Hepatitis c b from tattoo symptoms

[apollowales]

Hello I had a tattoo done a few weeks ago and 2 weeks after i started feelling unwell and now worried I could have hcv or something, the artist did use new needles but I dont know if he cleaned the gun, would 2 weeks be to soon to have symptoms of hep virus abd how soon can I get tested?
Thanks for any help

[apollowales]

hey thanks for taking the time to reply, im going to leave it a few weeks before i get tested, apart from sharp pains in my lower stomach im feeling a little better today and to be honest i just think my anxiety as got the better of me and sent my head spinning with worry.
thanks again everyone for taking the time to reply and sorry for being such a pain
best regards c

[ceanothus]

If your symptoms are really problematic then you need to talk to your doctor to get a real diagnosis. None of us on this forum are doctors, just patients helping other patients. That said, I will venture to guess that if your symptoms were actually being caused by an active viral infection in your liver (which both B and C are) then your liver enzymes would be elevated in the liver profile test you had done. Infection itself doesnt always cause elevated enzymes and only very rarely causes symptoms, but I think if it was active enough to cause symptoms then it would probably also be causing an increase in enzymes. However, this is just my guess, and you'd need to check with a doctor. To be sure of whether or not you have been infected by Hepatitis C you would have to ask your doctor to order an HCV PCR test, which measures actual quantities of Hepatitis C virus in your blood. The more common antibody test only measures the antibodies to Hepatitis C that are produced by your body after infection, but it takes a couple of months after infection before your body will have built up antibodies. This fact in itself would also argue for it being unlikely that you even could have symptoms already if you were infected with Hepatitis C (I know very little about Hepatitis B). I'd guess it's more likely a run-of-the-mill intestinal virus that you have, but ask for an HCV PCR test if you are really worried. Best wishes!

[apollowales]

Would this be the same for hep b, iv had a slight temp, painful belly/diarrhea for 2 weeks now and started about 10 days after the tattoo so im realky hoping this is to soon to have symptoms, im just really really worried

[apollowales]

Hello and thanks for the replys, im not really sure what a PCR blood test is but I did have a routine blood test at the doctors last week and they did a liver profile test which came back ok 3 weeks after the tattoo, im not sure if this indicates anything?

[countrygirlcansurvive]

I for one have had HepC for almost 30years now and I didn't know I had it till 2005.No Symptoms what so ever till this year.I know that everyone is different.Statistic are there are about just as many ppl out there that don't even know they have HepC than there are that do. JMO

Good Luck to you,
  Country

[willbb]

HCV is for the most part an asymptomatic condition ,however some will develop symptoms during the acute stage.
If you are unsure  of your risk to exposure ( tattoing is a rare form of transmission) then have an HCV/RNA by PCR blood test .  two weeks past exposure will generally detect virus if you have been exposed. (as articled below)

Best...
Will

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets_pdf/Acute%20HCV.pdf

People exposed to the hepatitis C virus usually develop
detectable HCV antibodies within one to two
months after exposure. In the first two weeks of the
acute phase HCV RNA (viral load) quickly rises (5 to
10 million IU/ml [international units]), just before the
ALT levels starts to peak and symptoms start to appear.
The ALT levels will begin to rise as high as 1000Interestingly, the people who develop symptoms are
more likely to spontaneously clear the virus (naturally
rid the hepatitis C virus from their bodies). The reasons
that some people spontaneously clear HCV is not
completely understood, but some studies have shown
that a broad-based immune response by CD4 and
CD8 T-cells to the hepatitis C virus helps to eliminate
the virus.
IU/mL, indicating liver inflammation. If any symptoms
do appear they can last from 3 to 12 weeks after
exposure.
Only about one-third of people initially infected with
hepatitis C develop symptoms. These may include
flu-like symptoms, jaundice, fever, and nausea