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Post Info TOPIC: Trying to understand
IHeartBentley


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RE: Trying to understand
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Thank you for the response Steff.  I originally approached my doctor with these questions, but the answers that I got were very vague and didn't seem to directly address my questions.  I had my liver enzyme tests done today, and also am being checked for immunity to Hep A & B, so hopefully I'll have some better answers after those come back.  That will also hopefully give me a chance to clarify things with my doctor.  I realize now that you're right, it is slow-going with Hep C, and that I need to be patient...I'm just not very good at that yet! lol

Thanks again to you and Jill for your responses.



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greenqueen


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Hi Sarah,

These are all questions you should be asking your medical team or doctor. It's unlikely you'll be able to pinpoint when you got he virus, so the best thing to do is wait for the results to see if you still have it and take it from there. Things move slowly where Hep C is concerned, so patience is one thing that's worth cultivating if you want to avoid unnecessary worry.

There is also a "search" box at the top of the page, which is useful for any specific topic and the "Knowledge Base" has a lot of useful info.

All the best

Steff xx



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Geno 3a. 24 wks tx 20/10/05 - 06/04/06. Achieved SVR.
IHeartBentley


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Hi Jill, Thank you for your informative and kind response. Hopefully I can patiently await future test results in order to understand my situation. (Patience is not my strong suit, especially if it means i'm kind of left in the dark). I've been racking my brain trying to think of how I contracted the virus, i've been pretty careful in the last 7 years or so, compared to my late teen years where I could have come in contact during a tattoo in Mexico, or intanasal drug use. But I don't see how I could have contracted it recently. Do you know if there is a way to find out how long ago I could have gotten the virus? I know a lot of people never know why or when or how...I'm just hoping there's a chance that I can put the puzzle pieces together to give me a bigger picture. Thank you, Sarah

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Cinnamon Girl


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Hi Sarah, welcome to the forum, sorry we haven`t replied to you earlier.  It is a confusing situation and all I can do is offer my opinion.

It`s difficult to say what exactly is going on but it makes sense that your doctor will want to monitor your viral load until a clearer picture emerges.  I would say that it could be possible that you had an acute Hep C infection and your immune system has cleared it, but on the other hand it can take several weeks and up to 6 months from the time of infection for the virus to multiply to a level which can be accurately measured.  It`s only then that you can be considered to have a chronic infection.  It is also possible for laboratory error to occur.  In the meantime I think your doctor is right in saying that you should act as though you can infect other people where blood to blood contact is concerned. 

Wishing you all the best of luck, keep in touch and let us know how it goes.  ~ Jill



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Jill 

(71 yo, lives in UK)

Was Gen 3a, 

24wks Peg Ifn/Riba, Sep 2010 - Mch 2011

UND @ Wk.4, UND @ EOT, 

SVR Nov 2011 --> Still UND @ EOT + 4 yrs.

 

 
IHeartBentley


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I posted this: "Monday I was told that I tested positive for Hep C. Today I received an email from my PCP saying that my HCV RNA Quantitive test came back undetected but that I need to do labs every 3 months. Does this mean I may have had an acute case and am in the clear or do I need to expect that things could change later on? I appreciate any guidance that is offered!" in the General Discussions part of the forum earlier today, but started thinking it would be better suited here. I'm just trying to get a grasp on where I'm at in this whole thing. Will I not know if I'm chronic unless the RNA test detects the virus? My doctor told me that I can still infect people if there was that blood to blood contact. I thought if someone spontaneously cleared the disease that meant it was done, over, finito, no worries. Maybe I don't fully understand the term "spontaneously cleared", does that not mean that you'll never have it detected again? Will someone please help me understand what to expect now that I know I have Hep C antibodies but no detectable virus?

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