i donated blood but...

[Saris92]

dear dr... i am 16 years old and i decided to donate blood recently.. about two weeks after my donation i received a letter telling me that the blood banck could not use my blood because one of the tests performed on my blood the hepatitis c antibody was abnormal and that i cant ever donate blood again... i understand what this means but i am concerned... 1st of all ive never had sex and i dont think ive ever had contact with someone elses blood to contact the virus and i would like to know what are other possible ways of aquiring it...
i also would like to get married someday and be a healthy wife to my husband that will not put him at risk of contracting any diseases (i plan on getting married as a virgin)
and also i would like children some day and how could this be accoplished without me hurting anyone inside me and my husband?
can hepatitis c be inherited?
are my future children at risk?
even tho the tests results dont say i have the virus could i still pas it on to my huspand and children?
thank you for taking the time to read over my questions may God bless you and your family! =)

[Haji4]

I used to work for a Plasma center and the first thing I would tell you to do is go to your family Dr. and tell him you screened positive and ask for a real test. There is a very high false posative rate when you give blood or plasma. my last job was with the Red Cross and they also will tell you to get a real test. they only screen for the antibodies and with women even having your period when you donate can be a cause for a false positive. Please grt checked by your Dr. before you worry too much. Then everyone here has get advicce and there is alot of knowledge because we are all going through the disease. I have learned so much here and now I am asking the right questions and getting real amswers. Best wishes

[mkp13]

I agree with others that your mother may have it and not know it.  It's also possible you had a blood transfusion when you were a baby.  You might not know that, but your parents would.  In someone your age, those seem like the most likely infection routes.  I got it when I was 5 years old from a blood transfusion.  Back in 1961, the odds were 12% if you were given 2-4 units of blood.  The odds ought to be zero now, because we know how to test for it.  Odds of transmission in childbirth are around 6%.  Also, as others have said, presence of antibodies only says you've been exposed, not that you current have the virus.  Even if you do have it, you should know that you've got time to figure out what to do.  In the 47 years I had it before treating, I only progressed to stage 1.  There's some reason to think that those of us infected as children have slower progression.  So don't despair, but go to your doctor and find out your status.  Maybe you're worrying for nothing.  (We all hope so!)

[JustBlue]

There are several forgotten ways you may contract this virus. Don't forget about the dentist and even manicurists. You could use nail clippers or toothbrush of someone who has the virus, or they could use yours without your knowing.
The whole point is that you just can't know for sure of the source.

Take the letter you received to your dr and get further testing done, just so you know where you stand.
You want to be tested to see if you have active virus, then find out what your genotype is and your viral load, providing you have the virus, active or chronic.

Start with those tests, then meet your dr and find out what's next.

Remember that it's important to get the additional tests because those postive antibodies never go away. It's like saying you had something, sometime in the past, but it's gone now, maybe. When you have tests in the future for things like insurance, etc. some medical tests will come back as positive and resulting in insurance rejection or difficulties. For that reason, it's good to have the other tests done to clear your current state, just in case you need it later.

If you do have active virus, you can deal with it later, when you have all the results and when you meet with your dr. While you are waiting for the tests, spend some time doing research on the virus to learn what you can about it.

[Deb_c430]

some good answers here,   waves to lala S.G.

Deb

[Bill1954]

I agree wholeheartedly with R Glass; your parents could be part of the equation. Do make an appointment with your doctor to follow up with the letter from the blood bank; no one in this forum is privy to your medical records, or is qualified to diagnose you based on the info you’ve provided. Try not to worry; you’re a long way from having immediate problems regarding HCV.

Take care, and hang in there—

Bill

[lalapple]

oh and i forgot to add, a PCR is just like a simple blood work, easier than blood donation it's at most 2 tiny vials of blood, then you just wait for the result about 1-2 weeks.

[lalapple]

oh dear, i'm so sorry to hear this and you're only 16 yo :(  

ok, first of all, don't worry too much about it or you'll be all depressed and that's not a good thing at all!  i tested positive around 15 yo and was pretty devastated personally.  the thing is, my parents and i wasn't really sure how i got it but were pretty suspicious about the blood transfusion i had way back before i was 1 yo.  during the year of 1990, there wasn't any screening for hcv in blood.  i'm glad they do now so they can protect people receiving the blood and also notify donors they are skeptical about.

very firstly, the blood bank only said you had antibodies for hcv.  did they mention anything about numbers of virus?  antibodies doesn't necessarily mean you carry the virus.  it just means that you've been infected before, but might not have the virus.  *looking in my hcv info binder here*
ok, so you must understand that 20-45 ppl out of 100 who get infected with hcv are able to clear it on their own within a 6 months period.  past that, i'm afraid it would be called chronic hcv where person test positive for the hcv virus.

here is what some of our knowledgeables recommend:
"go to a hepatologist for proper testing IE probably both the RIBA test and preferably a PCR viral load test as well. (you can also get these tests done at a GI (stomach doc)"  PCR is important, and i had my first one at my family doc's bc i have always been suspicious i had it.  a PCR tell you the viral load.  and if you show up for negative here, then that should be a huge sigh.

you mentioned that:
"i also would like to get married someday and be a healthy wife to my husband that will not put him at risk of contracting any diseases (i plan on getting married as a virgin)
and also i would like children some day and how could this be accoplished without me hurting anyone inside me and my husband?"

i hear ya sister!  that's one of my very first concerns for me when i was diagnosed and very first questions to most of the doctors i saw.  i was very concerned for my future too.  unfortunately, i tested positive for my PCR and it was pretty high too when i was your age which was about 2 years ago.  i opted for treatment now bc i wanted to get rid of this thing so i can rest assured!  *cross my fingers*

-can hepatitis c be inherited?  are my future children at risk?  
i don't believe it's genetic, but it can pass from mother to child during birth:
"it only happens in about 4 infants out of 100 who are born to mothers infected with HCV."

-even tho the tests results dont say i have the virus could i still pas it on to my husband and children?
well, if you ain't get no virus in ya then i don't know how it's gonna affect them!  i don't know if it's possible to pass antibodies LOL.  and even if you pass antibodies that's a wonderful thing so you can protect them against it better they can if they haven't ever been infected!

so first, i would just recommend a PCR!  so you'll know your status.  here is a pretty helpful website packed with info:
hcvadvocate.org
have fun reading the info, i sure learned a lot from this site.

best of luck!

[R Glass]

Bill, Jim, Mike, etc. please correct me if I am wrong.
You may want to advise your mother to get checked out. Becoming infected at birth is very rare but, does happen. However you may have the HCV antibodies passed onto you from your mother. This does mean that you have HCV but only the antibodies. I am not trying to add more fear but there is a good possibility your mother is infected and doesn’t know it.

[Bill1954]

Hi Saris,

There are no doctors here; only Hep C patients.

Sorry to hear you have tested positive for Hep C antibodies; but it’s important to understand that antibodies don’t necessarily tell you that you are currently infected. Antibodies are a response that is generated by our own immune system when it encounters the virus. It’s possible that you could have contracted the virus, and then your immune system resolved the disease, leaving only the antibodies. This occurs in up to 40% of patients. Antibodies in themselves are NOT harmful; it’s important to visit a doctor for follow-up testing. The doc will want to review your personal history, review the letter you received from the blood bank, and probably run further tests.

You could have had exposure from your parents. While this is *very* rare, about five percent of children are positive by childbirth; this is an unusual occurrence, but it can happen. Some people have contracted this virus with no known risk; Hep C (HCV) is a blood-born disease, and it’s not likely to be spread via sex. Many people got it through blood transfusions or receiving blood products before 1990 when we didn’t screen the blood supply for the disease. Others got it from sharing needles using street drugs.

You’re future husband and children are at no risk for catching HCV from you whatsoever unless you test positive for the actual virus itself; and even if you do, the risk of transmission is very minimal.  Check with a doctor, explain your situation, and try not to worry about it now.

Good luck, and take care—

Bill