Not sure if I'm a hep c patient anymore or not. Went in for my 2 year post
treatment workup last November and am still clear of the virus. My
Gastroentrologist basically released me with written orders for liver
function BW every 6 months but didn't write orders for anymore hep c testing
to be done or schedule any appointments. I'm to call his office for BW
results. My Ferritin level was mildly elevated before starting treatment but
shot up (2062 NG\ML) during treatment. I am (was?) Gen 1 and did 48 weeks of
Pegasus/Ribavirin treatment. I was tested for Hemochromatosis and came back
positive for one of the non-dominant genes to have the disorder. During
treatment I needed to go in for Phlebotomies every 2 weeks to control the
Ferritin overload which caused problems because I was also very anemic as a
result of tx.........go figure? I started passing out after the blood
letting till I started getting equal amounts of IV fluid to replace the
blood taken. My Ferritin level has normalized since completing tx and I've
needed no blood letting for the last 2 years.                       Tom

I would expect nearly everyone that hangs out here or has hung out here was/is
HCV positive or was/is a supporter for someone who was/is HCV positive ;-)

fwiw, I was a hep cat (1b, 33 years HCV+), did the 48 week combo ride, got
cured. It's been almost 2.5 years since the last shot and handful of Riba. VL
tests every 6 months, will switch to the once-per-year schedule in April. So
far, so good :-)

Here's a brief listing of abbreviations commonly used wrt HCV:
http://www.hepcscotland.co.uk/about-the-guideline/abbreviations.html

Here's a list of commonly used abbreviations wrt blood testing:
http://www.efn.org/~nurses/acro.html

Anything else that comes up, just ask :-)

Cheers

/greyhackles

............................................

Wally's girl, hi!
 Here's a very good source of interaction about HepC:
http://www.janis7hepc.com/  Many of us on this group have participated in
the chat rooms and the like.  Lots of really good info and advice, and moves
a bit faster than this Usenet group (which also is a very good place to
communicate or hang out).

sincerely
cactus jammies