New member & Lurking with a Question

[kate0417]

Hi,

This forum has been quite helpful.  I've tried to do a search to find all the answers I need before asking another repetitive question. :)  

Anyhows,  I'm a wife of a newly diagnosed Hep B (in an inactive stage thank goodness) patient.  The Gastroenterologist stated because of his ethinicity (Asian) he probably received it at birth.  We've been married for 10 years and infidelity, sharing needles wouldn't be his nature.  I am immune from vaccinations I've received.  Just a little intro to start out.  After reading through some posts, I am very relieved that my husband and I can still lead a normal happy life with diet modifications and constant 6 month monitoring

One question I have now are my kids.  One concern was answered cajim. (thank you!)  I did blood work on my kids both do not currently have the hep B, but my 2 year old do not have any antibodies to protect.  Anyone know why this is so, when he's received all his shots as a baby?

Also, any opinion on how do we approach family on this sensitive issue? my husband's family may have it and not know it.  My folks were easy to approach, and they are tested and are all negative (as I am asian also)

Thanks

[cajim]

but my 2 year old do not have any antibodies to protect.  Anyone know why this is so, when he's received all his shots as a baby?

--He probably is immune but was not tested soon enough (1 to 2 months after the third shot).  If you want to see HBsAB(+) to feel sure, have him go through the vaccination again and test HBsAB 1 to 2 months after the third shot.  My 7 year-old son did that.

any opinion on how do we approach family on this sensitive issue?

--Agree with zellyf and I think education of self and all people related is the best way to deal with fear.

[kate0417]

Thanks for your advice and encouragement.  I will definitely have my husband (not me yea) to speak to his family about this.

[zellyf]

It is common for antibody levels to taper off even though you might still be protected by the vaccine via something called "immune memory".  Your son not testing for antibodies does not necessarily mean he is a non-responder but probably means that you didn't know to have his antibody levels tested (titer) within 1 - 2 months from finishing the series.  Some doctors recommend giving a booster and then testing again.  Some recommend repeating the series and then testing.  Two of my children repeated the series for this very reason.

Your husband's family needs to know b/c they lived with him.  I was the first in my family to test positive during a routine pregnancy screen.  My parents both tested negative.  Because I am Asian it is still assumed that even though I don't appear to have been infected vertically (at birth), I was probably infected during infancy in Asia where I was treated in hospitals and vaccinated. However, b/c I was not infected vertically we did not test my brother...he was born in the States.

Big mistake.  I have not revealed here yet that last year my brother, on a whim, got tested.  He is also positive.  That means he was likely infected by me when we were kids.  Children have impossibly high viral loads and are highly infectious.  So, your husband likewise would have been highly infectious at a time when he would not have know he had HBV.  

My brother, is fine, we are still trying to figure out his staging but he recently had a biopsy that miraculously showed no fibrosis and no inflammation.  It was a very, very low point for me last year.  I really wanted to be the only one in my family to deal with this. So, for the sake of their health, please desensitize yourselves and just approach them calmly and armed with facts.  Good luck to you and please let us know how it goes. I'll be thinking of you.