4 year old cut on infected razor!

[guessgirlshell]

  What does one do if you are accidentally cut but an infected razor?  We called the ER and they said there was NOTHING to do.  We flushed it and flushed and put peroxide on and antiboitic cream. Called public health to make sure we did all we could.  No one was very helpful. THIS WAS A FREAK accident!  The razor is always UP HIGH out of reach.  This child was born with his mom being Hep C positive and was tested negative a 2 years old.  We are SICK to death over this.  We will have him tested in 2 weeks.  I read the odds were 1.8% transmission? Has anyone have this happen then turn out ok?    WE are praying right now, dont know what else to do!!!  

[Jakied]

you could have a Pcr by Rna, qualitative test done.  This will check for the virus, not antibody to the virus.

More expensive than the antibody test but is reliable about 20 days after exposure, instead of 3 months for antibody.

I have a feeling all will be well but I know you are worried.  Say some prayers for you.

[Lady Lauri]

Ahhh haaaa! I suspected as much! (and that you'd catch that :}

                                                                                     LL

[Liz50]

If I had a dime for every time I snuck my hubby's razor to use on my legs.....I could pay for a months worth of Interferon. Try not to panic (yeah, I know, easier said than done) and just get the boy tested as your doc suggests. HepC is a craft little bugger to catch. All my daughter's borrowed dad's raxor too, until we dxed him with HCV. Dumb, yep, but we didn't know better. Good luck---all should be ok.

[merryBe]

I think the thing in your favor is that cuts bleed pushing out foreign stuff for a few moments plus you caught it right away and treated.
all the advice above is great, but I'd add you need to remember how much an overreaction is likely to freak out a 4 year old, the chances are small not impossible, but you need to keep in mind the small part, and also that I've heard that 20 percent of children exposed will clear the virus on their own. (develop antibodies to the virus AND remove it.)
so take a deep breath, and stop kicking yourself, there's hardly a parent or grandparent alive that hasn't at some point inadvertantly taken their eyes off a child and had some sort of close call or worse, but this is just life on the planet. despite our best efforts sometimes stuff happens.

considering all the things kids touch and get into, its a wonder that any of them survive, and they wouldn't if not for usually very healthy immune systems. all praying for your grandson and keep us posted.       whats his first name????

[guessgirlshell]

HI all!  We feel much more relaxed now. I was very upset about my grandson at first.  Yes we ALL shared razors over the years,,,,me using hubby's, daughter using mine and his and no one really thought too much about it.  My diagnosis came by accident, that is I had abdominal pains and they ran LFT's and they were high and it went from there.  Well when the doc told me in 97 I had Hep C and dont freak out...I never had even heard of it !  When I did look into I DID freak out cause I thought I was going to die for sure.  I was miserable.  I felt like a lepper.  OMG.  It was awful.  We had my husband and my 3 chilrden tested.  All negative except my daughter, go figure!  She is the one who has my grandson who is 4 (not the razor...lol).    I say NO ONE should anything like that ulness you know for SURE you are negative cause how many people are walking around and dont know they have it!  Its amazing!  Thanks to all for your concern and help in lightening things up a bit. in a very heavy situation.

[jmjm530]

I assume you shared razors, nail files, tweezers, etc, before you realized you had hepatitis C? Think it important for everyone to know that it is not recommended to share these personal items if you have Hep C, and hopefully no one will get the impression that it is OK.

-- Jim

[meki]

Just FYI hubby and I shared razors, had wild sex and used nail files - etc - my kid used tweezers, files, clippers, scissors, etc. and neither caught it from me.

I would guess that there is a very super low chance - depending on how long ago the razor was used --- if there actually was any blood on it --- if it had been rinsed clean - etc.

With that said - I am a huge proponent of annual blood testing for EVERYONE... no matter the age.

I think there is very little risk - although --- there is some... So don't panic - but be proactive and do go get everyone tested.

Chill - the kid probably has forgotten all about the cut already.

LOL!

Meki

[PBotha]

To help this guy, when should he have his boy tested? Is it 3 months for antibodies to put him in the clear?

Pete.

[jmjm530]

LL:   And if company goes thru your dwarers
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That is always my hope.

[Lady Lauri]

And if company goes thru your dwarers, their on their own :}, snoopy company!

                                                                                                LL

[jmjm530]

This is not intended as a criticism, and I did note that precautions were taken -- that said, I made a point to remover any used razors and toothbrushes from my bathroom if I expected any company. Instead I put them in a bedroom drawer.

[PBotha]

Hi.

I hope that everything turns out OK for you. My thoughts, and I'm sure the thoughts of everyone else in the forum are with you.

My advice would be to wait until the time period it takes for antibodies to be detectable, and take an HCV antibody test. I believe the time for antibodies to show is normally 3 months, but I'm not an expert. Maybe someone else can advise you on how long you should wait for the test to put you in the clear?

In the meantime, try to get on with your life, which I know will be hard, and try to give your little boy as much love as possible. I know that it doesn't seem it to you at the moment, but if the chance of infection are 1.8%, then the odds are massively in your favor.

Take care and be strong,

Pete.

[Lady Lauri]

No scientific facts here, but to ease your mind until the test.......Our guess is I have carried Hep c for over 30 years, sons, boyfriends have all used my razor BEFORE we knew. Man of last 8 years has used it MANY times and I have cut myself before, him also.....all are negative. I don't think the virus lives long. Relax and think postive, slim chance here but I TOTALLY understand the fear for a child.
I think he will be fine.
Sorry to hear niether of you that did tx responded. Newer drugs coming along, keep up on all that.

   Saying a prayer for your 4 yr. old.
                                                                                LL

[pigeonca]

You definitely need to have your child tested.  I don't know how long it takes for the virus to be detectible in blood, but it would be best if you wait until that period of time has elapsed before taking him for tests.  

For whatever it's worth, I believe I got my hepatitis from an hcv infected tool at work, so infection by cuts is unfortunately possible.  I'm so sorry this has happened and hope to God that the boy is virus-free.  Best wishes to you and to him.

[orphanedhawk]

I read it the same as Jim, a four year old razor. Next time you post, take a deep breath and re-read your writing prior to hitting the send button.

Accidents happen. I think if it were me, I'd flush the area and then apply iodine.
Nobody here can do a blood test on this child and say whether he has HepC. That can only be determined by a lab test. If you treated for HepC YOU should know this.   Good luck
  

[guessgirlshell]

The razor had been recently used by my family member infected with HepC.  
Her son is 4 and the razor was accidently knocked over, he picked it up and ran his
finger along the blade slicking his finger open
We are not sure if there was blood on the blade but there could have been a nic.
His mom was infected and gave birth and did not pass it on to him!  He was tested age2.
This just would be awful!  His mom and I were both on treatment (the mother and grandmother) and both failed to clear the virus.  The treatment was the worst!  I would never ever do it again.
Thanks for any words of wisdom, hope or from anyone who has had tthe experience of being exposed this way but not gotten infected.  THANKS SO MUCH!

[jmjm530]

Sorry, I read it wrong. Sounds like you're saying your four-year old child was cut with a Hepatitis C infected razor? If the razor didn't have blood on it, your child will be OK. If there was blood on it, a very small chance of transmission. You will know more after the child is tested, but again, the odds are there was no transmission.

-- Jim

[passagrille]

i think 4 year old child.

[jmjm530]

I'm a little confused. How do you know the razor was infected? What do you think it was infected with? Why would someone keep a used razor for four years, infected or not? Maybe I'm missing something. But if the question is can someone catch Hepatitis C from a razor infected four years ago -- my understanding is that the virus cannot live outside of the body for anything close to that.

-- Jim