Can I trust my antibody test?

[TryingAgainPlsAcceptMeThx]

Hello, 4 years ago I had protected vaginal and UNprotected oral (she performed on me) with a girl who could actually have hep c, but I don't know that for sure. I don't really paid attention to this until now. I read something somewhere and got scared.

After long 4 years I took my antibody test at hospital - negative. While there I also tested negative antibody for HBV, HIV and syphilis. The problem is, by that time I really freaked out too much and was googling. Some places suggest, only PCR test is 100% sure. I even found a case of a woman who was constantly getting negative HCV antibody test while donating blood for years, then PCR test came positive.

I know it's probably very rare case and my risk was minimal, if any, but for some reason I can't get it from my head and I'm still scared. Though I'm affraid I can't get here (in EU) PCR test without a good reason and previously negative antibody test.

I'd like to know what do you think. Can I trust my antibody test? Forget all this and sleep thight like nothing has ever happened? To my knowledge I'm healthy 30 years old male, just little allergy in summer. Is it possible for me to not have antibodies after 4 years? Why am I reading only PCR is 100% conclusive?

Thank you.

[TryingAgainPlsAcceptMeThx]

Did I win the award for the most stupid question ever? :-) It seems this is the first and only topic in this subforum without a reply. I guess this answers my question on its own. I'm fine and probably just being silly, so nobody bother to deal with me. Got it. I hope I'm not doing the wrong thing if I'll try to forget this and move on.

PS: That weird nickname is because I'm not us/uk, my email has weird domain and that's probably why my registration was ignored first time I tried to get here.

[Lynn K]

As you said minimal risk and false negative after this much time equally rare so yeah like lightning striking twice in the same place.

If you feel you need to give it some additional time and if it would help to reassure you you could test again but personally as a non medical person I doubt you have any risk

Good luck to you

[Mugwump]

Your risk was minimal. There are more documented cases where sharing cocaine snorting tubes and crack pipe equipment cause infections through weakened mucus membranes than there are documented cases of transmission through oral sex in the case of HCV, Hep B is a different story.

If you have no other symptoms then most likely your are not infected. Most people who get HCV experience at least a short period of being very ill when first infected. This is because of the nature of the disease, if it does not kill you right off the bat because you don't develop an immune response quick enough, then the immune system keeps it in check. Most people who have active HCV do not even notice the slow increase in how sick you really are until the disease weakens their immune system enough to damage the liver.

Still others fight it off immediately, many others live their entire live with a low level of infection and never develop full blown cirrhosis.

This is the unfortunate problem with HCV infection because it causes fear it has a tonne of misinformation being spread about the disease.

If you did experience a period of sickness shortly after the time frame you feel you might been exposed then get the test done again. Or if in future you have elevated levels of iron, unexplained skin rashes, constant flue like symptoms, or elevated liver panel tests for reasons other than the consumption of alcohol. These are the true symptoms of an active HCV infection and your doctor should have told you these things or he/she should have a pamphlet with good up to date info about the infection.

Places like facebook and some fear mongering health sites that usually sell quack remedies can be the worst place to discuss HCV.

This site has people who care and know the truth about the disease so it is good that you posted here.

Take care, take your time to learn about the disease and pass on the knowledge.

Eric

[Lynn K]

Hi Eric

It has been my understanding only a minority of people infected with hep c experience an acute phase with noteworthy symptoms.

I know I did not and I have a good idea when I got hep c in either 1978 or 1979.

I had no unusual blood tests until 1990 when I donated blood. In 1989 I had a physical that included liver functions and they were normal just as the test I took when I left the military in 1988 normal liver functions no other strange test results.

I have never had elevated iron levels, skin rashes or flu like symptoms. The only indications I have ever had of my hep c have been tiredness which I attributed to advancing age and the elevated liver function tests. Those really have been my only indication I have hep c. Had I not donated blood I would still likely not know I have hep c. My lower leg edema that is my only noticible symptom and that is from cirrhosis.

I guess we all have individual experiences with the dragon.

But yes I do believe the OP has minimal risk of hep c.

[Lynn K]

http://www.healthline.com/health/acute-hepatitis-c

What Are the Symptoms of Acute Hepatitis C?

Symptoms don’t always appear immediately. Symptoms may be noticeable within 14 days in some people. Others may take as long as six months to produce any sign. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average period is six to seven weeks. However, 75 percent of people who contract acute hepatitis C will never experience any symptoms.

[TryingAgainPlsAcceptMeThx]

Well, I don't remember that clear, it was 4 years ago, but I actually remember I had to take a break from work due to flu. That was 3 months after that. Please don't make me paranoid It was January, it's pretty normal, I hope.

I was more concerned about the HCV test I took now, 4 years later. It's so long, there's no point testing again by the same antibody test. By that time either I have antibodies or not. So I don't. I am vaccinated against HBV and for the peace of mind I also took hbv, hiv and syph tests, all negative.

Though started googling and got scared what if I never develop HCV antibodies. So I kept pushing my mind I need PCR, which I think, no sane doctor would prescribe without previous negative antibody test and no symptoms. I bet health insurance company wouldn't want to pay for the test either. And I think we don't really have a way to get the test outside that doctor-insurance company system here in our country (Czech rep.) By the way there's only 0.2% HCV infected in our population, but those are only we know about, genotyp 1b most often. There's probably more IV users than that. So I hope it does not spread sexually to general population from them. I never took drugs, never got blood product and I've just turned 30.

Anyway I'll go with what I have read here in this forum and stop thinking about something which is simply not possible.

[Lynn K]

Yes hep c is generally not considered to be an STD evsecially by the encounter you described if you have hep c you would test postitive for sntibodies. Per the info I foung 75% do not experience a symptomatic acute phase that is why hep c is called a silent ilness most who have hep c do not know they havd it

Goo luck good health