Possible False Positive? I’m Freaking Out

[desertheart]

Hello everyone. Recently I needed to get some health tests done for school and decided to get screened for a few additional diseases as well, including Hep C. I was completely shocked when the antibody test came back POSITIVE. Even my doctor was shocked. I have never had sex (or even kissed!), never done drugs, never had a blood transfusion, never gotten a tattoo. I am only 21 years old—I can’t think of any obvious instance when I might have been infected. I have never had any symptoms. It was just on a whim that I even got tested!

So I’m freaking out. Just got my blood drawn today for the second test, the one that tests for the actual virus. Is there any chance that it was a false positive? I’m relieved to learn treatment is better than it used to be, but it’s so expensive!! I started crying when I looked it up and saw the numbers. I haven’t even finished college yet, treatment would cost 2-3 times more than my degree! I guess I’m panicking prematurely. I don’t even know for sure that I have it yet...

[Lynn K]

Hi desertheart and welcome

So first up there are times when people will have false positives even with having never being exposed to hep c the test could be picking up a cross reaction with something else

https://www.hepmag.com/article/false-test-result-25760-476718382

Also even if you were exposed to hep c in the past about 25% of people are able to beat the virus on their own without medical help.

For most people it takes decades of infection for hep c to cause serious liver damage and otherwise it is a silent illness with most people having no idea they are infected. It is said that only about 20% of people infected for 20 years will develop liver cirrhosis meaning 80% won’t in that length of time.

Yes the new meds are very effective and much better tolerated by most patients than the old treatments. You might only need to take 1 pill a day for 8 weeks and be cured assuming you even are infected.

Do you have medical insurance or can you get some quickly? Is getting on a parents insurance a possibility as you are still in college? There are also less expensive ways to get meds from overseas but let’s worry about that later.

Hep c is not considered to be a sexually transmitted illness in general. The CDC does not recommend barrier protection for long-term monogamous couples. There is increased risk of transmission for those who engage in rough sexual practices, those with multiple sex partners and in the presence of HIV. But none of that applies to you. Hep c is a blood born virus requiring blood to blood contact.

We are having a case locally where an ER nurse was using some of people’s pain meds and then injecting the patients with the remaining meds from the same needle so a few thousand people here are being tested for hep c so far there are 2 confirmed positive cases.

There is about a 5% chance of vertical transmission (mother to child) during birth.

There are some people with no idea how they became infected.

Anyway first find out if you actually are currently infected and please let us know then we can better advise you on your next steps.

Good luck

Love your name by the way. Sounds like a movie title