New member and a couple questions...

Long story here, Ive been married to my wife for 13 years and she was diagnosed with HCV 7 years ago. I had myself tested through my family doctor over the years and I never showed signs according to blood work done by a hospital. I separated from my wife for a year and dated a girl who was an iv drug user and did some horrible decision making and decided to try what she was doing. I shared a needle with her. That was 5 months ago.(before I get slammed with people telling me how stupid that was..yes..I made some HUGE errors, I am clean and do not use drugs anymore)  I went and donated plasma last month for some extra cash when my unemployment ran out. I was notified that my blood was tested and a screening test showed I had the antibodies for HCV but when there was an RNA test done, it came back indeterminate Im not sure how to take that test result..I never did any drugs with my wife...btw.
Ive been nervous about going in to have the hospital test me again and have been putting it off. I am back to work , I haven't made the time yet to go to my Dr again and be retested. What I'm understanding is that the RNA test is to detect the actual virus and the screening test is done to detect the antibodies?
My questions are....
Is HCV a sleeper virus..like HIV can be? Could I have had it for a while from my wife and it just recently starting showing?
If I do show that I have the antibodies to it, could I have been one of the 15% that are able to fight it off ?
If I fought it off and have the antibodies to HCV...am I able to get it again?
I know these are questions I should be asking my Dr. ...but I haven't had time to go yet and I cant stop asking myself these questions.

[spectda]

You didn't get this from your wife. The easiest way to transmit is IV drug use and sharing needles.  The logical explanation without a doubt is that you got it from the girl you shared needles with. If she shared with you, she likely shared with others.

Yes you could have been one of the 15% that did not become chronic. The only way to tell is with the RNA detection

You can be reinfected with hep c, some people get more then one strain of it at the same time. If you are lucky enough to not have it, I would not indulge in risky behavior any longer

- Dave

[toothfairy1215]

your hep-c is more likely from the sharing of a dirty needle. It is hard for it to live in the vagina. It is blood borne usually blood to blood contact. I caught it as a dental assistant
I was so scared. I have been married for 23 years. My husband was tested and thank god
he does not have it. With blood it can live outside the body for 14 days on a counter top.

[Bill1954]

While some members prefer not to talk about it here, a lot of us got HCV from previous drug use; you have plenty of company in this group.

If you have positive antibody results, it suggests that you were exposed at one time in the past.

Antibodies are proteins produced by your own immune response to a pathogen; in this case HCV. Just like you probably have antibodies to that case of measles you had as a kid, or perhaps a flu virus from two years ago, it doesn’t imply that you’ll come down with measles again in the future.

All patients that have been exposed to the Hep C virus will either clear the virus with the aid of their immune response (15-20%) in the initial six months of infection, or they will develop chronic disease.

The chronic disease is discovered by HCV RNA by PCR test; there really isn’t anything you can do but to request this test, and see what your status is. It will take roughly ten days for the test to return to your doctor’s office; at that point, you can make decisions regarding disease management.

Until then, if you drink alcohol, either quit or severely curtail use until you’ve determined your status.

Welcome to the discussion group—

Bill

[Bill1954]

By the way, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of and indeterminate RNA test; if you have these results, someone here will help you interpret them.

Good luck—

Bill

[Trinity4]

Haven't ever heard HCV can live on a countertop for 14 days?

[spectda]

I didn't mean to sound judgmental but realized I probably did. I too got HCV from IV drugs thirty years ago. Since you used that it by far on the top of the list of how you got it, but you can never be sure. - Dave

[Gemini524]

Thanks for the responses, I was a little surprised that the plasma center said that the second test result was "indeterminate" I suspect that I did expose to this by sharing a needle and , believe me, I regret the whole experience and have walked away from that short lived life style. I dont drink either..last time I had an alcoholic drink was almost a year ago.
I wasnt aware that there were more than one strain of HCV. So what Im gathering is that HCV does NOT sit in a person and remain undected for long periods of time like HIV can?

[Gemini524]

and spectda , I took no offence to your first response, I deserve some criticism. It was stupid of me to try a drug , much less use it iv. That was a short lived lifestyle that I WILL NOT go back to. I do believe I got it that way. I was more curious to see if it may be dormant in my system and just showed up 2 years later. Then I also wrestle with the dilemma of contacting my exgirlfriend and talking to her about it. She was aware that my estranged wife had HCV and will attempt to turn this around and say I gave it to her. She is a gossipy girl and is still using iv drugs. I cant be an *** and not tell her about the blood results. I plan on getting more tests before I speak with her.

[Trinity4]

That is correct Gemini.  When you first contract HCV it is called the acute stage and the immune system will sometimes fight it off within the first six months after exposure (happens in about 15% of people) and your left with the antibodies only.  Antibodies do not transmit the hepc virus nor do they damage the liver but even without the active virus in your blood you will always test positive for the antibodies.   If your body does not fight it off after the six month period you are considered to have chronic HCV which can be detected by an HCV RNA by PCR.  I've never heard of an indeterminate HCV RNA PCR test either.   HCV doesn't lay dormant and reappear years later.

Trinity

[Bill1954]

Aha; there we go. Unless they specifically told you the confirmation test performed was a ‘HCV RNA PCR’ it was very likely a HCV RIBA test. These often yield indeterminate results, and if indeterminate, are almost always negative on PCR when followed through to conclusion.

The RIBA test confirms exposure, but not active virus; it’s used to sort out false positive antibody results, among other things.

You really owe it to yourself to ask for a PCR test; you might be pleasantly surprised of the outcome.

Again, good luck—

Bill