AM I the only one?

[Edhorfin (OP)]

Now that the new HCV drugs are here, everyone thinks the situation is cured or not yet cured. I fall into another category. Here's my story:

Discovered I had HCV in 2000. Quit using drugs in 1985. Surprise!!! I'm a genotype 3, which at the time, was supposed to be easy to treat. 26 weeks of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin, and zero viral load. Relapsed at 6 months.

Tried same combo again in 2004, didn't achieve enough of a viral load drop at 6 weeks to continue. ALl this time, my liver is getting worse, even though I haven't consumed alcolhol since 1985 either. Totally sober.

PUnch biopsy ( that was fun) showed bridging fibrosis in 2001.

Flash to Harvoni. Did it and relapsed. By now, its 2013, and I have esophageal varices. They bled, not dramatically or anything, but enough to lower hemoglobin to single digits with a baseline on13. Also learned a new word: Melena....pretty word for blood in stool, ugly thing.

Agree to have a portal shunt installed, which was no fun.

2016, even newer drug. Start it and have another bleed. Mind you, I have no symptoms of cirrhosis otherwise. No ascites or brain fog. Feel fine. This time bleed involved vomiting a little blood. Not a lot, but immediately put in ICU and schedule an adjustment of my shunt.

FInally, new doctor tells me new studies are showing new drugs are showing increased incidence of liver cancer, a really aggressive form, in patients who had cured liver cancer previously. Dr believes there may be a link between certain patients, new HCV druga, and liver cancer....

I have a MRI scheduled in a couple of weeks to determine if suspicious spots on my liver are ok or not. Fuck...