Potentially Hep C infected :(

[lazydaez]

Hi all,

I'm new to the community and honestly, i haven't given Hep C much thought till yesterday. I recently went for a routine blood test as part of my pre-employment medical checkup. The results came back and I am weakly reactive for Hep C. Im feeling really scared now cause i know i have to get more confirmatory tests done and my appointment is only 3 weeks from now, which means i live in the unknown for the next 3 weeks. I just graduated and was supposed to be an occupational therapist. With me potentially being infected, im not sure if i can continue working in healthcare. so scared :(

[lazydaez]

thanks for your responses guys, im worried because it was stated in my employment contract that the job offer was conditional upon adequate health clearance, including being clear of Hep B and Hep C. i live in Asia, so im not sure if the policies here are different.. also as this is a pre employment medical checkup, the company has chosen a specific clinic to conduct the tests. because of this, i cant contact the doctor directly and the nurse has scheduled me for an appointment 3 weeks from now. she said the results would take about a week... perhaps i should call the clinic up again to clarify...

[copyman]

call the doctor and ask if he can order the additional blood test (PCR) so they will have the results when you go in 3 weeks. The test can take up to 2 weeks for results. So rather then wait another 2 weeks after seeing the doctor you could have the results then.

Best of luck

[SusieS2010]

You absolutely can work in any field you choose. Many healthcare workers are infected due to their exposure to blood in the healthcare setting.

If you want to know sooner than 3 weeks, can't your primary care physician just draw blood for an HCV/RNA by PCR test (viral load test?).