Hi Lady, from reading all your ques here, it sounds like you're on a mad search to find out what your diagnosis is. I was the same way. I worked myself up into a frenzy, even convinced myself I was in acute liver failure and that I was going to die soon. Thankfully that was NOT the case. I think the Hep C would show up right away, the thing is, unless there's a reason to test for it, it wouldn't be tested for. Have you donated blood? I know they test for Hep C if you donate blood so you would have been notified if your blood was "tainted". (that's how I found out something was wrong with me, not Hep C, but elevated liver enzymes). Surely Hep C is something your docs have or will look for b/c your ALT is elevated. Do you have a copy of your medical file? I found this very helpful to have a complete list of everything the docs have tested for. Like I said, I think the Hep C is detectable right away, but it can take decades to cause detectable damage. There are several people I know that have Hep C and contracted it decades ago, and have just been diagnosed. There was just no reason to test for it sooner.
Best of luck,
Laura