Roll call: Who had no risk factors?

[pigeonca]

I'm just curious.  After reading many, many posts from people who had high ALT numbers yet were not subsequently tested for hcv, I'm wondering if this was because they had none of the standard risk factors.  No IVDU, no transfusions, no employment in a medical setting.  The protocols are still not to test the general population, probably because of medical economics - we all know how much treatment costs.  Yet from my two years visiting this forum, I've read many posts from folks like myself who didn't fit into the profile and thus weren't tested until substantial liver damage had occurred, in some cases even cirrhosis.

And then I want to ask: How many of you who didn't have the usual risk factors did the following: Had dental work and/or a manicure, shared tools at work, became blood brothers with the kid next door, etc?  Who thinks everybody should be tested whenever they have blood drawn?  And does anybody have any ideas how we can communicate this need to the medical profession?

[Rockerforlife]

Reason why govts and health system dont make more awareness of hep c prevention and get more tested is because it will cosy tons of money...save money by sweepong the hep c problem under the rug worry bout it later...a real pandemic is coming soon...thousands od new cases a day of hep c are happening...what a f..uckn world eh?

[comeagain]

I have no regretts by achieving the virus, but ofcource I regrett starting iv use but that has nothing to do with my hcv disease.

I´m glad you recived SVR man, what you have been exposed to is enough to make anyone  bitter for a livetime.
Also glad you pointed out that big riskfactor to hang out with destructiv people is risky in many aspects.

I pray if you not already are is gonna come over that awful incident and get completely healed.

May the good God protect and bless you now and hereafter.

ca

[pigeonca]

Of course there is no innocent or naughty way to get hcv.  Actually, if it weren't for our legal system, there is really no difference between drinking your poison or putting it in your veins, your nose or your mouth.  And unless you're a Mormon or something, you've probably done one of the above at one time or another, especially in your adolescence.

The reason I started this thread was because I'm curious how many of us went decades undiagnosed simply because there's this list of "risk factors" that ring a bell: Test this person.  And if you don't have anything on that list, then no bell rings and you're never tested.

The more people who don't fit the profile, the more reason why our medical system should test everybody, universally.  No value judgments here, just facts.

[moahunter]

My risk factor was leaving the front door unlocked (contributed to random home invasion, which resulted in infection). Actually, I think the risk factors are everywhere, but one of the biggest sources that is difficult to eliminate, is the prision system. Infection rates are astonishing (in some prisions, up to 70%). My assailant's last address was the prision (his current one too), like it or not, that is the breeding ground for much of the disease, and why it will be so hard to ever eliminate. The prision system is also the reason why a lot of the disease has spread (if you ever see the movie Brubaker (1980), it will make you queasy, as in an early scene you see the prisioners selling their blood for money). Anything you do it life, that brings you a bit closer to a prisioner or former prisioner, be it a tatoo from a dogy parlour, or whatever, brings you potentially, a lot closer to the disease.

[mar148]

Since I am one of the people is still confused as to how I got it, I would be making myself crazy and angry to feel the need to do more than I have done to find out how I contracted it.  Clearly, there are many reasons you would like to know how you contracted the disease i.e, how long you had it...  But I have provided endless information to medical professionals who are gathering the data more statistically relevantly than this web site possibly could.  I think there is an effort to prevent others from contracting this disease.  Getting higher percentages of people SVR rates would help the spread of this disease, along with safety precautions and greater overall testing.

[comeagain]

I´ve been putting the needle in my arm hundreds maybe a thousand  time,not just a few times, still have no guilt what so ever for usurping the virus.
I dont even blame my self.
Why? because I didn´t took the drugs intending to get some virus.

I say as Edith Piaf Je Ne Regrette Rien!!

ca

.