were these first symtoms?

[fittytwonow]

I am allways trying to figure out how I got this disease, Does this sound familiar to anyone?
about 10 or so yrs. ago,I got really bad arthritis all over  (it was PRESUMED to be RA..but was not in my blood.....for about 1.5 yrs.) which gradually got better..not gone but alot better. I took steroids and anti inflams., At that time I also had big chunks of hair falling out for a period..and was losing some weight....could that have been the acute phase of the infection? And I had unexplained stomach pain that went away just as fast as it came on...I crawled  on the floor to my phone to call doc...sweating and dizzy...then all of a sudden I was fine...I was in contact at that time with someone who had Hep c, and was very very sick. Any feedback? Thank you.

[fittytwonow]

what is icertus? thanks..

[debnevada]

not when i was acute but heck yes now on treatment.

[fittytwonow]

did anyone have the Hair falling out in clumps thing??? I could never figure out what that was?
Thanks.

[fittytwonow]

Thanks so much for answering me ! I guess I willl never REALLY know..!!!! Part of why I am trying to figure it out is bcz of the effects of the age we were when we acquired the stupid  thing and the progression rates related to that...wow, I feel bad for you all who had the skin problems...how awful...I hope you are all better with that now.
I have had dark pee a few times ...mostly if I drank alot of alcohol I noticed. (b4 diagnosis)
well I guess you are all right ..the important thing is to take care of it...
thanks again.

[alagirl]

OUCH!

[debnevada]

oh yeah, i forgot the main reason i went to the doctor.

very dark pee

[Proactive]

In 1972 I ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks with what was diagnosed as "toxic hepatitis" and I knew I was sick,trip in an ambulance, hugely high fever (skin just pealed off in layers), jaundice etc. I was 14 at the time and really didn't have any risky bahaviors assoc. with hepc. It was decided at the time my hepatitis was due to accidently inhaled pesticides (trying to kill a nest of yellow jackets)Fast forward 34 years (many of those years with risky behavior) and diagnosed with hepc (doc tested me as a result of mentioning my prior hepatitis to see if he could determine what type I had)..Never had many symptoms from the hepc, in retrospect,just fatigue...Of course in the back of my mind I've wondered if the two heps (toxic and hepc) weren't one in the same..Never sought medical help for any symptoms resulting from the hepc..

[alagirl]

I echo Deb.  Horrible nausea of a really different type than I've ever had before.  Pain up under my rib cage (same place I used to have it prior to having my gall bladder removed).  Extreme fatigue.  Pain and aching in my hips and joints.  I also got (and still have) a bizarre skin ulcer on my lower leg.  I just reached down one day to rub my leg and the skin literally sloughed off onto my fingers leaving a large ulcerated sore.  It still has not healed completely - and I have nothing to which to attribute it.  Also, I had real difficulty urinating for a while.  I would void only small amounts and my urine would be concentrated and dark.  That was especially odd since I take a high blood pressure pill that has an attached diuretic.  I also had negative tests in December, April and on June 21 and then a positive test at the end of August.  My liver enzymes went up during the period I showed symptoms.

But I do agree with everyone who says that how you got it is not nearly as important as getting the best doctor you can to advise you in your treatment protocol.  Some people never know how they got hepc.  In the grand scheme of things, unless knowing exactly when you were exposed allows you to begin tx within the first six months afterwards, why torture yourself over it?  I think its so much more important to take good care of yourself now and get a wonderful doctor who will take great care of you and see where your liver's at (I know, inside your body) lol, but to see where you're at in terms of damage, if any, and follow your care closely and to stay on top of your condition.

[sunspot]

Wayyyyyyyyy back in 67' I woke up and went to the bathroom to clean up in the morning. I looked in the mirror and my eyes and skin were yellow. I said "Hello, I have hepatitis".
That was when I knew I had Hep. How I got it was very well known to me. A bad choice in life.

[Reree]

Before being diagnosed, I was throwing up bile almost everyday along with any type of raw food that was undigested. I had no appetite at all, felt tired all the time and had flu like symptoms. Low grade fever, body aches, & head aches. I started throwing up a thick rust colored substance which proved later to be blood(very painful). My urine was very dark , which was really weird considering I was drinking a1/2 gallon of water a day.Then the scariest thing, the whites of my eyes turned fluorescent yellow! That's when I knew it was some thing other than gall bladder problems or ulcers, as my Dr. had suggested. A lot of people don't know how they were infected. We all have to go forward from here. That is the only choice we have.

[nygirl7]

When I was first diagnosed I did the same thing I drove myself NUTS trying to think of things.  Unfortunately - it could have been any time.  I finally realized it's not when I got it that was of any importance it was when I found OUT I had it that was important.  I could have gone on for another 20 years maybe until I was stage 4 or end stage and never known......

My exhusband on the other hand got it early in the 80s he had lethargy so bad it reminded me of when I lost the six points on my hemo in just over a week. He couldn't eat and lost 30 pounds and was in bed for three months...so he had obvious symptoms like that.

You could have gotten it any time Fitty - just try to be glad you found out that you have it and let the other part go or it will make you nutso.  Just look at me if you need proof of that!

[fittytwonow]

thanks for your answeres...what a sneaky disease!!! hope you guys have a pleasant day..!

[debnevada]

joint pain
right side pain if i lay down on it
significant nausea, not much vomiting, just no appetite
monumental fatigue but at that time was able to sleep.

those were my acute symptoms, no icterus or jaundice.

[Harry Potter]

I know what you mean, I've driven myself crazy trying to pinpoint the exact time of infection, and can narrow it down to (at most) three years (due to neg tests for Hep C--unless it was a false negative of course!)  What I consider my "onset," I had about 10 days (nights) of night sweats & some joint pain, as well as tenderness in my right side.  Exactly one month after testing pos, I had the WORST stomach flu of my life, about 5 solid days (er, liquid days, more like), which I think was my "acute" stage, but will never be sure.  I didn't have the hair falling out like you described, but as I have male pattern baldness already, maybe the alopecia beat that to the punch!