VIRUS

[freestone]

CAN SOMEOE GET THIS DISEASE 26 YEARS AGO FROM BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS AND NOW BE DIAGNOSED.

[Marcia2202]

Definitely YES. I must have gotten this around 25 years ago and didn't know until a few months ago.

We're all in the same boat with this, your boyfriend will be fine!

Marcia

[nygirl7]

Unfortunately most of us find out many many years later (20 - 30) - but the fortunate thing is we DO find out so we CAN treat the disease and get well (or watch closely and monitor our liver if our biopsy says we have little enough liver damage developed so far).

Some people never ever find out until it's too late.  

I know it doesn't seem like a good thing to find out but it is.

I had no idea either and by the time I had my biopsy I was stage 3.  I was SHOCKED.  But now, I don't have the virus any longer.........so see, it can be a blessing once you accept it, deal with it and get over it! :)

Hang in there!

[meakea]

As everyone else has said, the answer is YES.

I received an exchange transfusion when I was 2 days old and I believe that is when I got Hep C.  I am now 53 years old.  I did not find out that I have Hep C until April of this year.  I have had no symptoms over the years other than minor things that can be attributed to other things (achiness, stomach issues, etc.).

Since learning of my Hep C diagnosis, I have obtained many of my older medical records to satisfy my need to know how and when I got Hep C and, so far, I have learned that my liver function tests were elevated as far back as 1985, and were every year until 2008, but none of my doctors evidently ever felt it was necessary to tell me or to check out why they were elevated.  Anyway...so far all things in my medical records are still pointing towards the transfusion as my source.

I am, thank God, feeling really pretty healthy and my liver is stage 1/grade 1 and my viral load is 30,100 (very low).  After 53 years with Hep C, I am very, very fortunate.  

[mremeet]

YUP! HCV wasn't discovered until the late 80's and wasn't screened in the blood supply until about 1990. Remember in the early days of HIV in the mid 80's? Before anyone knew anything about it? It was in our blood supply and a lot of innocent people died from it before it was identified and screened in the blood supply. The same applies to HCV, so don't be terribly surprised if you received a blood transfusion prior to ~1990 that you just might have HCV. And don't ask how I know!

[Wilful1]

I had a blood transfusion in 1976 while giving birth to my last child (placenta previa), the baby lived for three days,and my liver tests were always normal until this past March.  I went for my first routine colonoscopy and the GI was suspicious about the results of my blood work and sent me out for more.  DX with hep c 1a.  I am now 56 and I can only guess that was when I was exposed.  Although, you never know for sure.
Best wishes,
Wilful1

[Isobella]

Many of us here found out "by accident" after being denied insurance or during routine blood work showed slight (or high) elevation in liver enzymes.  

That's how I was diagnosed.  No symptoms whatsoever.  And I consider myself very lucky to know about the Hep C before liver damage occured.

Good luck!

[Xenigma]

That's why it's called "The Silent Epidemic".
Most of us were dx'd many years down the road in the chronic stage.

[debnevada]

oh hell yeah

[Trish77]

The simple answer to that is yes.  Hep C lives quietly for many years often with no symptoms or symptoms that appear to be caused by other things and unless caught earlier, it doesn't show symptoms until liver damage is advanced.  You'll notice many people here saying they've had it for 20+ years and only diagnosed in the last few years or less.  Incidentally, I had a blood transfusion in 1984 so that is one of my risk factors and I was diagnosed in 2006 .. and my situation is not unusual.  Hope that helps.

Trish