HCV RT-PCR, Quant (Non-Graph) IU/mL Hepatitis C Quantitation

I wouldn't worry at this point. You still have 5 weeks to go. What you posted doesn't really tell me anything, maybe to someone else it might. Do you have a number? ?/ml or something that shows a number? Also do you know what your baseline viral load was?

What is the number? Are you trying to use a symbol for over? I understand the symbols don't work. What was your baseline VL and 7 wk VL. I can help calculate the log drop & give a little bit more info.

No point to worry now. If they don't believe it is working for you, they'll suggest stopping the treatment. they may even force you to stop, because is going to pay for something that doesn't work?

If worse case is true - its still all good. S&O is not the end-all, its just the beginning of newer better meds.

It says at weeks 7 on S&O I am still detectable. Does anyone hear know if this is bad news or neutral news? This is pasted from the report:
HCV RT-PCR, Quant (Non-Graph) IU/mL Hepatitis C Quantitation

It says at weeks 7 on S&O I am still detectable. Does anyone hear know if this is bad news or neutral news? This is pasted from the report:

HCV RT-PCR, Quant (Non-Graph) IU/mL Hepatitis C Quantitation

is under 15 HCV RNA detected
.
The quantitative range of the assay is 15 IU/mL to 100 million IU/mL
using COBAS(R) TaqMan(R) HCV test, v 2.0. The limit of detection (LOD)
and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for this assay is 15 IU/mL.
Results less than the quantitative range of the assay will be reported
as "HCV RNA detected, less than 15 IU/mL".

1wonder - I did the same thing in my thread - typed the symbol for "less than" and it cut off the rest of my post. Anyway, okay, yes, you are still detected. At week 4 of S&O my VL was less than 2 - BUT, tiny number that that is, it is still detected. I wasn't too happy when I finally realized that. Either we ARE detected (and a number is there) or we ARE NOT, in which case we see (well, I hope we both do) something like "HCV Not Detected or "Undetected."

*** sigh *** I know, but like aal said, you still have 5 weeks to go. I still have 6. My VL was at week 4 and my doc won't do another one until EOT (12 weeks/end of tx). I know someone whose VL was 30 at week 8 on S&O, but at week 10 he was UD - and THAT really makes me feel better - and I hope it does you too.

Trissa made good points too. Should anyone (geno 1's, of course) fail on S&O, a newer and better treatment is on the horizon - Sovaldi/Ledipasvir, one pill, once a day. I would hate to have to ask my insurance to cover THAT after this, but oh yes, my doctor certainly would push that one as would I.

WE are gonna be JUST FINE! Our livers have gotten a HUGE break already - I'm sure your ALT, AST, platelets, albumin and bilirubin are good now, right? My biil. is a bit up but still okay - it tends to go up during tx.

1wonder - see it as GOOD NEWS. I don't know how high your VL was before tx, but mine was 3,200,000. To go from that to less than 2, I'll take it. For you to get to less than 15 - you ARE responding well. Are geno 1a or 1b? I forget. 1b's seem to clear a bit faster than we 1a's from what I'm seeing.

Doesn't look bad Onewonders. Under 15 at wk 7 is excellent. Trissa, Shiver & Cat are right...no worries. Kay.

I am having trouble using this board. Posts I send appear incomplete. Any way, on Jan. 19th my viral load was 810,380 with 5.909 log noted. Started treatment Feb. 6th. Day 19 blood work on Feb. 24th viral load was 110 with 2.041 log noted. My 7th week blood work was "under" 15. (As someone noted the symbols don't work) Results less than the quantitative range of the assay will be reported as "HCV RNA detected, less than 15 IU/mL"

0newonders - I am sure that what is going haywire with your post is use of the less than symbol (or more than or any of those symbols). I was doing the same thing until someone told me about that - I kept posting and my posts would show up "cut off" - and it was after that symbol that the rest was lost - or as you wrote, incomplete. We have to type those symbols out in words - "less than" instead of.... well, I'm not gonna type it. :)

Anyway, are you geno 1a? (or 1b?)

Onewonders do not use any symbols in your message as some of them are actual commands for DS.
.-? () are all okay and a few others but many keyboard symbols will mess with your messages.
Now about your vl. I have some concerns because I am supposed to be starting Sovaldi and Olysio ( we call it Galexos in Canada) but I was told if I am not undetectable by week four, treatment would be terminated.
There are others here who's Dr.s have kept them on and they have become undetectable by week 8.
The websites I have researched say undetectable by week 4 is called RVR (rapid viral response) suggesting it is faster than the expected response.
I have no idea why my medical team has set 4 weeks and yet other Dr.s let patients carry on to week 8,
This I am going to look into!

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful replies. I was so hopeful that I was going to be undetectable and this threw me. I am genotype 1a by the way and have had treatment fail me before. I know that this could still work but I am exhausted emotionally from 20 years of this HCV nightmare.

Totally get that onewonders. Still recovering from a bad treatment with IFN and Riba here.
Hope your next blood draw holds great news for you.

onewonders - I thought so - 1a (so am I). Well, as I wrote earlier, so far with S&O, of the people I know who are doing it, 1a's are clearing later than 1b's. Have hope!

kramer - what? They would take you off tx if you are detectable at week 4? That is crazy - to me, anyway, esp. if Geno 1a. It's a good excuse though for whomever is covering you (not sure how it works there in Canada) to save a lot of money, which is a disturbing thought but seems to be playing out all over the place right now with Sovaldi cost. Oh yeah, "look into."