Symptoms before Diagnosis

[LindyK]

Hi and thanks to everyone who responded to me with the question "Recently diagnosed - What to expect" or something like that question.

Anyway, I am wondering if anyone had symptoms prior to diagnosis and if so, what were they?  I was dx with Fibromyalgia in March 2005 (symptomatic since November 2004) and by happenstance donated blood and that's when the Hep C showed up.  Could it be possible that all this time I have been sick with Hep C?  I don't see the specialist until Oct 23rd so I know very little.  My primary provider checked my ammonia level last week and it was 59.  

This is all so new to me and waiting is hard.  Oh yeah, one more question:  Are there any of you who don't know how you contracted Hep C?  It was a shock to me since I don't fall into the high risk group.

I'm so glad I found this forum - at least I'll understand more by the time I see the specialist.

[Kalio1]

Welcome. Yes, your symptoms could be related to having Hep C. Please don't be "ashamed" of havng Hep C. You could have caught it in a nail salon or some other innocuous place. Many people have it and have no clue how they got it. If you are ashamed because you think you got it from "bad behavior" it is not worth compromising your life over. You deserve medical attention for your disease. You do not know for a fact WHERE you got it, many people have it that did not use drugs. I hope you can stop beating yourself up about it. Please keep coming here so you at least have a supportive group of people who also have it. It makes me sad you dont feel you can tell your husband, you need and deserve his support.
Do yo have info about your Hep C? Do you know which type you have?Your viral load? Have you had a liver biopsy? You do know alcohol can accelerate the virus? You can use a search engine and type "extra hepatic manifestations" and see if your symptom are talked about there. Hep C causes some people problems other than just with their liver.

[heather02]

hello everyone,
I have some questions foe whoever would like to answer... I too have hep c and was diagnosed with fibro.... i have been so ashamed of this illness that i haven;t even told me husband. only my mom knows, so i haven't started any teatment beccause i am afraid of the factors which are involved.. i have severe muscle aches in my shoulder blade and front part of my chest wall and it seems most debilatating during my menstral cycle.. do you think it may be a symptom of the hep c...? I have been to many doctors about this some say fibro, some...thorasic outlet syndrome... some... lung fibrosis,none of these guesses have been determined. could it be a symptom of hep? i just ran across this site this morning and feel like i have finally found some sanity. please write back anyone...thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[niceguy2007]

lindy welcome to the forum.  ur one of the few ppl who did have low grade fever like idid. i've been infected for less than 4 yrs..im 25 yrs old.  

i got diagnosed not by a doctor, but by myself, after reading hcv symptoms on the internet.  igot myself tested for anti HCV , it came out positive.

[LindyK]

Thanks for the boost!  Gosh I already felt so isolated when I thought I had fibro.  I have felt even more isolated since the Hep C dx.  Sometimes I would just wish someone could be in my body for one day so they would understand.  I am soooo glad I found you all!!

[Kalio1]

You are right about that. Sometimes you have to put yourself first and it sounds like you have a lot of symptoms you are coping with. try not to be too hard on yourself about the Lortabs. My doctor misdiagnosed me and also was treating me for a back disorder and the treatment was injections of steroids every few months and that is really bad with Hep C, steroids that often and injected no less. What's done is done, all we can do is move on from here and be grateful we found out when we did. Once you talk with the specialist and learn  all about the condition of your liver you can begin to think about what you will do about it.

[Kalio1]

We are a very diverse group of people here but we all have HCV in common. Glad you found us, HV can make you feel vry isolated and alone at times so a forum like this can be so helpful. Lots of good info here too, browe the archives there is a ton of info there too.

[LindyK]

Thank you both!  I already feel better.  My symptoms started suddenly...first with a very bad headache for two weeks, then I woke up one morning shortly after with muscle pain everywhere that has never gone away, then fatigue set in - which has never gone away, low grade fever almost everyday, and now since I have stopped taking Lortabs for the muscle pain I am naseous most of the time along with all of the above mentioned symptoms as well.  

I just hate thinking that I have been taking anywhere from 30 to 50 mgs of Lortab for the past year and a half in order to function if all along it has been Hep C!

Since I can't function so well right now, I am taking a medical leave of absence from work until I see the specialist and find out what's going on.  I hold a key position in my organization and I can tell you my boss is none too happy about it but I have to look out for my health. Also I am a single mother with an 11 yr old at home to look out for - gotta make choices you don't like sometimes, I guess.

[Kalio1]

Yes, a lot of people have it who aren't in the "high risk" group. Yes, it could be possible all this time you had Hep C, people are often diagnosed incorrectly and fibro is a popular misdiagnosis. Hep C can be a very sneaky disease and difficult to diagnose. You are not in a high risk group so your doctor might never have put the two together. I was midiagnosed too, it's common.
The waiting is hard but it gives you time to gather information.What are all your symptoms? ou might try typing "extra hepatic manifestations" into a search engine. You might find some of your issues there.

[pigeonca]

Welcome, Lindy.  This forum is keeping me sane and hopefully will do the same for you.  I was dx'd in late July and am currently going through the steps leading to treatment.  Yes, I had some symptoms, mainly an autoimmune skin thing and fatigue which I had attributed to advancing years.  And no, I don't fit into any of the risk factor categories either.  There are many of us who have no idea how we got this thing - maybe some hunches, but no IVDU or transfusions.  The source really doesn't matter; the main thing is to take care of yourself.  Best of luck, and stay in touch.
pigeon