when does the Hep C virus become inactive? Like in dried blood?

[BlueSkies]

My highschool boyfriend has Hep C.  Type A1 and has gone through tx 2 times and relapsed both times and the times he took it, it was the 3 times a week shot of Interferon!  He has just decided to live with Hep C and wait for an easier tx.  
He owns a construction company and works hard....physically.  2 week ago, he came to my house and helped me on a remodeling a bathroom.  When he left that night, I noticed blood droplets (dried) on my new tile floor.  without thinking, I just wet a paper towel and cleaned it up.  I realized from the copper/iron smell it was blood and got so angry at him for being so inconsiderate!  
I am SVR for over 6 years, had type 3A, and I damn sure don't want to accidently re-infect myself!  I could have stepped in it when it was fresh, and was barefoot most of the time in the bathroom, helping him.  
How long does the virus stay active in fresh blood is my question.  I have already called and cussed him out big time about it.  He just seems to forget he STILL HAS IT!  And he told me he cuts himself ALL THE TIME in his work!  This makes me crazy.
Anyone on here know?  I could look it up elsewhere, but I have a feeling you fine folks will know!
peace,
Blueskies

[Ganja63636383]

My mom had hep c in the early 80s and it became inactive and 2 months ago it has now becone active so I would ask your doctor.

[Rockerforlife]

My study nurse told me in her over 20 years of treating hep C (it was called non A and B),all the thousands she cured,not one has relapsed after one year of clearance,its very rare,i think its one out of a thousand world wide

[alagirl]

He owns a construction company and works hard....physically.  2 week ago, he came to my house and helped me on a remodeling a bathroom.  When he left that night, I noticed blood droplets (dried) on my new tile floor.  without thinking, I just wet a paper towel and cleaned it up.  I realized from the copper/iron smell it was blood and got so angry at him for being so inconsiderate!  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Being so inconsiderate as to help you remodel?  As much as people worry about random contact with blood, to date I've never personally seen nor heard of a case of hcv where the etiology was thought to be cleaning up spilled blood or just having skin contact with blood.  There has to be a vehicle that brings the blood into contact with someone else's bloodstream.  Leaving used needles lying around on your floor would be hazardous should you step on one of them.  But I don't see a great deal of risk in someone cutting themselves and having some blood hit the floor.

Also, the most recent research suggests that the liver is not a reservoir for the virus after SVR.  Successful treatment to the point of reaching SVR is considered a cure, not a remission.

[mikesimon]

Cured? Maybe we really are.

"...Results: The median duration of follow-up was 4.0 (0-10) years.
Serum HCV-RNA remained undetectable in all patients. The mean HCV
antibody OD were 93 ± 19 and 45 ± 21 before therapy and in the last
available serum sample respectively (P = 0.001). There was a marked
decrease in the HCV antibodies directed against the NS3, NS4 and NS5
proteins (P = 0.001), while the core protein titre remained strongly
positive. The 23 control patients were followed for a median of 5
(2-14) years. The mean HCV antibody OD were 65 ± 14 and 64 ± 19 in the
first and the last measurements, respectively (NS), and HCV antibody
titres for structural and non-structural proteins remained unchanged.
Conclusion: This long-term study evaluating 157 patients demonstrated
that SVR assessed by TMA is durable, and HCV antibodies were markedly
decreased (mainly those directed against the non-structural proteins),
emphasizing an absence of ongoing infection. These results strongly
suggest that HCV infection cured in patients who achieve an SVR."

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/706006?src=mp&spon=3&uac=39980BG

[nygirl7]

bill,

Heck I work in the beauty business and almost chopped my finger off with a box cutter opening a box one day.....spurting everywhere and all I could do was scream 'STAY AWAY FROM MY BLOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' at the top of my lungs.  The people all knew I was on "chemo" so they thought it was a bit strange and I was like "I don't want any of the poison to get onto you from the chemo!!!!!!"

ha what an idiot.  But I didn't let anybody help me clean it up even with my finger wrapped in a towel waiting to go the hospital.

I think we all tend to get some pretty bad boo boo's no matter where we work (although my x was in construction and he did chop his finger all the way off...I don't think he stopped to clean upthe blood though as they rushed him to thet ER).

;)

[Bill1954]

I agree with you that he should be courteous about leaving blood around… it’s just not a good thing to do, regardless of his HCV status; blood is just plain dirty.
However, I worked in construction for many years, and it’s sometimes impractical to be fanatical about this. We should do the best we can given the circumstances, and go from there.

Congrats on getting rid of the HCV- what a nice accomplishment. Take care—

Bill

[jdwithhcv]

Maybe he should just wear a haz-mat suit when he helps you remodel your bathroom!

[nygirl7]

Yeah I just don't get why anybody - hepc positive or not - would be leaving blood all over anywhere.  Tell him even if he does get "cured" it's not a really nice thing to do.....if someone left blood all over my work place I'd be pretty pissed off about it - even if it wasn't contagious.

[jdwithhcv]

"I want him to be more aware of just leaving blood all over his construction sites!"
------------------------------------------------
So, tell HIM this.

Congratulations on being cured.  I am also!

[nygirl7]

You will never be "cured". "

Sorry but I am cured I am not in remission of anything.  You are too.  If you don't have the virus show up for a few years you don't have it anymore end of story.

The doctors have long ago changed their opinion on this.

Either way if the virus is somehow hiding say in my big toe (compared to my blood LOL) and it does nothing and my liver enzymes are perfect and my liver is healing then that says cured to me completely.

But remission - no it will never be "back" because I don't believe after 72 weeks there is anything to come back and that would be remission.

[BlueSkies]

I know this, nygirl7, but I want him to be more aware of just leaving blood all over his construction sites!  There could be someone there with a cut on THEIR hands/fingers/toes!  And if they got fresh blood from him into a fresh cut of their own, well, there you have it!  I told him to carry around Clorox wet wipes with him on all of his construction sites....just to be careful of others.  Construction guys cut themselves all the time on nails, wood, etc....I am so mad at him for this.
I cleared back in November '02, and every year get a PCR done.  So far, I am still clear.  Thank God.  I have read your posts, and you say you are "cured".  You will never be "cured".  Your virus is in remission, sleeping in your liver, not replicating.  Mine is too.  Let's all pray we stay that way.
peace,
Blueskies

[cb867]

the Roache rep. told me it could live in dried blood 2 dys and in a moist environment ie razors, needles ect. 5 dys

[nygirl7]

it can live for days but the chance you were infected are slim to nil - it is a blood to blood borne disease...it can't just enter your skin by magic or something like that.

[BlueSkies]

He has type 1A, not A1...it really has been a LONG time since I have talked about it.