Aa
Contact with Semen? Help.
So I went to a massage place to get a foot and leg massage. I saw the massage bed while there's a nicely folded towel, on top. It took around a minute or 2 before the masseur came. When I lay on my chest, he placed the towel at the back of my thigh and pressed it on me, we both noticed a portion of it was somehow wet, and a bit cold. So he got another towel and replaced it. So I asked him why it was wet, and he also didn't know, and he thought it was already used. I don't know either how long has the towel been wet..
In that massage place, they don't give warm or wet towels after the massage so there's only one thing that it could be, SEMEN, or blood?
Anyway, I immediately went home and took a shower after an hour. AFTER SHOWER, I was scratching on the part that I think touched the wet portion of the towel, I looked at it and it was RED due to the scratching but I do not know if it bled.. BUT the scary thing is I DIDNT KNOW IF THAT REDNESS was there already when it touched the towel with the wet thing.
Is there a risk of HEP C if it was a semen or blood that somehow touched my scratched skin?
PS. 3 days after that night I experienced colds and cough and seems like flu, and knees were weak. It's already been 5 days, but I had just a slight fever once.
In that massage place, they don't give warm or wet towels after the massage so there's only one thing that it could be, SEMEN, or blood?
Anyway, I immediately went home and took a shower after an hour. AFTER SHOWER, I was scratching on the part that I think touched the wet portion of the towel, I looked at it and it was RED due to the scratching but I do not know if it bled.. BUT the scary thing is I DIDNT KNOW IF THAT REDNESS was there already when it touched the towel with the wet thing.
Is there a risk of HEP C if it was a semen or blood that somehow touched my scratched skin?
PS. 3 days after that night I experienced colds and cough and seems like flu, and knees were weak. It's already been 5 days, but I had just a slight fever once.
I think you are at extremely low risk to nil risk, based upon what you described.
Symptoms from HBV arrive about 90 days after exposure.
If you want to put your mind at ease.... get tested, but I fear that once you disprove one disease you may just move to another.
I think the issue is your anxiety.
willy
Symptoms from HBV arrive about 90 days after exposure.
If you want to put your mind at ease.... get tested, but I fear that once you disprove one disease you may just move to another.
I think the issue is your anxiety.
willy
Regarding the above copied paragraph from the link, the operative word is "possible" just like some people get hit by lightning, falling trees and asteroids.
In actual monogamous heterosexual relationships, the transmission is roughly between zero and 2%, and over years.....decades..... not per event. The article makes the point that unplanned, non monogamous sexual liaisons probably have a higher risk factor, particularly where accompanied w/ other STDs.
The HCV transmission rate from towel to leg is probably also "possible", but one would have to add zeros to the right of the decimal point. : )
================
Regarding Hep B..... get tested after the required waiting period, and if you either live in an area where hep A or B is more prevalent..... or you feel your risk greater..... why not get a hep A & B vaccination? (and no, there is not yet one for hep C)
willy
In actual monogamous heterosexual relationships, the transmission is roughly between zero and 2%, and over years.....decades..... not per event. The article makes the point that unplanned, non monogamous sexual liaisons probably have a higher risk factor, particularly where accompanied w/ other STDs.
The HCV transmission rate from towel to leg is probably also "possible", but one would have to add zeros to the right of the decimal point. : )
================
Regarding Hep B..... get tested after the required waiting period, and if you either live in an area where hep A or B is more prevalent..... or you feel your risk greater..... why not get a hep A & B vaccination? (and no, there is not yet one for hep C)
willy
Previous studies have not been able to demonstrate the presence of HCV-RNA in body fluids except for blood.[iv] However, more recently, there have been reports of the presence of the hepatitis C virus RNA in the semen of up to 1/3 of HCV viremic men.[v] The levels are low, but, nonetheless, were positive. This may explain the lower rates of infection in sexual partners of patients with HCV than what is seen with other sexually transmitted viruses, such as Hepatitis B and HIV. Whether it is the act of sexual intercourse that is the cause of the transfer of the HCV virus to a person who was previously uninfected is not known, and may never be, since there are no good animal models for HCV infection except for humans and chimpanzees. We do know that in Chayama’s study the hepatitis C virus RNA sequence pattern is the same in both partners in two pairs of long-term monogamous couples without a history of previous IV drug use.[vi] Thus, as best we can tell, it is possible that the hepatitis C virus could be spread through sexual intercourse, but, perhaps, because of the lower amounts of virus in semen, the rate of transmission is lower than if there were a blood to blood transfer of virus. Also, there has been a study that showed evidence of the hepatitis C virus in cervical smears.[vii]
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hcsp/articles/Donovan-1.html
http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hcsp/articles/Donovan-1.html
No worries. I remember when first diagnosed, I thought it might be due to sexual transmission and that my infection was going to kill me.
I think one just tends to get a little too scared about all of the terrible possibilities, most of which prove to be false, inaccurate, a waste of time and loss of sleep.
willy
I think one just tends to get a little too scared about all of the terrible possibilities, most of which prove to be false, inaccurate, a waste of time and loss of sleep.
willy
I just had my hep testing, do i need to repeat for this situation? Thanks. Anyone?
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community
Learn about this treatable virus.
Getting tested for this viral infection.
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
4 steps to getting on therapy.
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
How the drugs might affect you.
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
(there was none present here)
2) Semen does not contain blood, HCV is not present in semen
(blood would have been visible, right?)
(semen would have been visible, but even if present would not have contained HCV)
(even if semen and/or blood were present it still would have been nearly impossible to transmit)
Does it strike you as interesting that you would get infected from a towel and no contact and yet many of us in this forum know many HCV+ people who have lived with non-infected infected spouses, shared bathrooms, silverware, kissed, had sex (yes, and maybe a few massages too) and otherwise cohabited for *decades* without transmitting?
I think your odds of infection are slight, to nonexistent.
Just for your consideration;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypochondriasis
I think once you understand more about HCV you will understand how slight those odds are of transmission via wet towel.
willy