seriously scared and in need of help!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bethford]

does hep c ever go away? or is it a permanent disease? please help, i am having a huge scare right now, i just found out that there is a pretty good chance I may have contracted hep c and i am literally in tears over the thought of having it.  HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!!!!                                                                                       Thank you very much,                                                                                                                     Scared young man  :(

[dixiechicdana]

I'm going to tell you like my sister told me once, "don't buy trouble". Meaning don't panic before you find out if you have it, and if you did get it you are at least getting it at the right time with all the great treatments available now. When i found out there were not many, and I did a lot as they came to get to this point. Don't worry...your life isn't over. Don't be scared and if you are still, we are here.

[crossroadsec]

I think we all go thru the stages of grief: shock, denial, bargaining, anger, n acceptance. You've gotten some good advice here. Fear is your enemy. There is not a better time in history to get hep c with all the new meds. Hang around here for a while... You'll learn a lot and find support. Karen :)

[lynda607]

20 percent of the population who are exposed to hep spontaneously clear the virus on their own (their immune system fights it off)  during the acute stage.  If this does not happen within 6 months, the virus is considered chronic and it does not go away on it's own.  Hepc is a blood borne pathogen and can't be transmitted through casual contact.  Infected blood must enter your bloodstream for infection to occur.

Depending on when you were exposed, it may take 3 or more months for hepc antibodies appear in the blood and show up on an antibody test.  However, if you are overly anxious and don't want to wait you can have a HCV RNA PCR done about 3 weeks after the time you think you were exposed.  The PCR is a very conclusive test and will tell you whether or not you are positive for HCV RNA .
Your family physician can order these tests and if the results are positive you should consult with a GI or hepatologist.  As info, it takes many many years before hepc causes advanced liver disease and in some people advanced liver disease never happens.

It's a step by step process so take the necessary steps to get the information you need.  

[Jo1970]

First get tested to find out if you truly have it.  Don't use your precious energy worrying over something that may not be.  Worse case scenario you have it and you would not be alone.  There are treatments available that many of us have started or are getting ready to start.  I HOPE you come back negative!!

[ninjamonkey]

Um trouble was meant to be to go get lol

[ninjamonkey]

First off breath! Second you shouldn't stress yourself out til you know for sure.  You need trouble get tested first and you need to wait this exposure just happened. This is a treatable disease odds of clearing are different dependent on genotype and you wont know that until you are tested and are sure you have hcv. I know those answers aren't very comforting but we wont know until you can get tested. When where you exposed Hun?

[JasmineT]

Don't panic.  It's pretty curable these days and in Many cases it clears itself up and does not become chronic.  It's also often not as transmittable as you would fear.  I lived with my husband for over 20 years and have had hep c for 12 to 30 years so plenty of exposure for him to me and he does not have it.  Go get tested and stop stressing.  Google some info on symptoms too.