Hi,I just got back my antibody test results and they were reactive to the Hep C virus.My liver enzymes are perfect and have been every year, I get annual bloodwork done yearly and they have never been elevated, I was on a medication which can damage the liver, Can't remember the name right now, it is for toenails. Begins with an L maybe? Thank God, my husband of nine years is not positive also.
My questions are:
I would have to have gotten this ten years ago when I was 19 or 20 years old, in all that time we have had totally unprotected sex, shared everything, etc. Is it odd or normal that he did not contract it?
Is it possible that I was exposed all of those years ago and fought it? Does that happen often?
Do liver enzymes usually show up abnormally within 10 or 11 years?
I just went for a PCR test yesterday and was told it will take 2 weeks to come back. What a LONG two weeks it will be.

Thanks for your help!

Beth

Beth, keep cool
I am not an expert, but I think that to live with Hep C for ten years with negative results of blood test is not very common.
Please, wait and don't panic
(though I know it is easier to write it than to do it)

Petr

Beth,

I contracted the virus over 30 years ago. Had no specific symptoms and all my blood tests have always been very normal. I only found out last year that I had the virus, and as often happens was found when other blood tests were run.

Alice

To Alice: Hi,
talking about blood test, can you be more specific? I mean: people with HCV usually (not always) have elevated liver enzymes (ALT, AST). The question is, if this so-called "liver test" is standard or not.

In my case - I contracted the virus probably in the same time as you did. I knew for several years, that "something is wrong" with my liver (i have got elevated enzymes), but the virus itself was not known till 1989.

Petr

Hi

Sure, My ALT and AST have been in the normal range my entire life. The only symptoms I had were chronic fatigue that got worse over the years and bouts of mysterious fevers in the years between 5 and 10. I had an excellent doctor who worked very dilligently to find out why I was so tired, etc. He ran all kinds of tests and sent me to a variety of specialists. Finally he simply admitted he had no idea what was wrong. At least he didn't tell me it was all in my head as usually happens at that point. There are other blood tests that if abnormal and in conjuction with other abnormals could point to liver problems. These also stayed within the normal range, although at times a high normal. The greater majority of doctors still do not understand that one can have normal ALT and AST while liver damage is going on. It's not enough at one time to cause alarm, but over the years, the damage becomes apparent. In my opinion, if a person has any risk factors such as blood transfusions before 1991 and unexplained chronic tiredness, they should be tested for antibodies to hepatitis C. I know I would have been a little kinder to my liver over the years if I had know the virus was present.

Alice