one time iv drug

how many of y'all are here because of a one time iv drug use.
this is my assumed method of infection. Ive read that many have this
same story and i am wondering if its really true.

[scubadiver30]

Hi
Of course is true. And if u did it nasal and shared the straw is also probable (not likely).
Most experts convey that say transfusions prior to 1991 and IVDU account for 80-90% of infections.

[friole]

I got it from a toilet seat in a dirty restaurant in San Franciso in 1969

[Tallahassee]

My theory that I got it from a dental office... Anyway, this is my only suspicion.

.... but may be I also used a dirty toilet seat :)  Something else to think about! :)

Take care of yourself!

[scubadiver30]

The toiles seat is a secure route for HepA. If the dentist office was a vector, half the developed world's population would be infected with HCV. And right now, my dentist uses a special cleaner for all tools & drills that kills HIV, HCV, HBV, etc...She has a sign on the wall prmoting it also
She says the blood drop is an urban myth that has affected this medical profession................
Doctors will put down nosocomial infections and will blame IVDU all the time.
Is like big pharma, it cures but it also kills

[cruelworld]

i know that iv drug use is the main supposed transmission method.
i am looking for the sub group of "one time only iv drug users".
My doctor thinks this is most probably how i got it. It was a one time only heroine injection when i was 18 years old, and it of course was a shared needle.

[friole]

just kidding -- but I only did it once, honest

[cruelworld]

now that you mention it, i probably did have a fair amount of nasal staw exposure. A lot more than my one injection.
but i read that the iv drug use crowd is so thoroughly cross infected that a one time use is surely to bring the disease. do you beleive this?

[friole]

When you shared the needle, was there one in the group who was not so naive? One who could have been around the block more than once? IF there was, your whole group could have been infected.  Have you contacted any of those people?

You are right, that it only takes one time, but I am certainly not in that select group.  As a matter of fact, when I found out, years ago that I had C I told my dearest friend with whom I had shared  many many times (from about 1969-72).  Not until recently did she get tested, and she has a different genotype.  So we didn't infect each other.  Frankly, there were all together too many opportunities for both of us.

But you know what, cruel - it really does NOT matter at this time.  What does is that we all got this from somewhere and we are doing something about it. I hate to see this forum line up with the innocently infected against those that did this to themselves. This isn't a guilt forum and you need to stop beating yourself up.   Look forward.
frijole

[Tallahassee]

II could not come up with better theory.  If your review studies between different population groups in New York, you will see that migrants from former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe (and I consider them to be very close to developing countries), the results were that out of all Hep C infected people from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus only 1% were drug users, only ~3% Armenian population were drug users, ~5% of migrants from Eastern Europe (and probably from China, don't remember now) were drug users.

I'm sure that general population of these countries have high % of infected people!

I personally don't have any risk factors and did not have any blood transfusions, sniffing, don't do manicures professionally, did not have sex prior to marriage (and my husband dos not have it), my mother and brother don't have it, I'm not a nurse (but in our engineering college we had a short course of nursing for emergency situations... so I was making a few subcutaneous injections, so I guess it is can be remotely a possibility, etc.
Therefore, my theory is that I got it during extensive dental surgeries in 1989 - 92. Liver head (not my Dr.) thought that I could also get it during childhood appendectomy in 1978.
He said that surgeon may be cut himself accidentally ... and I was told that my surgeon was a student who did first time operation.

I think it is a big misconcept about drug users. Even if somebody used drugs (like the writer of this thread, used only once), nobody knows for sure how and when they got Hep.  I agree with you about blood transfusions ... I had once a plasma transfusion in 1992 ... after dental procedure :)

How are you doing, Scuba?

What is your decision regarding finishing your treatment (four more weeks).  I wrote you my opinion in your thread... to continue treatment.  I'm in similar situation...

All the best!!!

P.S. I HOPE YOU WILL MAKE IT TO Barcelona!

[scubadiver30]

Well guys. I've contacted the friends I did it with a couple of times. They have the antibodies only but they have not developed cronic (chronic) HCV so I cannot compare genotypes. How lucky can they be? And they are medium to heavy drinkers with families and respectable jobs so they do not worry too much about it and they tell me not to keep diggin info (they were coke hounds then and I was the usual nerd, and now I'm the only one suffering the stigma and tx. :-( Life is not fair... I also used nasal several times so I cannot be 100% sure. This has tought me a good lesson and it is never late to learn that everything that goes around comes around...
However, I use the year of my IVDU as my positive reference as to asess my liver damage...26 years
I agree with Friole. No guilt forum... We have to think positive...We're lucky we have pegIFN now and we're doing something about it.
Freddie Mercury would be alive right now with all the HIV medications available  that were not back in 92...Same applies to us
saludos

scuba

[scubadiver30]

Hi
didn't read your post..
I feel fine thanks. After reading all your comments I'm going to finish my 24 weeks and worry about the thyroid later.
Is sad to have inherited another cronic (chronic) condition out of tx but heck?
This is a lesson I have to learn..

About the Barcelona thing is going to be difficult because here Easter Week is crazy and is officialy started at 3pm today. My car is leaking oil and the shop is closed..like Madonna says: customer service sucks in Europe
All the religious cofradias are coming out on parade  (the guys that look like KKK suits but with differen colors) in all cities and everybody is traveling by air, road & train cuase they wanna go to the beach...
It will be a miracle if I get to Barcelona and get hotel :-(

saludos
scuba

[Tallahassee]

My Dr. explained that it helps to establish the length of the disease.  In my case if I got it in 1978 (during childhood), it is okay, but if I got it in 1989-1992 (and was diagnosed in 1995), my liver damage is significant for so short duration of the disease (I also never smoked and used very, very limited amount of champagne and wine).

Liver head said that they don't have statistics on my genotype (1c), but they are collecting information on aggressiveness of different genotypes. But apparently my genotype is a tough nut - after 48 weeks of clinical trial of interferon w/ riba in 1995, my viral level was reduced from 20 mil to ~300,000 (less than 2log drop).

How are you doing?
I don't remember your story ... did you treat?

All the best!!

[Tallahassee]

Good decision with treatment!

Take care of yourself ... and your car! :)

[scubadiver30]

Well, in fact I have many factors: I had an inguinal hernia operation and tonsils removed back in the 80's. Limited drug use in my youth and 3 root canals...
But if I have to be realistic DU would be my vector of transmission. If you received plasma in the 90's that's yours.

Many eastern europeans were infected (although they were not recreational DU) because they were vaccinated with reused syringes..So it is the same vector. IV needles.
Is like the TB resistant strain patients. Many are from the former Sovier Union and received only 3 months of medication (lack of budget, many patients) and lived in extremely cold weather..... Most likely to develop TB antibiotic resistant strains and transmissible by cough...

Climate change will also allow Dengue fever or West Nile mosquitoes to go north :-(...Pretty pessimistic outlook
So we are in a group that has not been publicized much..:-(

[cruelworld]

beleive me i dont see this as a guilt thing at all.
i consider this to be a small (well maybe medium) bump in the road of life.
The reason i ask is because i'm trying to make a chart with my probable causes of the infection.
i realize that god is the only one who knows how and when i got it.

[scubadiver30]

Well, now you know the baseline in your chart.
Information is power and you're getting more data to share with your liver head.
best of luck

scuba

[wyntre9]

Wow.  

That really puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

[Jakied]

I am sorry for anyone who has hcv.  But what is done is done.  Sometimes you can't unring the bell.  Look forward to your day of SVR, not back to how you may have been infected.  

Does anyone know why Hiv gets all the good pub and Hcv is still in the shadows?

[friole]

tallahasse
You are right that knowing the date of the transmission will tell you how long you have had the disease, but it sure doesn't line  up with liver damage.  In my case, most possible transmission was IVDU 1969-1972. BUT there were a few isolated times from 1972 - 1975. THEN there was  a blood transfusion in 1977.  So let's say I have been infected at least 30 years (gosh - April 9 is the 30 anniversary of my blood transfusion, how time flies) or maybe 38 years.  YET.... I have very little damage -- grade1, stage1.  That is not none, there is some inflammation and some scarring - but still not much.  How does one account for that?  My liver enzymes have always been in the 20s.  No doctor would ever even think to test me.  I asked to be tested because I was ready to deal with it.

I have treated - 56 weeks (because I was not clear at 12) - ended last August - and did not clear.  I relapsed and the virus is back to where it was pretreatment.  Because of my low damage I have not decided yet whether I will retreat, but I have an appointment with a specialist in May.

That is intesrsting about your genotype and the study on aggressive genotypes.  I would be interested to read that if it is available.  

zazza - yes, I can relate.  I don't know why I don't have mixed genotypes. Maybe the one I have which certainly seems to be entrenched , ran all the others off.  Odd about your boyfriend too.  You haven't had that appointment yet to discuss extensions, have you?

frjole

[Tallahassee]

Sorry to hear about your relapse.  I thought so... but I'm not sure about screen names and felt little superstitious to ask about relapse...

Liver head is from University of FL in Gainesville and will definitely try to follow up their research ... I could not find anything on the Internet, only a weak suggestion that gen 3 is may be more aggressive.

But in my case, biopsy off 1995 showed stage 1 fibrosis.  After Interferon treatment and constant I infergen treatments from 1998, biopsy of 2000 reported that I have stage 2, grade 1.  Biopsy of 2005 reported the same (but I think it is getting closer to stage 3, because by description ... something about occasional septa from portal to portal areas - I think it different way of saying "beginning of bridging" witch may qualify for stage 3.

But good news is most of the time my enzymes were in 20s during interferon treatments.  I'm afraid that damage could be significantly higher without the treatments (per Liver head's suggestion).

In your case, if you are delaying your re-treatment (or waiting for better treatments), I'm sure you know that you have to watch closely your fibrosis progression.

I wish you success (as well to everybody else with this disease)!!!!

Talk to you later,

All the best!!

[friole]

So even with the grueling treatments you have already been going thru the disease has progressed.  I am sorry.  What are you doing in treatment differently this time?  

I think you are smart to read the biopsy text and figure out your own grading and staging.  I did that too.  Originally my biopsy report was not staged and graded so I took every single word off the report and looked it up (mostlly on Janis) I decided I was grade 1, stage 1, with a lot of help from my forum buddies here.  When ther report came back it was staged and graded just like I thought.  

I am 59 so every year I wait to treat the success rate goes down.  That factors in with my decision, as well as my lack of liver damage.  I just don't know what the answer is yet.
frijole

[Tallahassee]

Well, now I'm for 1 year & 9-10 months of treatment with 15-20 mgc of daily Infergen and 1200 mg of Riba. Note, I self-prescribed to myself an extra pill of Riba, by my weight I was given 1000 mg daily and I take extra Infergen every time I can get my hands on! :) Also, I'm on two times weekly Neupogen. I still have one month of treatment left... Will see... Since I had a breakthrough after ~10 months of treatment, so Liver head extended my treatment for one more year and gave me 10% chance to have SVR.

Prior, the Infergen injections were 3 times weekly.  Also without Neupogen they had to reduce my Infergen frequently.  But I always was virus negative (<10) while on Infergen, even 3 times weekly.  So now I'm getting very nervous as the end of treatment approaches!  ... though I'm trying to be realistic and don't raise my hopes very high...

Take care of yourself, Friole!

I hope soon this disease will be only mentioned in history books!

[brown_eyed_grl]

I did IV drugs one time in the summer of '73.

Boy did I get f****d

*Julia

[Alady1620]

I only used IV drugs 2-3 times.  I got the shaft too.

[friole]

Thank you for all the information on yourself.  I will be watching for your posts and hoping for the best..
frijole

[mauilady]

I consider myself to be lucky: everyone I shared needles with is dead... but not from HCV.  Bad heart, brain aneurism (aneurysm), over-dose... etc.  Who knows where they'd be if they'd lived.

[zazza]

I find the transmission routes of the virus interesting. I was very surprised to learn that my ex-boyfriend and I did not have the same genotype. He had been around the block several times before I showed up. My first time was with him and a friend. I now know my ex has genotype 3 and my friend 1a like me. So why did I not get both genotypes? My ex and I shared many times later as well. Why did we not contaminate each other?

[bobbyullc]

MY GOOD FRIEND SHOT DOPE FOR MANY YEARS IN THE 70'S AND GOT IT 3 YEARS AGO FROM A TATTOO.
IT MAKES NO DIF HOW WE GOT IT BUT WHAT WE DO NOW.
THERE IS A PRESENT TX AND NEW MORE AFFECTIVE TX ON THE NEAR HORIZON. THE GLASS IS HALF FULL.
ENJOY TODAY AND THE WORLD WILL NOT SEEM SO CRUEL. THINK OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO GOT AIDS FROM BLOOD AND DIED. WE GOT IT GOOD.

[mauilady]

One thing I don't have is any regrets; I'm here, we're all here, and it's up to us to make the most of what we have.  And to deal with what we've got.  No one else can do it for us.  LIFE IS GOOD!!  Keep on laughing.

Cruel, maybe you should change your nickname.  The glass is half full, right?

[cruelworld]

its funny that you should mention a name change. even though no one would beleive it, when i registered i tried "happygolucky" as my screen name (this truly represents my personality) but it seemed to hard to read at the time (brain fog extreme i guess). i was also very freaked out at the time, because my doctor wouldnt tell me my vl numbers, he just said they were "lower". this immediately makes you feel like your in such bad shape that they dont even want you to know. very scary. but later after i calmed down i appreciated his approach, because if the progress is slow, i have no way of knowing that for sure and the door of hope is still open.
this is a long process and i dont want to become obsessed with all the little details along the way. my next appt with doc is in two weeks, ill find out how im doing on my vl then.

[cruelworld]

so there are really others out there. glad to hear from you.
i dont want people to think im lamenting about my cause of infection.
if i consider all the fantastic fun ive had in my life, this little
chemo torture session is a small price to pay. i might live a little bit riskier
life than some, but i accept the fact that when it blows up in my face i will have to be ready to pay.  i have been riding dirt bike motorcycles for a while now and still do. about every other year i have a good crash  and get laid up for months at a time. im used to the high risk - high payback formula. the only real change that this disaster has brought to my life, is the fact that i cant drink anymore. no big deal. how can i  be mad after 30 years of all out fun with my favorite  beer - i like the low life stuff busch! I used to anyway. thanks  yall for the support!

[pjhep80]

i guess one time could do it but nah im not one of them either it was way more than one time, like 4 years 1980-84

im reading here people talking about mixed genotypes, maybe that is what I am since i have taken like 5 different blood tests for my genotype and every one comes back unknown...?

[zazza]

I think it is important that just as one should not feel guilt over the cause of hepatitis C, even if it is IVDU, one should neither feel shame to talk about it.