Will a cbc show hvc?

[Myygoodness]

Hi Everyone,

I have been watching your forum from afar!...
I was wondering...i have an upcomming CBC routine blood screening comming up...will Hep c show up? well not exacly hep c..but will it test for stuff that might lead us to believe i have this?

i'm 20...and i have a million stupid risks..never a IVDU but Intranasal for a couple months..not to mention the 20 piercings and tattoos..

bleh...i love you guys tho...your some of the strongest people in these forums..and if i do happen to have this ****...im gonna keep up as a positive attitude =]

[Myygoodness]

oh well happy new baby to you! and i hope everything is wonderful for you..
i have scandinavian heritage..lol..*yay!*

[Sharon79]

Happy if I could help somehow; believe me I know what it is to be scared after a stupid mistake....

Nice to hear that you have received similar info from you docs as well. It should really tell something... It´s better just to listen to the doctors and not to read any horror stories on the internet. Even CDC doesn´t advise regular testing for people with history of snorting because of the inconsistensies is studies. I´m not from US but from Northern Europe (Scandinavia) and the Department of Health here does not state snorting as a risk factor for HCV.

So just get the test and relax - but don´t play with the drugs anymore-ok?

And what is comes to me going to bars...I don´t really have any need for that anymore and after 9 months when our baby is born I think that it is the last thing on my mind....

Take care!

Sharon

[Myygoodness]

thanks for your input...i've talked with some dr's..and got consistent info with what you say...they've also told me that since i didnt have my tattoos and piercings done in an unsanitary condition, i should be ok...they don't feel the need to test me..but im going to have the test done ANYWAY!...=] just like you said it's better off getting tested because people who have NO risk factors can get it..

i wouldn't sweat going to a bar...i would just think perhaps, not drinking that much in a bar..lolz...=] im about to be 21, and my mom says she's happy that i dont have the same mentality as i did 4 years ago..i happily agreed..as she and i both know, we're going to Atlantic City, not to drink..but to go play on the slots ;-]...they're more fun for me since i know what im doing..

in Aruba, i tried to follow the fiance in a game of Craps....uhm...anyone in there spare time want to explain that one to me...i lost 40 bucks..he won 300...sheesh...
thanks again..

[Sharon79]

One more thing I like to add is that it´s good to hear that you are not snorting anymore though! I was very stupid and did it once when I was very drunk in a party. I got VERY scared after that and after reading a little about HCV I was so sure I have the virus.... After having couple of discussions with specialists who treat people with the disease I calmed down. I also got tested even though both of the specialists said there is no need for tests... I did it for a peace of mind. Anyway I´m thankfull for the scare I got from this mistake because now I know a lot more about this disease. I will not probably go to any bars ever again because I will never want to be that drunk that I would make some stupid things... I´m hapily pregnant now so I think that I don´t even have to think going to anywhere for the next couple of years.... ;)

[Sharon79]

I cannot help saying something to this discussion even though I know someone might get angry...

I´ve been reading a lot about HCV trying to educate myself how you can get it and  so on. I actually have discussed this with couple on infectios diseases specialists bacause all the information I have found about snorting and HCV risks are inconsistent. All the specialists I´ve talked to say that to be able to catch HCV trough this route, one should be snorting with a HCV patient whose nose is bleeding unmistakably and one should also have cuts in the nose. Invisible amout of blood on any surfaces (excluding needles etc used in IDU) is not enough to pass the virus on. So unless you have snorted with someone with a bleeding nose it´s not possible to catch HCV this way.

The first study that suggested that you can get HCV this way did not ask any of the participants about injection use. So the results are quite inconsistent. After that there has been studies that show no connection between snorting and HCV. If a person has a tattoo, has had unprotected sex with someone who might have the virus, has body piercings they cannot really say that they know that they got HCV throuh snorting. If you look at the official sites (written by real doctors/researchers) they don´t suggest that testing for HCV is neccesary for people who have snorted drugs.

Here is on study done after this first study: http://www.natap.org/2006/HCV/080106_01.htm

With this said I think that it is good fo everyone to test for all the possible diseases every now and then even with no risk factors. What I´ve read is that some people don´t have any risk factors and they still have HCV.

So don´t be too afraid! I was VERY afraid before I had a chat with specialists about the info I had found on internet. You should always look at the source of information on internet. There is a lot of good information but also a lot of nonsense.

Best of luck to you and don´t panic! :)

[IAmTheWalrus]

Sorry - been hibernating the weekend away on TX.  

Paulalynn: Glad you got a laugh. My teenaged years seemed to be one embarassing bad decision to another.

MyGoodness: I don't know if my behavior resulted in my HCV infection or not, but it certainly could have.  

The irony is that, after a few years of being tragically hip, I had a rather life-changing period of introspection and self-evaluation.  I became committed being straight and making some effort to live a worthwhile and productive life. I served Uncle Sam for two years, went to college, got married, raised five children and never touched drugs or alcohol since I was a teen. 35 years later, I felt pretty good about my life, or at least that I had done the best I could under the circumstances. This is when I found out I had HCV.

That is the tragedy.  It is hard to think that I may have only myself to blame for this.  In any case, it is "water under the bridge" and does not have any affect on TX or the general outlook.

I hope any youngsters that happen to read hear will pay attention and avoid the risks of stupid behavior. The long term cosequences of a single bad decision can be dire.

[paulalynn1965]

Thank you for the above. That was the first time I laughed today. If they travel back, is Missouri too far to go? You will find me in Joplin. I will be the one that is saying , "I WANT TO TRY THAT" And I want a kick as well as a slap. Thanks.

[Myygoodness]

Thank you for your insight...actually i had never ever heard(or realized) you could pass the disease through this way until i read one of your posts...wow that scared me...but i feel a bit more confident now..knowing that im going to test and if i have this, i am NOT alone in the world...
i felt the same way about my use...so much "better than IV"....gross...even the straw thing, GROSS..this is what happens when you DO NOT EDUCATE the youth...grrrrr....hepatitis was not even a mention the ENTIRE time i was in hs..i graduated 'o5..what the hell...
i am concerned on the piercings and tattoos..all were done @ licensed shops & all piercings done there too..
20 years and no cirrhosis(sp?)....you must be a lucky one..im glad you caught it when you did...if i catch this **** now..i think ill survive..=] i have been given lots of hope...
and it actually amazes me coming from you (ive read lots of your posts)..for you to be more concerned with my piercings and tats..
but a million thanks..and hope you are feeling healthy..keep up the SVR!

[nygirl7]

Dear Mygoodness

Unfortunately for me...I did get hep from the old intranasal route.  At the time I remember being so proud I wasn't using any needles...I was so much "better" than that (although that did change in time).  when you think about how logical it is that it could pass the disease its scary.

Honestly I'd be more concerned about that tats and piercings. My own doc absolutely REFUSED to believe I didn't have any at all. He kept saying "you're sure you don't???" yeah doc...I got so coked out one night that i forgot for the next 20 years???

Anyway - just go and have the correct test done.  It's the same as a CBC and it will let you know one way or the other. They DO call this disease the Silent Killer because like with me - I had it for 20 years and had no signs or symptoms at all and only found out by accident.....and I was already progressed to stage 3.  Had I not found out I would have easily passed to cirhhosis presumably before I found out.

It's not worth the chance.  

I wish you all the luck in the world!

[Myygoodness]

hmm..i think we're from different teen years...if i go back to yours i might run into my mom and that'd just be weird..cuz we look ridiculously alike..=]
the dog in your pic is adorable! =]
did you get hvc from "stupid risks" in your teen years?

[IAmTheWalrus]

Hey, if you time-travel back to your teen years for a slapping, would you look me up and give me a good wack, too?  You'll find me hanging around the park looking tragically hip and saying things like "don't hassle me, maaaan!"  In fact, I bet we could generate a pretty good sized list of folks that would pay you handsomely for the same service!   :-))

I'm just in it for the fun. Mary's advice is the good stuff.

Good luck and stay healthy!

[Myygoodness]

ugh..i have tattoos...but i think im cool..since autoclaves and seriously (the shop i go to has an overstock of brand new needles..=], i happen to be friends with lots of the people who work there..and i get the behind the scenes on stuff like that..)
uhm..dental work?...what?....well add that one to the risk factors..

[Mary4now]

Actually to be fair I have one tatoo,done in 1971 @ Sailor Jerry's in Hawaii, also, I have had lots of dental work, I've been stuck w/ a needle while working for a dentist,  so some maybes there.  Some people have 0 clue as to how they got it.  Dental work is a definite possibility.  I also have gama globulin shots.  So I do have some run of the mill possibilities.  But I hate to think I did this to myself out of sheer ignorance, it makes me think what else am I doing out of ignorance.  Time to wake up from ignorance is my motto and that means paying attention to each moment.

[Myygoodness]

thanks again..you are an angel<3

[Mary4now]

You should be nervous, although it does no good if it doesnt catapult you into healthier lifestyle.  I understand how tempting it all is.  If you do have or do get hep c, you have the advantage of your youth, actually that is an advantage in alot of respects.  I wish I knew then what I know now.  You are a kid you're only 20 right?  
So finding out through a simple blood test is the first step, then you take it from there.  Hep C is not a death sentence, but its a virus to be dealt with.  It takes years for it to do damage, and even then some ppl w/ years of carrying it have minimal liver damage and others have moderate and even severe damage.  The liver is very important, you cant live without one for sure, and if its damaged it can cause problems.  There is also the people who develop chirrosis and end stage liver damage and need a transplant.  You heard about the 56 yr. old rocker who was denied a transplant and just died didn't you?  Our health care is a huge conundrum to me.  
Alcohol is the big no no, and crappy fatty, fried food, is hard on the liver.  Everything gets filtered through the liver.  
I had Hepatitis when I was 21, but I'm not sure what kind cuz they didn't know about C until 1989 or 1992 I forget, but later on anyway.  It was from my coke dealing boyfriend in 1971, if I got it from him I probably got it the first time I snorted, who knows?  
You can treat for the virus and depending on your genotype, your liver damage, your age (in your favor) you can clear the disease.
Good Luck,  find another way to find happiness that doesn't include poisoning the body and deluding the mind.  XXX  M4now

[Myygoodness]

you had no other risks? just the snorting? =[ this makes me nervous..
i wish i could go back to when i was a kid and smack myself.
oh well..whats your general opinion if i catch this junk now, will i be ok?

[Mary4now]

unfortunately I snorted coke for 7 yrs. off and on during the hippie wind down in the 70's early 80's and yup shure enough I have hep c,  We thought we were minimizing our risks by supplementing w/ vits, eating good food, no IV (yuck to me) but....... Fortunately we weren't big drinkers.... I just hope better treatment is on the way...

[Myygoodness]

I've been far away from the intranasal since 'o4..=]
im just worried now..=[
but i have hope..=]
thank you.

[meki]

No - a CBC won't really give you a HEP PANEL -- you need to do a HEP panel to know if you've got Hepatitis.

However --- A CBC will give you your White blood cell / Red Blood cell - Hemoglobin checks.

You might get ALTs and ASTs --- which can tell if you have elevated liver enzymes which COULD indicate Hepatitis infection.

But - you'd have to ask specifically for a Hepatic Function Panel - and ask to be tested for these types of things.

Much luck to you --- and hopefully you might choose to stay away from the intranasal stuff --- if you can... It's not really all that healthy for ya - especially for so young.

Meki