I'm happy to report to this amazing Community that I'm officially SVR12.
For reference:
Infected 1980
Genotype 1
Viral load at beginning of treatment: 180,000
Treatment naive
Biopsy 2008: stage 0 grade 1
Elastography 2015: stage 2, mild scarring
12 weeks Harvoni began 3/28/2015 (protocol was 8 weeks, insurance approved 12)
End of treatment: 6/19/2015
EOT: undetected
EOT + 12 week labs drawn on 9/21/2015
Liver function test all in low normal range
I was diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease with severe Proteinuria January 2015. My nephrologist suspected my HCV infection was the culprit. Had blood pressure that was off the charts, feet, ankle, and leg edema, and a host of other kidney related issues. My nephrologist was spot on. Today, my kidney disease is almost a thing of the past. Proteinuria is almost absent, have not had any edema since July, and my BP is pretty good for my age.
To all of those who are contemplating treatment, I hope success stories like mine inspire you to treat your disease before the bottom falls out. And realize that the bottom can fall out rapidly as your disease progresses as it did for me. To all of those who are currently treating, I wish for you the same SVR that I've attained.
The people that belong to this Community that take the time to help others are an amazing group of individuals and I hope the newcomers take a page from their book as they gain knowledge about this insidious disease so they can share their insight with others. I will look forward to reading more success stories here as I get used to my HCV-free life.
Thank you to everyone here for your support.
Peace, and keep the faith,
Marc