Hep C Antibody Testing

Hi all, here's my situation.
23 year old Male, no stis. Back in October had a one night stand and unprotected vaginal intercourse with a girl i know, stupid. About 7 weeks later started having a slight discomfort in my upper right abdomen, not a sharp pain, just an uncomfortable feeling. Shook it off as a musculoskeletal issue. Went to the doc and he felt around my liver and said there was no inflammation and that I shouldn't worry about it and gave me some anti-inflammatories. The discomfort started to improve.  Then i came across info about hep c and started getting very scared, and about 5 days after that started feeling very strange. It feels like I'm almost living in a dream kinda like a constant 2 beer buzz. Also started to feel a bit tired. So I went back to the doc and got a hep panel, with all results coming back negative. This was 9.5 weeks past potential exposure and about 2.5 weeks after the liver pain started. Now at 12 weeks, I'm still feeling pretty out of it and i feel like I haven't slept well in a month. No dark urine, my stools may be a little bit light, but I'm not sure if they are or if is just me overanalyzing everything.

Just wondering if anyone out there could give some input about the test. From what I read most will develop antibodies by 9.5 weeks. A few questions.

1) Is 9.5 weeks pretty conclusive?
2) If I had been having symptoms for 2.5 weeks before the test wouldn't that mean there was some kind of response from my body? So one would expect at this point I would test positive?
3) Could some of these continuing symptoms be due to anxiety and stress over the issue as opposed to an actual virus?
4) At the time of sex i had no cuts or lesions on my genitals, is it still possible for the virus to transmit?
5) Are there other conditions out there that could cause this combination of symptoms?

Any input would be greatly appreciated and help put my mind at ease.

[scaredsick1986]

Forgot to add one more question.
If spontaneous viral clearance were to occur. What kind of time frame does it usually happen in? With regard to onset of symptoms and of exposure?

[copyman]

Look for something else on why you feel like you do because you do NOT have HCV. Stop this obsessive behaivor and move forward with your life.

[sober193]

You should actually talk to your Dr or read a little bit more on this particular disease. It doesnt occur like you may think it does most of us have it for years before even knowing about it. And I would have to agree with copyman ... Good Luck.

[whitegeese]

you should also go and test for HIV.
i hope you will be alright
good luck

[scaredsick1986]

Why would you say HIV? I don't really think the symptoms i have and timeframe are consistent with the progression of HIV

[whitegeese]

the symptoms cannot tell you whether you have disease or not.
testing is more reliable than symptoms
Hep C is very rare from sexually...

[scaredsick1986]

I agree that testing is the only way to know, but I was just wondering if there was a specific reason why you mentioned HIV with regard to my case. Now that I am 12 weeks out I'm going to re-test for hep c and HIV this week

[whitegeese]

yep
i wish you will be negative with viruses....
just send me private mail when your result come out...
good luck buddy

[Rockerforlife]

You will get HIV beore you get hep C by having sex.Go get the HIV test too.

[Rockerforlife]

Not sure if you get symptoms in the the fews weeks of infction of HIV tho,but i di know hep C symptoms come on within weeks.

[scaredsick1986]

Negative for HIV, still waiting on the hep C results. Although risk of sexual transmission is low, I'm just really at a loss for what other condition could be making me feel this way...

[nygirl7]

I hope you got tested for STDs as it seems possible to me that these 'symptoms' you have would more likely be caused by something like that than hepC.  Usually people who develop hep & have symptoms immediately thereafter are SICK really really sick and it is apparent which disease they have developed.

Your liver really doesn't have any 'pain' nerves in it and especially after such a brief time would not be feeling anything associated with this disease.  Which is why we have needle biopsies without any pain or being knocked out.....there really is nothing to 'feel' the pain.

Talk to a GI at least maybe it's something like IBS.

Here's hoping they are all negative for you.

[scaredsick1986]

Thanks a lot for the advice/support.  I did have a full std panel done. Negative for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, Herpes 1 and 2, and full hep panel at 9.5 weeks. Also full blood panel showed normal levels for liver function as well as thyroid, hemoglobin, and white blood cells.  

At 12 weeks negative for HIV and waiting on another Hep C antibody test. If this one comes back negative I think I'll go in to my doc for an abdominal ultrasound.

I'm just worried because I've always been extremely healthy and being only 23 I'm pretty scared of what it could be. My job demands a lot physically and mentally and my having it is dependent on my health so I'm just stressed about everything right now.

[GSDgirl]

I hope you think to wear a raincoat next time.  It will save you a lot of worries and just might save your life.  HIV is the one that can be passed easily by having sex.

Good Luck
Denise

[scaredsick1986]

Results came back this morning and it was negative after 12 weeks!  Still don't feel too great but I'm definitely feeling better.  Probably give it another week or two, hopefully just a virus that will pass.  Thanks a bunch for the support I really appreciate it as I had no one else to talk to this about.

I have definitely learned my lesson and will never make a stupid decision like that again.

[nygirl7]

Glad to know  that you are ok and that you WONT ever make this mistake again - it's just NOT worth it!

[medicmommy]

I've been pondering your posts...If all of your labs came back normal -especially your white blood count (abnormal would indicate infection) RBC (red blood cells -low would indicate anemia which could cause fatigue) BUN (kidney function) and LFTs (liver function tests) then your symptoms may be stress/ sleep disturbance related...Lack of sleep causes that weird "spacy" feeling, fatigue, gut upset, headaches, vision disturbances, irritability, etc...Did you get a H1N1 flu shot just before the symptoms started? A few people have had this kind of long-lasting reaction to it (or whatever it is suspended in) and this could be the cause...Just a thought...~MM

[scaredsick1986]

No, but I did get my first seasonal flu shot ever a few days before this started, just got the H1N1 recently.  I'm thinking the same thing as you though. I think maybe it was a minor issue but the I started coming up with all these wild ideas about hep C/HIV and the timing coincided with a risky behavior. So I was extremely stressed out/anxious about the tests and that probably created a lot of these issues. Still having some slight abdominal pain, fatigue, and spaciness but definitely getting better. So i'm just gonna give it another week or so. Also read some stuff about mono that could explain some of these symptoms as well

[medicmommy]

Mono will typically effect your spleen rather than your liver, but you white blood counts would be elevated and you'd have a memorable sore throat (strep throat sore! -Like swallowing razor blades!)...Persist on your search though if you have a gut feel there is something wrong -the gut feel is rarely wrong. I spent 4 years trying to figure out why I had particular vague symptoms which my Dr repeatedly blew off (including 7 kidney stones in 2 years and elevated blood calcium levels). I finally ended up in the hospital and discovered I had a parathyroid tumor which was messing up everything. I believe that's why they call it medical "practice" -because WE are the "practice! Good luck! ~MM

[scaredsick1986]

I've also read that it is possible to get mono with a minor sore throat or one that isn't sore at all and I did have a few days in October with a sore throat, but nothing equivalent of the kind of pain you described. At this point abdominal pain is still persisting so I'm going to schedule a Dr's appointment to get an ultrasound done.  Seems like I'm starting to get off the topic of hep C now which is the point of this forum.  Thanks everyone for all the support and input.  If you have any more advice please send it to me in a private message so as not to clog up the posts that have to do with hep C.  Thanks again and god bless!