My docs always told me, starting back the first time I did interferon/ribavirin in 2004, that undetectable is exactly that. They won't say cured.
Three months after I finished the cocktail in 2004, March 1, 2005, I had had a cerebral hemorrhage and recovered quickly. Twenty days later, had a seizure, and another bleed, much worse this time. My liver went from stage 1 high to cirrhotic within a couple of weeks. My right arm was paralyzed and I spent 5 weeks in MGH, then 6 weeks in Spaulding Rehab. Came home, and did 3 months of OT, PT and speech therapy.
I also ran a fishing tackle shop beginning a month after getting home. I was hard to understand, but customers took the time as I stuttered my way through each day. I credit that with my speech coming back to 90% of what it had been. At that point I has ESLD and for 4 years went slowly downhill, until my transplant. Four months after running the tackle shop, I went back to setting tile. Four years after that, had a transplant.
Did the interferon/ribavirin therapy, beginning about
a year after my transplant, when my viral load started climbing. This time it was for 15 months, as they wanted me to be undetectable for a year after my labs were <43. I hope this is permanent, but after dealing with what I call 10 years of "bad phone calls," I don't assume anything.
Knowing that there is now a true cure for Hep C, the thought of possibly having to go through another treatment wouldn't faze me. Not that I would want to have to do it.
Post Edited (**David**) : 7/16/2014 4:46:53 PM (GMT-6)