What best describes your hepatitis C treatment history?

Since I was diagnosed in1991, my first experience was mono therapy with Interferon. The side effects were terrible. As time went on I tried every interferon that was approved, to no avail. Then we added ribavirin. Along with the fatigue, muscle and joint pain, came a very short temper which is common with ribavirin. Us patients called it riba rage. After years of trying to get rid of hep C, I entered a trial with a new direct acting anti-viral. Viola, it worked and after 40+ years with hepatitis C, it is gone.

I was diagnosed in the fall of 2014, only Harvoni was FDA approved at that point & only by a couple weeks when diagnosed, but the doctor I had did not have my interests at heart.. in fact I was straight up told not to call their office whatsoever anymore & I got fed up & asked my main doctor who is also my mental health doctor as well after I got him appointed to be my mental health doctor during this same exact time period to please send me to someone else & he did. It changed my life. My new hep c doctor was amazing & had all my interests at heart & heard me out on my ideas or questions. I was put in contact with AbbVies patient assistance program after Gilead refused to help me in any way in early 2015. Within less than 24hrs I got a call from AbbVie & everything went rapid fire from there. By summer 2015 my insurance & governor at the time tried stopping AbbVie from helping me.. it turned into a very brutal war & something I had never experienced in my life before.. I was early 20s with a son barely 2yrs old & I was desperate. My hep c doctor, the whole hospital where my hep c doctor was, & AbbVie joined me in the fight against the state which wasn't easy, it took a toll on me as the state was forcing me to do things AbbVie flat out told them as me being a witness how they were being inhumane & torturing me for no good medical reasons.. but I did everything they asked anyways & by the end of summer, beginning of fall I finally woke up to a call from both AbbVie & my hep c doctor that we won that I'd be receiving Viekira Pak immediately. I started treatment & did 12 weeks with ribavirin. I was cured, & continued to show I was cured at the 6mon & year mark. I was tested again last year & still cured. I will forever be grateful for everything everyone involved in supporting my fight for a cure did for me & becoming one of the firsts in my state to go against my state & win. I was told I helped open the doors to a lot of others in my region of my state start receiving the cure shortly after me.

I was diagnosed back in September 2021 with Hep C and Cirrhosis of liver as I’d contracted the virus about 40 years before and had never spotted it till last May when intense itching began to plague me. My consultant rushed me through diagnostics for MRI etc and was very quickly put on a combination of Harvoni and Ribivarin for three months. I had a final blood test a couple of weeks ago to be told there was no sign of Hep C anymore! Obviously, I now must live with a damaged liver but I’m feeling so much better. I thank God for my Consultant Dr Austin who instantly recognised how seriously ill I was and took rapid and immediate steps to help.
I still live in anxiety about the itch returning, but now my main concern is fatigue but there are wonderful treatments available!!

Apostatepaul, I am happy to read that you treated successfully. Over time you should have some improvement in your liver histology. So glad you were able tomsay goodbye to that horrific itch. Itching is often worse than pain. Stay well, my friend. (Sue, Community Moderator)