direct acting anti-viral, in that what it does is basically inactivate the replication process of the virus by deactivating NS5A and NS5B. That's all it does. It's doesn't kill the virus, it just keeps it from reproducing. This is why the treatment is so easy for most people.
I just rethought that.....the virus actually starts its replication process by becoming a replicating organism. I really don't think it can go back to being a virus, I think the parts just end up being sloughed off when they can't hook up to the host protein, get cleaned up by the immune system, and eliminated. There are videos about it on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8h2wzwdzZs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ0wQ4sTAwQ
When you get your 4 week labs done, you might get some clues as to what is causing the headaches. One possibility is high blood pressure. I've heard several people complain about that. The solution for me was to eat more foods high in potassium, and the headaches went away. The ones I had were minor, I've only had 2 in 6 weeks that lasted all day, and even so, they were minor, maybe 3 on a scale of 1-10.
So you have a BP cuff and tester? We do. Costs $35 at Costco. I watch mine on occasions when I feel so inclined, not every day. Alternative is to use the machine at a grocery store's pharmacy. Lots of them around here. Beet greens are the best source of potassium.
I was thinking today about my weight gain. And I thought, maybe it's because the liver, which has been working overtime, is finally getting a break and isn't used to smooth sailing, so it wants you to give it something to do. What do you think?
I wrote back to you privately, but for others, I think the hunger isn't healthy. It's like a disconnect of full signals. Hard to explain. I guess I just figured that since I drink so much water anyway, I'd be fine.
Today was better, headache-wise. I'm still bleeding, though.
You are as good as Go..ld...