That`s great news indeed kristy, what a relief it must be for you both!

That`s funny, a bit of wishful thinking going on there I think!  If only...!  

~ Jill xx

Update- my wonderful husbands test came back Undetected so this is great news.

He's funny though, says if he is not infected then he questions wether my positive test was accurate. I was positive for antibodies 20 years ago and showed a 700,000 VL 4 months ago. I think it is safe to say that I'm not doing this tx for no reason. Bless him xxx

My husband and I have been together 18 years, I've probably had the virus 20. He is very supportive and loving and never made risky choices. He went and had a test a couple of days ago. I am praying he is not infected, he says he's not surprised if he is and we'll deal with it together. Keeping positive, Fingers crossed- waiting to exhale.

Iris, you're right about that!  There was an interesting article in the LA Times yesterday about it.  

"Hepatitis C a latent legacy of baby boomers' youth"

I've only had time to scan it and will read it in its entirety later, but it points out that this is definitely a serious issue.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-boomers-hepatitis-20120502,0,4558891.story

nohcvforme wrote:

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Testing will bring you peace of mind. I had(!) the highest VL ever, and my family all tested negative.

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 Congratulations!  Isn't "had" a beautiful word in this instance?  I'm anxiously awaiting the day we can use it!

Super! I feel his relief and yours, too. There will be little things like this along the tx path that really make it better, if only temporarily. Worry and stress don't help.

I go to all dr. appts. with my husband (he had a stroke and has virtually no short term memory so it's the only way to know what's going on with his health and he prefers that I go with him). No doctor (GP nor hepatologist) has mentioned me or his ex(es) being tested.   He starts tx next week and I'll probably wait to be tested until he finishes tx just in case.  In a worst case scenario, I want to be "healthy" to help him during tx.

I need to do a LOT of research and reading but his docs told us that blood to blood is not the only method of transmission, that things such as poor bathroom hygiene among food preparers or servers is but one other method.  I mention this only as a curiosity because I keep reading the "blood to blood" statements on every reference source.

Thanks for your help!

Well, you wrote that none of your husband's docs suggested you test.  I hate to ask it, but did they say this to you directly or did that come from your husband?  It would not be unheard of for a spouse to be less than candid particularly if that spouse did not intend to treat the virus.  I would talk to my own doc about it.

Having said that, I don't find it unusual that a doctor would not recommend testing and this is why: First, you are in a low risk group for transmission.  Second, the diagnosis carries a heavy psychological burden and unless the patient wants to know, why test?  Third, docs test for infectious diseases based primarily on the recommendations of governmental agencies.  In the US, those agencies are the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH).  The CDC's information for health care professionals suggests the following persons should be tested:

• Persons who ever injected illegal drugs, including those who injected once or a few times many years ago.
• Persons who received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before July 1992.
• Persons who received clotting factor concentrates before 1987.
• Persons who were ever on long-term dialysis.
• Children born to HCV-positive women.
• Health care, emergency medical, and public safety workers after needlesticks, sharps, or mucosal exposures to HCV-positive blood.
• Persons with evidence of liver disease.

Spouses in long term monogamous relationships are not on the list b/c they are considered low risk.  In low risk cases, whether to test or not is a decision left to the patient and her doctor.

Being a person who is suspicious of governmental policies, I tend to think that US citizens have been under-tested in the past due to a lack of viable tx options.  An infectious disease causes panic.  Why panic the citizenry about a disease for which there is a lack of viable treatment?  I have no doubt that as the tx improves, a public awareness campaign and increased testing will follow.

Tx options have been limited b/c the government has not made hep c a priority in the past.  Drug companies have known for some time that there is big money to be made from tx, so the race is on. I also expect that with increased testing another discovery will be made.  That is, that hcv is transmitted via sex more frequently than we were led to believe. 

HCV, like HIV, requires blood to blood contact.  This can occur during sex.  The prevailing wisdom is that blood to blood contact is unlikely to occur in most long term heterosexual relationships. 

Thanks Brad & moptop.  I guess part of would like to know but I'm not overly concerned.  I had also wondered about his ex wife since they said he could have had this for 20 or 30 years before dx.  I appreciate you both taking the time to answer and wish you both all the best!

Elizabeth, My wife and I have been married 35 years, have 2 kids, and have not led a particularly sheltered life. I have had Hep C for at least 35 years, as long as we've been married. She did not, however, engage in the same behavior that I did. It was her doctor's decision to test and our joint decision that she should at least tell her doctor. She is clean, does not have it, and never has.

It is definitely not self-centered. I probably had more fear about having infected her than she had about being infected. I have done enough harm already. It was a huge relief for me.

Its a simple test that will eliminate all doubts. We have segregated all dental implements and anything else that might transmit to avoid any future concerns.

I'm new here and plan to read all topics as time permits.  My first question may seem a bit self-centered and I don't mean for it to but none of my husband's doctors have suggested that I get tested.  Is this normal?

Many thanks!