Posted 7/12/2014 1:10 AM (GMT 0)
I am genotype 3, starting week 19 of 24 week protocol, sovaldi and ribavirin. I did the pegasys/riba combo in 2003, knocked out my thyroid, lost lots of hair, anemic - on procrit, etc. Had a viral load drop initially, but did not keep dropping, so a treatment failure. This protocol has been much easier, especially since I received a viral load < 15 (but still detected) at about week five. I have anemia, hemoglobin stays around 9.1 to 9.5, but since it has stayed there for several months, doc not inclined to add procrit. I have had some nausea, headache, feverish at times, also a strange spasming pain in my back, but none of the side effects last more than a few hours or a day - certainly not long enough to be more than "gee, what a weird feeling, must be a side effect" and then it's gone. Some very minor hair loss -may even be more because of age (58). I used to have to take naps just about every day, definitely impacted my life from being a fitness nut to struggling to walk the dog twice a day. Now I can tell my energy is coming back. No more of the overwhelming exhaustion and the chronic fatigue is much less too (and might be more from the anemia at this point). Still nap on weekends, but very little during the week. Working full-time as I have all along. I took one sick day on the treatment so far - one day I did get very exhausted, went home and slept for three days. My doc thinks I may have been fighting off something else. Had viral load taken again a few weeks ago, but she used a different test. This one says < 5 copies, "with >5 copies indicating presence of virus" - however, does not state that <5 copies indicates there is no virus, so she is going to try to order the test that will say "undetected" (my goal of course). Definitely worth it! Good luck!