symptoms

[Jakied]

I have a q for anyone who would like to share their experince with Hep C.

What was your first symptom?  Dark urine/light stool/abdominal pain etc.  

Also, if you know hcv was transmitted to you, would you share that with us?

Thanks to all and I will say a prayer for all the brave 'heppers' at Mass tomorrow.

[sizzy]

I'm 62 (just turned) Like so many other people it was routine yearly physical that brought up the question. I did have what was labeled Hep A back in the 70's from clams. But who knows now? I also was a nurse for a long time. I also drank to excess,espeially when I was younger and I did drugs. I also had unprotected sex when I was younger. I also took care of my Dad (stepdad) before he died of end stage liver disease and I was cleaning up his bloody urine before we knew he had Hep C. Who knows. For me I had to come to some sort of peace in myself that whatever the hell brought this on. It's here now. I found that a lot of people in the medical profession love to jump on the whole drug thing. I got tired of explaining my f------ life hx to people. It was all behind me. My dad never got
the whole jaundice thing right up to the end. The also are finding that there are many other ways that this disease can be contracted. My dad had Malaria during the war and they found that a lot of guys wound up with this 30- 40 years post war. I have genotype 3a..easy to Rx but now can't do the RX. I was at a 2 inflammation and a 3-4 fibrosis on my liver biopsy last year. Have no idea right now where I'm at. One thing about Hep C in my opnion is that it is it is the expect the unexpected disease. Since it is outdoing HIV 4 to 1 and still not that much know to the general public the next 10 years will be interesting. Good luck and may God Bless us all

[alagirl]

I guess anyone reading the thread I submitted knows that I know exactly when I was exposed.  I am probably one the really rare people who has two years worth of backup tests that show I am negative for hepC (actually, for the entire hep panel) all the way up to 6-21-07, which is when I had my last negative test.  Then I was raped by an IV drug user on 7-1-07.  I began to feel ill about two to four weeks later.  Actually, and this is really strange - my first sign of something weird was about three weeks out and it had to do with my skin.  Now, granted, I wasn't bathing well or taking very good care of myself because hello --- I had just been raped.  Mostly I was just sitting around the house with a bunch of loaded guns.  However, one day about three or so weeks after the rape I reached down to rub my leg and several layers of skin came off, leaving a huge ulcer - kind of like a decubitus you would see on an elderly person who was not being care for properly? - It became infected and I have gone through two z-packs and it is still healing.  It was just so odd, and I just chalked it up to my skin degrading because I wasn't taking care of myself properly, but now I wonder...

Anyway, shortly after that, I began to feel nauseous, which has continued with a vengeance.  I am a migraineur, so I have plenty of phenergan but it does not help very much.  That is really odd.  Phenergan always takes care of my nausea.  I am just very sick to my stomach all the time.  Also, my stomach is quite bloated, also not something I ever deal with.  And I have a lot of pain under my ribcage.  It reminds me a lot of how I felt prior to having my gall bladder out.  I am also not urinating very much.  And that is very odd for me, particularly since I have high blood pressure and part of my medication is a diuretic.  My urine just seems very concentrated.  That's about it.  Nausea, abdominal swelling and pain.  Lack of appropriate urination.  Strange skin issues.  Lack of healing.  Oh yes, and horrible fatigue.  I mean, just outlandish.  Today I was going to go to the specialist and sit in his office until he saw me and I could not even get out of bed.  I have not been able to leave my bed in two days.  I am exhausted.

[stacyb321]

Ok - Ive been wanting to ask this question but didnt want to start a new post.  Ive had clay colored stools for months now and forgot to ask the doc about them.  I know its a sympton but how alarmed should I be?  I also read it happens in the acute stage - what does this mean?  does anyone else have this and will it go away?  what should i do?  the urine color is normal.  thanks for any help.

stacy

[Jakied]

Do you have a risk factor for hep?  Blood trans/organ trans/rough sex etc?  have you been tested for hep b and c?

the window period for antibody production for hep b is 5 weeks with the outer limit 10 weeks.

The window period for antibody production for hep c is 2 weeks to 26 weeks with a 50 day average.

It sounds as though you have had the 'light color stool' for a while, probably long enough to get an accurate antibody result.  Why don't you get tested for hep b and c?  call request a test, 1-888-732-2348, if you need to make an appt.

Do you have abdominal pain/joint pain etc?  there are other symptoms.  hope for the best.

[stacyb321]

Yes - I have Hep c.  I dont have Hep b - Im just wondering about the clay colored stools.  Does everyone with hep c have this?  Ive had them for months now .  Is it normal and what do they mean?  I just keep reading its a sympton - are they gonna stay that color?  Its just weird.  I read its a sympton in the acute stage - what does that mean?  Thanks - im still learning.

[meki]

Clay colored --- like gray?

Gray stools are bad stacy - tell your doctor.... Any white or gray is not a good sign. OK?

Tell your doc sweetie - it's important.

Meki