I need help PLEASE

[laylah]

My SO has been diagnosed with HepC...OMG...I am so scared! I have NEVER done needles and I was never promiscusous...I am so freaked!

Jenn

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Make an appointment with your doctor ASAP

Tell her/him everything and get tested, if that's what the doctor recommends.

Meanwhile, start reading about it. There are a lot of sites online, such as this one:
http://www.hepatitis-central.com/

[laylah]

3. Thank you...

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO scared~

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. And here's an online form of what to ask your doc

http://www.pegasys.com/have/questions.asp

Be sure to read my first post again to you for a link to more info.

[CTyankee]

2. Do you have a Planned Parenthood health center near you?

If so, please call them. If not, go on ppfa.org and find the nearest one to you and call them. Planned Parenthood has the most caring and honest staff I have ever known. I worked for them (not clinically, I raised money for them)and I know these people. They are the best!!

[laylah]

5. thank you!

:hug:

[Fleshdancer]

29. I second that

Planned Parenthood is the best...caring, non-judgmental and honest. Can't beat that when it comes to your health.

[Horse with no Name]

4. First of all...take a deep breath

Get yourself tested.
Hepatitis C can be spread by sex, but that is very rare.
Talk with your doctor, he will be able to advise you more thoroughly.
There are treatments out there for your SO.
Good luck.:hug:

[laylah]

9. You are

a dear. I am so fightened! I am too old to die :silly:

[Stephanie]

10. i believe it's transmitted by blood

so sexual transmission would be far less likely - right?

[Horse with no Name]

14. It *is* possible if the conditions are just right

but very unlikely.

[JackBeck]

34. Sexual transmission only accounts for about 10-15% of any new cases.

And you're right. It can only be transmitted through blood-to-blood contact.

So anal sex, fisting, S&M practices where there is blood involved can be considered risky behavior.

(I can't believe I have to stand up in front of a group of strangers three times a week and talk about fisting :blush: )

[Stephanie]

42. I used to do that on the GMHC hotline

It was years ago but I'm so glad I did it.

[CornField]

6. HepC, at least from what I understand, can stem from liver disease

Not always from blood transfusions, needles, plasma and so-forth. Other than that, I really have no advice to offer because I just don't know very much about the disease.

My husband is type 1 diabetic so I definitely understanding being worried about something that is out of my control. Hang in there and let me know if you someone to talk to (scream at) or whatever. :hug:

[EvolveOrConvolve]

23. I think HepC causes liver disease, not the other way around

I could be wrong, though. I don't know much about it either.

I do know that Hepatitis usually spreads through blood contact - tattoo needles, IV drug use, etc.

[JackBeck]

31. You're right. Hepatitis C can cause liver disease.

The word "hepatitis" is a general term that means "inflammation of the liver". The word comes from two Greek words: "hepato"=liver and "itis"=inflammation. Many things cause inflammation of the liver, since everything we eat, drink, breathe...gets metabolized in the liver. Specifically, with Hepatitis A, B, and C, these are viruses that use liver cells in order to reproduce. To clarify you post, evolve, every so slightly, Hepatitis C is only spread through blood-to-blood contact. And not only tattoo needles, and IV drug use, but even the ink used in tattooing can transmit Hep C if the blood from someone who is Hep C positive is in that ink. That's why it's important to not only have a fresh needle when getting a tattoo, but you see the artist open a fresh ink bottle, and not use a recycled one.

[kestrel91316]

39. Hepatitis C is a virus, a microorganism that CAUSES

liver disease. Liver disease does not "cause" Hepatitis C virus.

I think God "causes" viruses, or perhaps Mother Nature..........

[JackBeck]

40. I don't know if God or Mother Nature causes viruses but

I do know that our bodies have an amazing Immune System that fights off germs every day and that we live with germs in our body that our Immune System negotiates with all the time.

Did you ever have chicken pox? Did you know that if you ever had chicken pox that the virus still lives in us in our spinal chord?

[amerikat]

7. I once got a call from an ex girlfriend telling me she had hep C.

I got tested and was clean. So don't panic. Get tested asap. They will want to give a hiv test at the same time.

[Katherine Brengle]

33. OMG I had a scare like this once..........

when I was a freshman in college, I was dating this guy and his ex-girlfriend called him and told him she was HIV-positive. I freaked out--I was sitting in my car in the parking lot at the mall trying to figure out the best way to kill myself...

But instead I went to the hospital, got tested, came back clean, and carried on. (BTW, he was okay too.)

You're going to be alright. Just follow the advice that has already been given, and try to maintain your sanity. Life throws things at you and all you can do is duck and keep moving.

[blm]

8. I know a few people living with it. Stay calm and go to a doctor.

You can live with it just fine as long as you take care of yourself.

[laylah]

11. One of my

favorites...thank you! :hug: I am still very scared!

[blm]

22. Hey, does Pam Anderson look half bad to you? Really, laylah, alot of

people have it, and it all depends how you choose to care for yourself.

[ewagner]

12. Get tested get rid of the uncertainty

Sometimes crap this happens...

good luck

our thoughts are with your

[laylah]

15. Kicked 'cuz I need info AND support! n/t

[Whoa_Nelly]

16. Look at the posts again

There are links to info.

Don't just depend on people online in a forum.

Good luck! :hug:

[laylah]

17. thank you!

:hug:

[laruemtt]

18. my sister "had" hep C -

i say had because her LFTs have been coming back clear for five years now. get tested and take care of your health. keep the faith. this can be beaten.

[Mnemosyne]

19. It should be alright laylah. I lived with a man for 12 years

and he never told me that he had Hep C. When I was moving out I found a paper in a box of his by accident from the Red Cross dated 1989 (we got together in 1993)telling him they would not take his blood due to Hep C coming up positive. He never even went and had it confirmed by a doctor! He never mentioned it, not a word. Prick.

I was livid and terrified, but went and was tested. Nothing. It is fairly difficult to contract from sex. He has since been tested and is definitely positive.

You should start using condoms though if you aren't already to be safe and sure. And get tested to make sure you are clear and relieve the terrible anxiety you are having now.

Please relax. It will be alright. :hug:

PM me if you ever need to talk.

In peace and hope,
V

[laylah]

20. I am so sorry

for doubting my DU "family". Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your ideas, suggestions, and support. YOU FOLKS ROCK! :grouphug:

Jenn

[neweurope]

21. CALM DOWN! There is a CURE.

1) I've had it and, yes, it was sexually transmitted to my SO. Which is very, very rare, so please calm down, you must not have it at all.

2) Even if you have it that does not mean you have to die. My SO and I have been given treatment -I'll PM you. It was very hard on the system for a year but we are cured. Been tested ok for the last 4 years!

3) So please, please calm down. There is all the hope in the world! HepC is not a death sentence anymore!

--------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[JackBeck]

24. I do Hepatitis C workshops throughout NYC.

Hepatitis C is only contracted through blood-to-blood contact. In fact, it is easier to contract HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) than it is to get HIV. While 90% of those who have HCV have gotten it through IV drug use, a small % have gotten it through sexual practices. Again, there has to be blood-to-blood contact, so the more riskier practices, such as anal sex and S&M activities where blood may be present should be avoided. But with HCV, about 20% of the people who contract it spontaneously clear the virus.

Neweurope, I'm am thrilled to hear that you have an undetectable viral load, but unfortunately, at this time, there is no cure for HCV. The treatment you received for a year (possibly peg-alpha interferon shots and ribaviran capsules) MAY be a cure. But since these treatments were only developed in the 90's, we are not far enough out yet to know if this is a cure. It MAY be a cure, we just don't know yet.

The best thing to do,laylah, is to get tested and get vaccinated for Hepatitis A & B. There is no way of telling if someone has HCV by how they look (ie, Pam Anderson). HCV specifically attacks liver cells, but the thing about our liver is that it's the only organ that has the amazing ability to regenerate, or re-grow. So a lot of people who have HCV don't even know they have it until 15, 20, even 30 years down the line due to serious liver damage. Laylah, it's a good thing to know that you may have been exposed to the virus now, instead of at a time when your liver may be seriously damaged.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

[neweurope]

25. I agree with the advice you gave Laylah. BUT

don't tell me I haven't been cured. I will continue to get tested once a year, and I will continue to tell every nurse who takes blood from me to wear gloves. But I am cured and don't you tell me otherwise:)

With me it's even hard to say because my liver (even though I must have had HepC - from drugs - for probably 25 years) was alway o.k. But the SO who must have caught it from me had bad liver thingamajigs and everything is just dandy now. So at least with him it's more than an "undetectable viral load". I'm not shutting myself off to reason but Lailah has every reason to be optimistic! I was a guinea pig for the pharma industry and I do know that the result of that study was very, very good, over 90 % of my co-guiney pigs were cured.

---------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[JackBeck]

27. What's exciting about your treatment results, neweurope

is that yes, you may be cured. A second reading of my original post clearly states that fact. That's what really exciting about where the community is right now with treatments. And the fact that you and your fellow treatment participants continue to have undetectable viral loads speaks volumes. But the reality is, there is no official "cure". I'm not saying that you haven't been cured. You continue to have a sustained virologic response, which is what the goal is of HCV treatment. And there are many factors that play into how one responds to treatment. The genotype being a major player in treatment response. I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer at all, and have offered my knowledge and experience to layla, and anyone else for that matter, at any time they have a question or concern.

[neweurope]

30. Of course, and we do agree that we have every reason to give hope to

Lailah :)
I'm just somebody who received treatment - successfully - but you really do know things :)

------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[JackBeck]

32. Absolutely!

And I apologize if that sentiment didn't come across in my original post.

:grouphug:

[neweurope]

35. Not at all

:hug:
It's alway good to have specialists around!

------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to The Hague!

[Horse with no Name]

26. Very nice info

:applause:
Welcome to DU.:hi:

[Stephanie]

43. You say it is *easier* to contract HCV than HIV?

I would think it would be the opposite, if HCV is blood-to-blood while HIV could be semen-to-blood.

[JackBeck]

45. 150 -200 million people have HCV worldwide.

The Hepatitis C virus can live in blood, outside of the body for (conservatively speaking) 4 days, maybe even more. The HIV virus dies when it hits the air, or there soon after, possible a few minutes. If you are co-infected, one is more likely to infect another person with HCV than HIV. You bring up a valid point, as far as HIV transmission. But there is more HIV virus present in blood, than in semen.

[Stephanie]

47. 4 days!

wow. that's kind of scary.

[William769]

28. The best advice is what everyone is saying, See a Doctor

I wish you the best of luck. :hug:

[zalinda]

36. My son has HepC and going through treatment now

We have absolutely no idea how he got it. He never had sex and never had a needle except from a medical professional. But, the good news is, his liver function is getting better and the treatment seems to be working. He has good days and not so good days, but nothing too bad as yet. He gives himself the weekly shot and he says he can hardly feel the needle. He is losing some weight, but that in itself is not a bad thing for him.

Here's hoping that you don't have it, my son has not given it to his girlfriend of 3 years and the expert he's being treated by thinks that it would be highly unlikely.

zalinda

[JackBeck]

38. That's great news that your son's liver tests are improving.

The treatment can be frustrating but it sounds like he has a really supportive parent. Since all of us are different, we're all going to react differently to the treatment, but having a support network is really helpful.

The alpha-interferon shots that he is taking can be rough, but he sounds like a real trooper. Alpha-interferon is actually a chemical that our bodies produce naturally. You know when you get the flu or have a cold and you feel achy, or feverish, or just feel like crap? It's not the cold or flu that makes us feel that way. Our body automatically produces alpha-interferon in response to that cold or flu and it's that chemical that makes us feel like crap. So your son is boosting his body's alpha-interferon when he takes that shot which might make him feel achy or down. Some people do experience some side effects to the treatment and there are simple solutions to managing the side effects, such as taking his shot on a Friday night and resting all weekend, or taking ibuprofen for aches and pains.

I'm guessing that he's taking the pegulated alpha interferon. The pegulated is a protein added to the shot that makes it a time release dose. The original alpha-interferon shots were more intense and had to be administered three times a week, so this only goes to show that progress continues to be made with the treatment options for Hepatitis C.

[Heidi]

44. Welcome to DU, JackBeck!

:hi:

[JackBeck]

46. Thanks Heidi!

:pals:

[Obamarama]

37. First of all, take a deep breath...

I know this is MUCH easier said than done, but take a deep breath and try to relax. As others have pointed out, because your S/O has it does not mean you have acquired it from him.

This is a very frightening thing to be dealing with, I admit. But you will not do your S/O or yourself any good if you work yourself into a basket case. Try not to jump to conclusions or start dreaming up doomsday scenarios until you see a medical professional. That, you should do ASAP.

It's really hard not to completely let go and freak out. I've been through two cancer diagnoses myself, so I KNOW the places your mind takes you at times like this. You need to do something...anything to keep your mind occupied with something else if you can until you can see a medical professional. I'm not saying don't think about it - that would be nearly impossible. Just try to keep things in perspective until you know more, that's all.

Best of luck and keep us updated.

[laylah]

41. Thank you

all so very much :grouphug: I will be seeing the doc on Tuesday. In the meantime, I am taking those deep breaths and talking to my HP nonstop.

Jenn