resistant?

[stupidstupid]

Hi, i've just fallen across this site and am hoping for an answer to a quick question;

I picked up hep C about ten years ago but went into denial (didn't realise it could be cured back then) and didn't go back for follow up appointments or anything.  I got quite ill over the first couple of weeks and months with sickness and quite drastic weight loss...  anyway -  I recently needed a std test for other reasons and came back clear for hep C     Very very cool but puzzled now - does this make me immune to this particular strain now though or does it simply mean i was lucky and able to shift it once?

[Tim Horn]

This is curious.

Once someone tests positive for hepatitis C antibodies -- whether the infection is active or the immune system cleared the virus on its own -- they will test positive for the antibodies forever.

When you say you "picked up" hep C ten years ago, what does this mean exactly? Did you test positive for hepatitis C antibodies? Was the result confirmed using PCR testing to see if the infection was active?

And when you say that you recently came back "clear" for hep C, I'm not sure what you mean. Was the antibody test positive but the PCR test negative?

Let's see if we can get to the bottom of this...

Tim Horn

[stupidstupid]

apologies, my post does sound incredibly vague now i consider it through someone else's viewpoint.

I tested positive on both anti-body and something termed RNA as well.  At the time i was in between homes, sleeping rough and completely ignored the advice to go back and have a viral load testing. 

Anyway - skipping through the rest to recently...  the recent RNA/PCR came back entirely clear with only mild reaction to the received antibody test...

I've missed a few medical details out for confidentiality purposes - i know another member..