Transmission

[Motoumi]

I have non-replicating Hep B. I am a passive Hep B carrier. My DNA is negative and I have a very very low viral load. I am aware that there is a theoretical risk that I could transmit my virus onto others. While I am always cautious I really want to know what the chances of my infecting others are. I just feel very worried, anxious and even dirty that I can infect others with my virus.I know you always advise patients like myself that I could infect others, but what are the real chances. I just want to feel that I cannot infect others, though as I said I am always cautious and have even got my partner and family members vaccinated.

Thanks.

[Galen]

Lori, I am so sorry you are going through this!  Anybody tells you that you "only" have 4 weeks left, should get the flu for 4 weeks and see how long it can be.  I sure hope you get to feeling a little better soon.

Majneni!  You are crazy, girl!!  Great story and glad you are keeping up the tale of the wacko badger.

[DownThisRoad]

Wow maj, what else were ya all cookin up on that grill besides them there smores?

[MajNeni]

My sympathies to all those out there having rough sides.  Pneumonia is something else; glad it was caught, Lori.  Hope it is brought under control rapidly.  
....................
Darndest things went on this week, eh?
As I wrote before, we cooked on the charcoal grill on Thursday night, and had smores, and looked at the stars.  We decided we could clean up in the morning.  (BTW, you all ought to check out Mars and the Moon this weekend.)
Well, on my 3am bathroom run, I saw a weird glow out back of the house.  I looked out the window, and there, dancing around the grill was THE BADGER.  He had all the grilling forks leaning over the grill with marshmallows on them.  He had managed to fan that fire way up, too.  Well, he was munching those smores, dancing around the fire, and singing,
"Bucky Badger is my name, no one would guess that I'm to blame!"
You know how chocolate makes people happy and kills dogs?  Well, it gives badgers Riba Rage.  He ran out of graham crackers, and as he was trying to grab around and keep turning the forks and eating the marshmallows that were done, his whiskers caught on fire.  I couldn't help laughing outloud as he dove into the dog's water dish.  That made him madder, so he started to hurl flaming marshmallows on forks at me.  Luckily I was behind the screen.  When he ran out of marshmallows, he stalked off up the hill, yelling over his shoulder:  "Ahhh'll be baaaack!"
On Friday morning, I went out to check things and clean up.  There were three grilling forks stuck in the siding around the bathroom window, and marshmallows dripped all over the wall.  Singed hairs in the dog's water.  But more curiously, I found pieces of charred insulation in the grill and on the ground.  I saw some more bits off a ways, and was able to follow a sort of trail up the hill 300 yards, straight to the substation.  It's hidden behind trees, so no one had noticed it, but what a mess.  Broken porcellain coils and charred transistors all over the place, and a tell-tale bit of badger fur on the fence.  
Guess what... they're not going to find where the blackout started in Ohio or at Niagara Falls...
BTW:  my son, the newshound, was watching CNN, and happened to notice the name "B. Badger" on the California governor's race ballot.  So if only 4 or 5 of you out there would vote for him...
you might need to write him in, if you can't find the name...

[leunamme]

life can be funny sometimes.Started Tx as the war  in Irak was launched, now 6 months later here I am doing my last shot in the midst of a giant blackout!  go figure ! I guess I will remember those six months for as long as I live.

[oldhippiechick67]

Sorry to hear you both arent feeling well, thankfully quak went to the doc and found out she has pneumonia.  Psychdoc, you should get ck'd too.  We tend to blame every unusual thing we experience on treatment, and/or call our docs and they keep saying "its just a side effect, it will pass" and begin to feel we are hypochondriacs.  But we have to hope we will go with our gut feelings and call or get ck'd when its way too much to handle!  Here's to a nicer weekend with few sides to all -  cheers (drink up that H20)!!  OHC67

[pearse]

Hi Lori, I'm sorry your not feeling well.Hang in there it will all be over soon! And then you will have your life back. I also have been down lately, this year of peg-intron really kicked my butt!! It has started to effect my job as well as my home life. My wife is sick of me not being the Man i was. We just got back from the shore(2 weeks), and i had a letter from my Doc. He wants me to do an extra 4 weeks of peg! He said he likes 52 weeks for his patients. I had 2 shots to go. I had a fit, he had told me 48 weeks. After awhile i was like who cares anymore, so i do 4 more weeks shooting this **** into my belly. If i don't do the extra weeks and i found out i was still detectable i would die, then again i could still be anyway. I have always said from the start i was in this to the end, quiting was never an option for me! Hang in there!!!,
                                      pearse

[Indiana]

My wife is a hep B carrier. Has been since at least the early 80's. We have been married forever(27 years I think). I have never caught it from her. I was finally vaccinated about 4 years ago when I was found to have Hcv. A "carrier" is a little different than someone who is actively sick with it. For you, it's not all that easy to pass it to others. Just use common sense and you'll be fine. I'm a BIG fan of everyone getting vaccinated against both Hep A & B. I believe that it's as much their responsibility to protect themselves as it is yours to act responsibly knowing you have this.

Quack....JESUS GIRL!! You sure know how to go out with a BANG! The end of tx is hard enough so you go out and get Pneumonia? I ran through pneumonia around Fathers Day weekend last year in the middle of my tx. It SUCKED!. I felt awful. It really flattened me. I ended up getting "nebulized" all that weekend and into the next week. I think they gave me Z-Pack to kill it. Our white counts are so low on tx that it's easy to pick up infections like that. Just take your antibiotics and nebulizer treatments if they offer them and hole up in your room for about a week. If other people bother you during this time I would suggest "Pea soup". Pour the pea soup over yourself and lay in the bed. When they open your door sit straight up and scowl at them. One look at you sitting in your bed scowling with pea soup everywhere will be enough. They will remember "The Exorsist" and leave you alone.
Hang in there baby. It's almost over..........

[GI.PA]

You have done what you can to protect your partner and family members.  Vaccination protects them infection.  

You are contagious but in real life, this is hard to give to someone.  Sexual and needle-drug use are the most common modes of infection.  So, make sure your sexual partners are vaccinated and dont use drugs, and you have brought your exposure risk to nill.  

It is a good idea to keep your tolietries seperate (razors and toothbrushes) and sensible personal hygine...but otherwise relax, you have done the right things.

Keep yourself educated and your love ones protected..and then take a deep breath and live.

Erin
GI.PA

[DownThisRoad]

It sounds as though you are a very caring person. You also have made it clear that you are very cautious regarding the possibilities of infecting others. GI PA just confirmed that.

Lori
You are almost to the end of treatment ! We are going to celebrate your grand finale with you.  Hang in there girl, you're almost done !

I am so sorry to hear that you came down with this right at the end. Although this is so unfortunate and really sucks, it isn't your fault and not your husbands fault either. You've done so well by handling whatever has been thrown in front of you during this wild ride.

BE thankful that you are almost to the end,. BE proud of yourself for tending to your needs and your health. And BE happy that you are a strong person !

I'm pulling for you, we all are ! Get your extra rest that you need right now, YOU deserve it !

[mikesimon]

The last leg has been hard for me in the past but I never had to deal with pneumonia. I can't imagine how hard that would be. It's easy to tell someone that it's only another 4 weeks but when every day is almost unbearable a month seems like an eternity. I just hope you can get through this and be and stay clear. I'll be thinking of you and rooting for you. Good luck Lori. Mike

[harley dude]

When my regular doc had first told me that I needed to have a bunch of blood tests run because something was wrong I was so scared it awas going to be Cancer or some uncureable disease, when I found out it was hcv I was bumbed out but at the same time relieved, When I went in to do the biopsy, the person in the bed next to me just found out he had terminal cancer, he was crying his 3 children and wife were all by his bedside devastated hearing the news, and one of his teenage daughters just started screaming (dad don't die, you can,t die) I was really freaking out, then I thought how lucky I really was, so everytime this tx **** brings me down I think of that poor family, 3 weeks later I saw his name in the death notices.So think about how much worse it could be, and really it could be a hell of alot worse, your probably going to have a long life, so cherish what you have, -- Hang in there Lori-- HD

[DH Bill]

I just took my second shot tonight and it seems  an eternity ahead of me, can't imagine just 4 to go. I'm just getting started on tx but my life has had it's share of hell. All I can say is to "HANG IN THERE" you have come a long way babe. Don't give up now. A lot of people on this site seem to know how you feel.
Bill

[quak]

I am sorry to post on your spot but I don't know much about hep b and maybe someon else can help.

My problem is that I'm 4 shots away from finishing and after three days in bed I realized after going to the doctor that I have walking pheomonia.  I have never felt so sick and bad like this before I thought that it was the medication tx.  This has been the longest leg for me to finish this tx.   I hate my husband these days and hate myself for always feeling sick.  I know it will be over soon but this has been a dreadful year that I will always remember.  I am sorry that I'm not so positive but I f__king hate this life.  

Lori