Help needed from experts on Hep C / B

[samawalta]

Hi,
It was an interesting ride . I had maliase and tiredness a year ago with slightly elevated AST/ALT of 80/50 Doctor suspected Hep C/B and was tested for them. Hep B antibody came with a positive and Hep C antibody with negative. On subsequent testing of Hep C RNA and Viral count. The count came back as zero and based on other parts of the test doctors said false positive and I moved on. The ALT/AST tests showed below normal a week later ie  less than 35/25 .I recently went to a barber and he clipped my ear and it has started a rigamarole of fears firstly whether the barber clipper can cause hep c. The barber swears that he uses clippericide and cleans all his tools in the night. He also said there was not one more person clipped with these tools for atleast 4-5 months.. Now i am freaking out about whether i can get Hep C or whether the doctor missed hep C earlier because it was acute.. Please let me know if you have any thoughts.Ps the only risky behaviour is that i went to dentist 4 years ago but since then donated blood and did not have any issues..I also did a bunch of moving withsome movers and am freaking out whether the movers had a cut and it passed to me some how a year ago. Thank you and god bless.

[AWorriedMom]

The thing about hep C is that even if you clear the virus on its own, or if you clear it because you have treated, you will always test positive for the antibodies. So, if I understand you, you were negative. The average person will show antibodies about 4-10 weeks after exposure. The ALT/AST can be elevated for many reasons. Did you drink alcohol?  Did you take any medication such as tylenol? You are normal now with no antibodies. You are likely fine.

[samawalta]

Sorry, The viral load for HEP B RNA test was negative after a Second negative Antibody test. Now i was worried about HepC whether it was Acute Hep C at that time.Is the ALA /AST supposed to be high for Hep C acute phase ? because i had mildly high levels.

I understand your comment about Movers. Sometimes fear of the unknown gets better of people.

But thank you for taking time answering the question

[AWorriedMom]

I wish I could help but your post is a bit confusing. You say your antibody test for hep C was negative and then you say your viral load (RNA test) was negative as well. So where is the false positive coming in to play? If the antibody test was positive and the RNA was negative, then it may have been a false positive or an exposure and your body fought it off.

If you are still concerned about what happened at the barber, have another antibody test. It is possible to transmit hep C from being cut in the barber chair. However, if the barber is telling the truth, you do not need to worry. It is also considered a very low risk factor.

You do not give any information about the Hep B antibody testing It is much more confusing than hep C testing as different Hep B antibodies mean different things.

Your story about the movers makes me think that your anxiety is getting the best of you. If these diseases were THAT easy to transmit like the scenario you have with the movers, everyone would have hep C. I think you need to get more information about the Hep B, retest if needed, and talk to a professional to get help with your fears.