Hep C Discussion Forum

Canuck · Guru

RE: Harvoni Newbie

Tig · Admin

Hey Dylan,

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on you first undetected test! These are powerful drugs and will do the trick. It has become routine now to see the quick results these new treatments exhibit. As long as you do your part, they will do their's.

Proper hydration is required! A gallon of water per day is a necessity. Good luck, you're over the hump! smile

dillbag · Newbie

Hey

I am 6 weeks into Harvoni and just got my first labs back today.... Undetected!

Although I will say, I am 28 years old, no sclerosis, no prior treatments. I only paid $30 a bottle. (I am very lucky)

I take it at night, and have experienced no symptoms except for the occasional nausea and tiredness, but neither have been severe or sick day worthy.

Just drink a ton of water with the pill before you go to bed.

Dylan

Canuck · Guru

Hi moltten,

Glad to meet you here, and glad you've got started on your harvoni cure.

At risk of sounding like a harvoni commercial (similar to what you said) .... you DO have "new found hope", now that you got harvoni! You ARE about to be cured!

You WILL get through all of this, and emerge, out the other side, cured.

And, at risk of sounding like a broken record - HYDRATE, big time. Not kidding, a gal of water per day, do not allow yourself to get dehydrated. Douse the headaches with water. Things should lessen soon.

Keep on doing, just what you are doing, "shaking yourself off and keep moving forward". Know you are doing the right thing, and very best thing you can possibly do for yourself right now, and for your future health. I too feel grateful, every day, for getting myself cured. smile

Hope you get to feeling better/improvements and less of the negatives as you progress through treatment.

Yup, know that we are all here for you, anytime.

Oh, did I or anyone mention - drink a lot of water? wink

I have spots too, wear long sleeves and have your iron load checked - I am just guessing, but it could be something as simple as how much iron you pack. My iron load decreased after cure, color of my spots are kinda lessening too. confuse C.

JimmyK · Guru

Greetings and Welcome.

The water intake is the key. My wife and I both did Harvoni, drank a river of water daily and no side effects to speak of.

Harvoni is the bomb you got this.

Again welcome

JimmyK

wendyo · Guru

Hi Rob,

Another recovering friend here also in FLA so a big welcome. HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE and the headaches will go away. I totally relate to what you wrote as I also was on interferon 2x and was not cured until Harvoni became available.

Fluids are your friend. Eat healthy and if you can walk, stretch, swim, etc.

We are here for you!

wendy

Observer · Guru

Welcome Rob,

I am so glad you are on harvoni. And congrats on getting clean from your addiction.

I sure understand the fear and probably medical nudging that led you to try interferon, when I was first diagnosed I went to the specialist. He just took blood then sent me to his nurse who said " you're going to do this treatment, interferon/Ribiviron".... I was still grappling with the diagnosis, I had read about interferon and was feeling scared and vulnerable... I said " I'm not sure I want to do that, can we talk about options? " the 'hep team nurse' literally said to me..." If you decide you don't want to just die, come back and get on treatment" I never went back.

The next time (years later and different Dr.) they now had pegalated interferon, he convinced me to try it, but he had to get me in a trial. I agreed, got all my ducks in a row to devote myself to the gruelling treatment (I had read a lot of horror stories) ...then waited.....finally after a month or two...I called asking why it was taking so long...his nurse said " oh I didn't sign you up because you didn't seem enthusiastic" hmm

I am so grateful I never took that route....but, the disease progressed pretty severely and affected many of my systems. I started menopause in my late 30's, became allergic to so many things I became a hermit, had years of auto immune issues, infections that would not resolve, flus that would not go away, years of migraines, teeth issues....the list is endless.

I had kinda resolved myself to dying young(ish) and joked with my kids when they partied too hard, to smarten up , that one of them might have to share their liver with me.

Then along came harvoni, hurray.

I have not had one migraine headache, or incontrollable infection in over a year. My allergies have become less severe and I have energy for the first time in 32 years.

You will do great, these meds are fabulous!

As our wise Tig said...the key to helping your body cope with the side effects is water...drink it all day and if you wake in the night, drink a glass or two...carry it everywhere. If you have a headache, drink water and it will probably go away. You want to help you body flush that nasty old virus out.

stay in touch and drink water smile

Alison

Tig · Admin

Hey Rob,

I'm glad you're here too! I hope we can get things explained and look forward to following your progress.

Sorry you're having such problems right now. Many people experience the worst of the side effects during the first two to three weeks. It's normal or should I say not uncommon. I call it the adjustment period. This isn't Tylenol, brother! These are powerful medications and if you are sensitive to them, they may be hitting you a little harder. You're going to have to give it more time, another week or two may be needed. Commit and you will win. I see winners here everyday...

Try to increase your water intake, first of all. Your body needs a minimum of one gallon of water daily. Eat a balanced diet, drink lots of coffee, it's good for an ailing liver and get as much rest as possible. We know for a fact, if you don't hydrate adequately, the first side effects are profound fatigue and headaches, often severe. Drink more water!

I went through Interferon treatment twice. I suffered plenty, one of the worst was depression. It about ruined me and yes, it continues to be a life changer. Something just clicked and my whole attitude changed. I'm grateful to be cured, but damn, it cost plenty. So know you're not alone. We manage though and so will you. I'm very glad you don't have to go through that again!

Others will be along to welcome you into the group soon. You have found a good group and we'll be here to help you along the way. Just let us know what's going on. Keep the line of communication open. Okay?

If you have any test results, fibrosis stage, things like that, it helps us when replying. Put it in your signature line. There are instructions via the red link in mine. Our Home page has several areas that will help educate you and give you hope. Don't be discouraged. You'll get through this successfully, I'm sure of that. The odds are really in your favor this time.

Get hydrated, rested and stay positive! You're going to be dancing on the Dragon in no time!

moltten · Newbie

Hello everyone: I am so happy to have found this forum. Thank you for making it available.

I was a full blown addict and alcoholic in the 80s, 90s, all the way to 2005. I suspect that I got the Hep C virus in the 80s when I was insane and sharing needles with other people. I recall that over a few weeks (I was 19 years old), dark spots began to appear on my arms.

I am of Hispanic origin, so I suspect that this was the sign that I was infected, although at the time I had no clue and tried to treat it through dermatology. Nothing worked. I have the spots in my arms to this day.

In fact, a few weeks ago some new ones came out in the middle of my arms. Has anyone else had this type of reaction? It causes me a lot of shame because I feel like 'spoiled goods.' No marks have appeared on my face or anywhere else, thankfully.

I tried Interferon in 2005 and it destroyed me psychologically. I don't think I even lasted two months.

I fell into a depression that lasted close to ten years.

I have read a lot of studies and articles that talk about the adverse effect Interferon has on the brain. I was at the top of my game with a great job, then suddenly I was unable to function and lost everything.

I blame myself for being to hasty in accepting the treatment. I should have done more research. But I was so desperate to be healed, that I jumped at the chance. It cost me dearly. Well, such is life... we live, we learn.

To make a long story short, I have now been on Harvoni for almost two weeks. The side effects were minimal initially, but lately I have felt extremely tired all the time and I have this intense headache that comes and goes. I wonder if this is normal.

Also, there is this negative thought in my mind that tells me: "Ah, you're wasting your time. This medication will NOT cure you."

I shake myself off and keep moving forward. It took six months to get approved by the insurance company to receive this medication.

My stomach was swollen, I felt horrible and could hardly function. I was literally dying. Today I have a new hope. I still battle the symptoms and the bloated stomach, but I have my sights set on completing the treatment, which I believe is set for 12 weeks.

I know that I cannot go through this alone. That's why I signed up for the forum here. I want to receive support as well as support others. Tomorrow starts another work week for me. I dread the mornings. It is a battle to get up from the feeling of weakness and tiredness.

A few weeks ago I was absent a few days and my check was tiny. I paid the consequences and my power was shut off for a day. So it is imperative for me to keep getting up, moving and doing what I have to do. But some mornings it feels like a truck ran over me. I can't run fast enough to the coffee pot.

All in all, I have an attitude of gratitude and I am hopeful that this will be the end of this cursed virus. I just turned 50 and I'm still dealing with a lot of the consequences of my addiction, especially financially and in my profession (I'm a writer).

I look forward to meeting others that are in a similar path and I would be more than delighted to be of service in any way that I can. Thank you all for having this forum. Love and peace to all,

Rob

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