Devastated and Concerned

[freakedoutabouthep]

I just received a call from the blood bank telling me I have chronic hepatitis B. What should I do? I thought I had a vaccine against this when I was a child. I do not fit the category of someone who would get this disease. I am not a homosexual, I don't use illicit drugs, my mom doesn't have it and I do not sleep around or have multiple sex partners. This is the deadliest form of Hepatitis and I am freaked out...Should I get a second opinion from my doctor? Am I going to die soon? What scares me is I sometimes drink alcohol socially (not to get drunk) and now I have put my liver is in jeopardy. I need some guidance. What am I to do?

[calmama]

Most people with chronic HBV infection live a normal, productive life and can have healthy children if the babies receive both hepatitis B immune globulin and 1st dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 12 hours of birth.  Liver cancer does not necessary happen to every HBVer.

BTW, Hepatitis B (and hepatitis C) viruses cannot be spread by casual contact, such as holding hands, sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses, breast-feeding, kissing, hugging, coughing, or sneezing. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001324/)

Since it will be a week before you see your doctor, instead of just 'freaking out' in the dark, how about educating yourself about HBV?  Knowledge oftentimes eases my anxiety.  Start from these credible sites:

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Hepatitis/HepB-Introduction--Welcome-Page/show/34?cid=153

http://www.hepb.org/

[freakedoutabouthep]

Thank you all for your comments. I just received a call from the blood bank today and supposedly they will send me a letter soon. When I get the results I will post them. Apparently, the blood bank did a number of tests with my blood and confirmed my diagnoses to be chronic. I have an appointment set up with my doctor in a week to redo the test. But it just freaks me out that I don't know how I contracted the virus. The doctor at the blood bank thinks I've had it since I was a child. I'm married and thank God he is supportive and he is immune to the virus. I just want to have children and live a productive life. Does anyone know how long it takes for so called liver cancer to develop if I haven't had any meds or anything?

[veteranB]

Don't believe the stereotypes the system puts on HepB people. As being gay, drug user etc.. HepB is quite common.

They do it here so US government can wash away their hands and admit they do have a huge problem with HBV, HIV, and HCV as the rest of the world. And that mandatory testing of young adults is a must have, from high school through college and so on.

Hep B. You can get from dirty dishes in restaurant. if a cook is sick and spits in your food because he has a bad day. Heard of stories like that . You can get it from dentist office(Major Problem),  public swimming pool. And yes from sex and kissing. Because condoms do not protect - viral particles go through, especially HIV.... Hard truth, no myths..

But the system labels you, as those crazy people.. so you feel bad, and public opinion is shaped that people with HepB are freaks, no need to worry about them, provide health insurance for them,etc.. It is a total BS. really.

Every liver clinic I went, I have not seen any drug users, or gay men with HepB or C.. and HIV for that matter. It is more regular folks now, with education and good paying jobs.

Things are so bad out there with these diseases, that now normal male feels toward nice looking women can be very costly and vice versa.

So just take some time to come down, for sure repeat the test.. to make sure you have HepB.. The way those idiots work at labs sometimes they loose tests or report results from another person. Being done to me, so I know..

Usually if people were vaccinated from HepB they are immune to it, but you do need to get a booster every five or ten years  in some cases I am told. Now HepB vaccines are better then they were before.

Blood banks,  usually screen blood from HIV, HBV, HCV but PCR methods, which looks for viral particles. On occasion false positives do occur since they test blood samples in pools. So if something cross reacts they just reject the sample..

So you definitely need a Hep B profile panel done, with PCR DNA.. before worrying.

[jonny168]

a second opinion from another doctor, and may be posting the actual blood results here can be really helpful.

[monta27]

I just went through the same thing with a blood plasma place and I also had the 3 hep vaccines as a child and again as an adult in 2008 and I'm not a drug user or anything like that as well . My doctors said not to worry too much because my test was probably reactive because I had been vaccinated if the plasma place had done a surface antigen test . Don't freak out yet. Hep b can go away on its own in most cases so I've read my doctor told me this as well she said some people have immune system that just can't fight it off but hep b is inflammation of the liver so it takes years to get to the point where you should really worry about liver failure if ever.