Hepatitis C HELP!

[Worriedsick1]

Hi all,

I have noted a lot of the information on the forum is repeated and I apologise if I am asking similar questions.

I had vaginal sex with a masseuse using a condom on 2nd October 2017. The sex was normal and when finished she tied the condom off and held it up to me and said no babies. About six weeks later I got pain in my right side and noticed alarming numbers of what look like cherry anginomas appearing all over my body. I went to the doctors and was given full round of blood test incl liver tests, hep A, B C and HIV. These came back normal/negative with evidence of hep b immunity which I received in 2011. The pain in my right side went away then returned about two months later. The doc sent me for an ultrasound. The ultrasound could not properly see my liver due to the amount of fat around it (iam not fat all over but do carry weight in my mid section). The doctor then sent me to get an ultrasound which showed heavy fat infiltration of the liver. The doc had never seen anything like this so sent me to a specialist. I again had liver tests and hepascore which all came back normal. However i still have the pain in my side, feeling weak sore muscles etc

My doctor has diagnosed me with a generalised anxiety disorder over this. This was a one off encounter which I regret very much as I have a partner and children and the thought of passing anything to them has me close to the edge!

My questions are:

1. Is there a chance of getting HCV from this encounter
2. We used a condom, however iam worries as my foreskin at time has small cuts from masturbating too hard
3.Did the tied condom confirm it did not break as there was no leakage?

[Worriedsick1]

Sorry forgot to say I have been diagnosed with NAFLD, can this be a sign of an impending hep c diagnosis??

[Lynn K]

You do not have hep c as evidenced by repeated negative hep c tests.

Hep c is a virus that attacks the liver while NAFLD is non alcoholic fatty liver disease the two are entirely unrelated except they both can attack the liver and cause liver damage.

Carrying weight around your mid section is a common cause of fatty liver disease. What you need to do is lose some weight as your liver has fat cells inside it causing irritation of the liver and causing at least some amount of liver damage. You should try to eat a healthy diet, lose some weight to get to a normal BMI and try to get some exercise as tolerated and allowed by your doctor. This can resolve your NAFLD.


1. Is there a chance of getting HCV from this encounter?
You have already been told by your doctor you test negative for the hep c virus.

2. We used a condom, however iam worries as my foreskin at time has small cuts from masturbating too hard.

You skin being protected by a condom was not exposed to blood. There was no risk and you have tested negative. You are not at risk of hep c. Hep c infected blood must enter the blood stream of an uninfected person through an open wet weeping unprotected wound.

3.Did the tied condom confirm it did not break as there was no leakage?
I have no idea I was not there.

[Worriedsick1]

Lynn,

I appreciate your response. A highly shameful experience for me to say the least.

I only had one test for hep c ab at seven weeks, that is why I’m concerned all of these symptoms are linked and I may have hcv or hiv

[Lynn K]

You have NAFLD you need to lose weight to remove damaging fat from your liver.

Most people infected with hep c have no symptoms for decades until if and when hep c has caused liver damage and the arising symptoms are due to liver damage which was caused by hep c. Hep c is considered to be a silent illness because most infected have no idea they were infected.

This is from the Mayo Clinic:

“Every chronic hepatitis C infection starts with an acute phase. Acute hepatitis C usually goes undiagnosed because it rarely causes symptoms. When signs and symptoms are present, they may include jaundice, along with fatigue, nausea, fever and muscle aches. Acute symptoms appear one to three months after exposure to the virus and last two weeks to three months.”

You will note this is not the symptoms you reported.

You do not have hep C you do have NAFLD follow your doctors recommendations.

I cannot speak to HIV I am only a patient who had hep c for 37 years and cirrhosis for about 10.5 years now.

As you have tested negative for HIV and Hep C  and your doctor has told you are fine I would believe your doctor.

[Lynn K]

What causes cherry angiomas?

The exact cause of red moles is unknown, but there may be a genetic factor that makes certain people more likely to get them. They’ve also been linked to pregnancy, exposure to chemicals, certain medical conditions, and climate.

There also appears to be a link between cherry angiomas and age. They often begin to appear when individuals reach 30 years old and seem to increase in size and number with age. One study noted that over 75 percent of people over 75 years old have them.

[Worriedsick1]

Thanks again Lynn.

I’m hoping my seven week ab test was conclusive and my potential sexual exposure has not exposed me. That’s what I’m most scared of

[Lynn K]

Believe your doctors

[Worriedsick1]

Hi Lynn,

Thanks for taking the time to respond. A couple of  final questions I hope you can help with

1. Have you ever heard of a negative HCV result at 53 days, then a positive result later on? Eg 6months?
2. Have you ever heard of a man contracting HEP C from vaginal sex?
3.Do small cuts on penis put me at increased risk? How hard is the blood of another person to get through these into the bloodstream.

Thanks again and apologies for keep asking.

[Worriedsick1]

I’ve got such bad pain in my liver area. Everyone is telling me I look sick and I have lost a lot of weight!! So worried that I may have a rapid onset of HCV or something! And worried I may have passed this onto to my loved ones!

[Lynn K]

1. You don’t have hep c
2. Hep c is very  difficult to transmit
3. Household transmission of hepatitis C is very rare.
4.  Your doctor has told you that you do not have hep C.
5.  Your doctor has told you that you do have NAFLD

Treat the medical condition you do have, stop worrying about the one you don’t.

Get to a normal weight, get some exercise, follow your doctors recommendations. 

There is no such thing as rapid onset hep c. Your symptoms do not correspond with the symptoms some people experience if they are one of the few that have symptoms of acute infection.

NAFLD can cause liver injury this might be the source of your pain or just as your doctor has suggested you are getting yourself stressed out about something you do not have.

See your doctor about NAFLD and follow their instructions for diet, exercise and any testing they want you to have done.

You don’t have hep c

[Worriedsick1]

Thanks for that. Praying you are correct as my doctor tested me at 53 days but I’ve been reading that may not be conclusive. Also my doctor does not know about the encounter 53 days before my tests.

All my ALT tests since (2 in total) hav been clear.

I’m apologise for harping on about Lynn and hope it is not frustrating but I really do appreciate the time you have taken to respond to me and others on this page.

[Lynn K]

If you want to be sure retest for antibodies at 12 weeks post this event  but I am willing to bet that test is negative also.

Work with your doctor on your NAFLD and good luck