Hepatitis C, Hand Sanitizer, and a VERY small cut

[rocketgrl1210]

I used hand sanitizer to wipe up a few spots of blood of the counter at work yesterday, there was a small cut on the other side of my hand from where I was cleaning up the blood and I didn't notice it till I was rubbing on more hand sanitizer and it burned the wound due to the alcohol. The wound is kind a small cut that was broken because of dry skin. The wound isn't deep enough to cause bleeding so it wasn't my blood.

I used a piece of paper, that we use for wrapping glasses and what not, and the paper was soaked with hand sanitizer after I was wiped up the blood.

Is there a possible chance of me actually getting a disease from this even though I used anti-bacterial items on it and not directly contacting my hands with the blood? Like I said the wound is not on the finger tips, just on the other side of it.



I have spoken to a nurse about this and the chances she said were minimal, basically a slim to none chance. I just want to hear the opinions of others to see if I can put myself at ease.

Also, I did not have any blood on my hands at all. I wiped down the countertop with the piece of paper before and then threw away the paper. I don't remember having any contact with the piece of paper after it cleaned off the blood nor did I see red on the paper after I wiped down the blood with the hand sanitizer. I noticed the small cut (smallest cut ever literally it had not bled and the skin above it was still attached. I just noticed a stinging pain after I reapplied hand sanitizer)

Am I safe?

It was some customer's blood. I had no idea where it came from or what customer had been bleeding. I just randomly saw it while I was helping a customer and then when that customer left another customer came. I took care of it after that customer left so it could have been anyone's blood.

would the blood be infectionous had it touched me with the piece of paper? The piece of paper wiped on the countertop after I dumped hand sanitizer on it. After I wiped down the counter, no blood smeared and it dried within a minute or so. I don't remember touching the wet paper to the back of my hand where the cut is. My paranoid hysteria (yeah I'm using that word) is tricking me with these "what if" questions. I don't think I would wipe my hand with the paper. I definitely didn't touch the blood before I wiped down the counter with the hand sanitizer. So the blood didn't directly touch my hand before I wiped down the counter.

Did the alcohol from the sanitizer kill anything?

[Dyi]

I understand your anxiety!  If it were not for seizures brought on by anxiety (I didn't even realize I had an anxiety issue!)  I would not have found out about my Hep C!!  
I too am concerned about transmission.  I was told to lived for 93 days if not washed with bleach water.  People are not always aware of how often they cross contaminate.  I have three granddaughters so I am always aware of cuts and scratches.  I think as long as we are conscience of our Hep C hygiene, then we've done our part.  

[mollyftgrl]

Bleach DOES NOT  kill the hep c virus.

[nygirl7]

Jez Suez I have two kids - must be lots of miracles floating about round here, truly it is Christmastime!

[suezeeque]

Take the folder and any other items you are concerned are infected to your local fire hall.  Tell them you would like assistance with burning said items.

Then your mind will be at ease and you'll be able to have children.

Hey, I have the incurable HCV and I have a kid.  Wonder how that happened?

[nygirl7]

LOL good luck with the hand sanitizer, I'm sure it would be just as efficient with the Ebola virus as with the HCV virus.


BTW Great Bird contracted HCV, treated the disease and has been cured for years now.

Are you serious about what you should do with your folder???

[hrsepwrguy]

Well I don't think you have to worry about your folder getting HCV.

"After working in a nursing home and doing a bunch of research about hepatitis C"

Then you should know HCV is spread by blood to blood contact only, if you have no open cuts you have nothing to worry about. Might want to do some more research

[goingcrazy4706]

All im asking is what should I do with my folder? You cant really put bleach on it?

[suezeeque]

If you have, indeed, been "doing a bunch of research" - you know the answer.

[goingcrazy4706]

I have the same problem. After working in a nursing home and doing a bunch of research about hepatitis C I have began to be afraid of catching it. I have gotten better the within the last year but I had an occurence with blood yesterday and have no clue of whose it was. I was at school and there was a spot of blood on the desk. It looked fresh. My books and coat could have grazed it. There was nothing to really clean it up with and no gloves so thats when I started freaking out. My teacher put my paper on top of it but there was no sign of blood on my paper when I picked it up. My friend and I pointed it out to my teacher and she gave me hand sanitizer and cotonelle wipes I used like 3 wipes together. I wiped it off and my teacher grabbed the rag and strted wiping the whole desk off including my folder. I immediatly ran to the bath room to wash my hands. Is there anyway my folder and supplies could be infected from her wiping it off with the same rag and hand sanitizer?

I try not to think about this stuff because people come in contact with blood all the time without even knowing it. Im only 20 and im so afraid that I would have to live with it my whole life and maybe one day not be able to have children.

My heart goes out to all of you who have hep c and I pray the will be able to find a cure or vacination soon!

[willbb]

Can't you just ignore me?


We really would like to ,however you keep popping up on our site and not directing your queries where they belong...to others with OCD  or a mental health expert

WILL.

[Trinity4]

You're living with a mental condition that can be controlled with the proper medication and psychological counselling.  We're living a disease that is only curable in about 50 percent of those infected.  If hepc is not treated, many of us can progress to cirrhosis or experience a number of extra-hepatic illnesses. The treatment drugs can cause terrible side effects, both physical and psychological.  

We have people posting all the time who suffer from OCD.  They have convinced themselves they have been exposed to hepc under the most benign circumstances and we say no, don't worry, exposure was not possible from what you have descibed. Yet they persist until it becomes quite obvious they will not accept the advice they have been given so that's when you hear a direct no bull-sh-it approach.  It's not our job ignore or console those afflicted with OCD.  It's our job to offer support and advice to those who actually have hepatitis c and and are suffering in ways you can't imagine.  In the case of R Glass, he was one of the fortunate ones that was cured but 2 years later he still suffers from the effects of the treatment drugs.  His life will probably never be same but at least you can control what is happening with you.  You must also be considerate of those of us afflicted with this disease because it is real, not something we've conjured up in our minds.

Trinity

[paranoidyahoo]

Once again, thanks Trinity, for trying to answer my question and combat my concern/obsession.

Rglass, I guess you don't have much sympathy for people who suffer from OCD. You should educate yourself about OCD, because clearly you think it's a joke. I see a CBT on a weekly basis. I try hard to not freak out about stuff but I don't always succeed.

I don't appreciate being made fun of.

Can't you just ignore me?

[R Glass]

I must apologize. I am eating a steak Rare. What if the butcher nicked his hand and I touched the Steak “ Oh the Horror”

[R Glass]

Money-----Cash that has touched human hands. I your case Maybe a monkey, GET HELP

[R Glass]

Oh God, if you touched any money in the last30 years you are probably gonna die. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?

[Trinity4]

My opinion is if the blood has been sitting around for 2 days and has dried I'm not going to worry about it, especially after it's been swiped up.  Remember what we talked about?  Hepc is transmitted by blood to blood contact, not casual contact.  You're getting into one of those "what if" situations and I tend not to go there.  My mind doesn't work that way and I like to keep my stress level to a minimum.  I know it's hard for you but you should really try to do the same thing.

Trinity

[paranoidyahoo]

trinity- "Agree with you Bill.  Infectivity from wet blood would make more sense than if it were dry blood simply because of it's viability but you can't reactivate the hepc virus with liquid after the virus has died.  HCV may survive on environmental surfaces at room temperature for at least 16 hours but no more than 4 days."

Trinity: what about if you use alcohol or ammonia to clean up a spot where there is dried blood, after 2 days, while it is still alive, but since the alcohol or ammonia does not actually kill the virus the way bleach would, did I then actually make the dried blood spot more infectious by wetting the area and re-starting the 4 day period all over again?

You might not know the concrete answer, but I'm interested to hear your opinion.

Thanks.

[rocketgrl1210]

I took a blood test about a month after the whole situation (about the day before a month hit) and I came back negative :)

[nygirl7]

One must remember that lots of people have the disease who have never done drugs or had IVs.  They had to get it somewhere but where? Innoculations, dentists and things like that are a viable way.......much more so than wiping up blood on a counter.

[rocketgrl1210]

... thank you very much for that... information... yeah... well... thanks...

[jusjames]

do dentist properly clean thier equipment? do paitents ever bleed?, of course it is mote than possible, and most likely a common route of transmission

[Rockerforlife]

LOL....i better not tell you about dentists...you will proberly go into shock or have a grand mall seziure

[rocketgrl1210]

... I fear to know the answer to that question. Hahaha. *pops more anxiety pills*

[R Glass]

OH GOD, Don't get him started.