Hepatitis anxiety

[Xarcans]

Hello to you
Thanks for accepting me.
My story begins 32 days ago. I had an exposure with a guy of unknown status at gloryhole. Even we used condom from beginning my whole anxiety is mainly due to the condom slipped during penetration and when i pulled out  penis i found that the condom was only at the tip of My penis and the other guy just roll it back to the bottom of my penis.  This probably happened because i loosed my erection and after all i didnt penetrated him.Also he licked my scrotum. Last, this day i met another guy and we masturbated each other. I want also to refer that i didn't washed immediately but after many hours. I refer that mainly i touched his anus and then i washed my hands with simple soap and water, not detol or something.
-today i had a test(32 days) for hiv, hep b & c and came out negative. But my cholesterol and Transaminases at the check up were high and the lab nurse said me to see a doctor and look for other hepatis.
-all this one month period i ve been through many symptoms. Fever, rush, white tongue, fatigue, liver pain. The one scared me happened just last night during sleeping. I felt something tickling my stomach, woke up and for a minute or two i couldn't breath at all. Terrifying
My questions;
1) what was my risk besides test results?
2)are those result any conclusive or they could turn positives?
3) are those high rates of cholesterol and transaminases signs of hepatitis infection?
P.s. 4) from 10th August until today i consume about 5 or 6 packs of atarax pills(25 pills every packet) to relief anxiety. Could this consumption influence those high rates or no possible relation?
Thanks and sorry for my bad English

[Mugwump]

Initial exposure to HCV does not result in the symptoms that you are experiencing. The initial symptoms of HCV are usually very mild flu like in nature. They are symptomatic of an immune system working to fight a viral infection.

Those who do go on to develop rapid liver damage from a viral hepatitis infection get very sick very quickly. But serum HCV in contrast to infectious hepatitis A and in some case B  by and large does not quickly destroy the liver so initially there are usually no symptoms that can be nailed down.

It does seem that anal intercourse can more readily spread diseases like HCV, HBV and HIV. This is most likely because it can be more damaging to the anal mucosa and the skin on the penis causing the partners to exchange blood and liquids into each others blood stream more directly. However your description of what you did does not fit this category.

It is prudent to retest for HCV or B exposure in a few months. This is because it takes time to develop antibodies to HCV and if by chance you were infected you might not have developed antibodies to the disease quite yet. Either way you will gain peace of mind from knowing that you are not infected so it is worth the effort.

All the best
The Mugwump 


 

[Xarcans]

As far the flue symptoms you mentioned ,i ve been though at 15 days after the exposure.
So this test isnt conclusive at all? And what for hep b?
Im going to crazy cauze from the lab said im not infected with these two types and results are conclusive but by searching i found its not. The greek CDC told me not test again. The anxiety kills me. I thought after testing i would be fine...

[Mugwump]

I had HCV for 40 years, did not infect my wife and have children. So HCV is not readily transmitted through sex. What you can ask to test for is know as a CBC (complete blood count) and standard liver panel including alt, ast.

If these readings are elevated or your blood cell count is depleted then it means something is happening to your liver.

Also make certain that you have an ultrasound to rule out bile duct obstruction or problems. If your doctor did not take this into consideration then shame on them!

Pain in the abdominal spaces is symptomatic of a great many things but it is not symptomatic of hepatitis because the liver does not have nerves. With an enlarged diseased liver there is usually only discomfort not a pronounced pain. This is from irritation of the membrane that surrounds the organs that does have nerves, not the liver!

If you are experiencing increasing pains in the hepatic upper right quadrant it can be from bile trouble as well as other causes not hepatitis, contrary to popular belief.

Either way get it checked again perhaps by another doctor. 

[Xarcans]

Thank you for your clear answers. I will test again after all. Im just so nervous because i have understood that  test arent conclusive and i cant move with my life.
My SGPT ALT is 82 U/L (20-60 normal rates)
SGOT AST is 23 U/L(10-40 normal rates) and my Chol is 213 mg/dL with normal rate <200.
-what you think?

[Mugwump]

Your alt is not severely elevated but it is up. As far as cholesterol goes it means little in the diagnosis of liver disease. You might have had a simple few glasses of wine and got the ALT results you have here. What doctors look for with active hepatitis infections with ongoing liver damage is an upward trend in ALT and AST not just a one time liver reading.

The symptoms you described in your first post were similar to gal bladder troubles so this is why an ultrasound would be prudent to rule out gal stones or bile duct issues. 

If you retest in a few months and show no exposure to HCV or HBV then you have nothing to worry about in the future. HCV and HBV antibody tests are not expensive and there is no excuse for not doing them routinely.

[Xarcans]

I do thank you for your answer and im sorry for being irritating. One last question. Does the vaccines we had as babies protect anymore?  I ve born in 1996.

[Mugwump]

No there are no vaccines for HCV yet but there may be in the future. However there is one for Hepatitis B but it is not given to infants. I was vaccinated for Hep B because I had HCV until I was cured in 2015. If I had acquired Hep B it would most likely have just put me in the grave because my liver was damaged severely by HCV for very many years.

Either way I am still kicking
Cheers
The Mugwump

[Xarcans]

You ve been quite helpful. Im grateful for your answers.
Wish th best for your and your family

[Xarcans]

Mugwump i need your help again. If the suspicion of hepatitis b infection come true, should i inform my family members and insist on either testing? I read that and got crazy mad.
Furthermore i would like to add that my test for hepatis was HBsAg and Anti-HCV. Why the labs which i tested says that mu test are conclusive? I am reading hundreds of articles last hours and nowhere its said that a <6 week test is conclusive.
Also last hours i feel my abdominal area bigger and hotter especially when i fall to bed. Is this a sign plus my alt rate?

[Mugwump]

You currently do not have antibodies for either HBV or HCV.  It is highly unlikely that you are infected. Like I said the symptoms you describe are not classic symptoms of a hepatitis infection and abdominal pain is not one of them until the swelling of the liver is extreme.

There would be other blood readings that would be elevated if you have an active aggressive viral liver infection and you would be considerably sicker so I would not worry about it.

However if the abdominal pain increases or does not back off then insist upon further testing for other possible problems.

[Xarcans]

Okay! I promise i would never ask again.
Sorry for being irritating but i ve gone through  stress and anxiety over a month and i wad hoping that it would end with those result.
I dont worry at all for HCV cause im not a drug user. Only HBV concerns me cause the guy was up to 40 age and here in Greece hbv is more "popular".
As for the vaccine i was telling you, i had 3 of them (australian antigen)as an infant. I read it at my medical field. Could this vaccine still protect me?
 And, after all that, do you think i can move on my life and forget these three std?

[Mugwump]

The only recommendation we have is to vaccinate infants if the parent is an HBV carrier. HBV vaccine is not part of a routine series given to infants.

HBV can result in a rapid infection with advanced damage to the liver resulting in pain from inflammation. So the only way to be certain is if you do an HBV test again in future. Your initial HBV vaccination may not be adequate because the older single vaccine is know to be less effective over time.  The newer series of vaccinations will impart long term immunity.

Take care and do test again in the near future.

[Xarcans]

Thanks for your replays. You were clear enough
Wish you the best

[Xarcans]

Hello guys
I would ask your suggestion just for one more time.
I paid a visit to a special doctor for liver diseases and after her suggestion i had further testing.
So:
-Anti-HBs: negative 1.1
-anti-HBc negative 0.1
I want to listen to what you think.
I should tell you that doc touch me and said that my liver indeed looks bigger. So tomorrow im going to have an ultrasound.

[Mugwump]

You are on the right track. An ultrasound first, then monitoring the functions of the liver is the most sensible course of action. One other possibility is ruling out parasites that can cause liver inflammation. If you drink heavily I would suggest at least backing off now. If you have an inflamed liver there are many more possible problems to consider although ruling out hepatitis is high on the list there are other possible causes.

[Xarcans]

Yes thats the track being followed.  I think after those 2 more tests for hep b i should rule out this possibility. Tomorrow i will have an ultrasound. In fact im still afraid because doctor understood by hand my bigger liver, but also i can feel it clearly for example when i fall to bed.
On your personal experience and knowledge do you think i should worry for hep c from this exposure? I dont do drug. But two facts may affect the possibility; 1) i used to schratc my shoulders at the acne there. This day i had some wound. Not fresh. Not bleeding. But the other person stroke my shouldes with his hands...2) im suffering from hsv genital. Those days i hadn't an outburst; additionally my outbursts take place at the anus area. And he didn't touch it all neither with his hands nor with his penis.
For hep A i don't worry at all. It can be cured.
As for the parasites you mentioned, i don't think its common, to be honest i strongly believe, around our countries.
-doc asked me to exam in second time, among others for hep a but Not the C one. Do you think it's prudent?
P.s. i don't use to drink. The one and only bad habit of mine is heavily smoking. But it's irrelevant!

[dragonslayer]

 Xarcans, what about this?

>>from 10th August until today i consume about 5 or 6 packs of atarax pills(25 pills every packet) to relief anxiety.<<

Thats 125 or more Atarax pills over how many days?  What dosage are they?

[Xarcans]

No, not. If it was for 125 per day i would be dead.
*consumed from 10th August to 31th August 7 packets.
Of course it's an overdose because the dosage is 50-100 mg the most. Which means 4 pills per day. But especially last ten days i had 15 per day. But there is no evidence for atarax that could cause liver damage. To be true it refered  a side affect. But it's much much impossible.

[Xarcans]

The news from the ultrasound wasn't much reassuring. It was clear.

[Xarcans]

"ceruloplasmin/ Aat/ Gel electrophoresis of proteins/ AMA/ ANA/ASMA/ iGm/ iGg"
Hello guys. All the upper exams my doctor asked for. Wtf. Im totally confused. Have you ever done any these tests. Im new  to all this things. I google around and im really lost.
What she suspects? What should i ll be wait?!

[Mugwump]

Best guess is that the liver specialist is ruling out other possible problems. The chemistry is very complex and sometimes a broader spectrum of tests is done just to rule out things if there are any signs of liver damage at all but no indication a viral infection being the cause.

With a positive test for either HCV or HBV he would have not been looking for other causes of liver problems and focused on bilirubin ALT, AST and perhaps ordered a biopsy.

Sounds to me that you have a very good specialist at work. It is sometimes a good thing to ask what these tests are for. The explanation can include things that are quite rare like mild congenital liver disease markers for a narrowing of the bile duct etc. I had a relative with this condition but again this condition is very rare indeed. That is why an ultrasound is also crucial in diagnosing a whole spectrum of possible problems but your ultrasound was unremarkable so again it sounds that the tests are just double checking your blood chemistry for other problems.

All the best and I hope your fears are put to rest soon.

[Xarcans]

Look. Im glad that you understand that my doc is one of  best here in Athens just saying you this detail. It sounds to be a great doc.
But, isn't odd that she is looking for those rare diseases( from what i look some happen 1 to 100.000 ) and not to ask me recheck for hepatitis. That's why i wanted  take your consideration as you are not so strange to this things, and it really sounds me weird. Telling you the truth i was ready to go to another doc just for this reason. She seems more than usual optimistic as for the heps.
Nevermind, thank you for one more time. I will test tomorrow morning and have the results later this day. So im happy to inform you.
P.s. oh my my,these exams are really expensive.