What test? sick of the worry

[Tomtom27]

hello everyone.

i have a health anxiety disorder and without a test thats 100% conclusive my anxiety eats me up. i developed abdominal pain right side, maybe due to stress. im on the high end risk of hep C when it comes to sexuality im bisexual. last exposure being 2010. i never been so frightened its driving me mad.

i bit the bullet and went to doctors,

liver function test normal (he said dont worry about it), but im in pain?
i decided to end the agony and get tested

Hep C antibodies negative
hbsag-negative
ant hbc total, negative.
anti hbs positive (vaccinated)
hiv negative.

i felt good for a minute then worried again because of the 95% test rate, i put myself in the 5% it missed or didnt detect. two months later another liver function test and liver ultra sound normal.

i decided to get another hep C test.
Hep C anti bodies negative.

all the time i have the pain i cant believe the negative result, im well out the window period of 6months but no dout i probably didn't produce enough to be detected.

my doctor thinks im over reacting but because this has snowballed this far i feel there is know way out.  

What test is there tp be 100% and i can put this to rest.

many thanks everyone

[Idyllic]

Hey glad to hear it and thanks for following through. Keep in mind the antibody will always be present. So if for some reason you test for HCV antibody again that it will show positive or reactive.

But, you being PCR negative means you are one of the lucky 15% who cleared the virus on your own. :)   :)

[Tomtom27]

Hi all.

Just an update. My PCR RNA test was normal (not detected).

Very stressfull few months.

Thank you for your help. Wish you all the best of health.

Tomtom

[Tomtom27]

Thank you all for the posts.

I will be having therapy for my disorder but my only way to move on is to have a conclusive test.

I am sorry for posting and you all probably find it annoying.

I just hope its not a false negative x

[Idyllic]

I don't normally comment on anxiety posts but since you came right and said it ("i have a health anxiety disorder.") then maybe it is time to see a doctor that specializes in what is really going on with you (behavioural health specialist) rather than a doctor who looks for things physically wrong. I mean Hepatitis C is largely asymptomatic so it is unlikely you would even experience the pain you describe if you were infected. And you know you are not.

You have taken a giant first step by admitting your anxiety keeps compelling you to have needless testing. I'm no expert but perhaps figuring out what drives your compulsions rather than a way to continuously feed them might allay your anxieties.

Best of luck

[runsincircles]

If it were me I would put it behind me for now.  Approach it from another angle.  Tell your dr you're in pain and you want to figure out why.  The more you insist on more tests the less he's gonna listen to you.  I went through 6 different specialists for recurring abdominal pain and ended up with a very surprising diagnosis.  If you just have to have another one and live in the U.S. then donate blood.  They have to test the blood for many things including hcv.  This is actually how a friend of mine found out they had it, which prompted me to get tested.

[BoceprevirGal]

   The test they used on me was called "Hepatitis C Virus RNA Quant by PCR", and it is a more expensive test, than the Hep C Antibody Screening Test.
   I hadn't known that the antibody test was only 95% acurate,  and since you didn't post a link, showing that data, i will have to investigate that myself.
  But then, you took two antibody tests, so that would cut the 5% statistic in half, wouldn't it?
  If you are having multiple partners it's just so much easier to wear a condom