Newby just diagnosed with Hep C

[care_free]

I am a 19 year old female who has recently learned she is positive for Hepatitis C. I am being sent to a gastroenterologist on Tuesday and I do not know what to expect. Can anyone give me any insight? Thank you!!!

[jusjames]

u should wait 3 months to get tested, but it is unlikey u have it if the stud was new

[jusjames]

i cannot possibly believe ur daughter got hep c in this way, it just does not happen, she must have got it another way, how old is she?

[Vic1967]

You should copy this and post this as a new question to get a better response to your questions.

I have never heard of anyone getting Hep C from the way you described.  This is a blood borne virus.  That is the only way it is transmitted.
The first thing you should do is get her to a Dr. and get her tested to see if she actually has HCV. Also, even though it is frightening, you should try to take it one step at a time.  There are a good number of people that will live there whole life with the virus.I myself lived a normal healthy life for 17 years before I treated.
Being young, healthy and female is a great place to be. I do not see any reason why she cannot pursue her dreams and plans for the future and neither should you.  She can live a happy healthy active life. If she does have the virus she can try treatment and with so many new options becoming available in the next year or so she has every reason to be optimistic.
Post your whole question as a new question and wait and see all the good advice and encouragement that will  follow.  There are many experienced well informed people here are ready to help.
best of luck to you.
V
.
  

[Cali_CA]

I have a question too, can anyone help me

how much it is to get a blood test without insurance? i heard it like $300 right? i am living in fear after my earpiercing that i will get hep C.
Usually how long does the test to be accurate? would 3 months be enough or do I have to wait 1 year?
what the test should I ask the hospital to get for me?

[813mom]

My daughter has the hep c antibody which came from an infected person spitting in her face a year ago when she had bad case of open acne on her face. At the time I read up and felt that her risk were low as of the blood to blood contact for infection seemed to be what everything I read at the time said. Now I'm finding out that the virus can live outside the body for 4 days and so many other things that I have yet to determine as fact.  IF this virus lives outside the body for 4 days, and finds a way to enter the body of another, then why do so many people downplay other methods of contracting the disease. SO many young people have acne.  It seems I would rather have been scared to death when this happened so I could have gotten medical advice beyond what I learned online than to sit and think everything is fine and get this news a year later.

My daughter has been a blood donor for a few years giving twice a year. After this happened she went to give blood with no problem. The next time she went to give blood, 6 months later, she was refused as she was told she had the hep c antibody.  This is not a case of not knowing where it came from. This man intentionally spit in her face knowing he was infected and now it looks like the virus is IN her and her antibodies are fighting it. Her plans after high school was to join the national guard and move on into law enforcement. I'm not sure they will accept her now. She has complained about being tired a lot and I notice her eyes do look jaundice. She works in the fast food industry and with handicap kids.  I'm worried about what is in her future and how this will change her plans. Does anyone know if this virus will prevent her from living her dreams, moving into law enforcement and continuing to work with special needs kids, and playing soft ball and basket ball? Her biggest concern, being a kid, is that they will throw her off the team. Please advise if anyone has had any experience in these areas.

I came here to find out my next move, getting more testing and purchased the health master tonight as a means to get tons of fruits n veggies in her to help keep her strong, as my best understanding right now is that's what is going to be most important. She has a strong immune system, She got hit in the face with a soft ball fracturing her cheek bone and was released in 5 days by her doctor to go back to playing as the bone had healed so I am feeling good about this.  I would also love to know if there are anyone around the central Florida area who can recommend a good doctor that can help us.

Thanks to all in advance.

[Bill1954]

The comprehensive metabolic panel is a series of tests that will give the doctor a good snapshot of your body chemistry and overall health. It usually includes blood chemistry such as potassium, sodium, markers for kidney function, etc. This is a general test that is not specific to HCV.

The ‘HCV RNA by PCR, Qn Rfx Geno’ is a test that checks for the actual HCV RNA (active virus) as opposed to the antibodies. This should also tell you your viral load; if the test results are positive, and *only* if they’re positive, it will provide your genotype, or ‘strain’ of virus.

Generally allow 7-10 working days for this test to return to the doctor’s office. Remember to request copies of your results; they will come in handy quite often.

Good luck—

Bill

[care_free]

Ok so I am being sent for "Comp. Metabolic Panel(14)" & HCV RNA by PCR, Qn Rfx Geno" whatever those mean. I have only been tested for the antibody and I suppose the RNA test will tell me if I actually have the virus. The GI wasn't much help since my GP hadn't sent the lab results to them at the time of my visit.

[lalapple]

test your baby when she is between 1-2 years old.  then test her about every 2 years just to determine whether she has it or not.  if she does have it.  i would continue to test her every 2 years to monitor her viral load

[care_free]

On top of that, I have been nursing her with a yeast infection(thrush) being passed back and forth. We are working on weaning... I have read that results would be inaccurate if tested before 15 months because she would still have my antibodies.

[kickboxingmom]

what about her baby that is six months old ? Blood on blood.Childbirth ?

[Bill1954]

Gotcha; thanks for getting back to us… I think there was some confusion re: your pregnancy, but it’s straightened out now. If you were using prior to your pregnancy, that’s your most likely exposure, which probably rules out an acute infection. The acute period will only last six months.

Good luck with your appointment, and let us know how things go. Be sure to request copies of all your lab and procedure results to make communication more efficient.

Take care—

Bill

[care_free]

I am not pregnant at this time. I was pregnant for much of this past year which is when I got my life straightened out. Now I have a 6 month old to run around after. I was just saying that there was no way that I could've contracted it since the time I got pregnant. I would've contracted it over a year ago. Both my parents have been tested and are negative so obviously I got it from somewhere else. I have an appointment at 8:15 on Tuesday morning at the D.D.C. I'll let ya'll know what I find out.

[tulip2003]

I also have been newly diagnosed with Hepatitis C. Found out on the 19th of November 2008. Just got my blood drawn today, Dec. 5, 2008 to find out what strand I have. Care_free I wish you the best of luck tuesday.

I'm glad they have websites like this so we can support one another.

[jmjm530]

As already stated, you cannot treat during the time you are pregnant or you will put the baby in danger. I'm sure the gastroenterologist will explain this to you, but I've learned here not to take anything for granted.

So use the time wisely to study up on the subject, and see if you can find a good liver specialist in your area. Again, liver specialists or called  hepatologist's.

[lalapple]

oh. avoid the part about the bypass. i copied and pasted my reply explaining acute hcv from a different question.

[lalapple]

there is a difference with acute and chronic hcv.  acute is the first 6 months of viral infection and can be temporary which means your might still have a chance of clearing on your own!  i would focus on getting the bypass done and losing some weigh.  then worry about getting treated if you are diagnosed as chronic later on.

and since you are pregnant, don't treat because it will put a lot of danger on your baby!  
and try to avoid "risky behaviors" as much as possible

[care_free]

Would an acute infection mean I had been exposed to it in the past year? Because I haven't engaged in any risky behavior since learning I was pregnant.

[lalapple]

hey i'm 18!  and on treatment right now.  cleared in wk 12!  
try to go to a hepatologist rather than a GI doc
treating takes a lot of commitment but i think it is worth it.  i just try to be as normal as i can and still go to school!
you might have to decide if you want to do a biopsy to see the progress of the virus to see if you need treatment or not as of now.  but i bypassed the biopsy because it was scary and i knew i wanted to get rid of the virus asap for a better future!

they say that the earlier you treat, the less side effects you have.  

good luck!

[Bill1954]

Hi portann,

From Dr. Mcgovern, the body.com:

http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/Hepatitis/Current/Q195021.html

“Acute HCV most often occurs without symptoms. Those with symptoms might develop nausea, vomiting, right upper quadrant pain, jaundice (yellow skin) and icterus (yellow eyes).
It is helpful to make the diagnosis of acute HCV because it the patient does not clear virus on their own, then treatment is indicated. Cure rates are much higher in acute HCV than in chronic HCV.”

You bet; most of us don’t get the opportunity to address and manage our disease while it’s acute; we’ve had a few members in here that have caught it early… I believe A LAgirl was diagnosed after a brutal rape incident; the treatment duration and success of
Tx can be substantially higher if caught during the acute phase.

Of course, Care_free’s situation might involve something entirely separate from acute HCV, but it seems to me it’s to her advantage to investigate this.

Take care—

Bill

[portann]

Thanks very much, Bill, for that perspective. When I first read about Carefree's serious symptoms, I thought they were more likely related to something other than HCV. After reading your post, a light bulb went on, making me wonder if she has acute Hepatitis C, which may be easier to treat than chronic. That would be lucky for her to get such an early diagnosis, wouldn't it? Can acute present that way?

Carefree, aside from confirming HCV as soon as possible with proper testing, continual bleeding post-delivery needs just as much attention, if not more.

[Bill1954]

Jeez, I’m sorry to hear your having a tough time right now. Based on the description of your blood tests, it’s very likely that you have already been tested for HCV RNA. This is usually performed *after* a positive antibody result. The GI doc will help confirm this.

Fatigue is one of the biggest single complaints of chronic HCV infection; some of the other issues, especially diarrhea, vomiting, etc sound more likely to be attributed to acute infection. This is only conjecture, of course; your GI doc will have to provide the answers. Acute infection can last for 6 months; after that, if it still persists, it becomes known as chronic HCV.

This distinction is important; an acute infection can often be managed differently than a chronic one, with a higher rate of response. Be sure to discuss any recent risk factors with your doctor; IV drug use, any contact with blood that might have exposed you to this. Not all people that are diagnosed have known risk factors; but if you think this might be the case, be sure to talk about them wit the doc.

Again, this is all premature; you need to ask the doc if you are ‘HCV RNA positive; if so, ask for the ‘genotype’ or strain of HCV. There are several strains of this disease, and each of them has a different response profile to medication. The genotype also helps determine the duration of treatment, should it eventually become necessary to treat.

This is generally a slow-moving disease in terms of progression; therefore, the doctors don’t often rush the diagnosis. It does take time to figure things out; it took me six months from diagnosis until I was able to begin treatment, and that was with me pressing the issue. Take that time to educate yourself—read and ask questions in here as well as elsewhere. Some people enter into treatment unnecessarily; make sure you understand why you need to undergo treatment if your doctor recommends it.

It helps to ask your doctor for copies of all labs and procedures so you can discuss them here, as well as with your other health care providers.

I wish you well; stick around and let us know how things proceed—

Bill

[jmjm530]

First welcome to the forum.

As stated, first it's important to find out if you really have hepatitis C, or you just carry the antibodies. Because if it's just the antibodies, then you don't have the virus. To make sure your diagnosis is correct, you need what is called a viral load test.

Many here start by going to a family doctor or gastroenterologist, but the doctors that really know the most about hepatitis C are called hepatologists. Hepatologists can usually be found at your larger, teaching hospitals.

If you have any doubts about your diagnosis, and certainly if they recommend treatment, it would be a smart idea to arrange for a second consultation with a hepatologist before making any final decisions.'

I say this because not everyone has to treat right away -- a lot has to do with how much liver damage you have, your genotype, and other factors.

You should also know that newer drugs, better drugs, are now on trial and should be ready in a couple of years. Hopefully, your doctor will explain this all to you so that you will be able to make a more informed choice if it turns out you actually have hepatitis C.

You can also post any test results here to get the opinion of members, but remember not of us are doctors.

All the best,

Jim

[care_free]

This is something I posted back in September on another forum describing my symptoms before Hep C ever crossed my mind:

I have been sick lately--diarrhea, hives, night sweats, general achyness, swollen lymph nodes in my neck. I went to the doctor and they ran some blood tests and said my wbc count was low-3.5 Any idea what could be going on? They have me going back for more bloodwork in a few weeks.

[care_free]

I have undergone so much bloodwork lately I really am not sure if I am testing positive for the antibodies or the virus. They specifically tested me for Hep C and I was sent for additional bloodwork when the results came back. After I had my baby 6 months ago, I just couldn't stop bleeding so I have been going to the doctor for that and trying to get that figured out. Then my wbc count was low so they've been monitoring that as well. The fatigue I am experiencing could be contributed to a variety of things. Also I was over a trash can or toilet for 3 weeks straight after ever meal that I forced down. I feel like **** most of the time and find it increasingly difficult to take care of my daughter. I just wish something would give and I could get some answers.