How concerned should I be

[kristen771]

Just diagnosed last week after I had blood work for a life insurance policy.
Go figure, never in a million yrs was I expecting that huge life change!!!  My first appt
Is 4 weeks out..ugh!!! I'm just really nervous :(
I just turned 40 last week...Happy friggin bday to me lol.
Any info would be great or a little reassurance that I'm going to be ok. I tested negative for Hep A and B and also
HIV...phew!!! Thanks:)

[ceanothus]

Welcome to the forum! I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis - HCV is really an equal opportunity virus. Contrary to some common beliefs about it being a disease of addicts, it does manage to infect quite a lot of people who have no known risk factors. It sounds like you've only had the antibody test so far. Normally we encourage people to stay hopeful that they might not actually have an active infection unless they've had the RNA test, because approximately 15% of those infected are able to fight off the virus with just their own immune system, so they will have a positive antibody test but a negative RNA test, and they are not infected. In your case however, it may be more likely that you have the infection, since you have elevated bilirubin and liver enzymes, but still - maybe not. sometimes those readings are caused by other things. The good news for you is that the treatments keep getting more effective at curing the virus. As someone who has never treated in the past, you will be in an especially good position for treating with newer drugs, and at the young age of 40 you are more likely to handle the drugs with fewer side effects too. When you get your RNA results, or sooner if you have questions, come back and start a new thread by using the button at the top of the page that says "Post a question". We have a great community here with lots of good information and really good support, but you'll get more replies when you start a new thread. Best wishes!

[tb262]

I am in a very similar situation to you - I just went in for a routine annual exam and I generally always had a high bilirubin count and most doctors would always dismiss it.  This time around my ALT count was about 80 so my doctor decided to check for Hepatitis - I was negative and immune to A & B (as a result of vaccinations) but positive for C.  I am about to turn 40 so this is quite the shock for me as well but trying to not get ahead of myself.  I am not a big drinker, never done drugs, etc so more irked that I still managed to contract this.
My doctor has been great - she has ordered a full RNA test for me (she scheduled me in to do it the next day) and I should have results in the next 3 days and I have an appointment set up with a GI specialist in 3 weeks to understand my treatment options and undergo other tests if needed.
I think talking to someone that has gone through the treatment helps - my wife's aunt had this and I spoke at length to her about this.  She was lucky because she only had Genotype 2 so it's easy to cure and takes only about 24 weeks but she said if you establish and routine and manage expectations it is not that bad at all.
Worst case could be 48 weeks + which would suck since I have a pretty demanding job where I travel a fair amount as well so I need to figure out how to manage that.
Good luck with how your progress on this - I should know more about my results in the next couple days and then will take it from there.

[kristen771]

Hi, I saw my Primary right away and had blood drawn again because the first time I tested positive for the antibodies and when i went this past Tuesday they ran all the same tests and my levels were high,  even higher than this past June.  So the presence has been confirmed. My doctor referred me to a specialist and she sees her patients for first time visits, there only on Wednesdays at the end of the day so she's not rushed, and the office is booked til then.  I guess it will give me time to right down a bunch of questions!

[kristen771]

Thanks for your reply! My premium of course went up a little, but thankfully their still going to carry me!!

[Idyllic]

I agree with what has been said so far.
Most of those panels only test for the antibody. The next step is to confirm actual presence of the virus HCV PCR RNA test.  Four weeks is a long time for a simple lab test. Can you ask your PCP or regular family doctor?

[still_above_dirt]

well, that's a real bummer! It is likely that not a life insurance company in the world will touch you with a ten-foot-long pole now whether a viral load test comes back undetectable or not. Hope you have adequate existing coverage already in place, like group life through your work that you can carry into retirement. And it is likely that you won't be able to increase existing coverage, either. And if you do have existing life insurance coverage already in place, don't let it lapse!

[hrsepwrguy]

It sounds like you have only had the antibodies test, if so then you will need further testing to determine whether or not you actually have the virus, which I'm sure they will do at your next appointment, approx 20% of all people that are exposed to hep c, clear the virus through their own immune system but will always test positive for the antibodies, the test you need to have ran next is a HCV RNA by PCR, it picks up on the virus and not the antibodies

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Is it possible for someone to become infected with HCV and then spontaneously clear the infection?

Yes. Approximately 15%–25% of persons clear the virus from their bodies without treatment and do not develop chronic infection; the reasons for this are not well known.

http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/HCVfaq.htm#c5