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 have only been on this site a couple times and always come back when I need to do research or help with a question. Because it is not I that has HCV or going through treatment i do not believe I am qualified to give advise or input on personal experience, it is my husband fighting this battle.
Michael took the incevik, interferon and ribovirin and had 0 viral load at 12weeks and handling treatment well. We were so excited especially after 2 previous failed treatments.
We were told yesterday (23 weeks) at Lahey that his viral load is at 43 and his meds will be stopped.
My question...How can this happen? If the virus is out of your system, How can it show up when you were not re-exposed?
We, of course didn't think of asking the Dr at the time. Can anyone help us to understand this?
Thank you in advance for any help,
Stacey
Michael took the incevik, interferon and ribovirin and had 0 viral load at 12weeks and handling treatment well. We were so excited especially after 2 previous failed treatments.
We were told yesterday (23 weeks) at Lahey that his viral load is at 43 and his meds will be stopped.
My question...How can this happen? If the virus is out of your system, How can it show up when you were not re-exposed?
We, of course didn't think of asking the Dr at the time. Can anyone help us to understand this?
Thank you in advance for any help,
Stacey
She followed up with if the sample shows no virus's in that sample it doesn't mean there are none in the other tissue's of the body.
We hope that the treatment and the body can rid them all and there are none left to replicate later. Hope it helps, someone may have a better explaination, sorry it has come back after all that treatement :-(
the VL tests I do says that detection level is 25 IU/ML. So, if I have less than 25 IU/ML, I will be Undetectable, even though I'm still infected.
Let's hope they can increase sensitivity of these tests, so that we can stop tx once we're FREE and have no virus at all.
That would be greaaaaaaaaat.
The explanation was mainly about the virus hiding and mutating, and then the doc said something that made the most sense : if all of the virus was dead and gone the first time you were declared UNDIE, and we (the medical community) really believed that you were cured, don't you think we'd stop the treatment then?
The little bastard virus hides and mutates and is pretty effective at fighting for survival. Hence the long medication period, and the full 6 month post TX before being declared cured
I doubt this will cheer you up anyone than it did me when my earlier treatments failed, but the doc said that for the treatment period my liver got a bit of a rest and that a rest is a good thing
Everyone considering interferon should be tested. I was, but don't know mine. It is blind as I was on a trial. Also I understand your insurance co can refuse treatment if you have an unfavorable IL28B gene.
Congrats on your EOT Joemz =)
I don't remember if the Dr said undetectable, 0 or no VL, they all sound to me as cured. We were told that we had to wait till 6 months after treatment to celebrate, We thought it was just overkill if I thought more about it then, Why would insurance pay for overkill? they wouldn't.
Everybody here has so much knowledge, not because you've studied or did research but because you live it. I am very thankful for your help, now I can explain to our family when they ask how the HCV came back and not sound as I was being overzealous.