Aa
at least 35 yrs since possible exposure?
Hi
I was just told that I need to be tested for Hep C. I do have some off "liver function" tests, but the values are just a tiny bit outside range (for example, AST of 34 with a reference range of 8 to 30, ALT of 45 with a reference range of 7 to 40, alkaline phosphatase of 151 with a RR of 50 to 136)
All along my doc has been saying it looks like fatty liver disease (I am overweight)
Anyway she tells me that new guidelines suggest all ppl in my age group get tested. (I'm 58)
The thing is, IF I was exposed to Hep C, it would have been a very long time ago! I have not used any drugs of any kind in over 35 yrs. I did inject stuff and did snort stuff a very very few times between age 18 to 20, I have had STDs (can you get Hep C that way?) No blood transfusions, worked as a nurse's aid but didn't come into contact with blood that I can recall.
long story shortened a tiny bit LOL wouldn't I have had *something* show up before now? my slightly elevated liver test values are recent, just in the last two year. An ultrasound of my liver didn't show anything to be concerned about.
Does anyone actually go this long without having some idea that they might have been infected?
I was just told that I need to be tested for Hep C. I do have some off "liver function" tests, but the values are just a tiny bit outside range (for example, AST of 34 with a reference range of 8 to 30, ALT of 45 with a reference range of 7 to 40, alkaline phosphatase of 151 with a RR of 50 to 136)
All along my doc has been saying it looks like fatty liver disease (I am overweight)
Anyway she tells me that new guidelines suggest all ppl in my age group get tested. (I'm 58)
The thing is, IF I was exposed to Hep C, it would have been a very long time ago! I have not used any drugs of any kind in over 35 yrs. I did inject stuff and did snort stuff a very very few times between age 18 to 20, I have had STDs (can you get Hep C that way?) No blood transfusions, worked as a nurse's aid but didn't come into contact with blood that I can recall.
long story shortened a tiny bit LOL wouldn't I have had *something* show up before now? my slightly elevated liver test values are recent, just in the last two year. An ultrasound of my liver didn't show anything to be concerned about.
Does anyone actually go this long without having some idea that they might have been infected?
Best Answer
The treatment for Hepatitis C took 24 weeks. There is new and better treatment that can be only 12 weeks. What treatment you may require "IF" you do have Hepatitis C - Depends on your Genotype test results and current condition of your liver.
OMG, thank you Mrs.Sandi
May I ask, were you diagnosed with acute or chronic Hep C? Since you have the virus with no symptoms for 30 years, that is considered chronic Hep C right?
My blood transfusion was at 10 years olds, now I am 30 year olds, and no symptoms. Maybe I have the virus now inside me and not know, then I will be chronic Hep C, "cries"
I need go get tested. Primary care doctor say my ASL was on the low side, so didn't give me the Hep C test, darn him.
May I ask, were you diagnosed with acute or chronic Hep C? Since you have the virus with no symptoms for 30 years, that is considered chronic Hep C right?
My blood transfusion was at 10 years olds, now I am 30 year olds, and no symptoms. Maybe I have the virus now inside me and not know, then I will be chronic Hep C, "cries"
I need go get tested. Primary care doctor say my ASL was on the low side, so didn't give me the Hep C test, darn him.
My alt was 19, and my ast was 32, when I was diagnosed with hepc, genotype 4 last September. I contracted it back in the 70s also. IV drugs with a boyfriend for a short time.... stupid. He died of hepatic cancer a few years ago, so when I was asked if I had ever been tested for hepc, I said no, but I was at risk. Everyone thought, oh you probably don't have active virus, but I do. Luckily have good insurance that is paying for sovaldi, pegasus, and ribavirin. Am on week 5 of 12, first, and hopefully the last treatment I will ever need.
You can't always tell by the blood level numbers. Good luck!
You can't always tell by the blood level numbers. Good luck!
And to Rattybutt,
Yes, you can get Hep C from STDs.
I read that Hep C only transfer through blood and body fluid like when you have sex.
Hep C is not like Hep A where you can get it from dirty food or fecal. Most people with Hep A their body overcome it, but Hep C is the silent killer of the liver, as it can take up to 30 years to show symptoms.
Please let us know about your Hep C test result.
I need to get mine test too due to my blood transfusion in a third world country. The chance of me get Hep C is way more likely than you.
Hope your test just come out Negative on Hep. Best wishes.
Yes, you can get Hep C from STDs.
I read that Hep C only transfer through blood and body fluid like when you have sex.
Hep C is not like Hep A where you can get it from dirty food or fecal. Most people with Hep A their body overcome it, but Hep C is the silent killer of the liver, as it can take up to 30 years to show symptoms.
Please let us know about your Hep C test result.
I need to get mine test too due to my blood transfusion in a third world country. The chance of me get Hep C is way more likely than you.
Hope your test just come out Negative on Hep. Best wishes.
I'm sorry Mr/Mrs Rattybutt for reply to your thread, I have a similiar question about AST and ALT.
to Mr/Mrs kirk8,
How can tell by the AST/ALT ratio possibly indicate a viral Hep infection?
I have a major surgery which I recieved tons of blood transfusion 20 years ago. This was my native country (a third world country) which get me even more worried that I might have Hep, since third world don't scan their blood.
My AST is 17, and my ALT is 18
All my blood result is normal, except the AST of 17 is on the lower side.
Does this seem like I have a Hep infection for 20 years to you kirk8?
Thanks for your reply
to Mr/Mrs kirk8,
How can tell by the AST/ALT ratio possibly indicate a viral Hep infection?
I have a major surgery which I recieved tons of blood transfusion 20 years ago. This was my native country (a third world country) which get me even more worried that I might have Hep, since third world don't scan their blood.
My AST is 17, and my ALT is 18
All my blood result is normal, except the AST of 17 is on the lower side.
Does this seem like I have a Hep infection for 20 years to you kirk8?
Thanks for your reply
wow I can hardly wait to find out- Monday can't come soon enough
how long did it take to get rid of the virus?
how long did it take to get rid of the virus?
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My AST was normal. My ALT was only very slightly elevated, similar to yours. My Alkaline Phosphatase was normal.
"Will your liver be able to go back to normal or is that damage permanent? how does it affect your life now?"
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The liver does have the capacity to regenerate so I am hoping that mine will improve over time. I don't think my liver fibrosis (Stage 2) really affects my life currently. The severe fatigue I had prior to treatment is now gone. Many of the muscle aches that I had prior to treatment are now gone. I feel considerably better since I completed treatment and sustained a cure.
"I am always tired but my doc thinks that's due to depression and/or stress. I've tried to tell her that I'm depressed *because* I'm too tired to do what I want to but she's got in set in her mind that I'm depressed and that's that."
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Many (if not most) doctors seem to dismiss fatigue as nothing and don't seem to want to recognize fatigue as being due to something other than aging or depression or being too fat. My doctor told me I was just getting old and that was why I was so tired. I knew he was wrong, but it took pulling teeth to get him to listen to me and to order a liver panel. (Actually, it took 9 years to get any doctor to do liver enzymes on me even though mine had been elevated on and off during the 1990s. They said I did not need the tests.)
"To be honest, at this point, I don't know what to hope for- If it turns out I've got hep C but it can be treated and even cured, that actually sounds like a better outcome then being tired all the time and not knowing why."
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Well, I hope you do not have Hep C, but I do agree that, when one does not feel well, getting a diagnosis can be a relief. At least with a diagnosis one knows what is wrong and one can get treatment. Plus, as has been stated, Hep C can be treated and does have high cure rates. I feel considerably better and healthier than I felt prior to treatment. Treatment has really turned my life around. I have a lot of energy and can do many things that I was way too tired to do prior to treatment. I feel normal again. I have my life back.
Best of luck.