hcv and pct

[Mommyof3_79]

I have hcv type 2 and I also have pct and I was wondering if pct is contagious??

[GSDgirl]

Hi, I had PCT myself.  I had 5 phlebotomy's in 10 weeks to get my ferritin (iron) down. I started treatment the next week.  I was also geno 2B.  I have been virus free for 3 years now and the PCT will not come back as long as the initial problem (hep C)is fixed.  I just asked my dermatologist this last month.  The PCT itself is not contagious.  

It was worst on my hands and I used vet wrap with gauze underneath to keep it covered.

Any amount of sun will bring on more blisters.  I wore gloves, a UV resistant long sleeve shirt and a stupid floppy hat for the hottest 10 weeks of summer.

Good Luck.
Denise

[Mommyof3_79]

  Thank u for your concern and for your advice it has been very helpful!!!! I will continue to stop in and read the comments other people post and I hope u are right!! Im gonna beat this thing!! Thanks again!!!


   :o) :o) :o)

[Bill1954]

Hi again,

I had genotype 1, and had to treat for a long time; my treatment lasted for much of four years. However, my last injection of interferon was in August of 2008 and the virus is gone; it won’t come back.

I think perhaps some of the confusion surrounding this that while the active virus can be defeated, we will always continue to test positive for Hep C antibodies. This is okay; antibodies aren’t harmful, they aren’t contagious, and are a product of our immune system; they are sort of like ‘fingerprints’.

This antibody thing confuses people, and they think that when they clear the active virus, they should also clear the antibodies. Don’t worry about them; only concern yourself with getting rid of the active, HCV RNA virus.

Stop back tomorrow; we have a pretty decent group of folks in here. Continue to read, talk to others like me, and you’ll eventually get rid of the HCV; tens of thousands have already.

Hang in there, and have a good evening,

--Bill

[Mommyof3_79]

Thank you so much for your help and advice, I am getting mixed advice from other individuals and it is very helpful to get advice from someone other than family members whose advice would be influenced because by concern.

yes I did have a hard time and maybe u are right, maybe my care wasnt managed well, i am now seeing a different doctor and we have a new plan and I am hoping for a better outcome this time.  I am still very scared and I have been told that u cannot cure this disease, but I hear people say they are free from it after treatment, maybe I am reading it wrong but thats what It sounds like people are saying, I really hope that it is true and u can cure it or even get it to a much manageable level, all I know is right now it seems unbearable and  very crippling.  these blisters are also very troublesome, iam having to constantly worry about passing this horrible thing to my family just by a simple handshake and I am very grateful for the advice that u have offered. I am definatley gonna seek a treatment for this.

                  thanks again so much

[Bill1954]

Hi there, mommyof3_79’s mother-in-law :o)!

I don’t believe the PCT itself is contagious.

I do think there is a remote chance that having HCV and at the same time having open sores or wounds increases the risk of transmitting the Hep C though. And for this reason as well as for the risk of passing other diseases such as bacterial infections, it’s a good idea to be careful with open sores of any kind. Bandage or cover open blisters and sores and it should help.

I’m sorry to hear you got so sick from your last treatment; it sounds as though you might not have been managed too well. The oral drug ribavirin that you took can cause ‘hemolytic anemia’, and this might have been what you experienced in the past; this would explain why you took two units of blood.

If you are tested regularly during treatment, it’s possible to avoid this condition by using other drugs. The drug ‘Procrit’ boost production of red blood cells; prescribed in a timely fashion, it helps keep patients from getting too sick, and allows them to maintain full dose HCV drug compliance.

Stop back in here tomorrow sometime; perhaps others will add their thoughts to your post here and share their experiences as well.

Good luck to you, and welcome to the discussion group,’
‘
--Bill

[Mommyof3_79]

Yes my daughter in law did post in my behalf, actually right now I am telling her what to type and she is typing it, ( I am not computer savy and I cant type at all)
'
Yes someone told me that pct was contagious and I should keep the blisters covered, i guess what u are saying is if someone has a open wound and I touch them with a broken blister I could pass the pct to them??? Or will I pass the HCV to them this all very confusing and I am having hard time making sense of it.

I underwent treatment but fell into a coma after 12 weeks of treatment and had to have 2 pints of blood after being in coma for 11 days.  So i am very scared to undergo treatment again. Doctors are telling me I should try again.  I am very scared for my life and am just wondering who has experienced something similar and what their outcome was and if the treatment was a success.

How bad are the side effects and are they controllable any advice would be greatly appreciated
                                    thanks so much

[Bill1954]

Hi there,

Was that your daughter-in-law that just posted in your behalf?

The PCT isn’t contagious in itself; but if you’re infected with HCV, the blisters are messy and you might (big might) inadvertently pass the HCV on to someone else. Try to keep the blisters covered, especially if they’re open and weeping. The likelihood of passing the HCV on to someone else like this is remote, but we want to do everything we can to ensure the virus ends with us.

I’m not personally familiar with Porphyria; however, I think it can be managed by phlebotomy, and sometimes medication. If you successfully treat the HCV, none of this will be an ongoing issue.

Good luck, and welcome to the discussion group,

Bill