Possible hep??? Help

[scaredguy309]

Around October of last year I started sleeping unprotected with this girl off and on for four months. I already have genital hsv plus we even had sex during her periods. She has a tattoo. The only symptom I got was swollen lymph nodes. About February I got a soar throat for a week or two and then joint and muscle pains. I then tested positive with a high titre for mono. HIV neg. After a couple weeks, the symptoms died and I felt better except my liver or the right upper quadrant became tender and is still tender up to now (bout 2 months). I keep getting diahorrea off and on with lighter than normal stool. I've just did a hepb/c test but its gonna take time. I just wanna know my chances.
p.s. mono can infect the liver also.

[mj6000]

I understand you and am sure not judging you. Life is complicated with no easy answers and one size does not fit all. I also have always had an addictive behaviour..with sex and in the past with alcohol. At one time fantasy ruled,escapism ruled...Will power was nowhere to be found. I wish I had sought out extensive professional help. Today I am HIV positive because of my ways and also had to battle HepC. You are young and still have time to avoid some very serious problems. It is easy to block out the facts of disease and just go for it with sex,drugs or alcohol etc but tomorrow always comes. If you think you are worried now,just imagine how worried you will be if you come down with something very serious that you could have prevented yourself,then you'll have to live with fact you did it to yourself. Life goes on and other things will always happen to you though life only complicating it...physcally,mentally & financially. Finding out I had both HIV and HepC makes those little things like fantasy minor. You have a whole life ahead of you,take care of yourself..I wish I had of. I wish I had put more of my energy into securing a healthier,and more financially secure life instead of chasing fantasy.

[nygirl7]

I don't think anyone was being insensitive, just blunt and to the point. "

Especially scaredguy since we've already been through all of this with you.  And yes a lot of us in here have addictions and have had to battle through them to survive. We did eventually learn enough not to put ourselves in the same exact situation again - you need to learn this too.

Tough love is a hard thing but that's why it is tough. Next year hopefully you wont have to post up these same concerns yet again.

[Trinity4]

You realize many of us are addicts here too.  Your addiction and infectious disease concerns started back in '07 yet you continued to exhibit the same behaviour knowing full well you were putting yourself at risk.  A good analogy would be contracting hepc through IV drug use, educating our self on how the virus is transmitted in that way, going through treatment and curing and then resuming IV drug use without taking the necessary precautions of prevent exposure again.  You would be hard pressed to get anyone to understand the logic behind that. You're right, there is no excuse when we know we are putting our health at risk yet choose to do nothing about it.

There is huge stigma with hepc too. People automatically assume you were or are an IV drug user or very promiscuous because most people think hepc is transmitted sexually.  

I don't think anyone was being insensitive, just blunt and to the point.

Trinity

[spectda]

Many people do tackle there addictions because their health and personal lives deteriorate to the point where they stop, usually with treatment or twelve step. of course many don't. Not carrying condoms if you believe your a sex addict is more then just sex addiction. I personally believe that there is a choice at some point. That's why they have interventions, to force a choice.

I know from experience with many rehabs and withdrawal from heroin and valiums 30 years ago and coming close to death several times.  If living as an addict were acceptable to society and there was no negative response to behavior, not many people would make the decision to conquer their addictions.

[nygirl7]

The girl this all started with told me she did do hep tests and they were ok. "

The odd thing is most doctors don't just go around giving out hep tests for no particular reason and since HCV isn't an STD there would be no reason for him to give it to her or you without a real reason.

We have answered these questions before and again and now again. I hope that this time you learn something. Yes addiction is a powerful thing but as obsessed as you are about being infected you would think perhaps that would be a good detriment in the future and you might just spare a dollar on those condoms after all.

But then again some people never learn. And That's too bad.  You have all the answers so there you go.

[scaredguy309]

Interestingly enough I did get the hep b vaccine before I did the test because I needed it for med school. So am hoping I didn't get hep b to begin with cuz i know that vaccine won't help if i already had it.