Please read, test results part 2

[lving4today]

So I recently just made a post not too long ago about my results from a STD test.

My mum just noticed that the last sheet of the results there was just one page dedicated to the Hepatitis C RIBA test and it said as follows:

Test:                                             Results:
Hepatitis C RIBA                           Negative

That's just more conflicting than before.

On the front page it said for those who didn't read it

Anti-HCV - Positive
Anti-HCV Signal/Cutoff - 1.50
Hepatitis C PCR - UNSATISFACTORY

And then the comments read - UNSATISFACTORY REASON FOR TEST - Hepatitis C PCR

Yet the final page was the RIBA test results that said negative.
Does this mean that it was actually performed? and that the nurse possibly didn't know what she was talking about?
God my nerves keep going from good to bad to good. I want certainty damnit.

[newleaf09]

Doctors are all specialized.  After the 4 year medical school, they branch into individual fields for more study and stop learning much more about the other fields.  Nurses tend to learn the field their doctor knows and may not be very helpful outside of that field.  Just a reality of modern medical practice.  Sorry it made for so much unneccesary anxiety for you.  Good luck with an easy tonsilectomy.

[lving4today]

Ah. Relief. I just don't get why the practitioner would leave out that oh so vital piece of the puzzle for me when it was obvious I was confused. If it weren't for my reluctant mother who also works in the medical field taking a second look at my results, I would've entirely missed that last page.

I still had my Doc order me some blood work which will further prove this for safety measures. But at least I can now enjoy my last meal before my surgery. Whew.

Quite thankful for this forum and the helpful people on it.

[Bill1954]

Hi there, Living—

Based on your description of the lab results, it appears you have tested negative for HCV RIBA. A negative RIBA result would indicate that you were never exposed to HCV in the beginning, and that the reactive/positive antibody result was indeed a false positive.

From what I understand, RIBA (Recombinant ImmunoBlot Assay) is very specific for presence of antibody; unlike the EIA/antibody report. The EIA test is relatively inexpensive, and is considered cost-effective for screening large populations; however it is prone to error.

If it were me, I’d confirm that the RIBA test *was* run, and that these are in fact the results. If so, you should be able to conclude that the antibody test was a false positive, and that further testing should be unnecessary.

A guarded but very optimistic congratulations to you,

Bill

[Jenny_Penny]

The RIBA test is performed to confirm whether the antibody test is a false positive. The fact that your signal to cutoff ratio is so low would lead one to believe it is a false positive. The RIBA test confirmed that for you. Stop worrying.