Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

henryn

houdini1 said:

Harvoni is being advertised as a cure for hep c, so I don't understand why it failed in your case. I would try the same harvoni regimen again, just in case the first batch was defective in some way. I don't see how your ins. co. could refuse at this point. In the meantime, of course you are in my prayers.

Actually, it didn't fail. He said after 12 weeks on the drug, he showed no viral content. But one month after he stopped taking it, the hepatitis c is back again. So the drug worked, but the disease came back. Sounds to me like he should repeat the regimen, only perhaps take the drugs longer than 12 weeks this time?

I don't know, I'm not a doctor, but logic would dictate ...

Best of luck to you, Mike. I enjoy your posts here.

stickguy

Sounds like chemo. There are general guidelines, but doesn't always work the same patient to patient.

qbrozen

tommister2 said:

You said it perfectly for me as well. I've been into this as a hobby for as long as I can remember. I've often wondered if I should get a job in the car biz somehow or if that would ruin it for me. The closest I have come is applying for a job at a car insurance company. 

I'm certain I should have, but its too late for me now. I figure something at a dealership will likely be my "retirement" job.

carnaught

Mike, you may want to consider a visit to the University of Miami GI/Hepatology Dept. I'm sure they have other options for recurrence of disease.

Echoing the others: my thoughts and prayers are with you. Keep us informed.

roadburner

abacomike said:

I got a call from my doctor at 9:00 AM this morning with some bad news.  The blood test I took last week showed that the Hepatitis C is again spreading in my blood and liver.  I was shocked and became very depressed.  After 12 weeks on the drug it showed no viral count but one month later after I stopped taking the drug (Harvoni) it is back as strong as before.

There is another drug regimen that includes a drug I took in 2005 that gave me terrible side effects - Ribarivin I think it's called - which has to be taken with another drug.  I would feel faint when taking my shower and it was difficult to drive do my Dad drove me when needed.  I don't have Dad any longer so I am in a dilemma.

I think the cost of the drugs are very expensive and my insurance may not approve any more treatments.  So I may just have to live with this disease.  It eventually causes sorosis and in its final stages - liver cancer.

Needless to say I am not handling this very well.  I will have to see what the doctor and the insurance company have in store for me.

All I can ask from you guys is to pray for me.  

Will do, my friend!

roadburner

driver100 said:

We talked before about the safest speed to have on our highways. There is a TV show in Canada called market place and they came up with a formula which works pretty well.

Whatever the posted speed is, the ideal speed for the fewest accidents, is the speed most cars are traveling.

On our main highway, the posted speed is 70 mph, 85% of the cars are going between 72 and 80, so they found, that was the safest speed cars should go.

Traffic engineers have utilized the 85th percentile rule to set rational speed limits for decades. The insurance lobby hates the method because it results in fewer speeding tickets being written.

abacomike

carnaught said:

Mike, you may want to consider a visit to the University of Miami GI/Hepatology Dept. I'm sure they have other options for recurrence of disease. Echoing the others: my thoughts and prayers are with you. Keep us informed.

There are two alternative treatments remaining.  One of them is called "Vicara Pack" along with Ribarivin (the drug I took before that made me very weak).  The two drugs work in conjunction with each other, but I have to take them for 48 weeks which means serious side effects for a long period of time.

I have what is called Genotype 1A Hep C.  Genotype 1B reacts better to Harvoni than the type I have - my type a more resistant virus.

The pharmacy (specializes in high cost drugs and works with insurance companies, doctors and drug foundations for helping with Copays) said they are working as fast as they can to get my insurance company to authorize the drugs and will attempt to apply to the drug foundation to help with the thousands of dollars for copays ($4000+).

I'll probably know something next week.  I may have to hire someone to grocery shop and care for me during the day because of the serious side effects.

jpp75

Sorry to hear that Mike, I know how glad you were to be rid of the virus. Will definitely keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

isellhondas

abacomike said:

I got a call from my doctor at 9:00 AM this morning with some bad news.  The blood test I took last week showed that the Hepatitis C is again spreading in my blood and liver.  I was shocked and became very depressed.  After 12 weeks on the drug it showed no viral count but one month later after I stopped taking the drug (Harvoni) it is back as strong as before.

There is another drug regimen that includes a drug I took in 2005 that gave me terrible side effects - Ribarivin I think it's called - which has to be taken with another drug.  I would feel faint when taking my shower and it was difficult to drive do my Dad drove me when needed.  I don't have Dad any longer so I am in a dilemma.

I think the cost of the drugs are very expensive and my insurance may not approve any more treatments.  So I may just have to live with this disease.  It eventually causes sorosis and in its final stages - liver cancer.

Needless to say I am not handling this very well.  I will have to see what the doctor and the insurance company have in store for me.

All I can ask from you guys is to pray for me.  

Will do. Sorry to hear this. You've already been through so much.

nyccarguy

Be well Mike.  Sorry to hear about your latest set back.  Please keep us updated!  We are all here for you,

berri

Good luck Mike. As carnaught noted, there may be some University or hospital programs going on that could help. Also, they may not cost you a lot of money if they are experimental or related to test and prove out. You may want to inquire about that when you speak to your doctor.

carnaught

berri said:

Good luck Mike. As carnaught noted, there may be some University or hospital programs going on that could help. Also, they may not cost you a lot of money if they are experimental or related to test and prove out. You may want to inquire about that when you speak to your doctor.

(yep) = Clinical Trials

jpp75

Sorry to hear that Mike, I know how glad you were to be rid of the virus. Take care of yourself!

mako1a

Mike, maybe this will ease the fears
goforhealth.co/2015/10/19/8-things-to-remember-when-everything-is-going-wrong-stopping-3-changed-my-life-2/

abacomike

carnaught said:

Good luck Mike. As carnaught noted, there may be some University or hospital programs going on that could help. Also, they may not cost you a lot of money if they are experimental or related to test and prove out. You may want to inquire about that when you speak to your doctor.

(yep) = Clinical Trials

I spoke to my doctor and he reiterated that there are new treatments being tested all the time, however there are three effective treatments now available which are approved by the FDA.  All approved FDA treatments were "fast-tracked" and pharmaceutical companies are still acquiring data surrounding effectiveness and cute rates as well as common and uncommon side effects.  Thus, these drugs are still being monitored because they were fast-tracked.  Remember, not all trials have known side effects or cure rates.  This regimen they want to put me on gas a 94% cure rate for Hep C genotype 1A.  

Furthermore, since I have tried 2 different drug regimens that did not kill my type of virus, I would not qualify for any current ongoing drug trials.

abacomike

I looked up the drug regimen and it entails 3 different drugs with 5 pills taken every day.  If you are interested here is the name of the drugs:

VIEKIRA PAK with and without Ribavirin in Regimen-Controlled Trials

If you Google the drug, there are still clinical trials ongoing.  Ribavirin is used in conjunction with Viekira Pak in patients who tried other drug regimens that failed to kill the virus.  When I first tried Ribavirin either interferon injections, I was so weak and dizzy at times that I could not leave the house.  The side effects are listed in the articles I Googled.

carnaught

Mike, I understand the side effects from Hep. C treatment, with fatigue being one of the most common. Nevertheless, persist and persevere, keeping as active physically and mentally, and as healthy nutritionally as you can. Hopefully, success is just around the corner for you.

abacomike

I called the drug company's patient assistance line and they ere very helpful.  This series of 4 pills per day + 1 pill for the Ribavain attacks the hep C virus differently than Harvoni or other drugs - it causes the virus to stop replicating itself which eventually eliminates it since when the virus naturally dies there will be no new virus to continue to multiply.  Thus, unlike the other drugs, it does not try to kill the virus, but rather it eliminates its ability to replicate.

Side effects will be serious, but what choice do I have?

robr2

Mike - sorry to hear of the results and best of luck with the new treatment.

From what I have read, all the new treatments work by keeping the virus from replicating and the virus dies out. It's hard to say it kills it because viruses are so complex. Hopefully this new treatment will work on your type of Hep.

abacomike

robr2 said:

Mike - sorry to hear of the results and best of luck with the new treatment. From what I have read, Harvoni has a 90% success rate. Like your next treatment, it is supposed to stop the replication, not kill the virus. Hopefully this next treatment works better on your type of Hep.

From your mouth to God's ears!

andres3

I thought some were arguing going 1 MPH would be safer than going close to the 85th percentile speed? To heck with average traffic velocity, some think slower is safer.

I think we should make the speed limit 0.00 MPH. That would make deaths and injuries from "speed kills" zero annually. If less is good, zero's got to be great right?

abacomike

andres3 said:

I thought some were arguing going 1 MPH would be safer than going close to the 85th percentile speed? To heck with average traffic velocity, some think slower is safer. I think we should make the speed limit 0.00 MPH. That would make deaths and injuries from "speed kills" zero annually. If less is good, zero's got to be great right?

I know I'm going to take grief for responding to this post - but sometimes you "gotta do what ya gotta do!"

Andres, I would have thought by the time you reached manhood that you would have learned that "you don't beat a dead horse!"  Why? In the horse's case he's dead and doesn't feel a thing.  In the case of speed limits and safe driving speeds, there's a point where one has to learn that continuing a campaign to win a point of view contest is like beating a dead horse OR your continuing campaign is "falling on deaf ears!"

explorerx4

Mike,
Glad you are being proactive about how to beat your condition. I'll add you to my Sunday list of prayers, but Justin still comes before Mike.

abacomike

explorerx4 said:

Mike, Glad you are being proactive about how to beat your condition. I'll add you to my Sunday list of prayers, but Justin still comes before Mike.

Alphabetically and importance, to be sure!  

abacomike

One of the gifts I received on my birthday was a set of Bose "SoundSport" in ear headphones for my iPhone.  The earphones that came with my iPhone 6 were much improved over the ones that came with my iPhone 3 or my iPhone 4S.

I finally got a chance late last night to plug the Bose Earphones into my iPhone 6.  First, I played some SIRIUS/XM online music (which I got with my 6 month extended subscription) and the sound quality and separation "blew my mind".  Unbelievable!  It was like listening to a $5000 stereo system with a $5000 speaker system.  Next, I listened to my downloaded music from the iTunes Store.  Good grief - even better!  I can't describe the crispness and separation so that you can identify each and every instrument being played.  It sounds like a set of great woofers are actually inside the earphones.

Remember, these are earphones, not full-sized head phones.  They come with in-ear plastic earphone holders that fit in the contours of you exterior ear for best fit.  They have two different sets for ear-types.

If you get a chance to stop into a Bose store, demo them in your smart phone.  I think you'll be as "wowed" as I was!  

roadburner

I usually use a set Klipsch Image S3m in-ear headphones, but I bought a set of Etymotic Research ER6i Isolators that also sound very good.. I hate extraneous noise when I'm at the gym so I have a set of Audio-Technica ATH-40-fs over-the-ear Studiophones I use when I'm on the treadmill or stationary bike.

oldfarmer50

to lighten the mood I thought I'd show Jay Leno's 200+mph Mustang.


http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/videos/a25836/hennessey-mustang-breaks-200-mph/

Shifty, can you tell what mods they made to keep it on the ground?

driver100

0 to 60 in 3.4 second is impressive.

I like Mustangs,and I know this one is built for speed not for it's looks, but that one looks kind of ugly.

This is a case where black wheels don't help.

ab348

driver100 said:

This is a case where black wheels don't help.

Black wheels never help.

oldfarmer50

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

This is a case where black wheels don't help.

Black wheels never help.

I agree but then I'm not a 20 something who buys those wheels.

imidazol97

ab348 said:

driver100 said:

This is a case where black wheels don't help.

Black wheels never help.

An employee at the local post office has a white Malibu '13-'15 with black wheels. I usually
prefer wheels that are not black, but in the Malibu's case, I don't feel they hurt
the overall appearance. I'd like to see which employee owns the vehicle to see
what his/her age is. I sometimes see the people who drive the delivery routes
stop at their car to get their lunch or water as they leave the building with their
PO van.

houdini1

ROYALS WIN THE PENNANT!! One of the best ball games I have ever seen !!

stickguy

generous last strike, but they did deserve to win the series.

WS is going to be a war. LGM!

iluvmysephia1

I do like the color of Jay Leno's "built for speed" Mustang, however. I would consider Plasti-Dipping my 2011 Kia Soul base clear white 5-speed stick a color just like this. And feel great about it.

PF_Flyer

Always like the bold yellow. Heck, there was an Isuzu VehiCROSS around here in the yeloow that I kinda liked the look of

iluvmysephia1

Looks great, PF_Flyer. You're also up early, wow, PF. I've been awake here in SW Kansas since about 3:00AM Central Time. I'm digging the "quiet of the house" as Mike Cooley of the Drive-By Truckers says it.

driver100

houdini1 said:

ROYALS WIN THE PENNANT!! One of the best ball games I have ever seen !!

Not for everyone though!

Actually, was a good game and they deserved to win.

driver100

PF_Flyer said:

Always like the bold yellow. Heck, there was an Isuzu VehiCROSS around here in the yeloow that I kinda liked the look of

That is a great looking car PF. I thought Isuza wasn't selling cars in North America anymore. It is too bad, that little suv has style.

Yellow, not always so good, and the black wheels don't help:

PF_Flyer

iluvmysephia1 said:

Looks great, PF_Flyer. You're also up early, wow, PF. I've been awake here in SW Kansas since about 3:00AM Central Time. I'm digging the "quiet of the house" as Mike Cooley of the Drive-By Truckers says it.

Heh, I,m not certain that I sleep at all anymore. I lay down and rest, but the brain doesn't

PF_Flyer

houdini1 said:

ROYALS WIN THE PENNANT!! One of the best ball games I have ever seen !!

As a Met fan, should I predict a NY Daily News headline? ROYALS FLUSHED (in Flushing, get it.)
Should be a great series. Thinking six or seven games.

houdini1

driver100 said:

houdini1 said:

ROYALS WIN THE PENNANT!! One of the best ball games I have ever seen !!

Not for everyone though!

Actually, was a good game and they deserved to win.

That was a game that both teams deserved to win. It could have broken either way. Lady Luck (and Wade Davis) was just with the Royals last night. Just two really good, evenly matched teams.

houdini1

PF_Flyer said:

houdini1 said:

ROYALS WIN THE PENNANT!! One of the best ball games I have ever seen !!

As a Met fan, should I predict a NY Daily News headline? ROYALS FLUSHED (in Flushing, get it.)
Should be a great series. Thinking six or seven games.

I hope it goes seven games. Those Mets are one tough bunch.

graphicguy

roadburner said:

I usually use a set Klipsch Image S3m in-ear headphones, but I bought a set of Etymotic Research ER6i Isolators that also sound very good.. I hate extraneous noise when I'm at the gym so I have a set of Audio-Technica ATH-40-fs over-the-ear Studiophones I use when I'm on the treadmill or stationary bike.

RB....I have a pair if Klipsch X10. They were expensive brand new, but got some refubished ones direct from Klipsch. Small, very light, and best sounding in ear headphones I've tried....and I've tried a lot of them....including some from Westone.

Mike....stay strong!

Cadillac update....picked out a replacement...http://jeffwylerfairfield.com/New-2016-Cadillac-CTS-Cincinnati-OH/vd/29926623

So, I guess what's supposed to happen is the dealer submits the VIN# to Cadillac and they take care of all the paperwork. According to the dealer this could take anywhere between 2-4 weeks before we do the swap

Still a little sheepish about going down this route, and don't necessarily trust Cadillac enough that they'll actually make this happen.

Rented a Chevrolet Sonic while travelling for work last week. Entry level cars have come a long way. It was way under-tired. I'm sure Chevy is using skinny, low rolling resistance tires on this, and they were squirelly on the highway.

But, the car can travel on the interstate at 80 MPH with ease. Actually was quite comfortable and got up to speed reasonably quickly. A little noisy getting to speed, but once there it quieted down nicely for cruising.

It had bluetooth for my phone (which actually worked). Kind of a weird mix of analog (RPM) and digital (speedo, gear select, etc) guages.

Drove it around Detroit, Plymouth and Ann Arbor. Probably put 100-125 miles on it. Put $5 of gas in it to top it off before returning it to Hertz. Pretty darned frugal.

I'd consider it if I were looking for an around town runabout....certainly worlds better than a Smart Car.

explorerx4

@graphicguy,
A 2016 even with depreciation is probably going to be worth more than a comparable 2014 or 2015, no matter how good the condition of the older model.

Mr_Shiftright

I can't tell offhand but I know Hennessey uses diffusers and spoilers to good effect, and also meticulously road tests everything, so obviously they have it solved....well...at least this time...the nasty thing about lift is that when it happens, it's all over...remember when that Mercedes went airborne and flipped during the 1999 Lemans? You'd think MB Racing would have figured that out. Maybe "road cars" don't have that completely sealed chassis underneath to worry about.

oldfarmer50 said:

to lighten the mood I thought I'd show Jay Leno's 200+mph Mustang.


http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/videos/a25836/hennessey-mustang-breaks-200-mph/

Shifty, can you tell what mods they made to keep it on the ground?

abacomike

@graphicguy:

GG, the car is gorgeous.  I like what Cadillac did with the front and rear of the car.  I am willing to bet that, assuming no issues with the new car, you are going to be just as excited with it as you were when you first bought one a year ago and that you are going to end up keeping the car.  

You would be misguided to trade it in immediately before giving it a few months to drive it and enjoy it.  It will be worth the same money on trade in 3 months as it would be on trade now.  It is still a titled car.

Don't rush into getting rid of it until you've given this new one a chance to prove to you it's really a great car!  

driver100

graphicguy said:

roadburner said:

I usually use a set Klipsch Image S3m in-ear headphones, but I bought a set of Etymotic Research ER6i Isolators that also sound very good.. I hate extraneous noise when I'm at the gym so I have a set of Audio-Technica ATH-40-fs over-the-ear Studiophones I use when I'm on the treadmill or stationary bike.

RB....I have a pair if Klipsch X10. They were expensive brand new, but got some refubished ones direct from Klipsch. Small, very light, and best sounding in ear headphones I've tried....and I've tried a lot of them....including some from Westone.

Mike....stay strong!

Cadillac update....picked out a replacement...http://jeffwylerfairfield.com/New-2016-Cadillac-CTS-Cincinnati-OH/vd/29926623

So, I guess what's supposed to happen is the dealer submits the VIN# to Cadillac and they take care of all the paperwork. According to the dealer this could take anywhere between 2-4 weeks before we do the swap

Stunning llooking car GG...color looks great and the interiors are fantastic.

When I went on the site they offered a $25 gift certificate for a test drive....did you get that? Test if the dealer is trustworthy.

Good luck, I think if this works out you will be pleased with this one....odds are against 3 in a row, though that's what I told my friend about his marriages, and sorry to say odds didn't work out that way.

If you liked the Sonic you gotta love a CTS.

stickguy

that is a really sharp car. like the colors. Particularly the interior. I am partial to that sort of brown.

henryn

abacomike said:

@graphicguy:

You would be misguided to trade it in immediately before giving it a few months to drive it and enjoy it.  It will be worth the same money on trade in 3 months as it would be on trade now.  It is still a titled car.

Don't rush into getting rid of it until you've given this new one a chance to prove to you it's really a great car!  

It seems really really weird, downright wrong, the way the market works in this one regard. The dealership will let their salesmen drive a new car for 6 months, accumulate 5k miles, and claim it is still a "new car", and you should pay new car prices, because it has never been titled. But if you have to take ownership, title the car before you can resell it, it depreciates a huge amount as a used car, even if you put no miles on it.

Makes no sense at all. One reason that I would never buy a "demonstrator".

abacomike

@henryn:

A demo car can be sold as new with full factory warranty, however they are usually sold below invoice.  If you know of anyone who paid full price for a demo, you can tell them for me that they are "loony"!

Most new car dealerships no longer provide demos for most employees or for customers.  The Owner, GM and GSM are the exceptions.  When I was s sales manager, I was not given a demo - but I did receive an allowance to lease one for 12-24 months.

Demos are rare these days because salesmen take the customer out to the new car inventory to pick a car from stock and that is the car the demo.  Thus many new cars will have 15-45 miles on the odometer because they were demoed.  I would not buy a demo with over 50 miles on it even at a below invoice price.