Hep C Discussion Forum

kristi6 · Member

RE: 8 wk results finally in.

Cinnamon Girl · Guru

Hi Kristi6, congrats on such a good drop in viral load! The drugs are certainly doing their job, and it`s a very promising result at this stage. Your lab results are great too, so you have good reason to be pleased with your progress so far.

While on treatment a lot of people find they lose interest in things they normally enjoy, and fatigue and lack of energy goes hand in hand with that, and of course the victrelis protocol is very demanding in the amount of pills you need to take daily. Do what you can though to find things that will cheer you up and make you feel relaxed, anything that takes your mind off the treatment for a while is good!

As for vitamin B, there have been studies which have shown that it has beneficial effects while on treatment, especially for people with gen 1, and here`s a link to a thread where I posted a news article about it last year..

http://hepcfriends.activeboard.com/t50089376/vitamin-b12-may-significantly-enhance-standard-hepatitis-c-t/

It`s always advisable to check with your nurse or doctor before you start taking any extra supplements though.

Best of luck with getting the itching under control. You can find more suggestions if you type `itching` into the search box at the top of the page. Keep us posted! smile

kristi6 · Member

Hi thanks Tig56 and Mallani, I'll find out more about the result Monday. but, I think your right Mallani about the lower number test here at the lab. It is a huge drop in the vl from 4wks, so i'm pretty confident, but also hope that it will be an und @ wk12. I have all my hepc info in the signature area. The nurse said just keep doing what i'm doing as it seems to be working. I've been trying to take my pills on to time with a bit of food. That's a full-time job in it self! Resting alot, maybe too much!!! but, I find I don't have any energy or interest to do anything else! I'm also taking 1 20mg celexa antidepressant everyday, but it doesn't seem to help much. Would I benefit from taking a B12 vitamin for energy? I'm taking a multi, a vit e and 2 d's a day now. All my other blood work was abit low but nothing to worry about now. hg 120, r.c 3.72, w.c. 3.2, thyroid 2.48, ast 25 & alt 18. Thanks for all your replies it means alot smile

mallani · Guru

Hi kristi6,

Congrats, that's a good result. It doesn't quite qualify for an RVR, but I'm sure you will be Undet. by week 12.

<15 Detected means the Lab is using a test with the LLOQ at 15, but obviously a lower LLOD. So there's still some virus, but it's too low to be quantified. Cheers.

Tig · Admin

Your results are in a gray zone for me personally. when they start talking about qualitative and quantitative my mind starts spinning. I know that if the test results fall below an established minimum, like <43, it can say detectable but not provide an actual VL number. Some labs will drop to an even lower minimum, like <25 or lower to check or confirm those results. It will depend on your individual test and your doctor/labs interpretation of the results. I do know that <15 is low but I don't know how that will apply to an 8 week RVR determination. Did your doctor recommend you do the 48 week course of therapy in the beginning or were you waiting for this 8 week VL to determine treatment length? I don't have your history so I'm not sure about any previous treatment, current meds or your liver condition going into treatment now. If you could add it to your signature, it helps us when discussing your care. We've got some smart folks here that might better explain these results. I'm sure you'll hear from them shortly. It's great to see those numbers dropping so drastically though! That means the treatment has your virus running for the hills!

Tig · Admin

Hi Kristi,

yes, as, I've had the same problems with itching and my doctor told me to pick up some Zyrtec (ceterizine). It's similar to Benadryl, but doesn't make you near as drowsy. It works very well for the type of itching you're having. Be careful to not scratch at it, it'll get irritated and worse. I have frequent problems with scalp itching and the Zyrtec helps a lot. I also shampoo with Head and Shoulders "Refresh" which helps control the itching but more than that I notice it helps cool my scalp down (feels that way).

Im curious if your VL test results said they were <15 "Detectable" or "Undetectable"? <15 is a very sensitive test. Do you have the actual test results? What does it say exactly? That helps us understand them better. Good luck making it to this point of treatment! One day at a time!! Good luck! smile

kristi6 · Member

Hi, I finally got my 8wk results today. It was <15 det. I have my 12wk done Oct 30th. So, I'm really happy with that smile I was a little worried as the 4wk still showed quite a high vl. So, that's a good sign the treatment is working!!! Also, I have an itch that's driving me crazy. It feels like pins and needles every now and then,and here and there. It is mainly from the shoulders up, alot around my face and around my head. It feels like i have some of that fiberglass insulation on me. I mentioned it to the nurse and she suggested to get some benedryl. I'm going to pick up some tomorrow. Has anyone else experienced this as a side effect and what helped? Itching to find out!!! lol. Thanks.

kristi6 · Member

Hi Tig56, I'm not sure, but I think the nurse just told me it was detected but it was such a low number, that its not readable. <15. I have to wait till Monday to find out for sure.Unfortunately, I don't have the results in front of me. What is the difference between the det & und <15? Thanks. Also I'll try the zyrtec instead of the benedryl as i have no energy now. I don't need anymore drowsiness. Also most of my itching is on my scalp and forehead. I'll try what you suggested too. Thanks.

-- Edited by kristi6 on Saturday 19th of October 2013 03:16:03 AM

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