hep c test

[roshnipatel27]

Hi again i am the healthcare worker that was stuck with a needle a seven weeks ago. i did the pcr quant test and got my resutls back today. it said viral load not detected and pcr rna not detected. my question is that do i still need to go back for traditioal antibody test at three and six months or should results be a good indicator that i have not been infected with hep c. what do you suggest?

[Douglas Dieterich, MD]

You are out of the woods. I dont think you need to worry now about any other HCV testing. You should however make sure your hepatitis A and B antibodies are up to date and get a booster vaccine if they are not.Stay safe and well! DTD

[roshnipatel27]

also i have been feeling fatigued for the past week but the pcr was negative but the blood was drawn a week before i was feeling fatigue. does that make a difference?

[roshnipatel27]

yes my hep a and b are updated. thank you for your response but my fatigue started a week after my blood was drawn. do you think i need to retest bc i could have been in acute infection after my blood was drawn or would that have shown in my results no matter what time my blood was drawn.

[alagirl]

I don't know if my experience may help you, but if it makes you feel any better, I am probably one of the few medically documented acute cases around.  I had a negative hep panel on 6-21-07 (and two other neg panels previously that year, plus three neg panels the preceding year).  So I was definitely at negative status prior to the date that I know I was infected and I have all the paperwork, as does UAB.  

I was raped by a hep c positive IV drug user on 7-1-07.  I became ill VERY quickly and by the end of of August 2007 when I did my hep panel it was quite positive for hep c.  positive on the initial hep panel is what?  Anything over 12?  - anyway, something like that, I believe - I can't remember the precise cut-off anymore.  My result was at 59.  We repeated it a week later and it was at 65.1 - this was about seven weeks after the rape and I was already very sick.

My viral load at that time was around 128,000.  Certainly not everyone feels as acutely ill as I did, but I had intractable fatigue and nausea very quickly, as well as pain.  Fortunately, I was able to begin treatment at twelve weeks from the date of infection and I am SVR today.

I of course tested for HIV at the same time and was negative on that.  

Had I been negative on that first test on both (particularly the PCR) AND the hep panel, I wouldn't have screened again - knowing what I know now.  Of course, I also wouldn't have had a year's worth of negative screens prior to my assault because I was screening repeatedly for a much more phobic reason than you were - just because I was uninformed about the virus at the time.  A needle stick is a good reason to screen, but now that you have negative results this far out, you can let it go at this point and just feel grateful to have dodged this one.

[IAmTheWalrus]

You sound a little obsessed about the hep c. You really can't diagnose hep c from the symptoms. And why try when there are such excellent tests to screen for this. Your TMA quant test was negative, but if you are like me, it is hard to get an idea out of your head once it takes root. If you are still suspicious, you could get another TMA quant test after a few months if only for the peace of mind.

In the meantime, you may want to look at another possible cause for your fatigue and scalp problems, just in case.

[MIBunny55]

I agree with Walrus. But first and foremost - Congratulations!! Please be ever so careful in the future, you really don't want any more opprotunity than this scare. Let us know if you find anything related with your symptoms.
I do apologize for my first comment as it may have sounded too flippant, and I am making efforts to be more caring in the comments I make in the forums.
SuzyQ

[7summer7]

A related discussion, so many questions was started.