Confused

[llgcuz]

I am 37 years old, have been dealing with kidney disease most of my life. Now Im on dialysis and waiting for a kidney transplant. I have been called 3 times but not a match yet. First in Oct, then Nov. And now last in March. I have been through all the testing and had been cleared to go forward with the transplat when a good match comes forward. This last test in March I was in the hospital for the potential kidney and the Drs came in saying that I was showing Hep C+. You cant even emagine what I felt. I told them they had to be wrong. and demanded a second test. Hours later they came back and still it showed Hep C+. I automaically called the drs I had been dealing with to relook at past test and they all showed Negative. They did another test to see if it was really there and they said that it showed Negative that It was reactive only to antibodies. I cant understand how two months proir was Negative. and Now Positve to antibodies. They sent me to a specialist and she said that a some point between Jan and March I must have been introduced to the disease. I CAN NOT THINK OF ANYTHING that could cause this that I have done. They will retest in 2 months to see what it may show then. Apperently They will still do the transplant if they call. I dont know what to think of all this.  Confused

[llgcuz]

Thank you, I should of mentioned I do PD dialysis, nothing to do with blood. Really doubt it was the dialysis. Thanks again

[llgcuz]

thank you

[llgcuz]

The weird thing is Im doing PD not hemo dialysis, nothing to do with blood. SO Im pretty sure its not that. Thank you for your thoughts and concern. I go to the dr tomorrow. Lets see what they say.
Again thanks

[ceanothus]

Wow, what a harsh thing to have to deal with. I'm no doctor, but I also would have guessed that the dialysis machines could be somewhat risky - though I'm sure the people involved might have some interest in downplaying this risk. Please make sure that they take the next step in testing, and find out whether you have an active HCV infection or just antibodies. Approximately 15% of the people exposed to the virus are able to defeat it on their own and clear the virus. The rest of us develop a chronic infection and need to monitor our liver health carefully and consider treatment. I'm wondering if there's any chance of a third possibility in dialysis patients. This is probably not really possible, but a little part of me wonders whether the antibody itself could be passed by the machine, without the actual virus being passed. Maybe someone else on the forum would know that. At any rate, just make sure you are tested for the presence of the virus itself. Good luck, and come back anytime with Hep C questions.

[belle19]

good luck with your medical issues.  i am sending you prayers.  take care.  belle

[chainsawmaggie601]

God bless you. So young, and you sure have a heavy load. I have no answers, but you sure will be in my prayers. I am new to this hep c, and starting treatment for it this week. Good luck, and I'll be prayin for you.

[pooh55811]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I am sorry to hear of your medical problems.

You probably have done nothing to cause the positive Hep C antibodies ther than kidney dialysis. . The dialysis machines can cross infect people with the Hep C virus. About 15% of kidney dialysis patients have Hep C.

"Dialysis, also known as kidney dialysis or hemodialysis, is a medical procedure where a machine acts like a kidney and filters and cleans the blood. People who are on long-term dialysis (about 350,000 in the U.S.) have a significant chance of being hepatitis C positive (up to 15%). This is probably because dialysis units have many opportunities for cross infection and contamination if not properly used, cleaned and maintained. While dialysis is considered safe and is an important treatment for many people, if you're on long-term dialysis, you should get tested for hepatitis C."

http://hepatitis.about.com/od/prevention/ig/Who-Needs-HCV-Testing/Dialysis.htm