Keep clubbing that dragon! Here, take my Hep C dragon slaying sword for luck! Your's is a stubborn one and, even though you've driven it over the side of the cliff, it may be hanging on a branch just out of your sight! Continue your vigilance and do what it takes to make sure it is gone!!! Next year at this time, I hope to salute you with a Howard Dean-like girlie scream for SVR in your honor!!!! (((((((((((((HUGZ))))))))~MM
Depending on the state of your liver, an alternative would be to stop treatment and wait for the new drugs. Just adding another perspective to the discussion. :-)
Positive at week 12 is positive at week 12 no matter what the number really is. I had a rapid response at week 4 almost UND but.......then got stuck at 400 until week 24. I did the 72 weeks and have been SVR for coming up on three years. I am sure without it I would not have succeeded.
There is only proven studies to show that going to 72 has merit. There are no studies to 60 (this is what i had 'wanted' to do but the doctors (including the expert in this area Dr. Ira Jacobson in NYC) told me. Adding 36 is older information that has not been proven as effective.
If you read the Berg Study excerpts and the Sanchez Tapias as well you will see why. both are easily available on google and can give you a good understanding of the changes in odds.
Good luck.
not having a test between wk 12 and 24 is in this case an issue. if you were und at week 13 you could extend a couple of weeks only just to be sure , but now its hard to say ... i would do 72 wks, or at least 60.....
adding 36 wks to slow responders und date is a rule of thumb formula that seems to work in most cases...do you have much liver damage
I agree that you should do 72 weeks.
did you have any other tests to see if this was a false positive? you should of immediately re-tested. did you have any other tests between 12 & 24 weeks? i know most doctors wont do it but you should have been tested weekly to find out exactly when you went Und and then added 36 weeks to that.
Best of luck
viral load was at 12 at 12 weeks.......und at 24 wishes to run me another 24 only......they seem thrilled by it
you really need to do 72 weeks , you are termed a slow responder, better to do an extra 24 weeks no than an extra 72 weeks later, iam surprised you were able to continue tx,did you have a two log drop at 12 weeks