So...I had Hepatitis C...and now I don't?

[Aurelia]

Well, I'm posting this in this particular section because I'm very confused. A year and a half ago, my blood tests revealed that I had high levels of the Hepatitis C virus. A couple of weeks ago, I had blood work done with my primary doctor which confirmed the same thing. Recently, however, he ordered some more follow up blood work, and apparently it revealed that I don't have Hepatitis C, after all. So, I'm wondering how the hell that's possible. I had it 2 weeks ago. And now I don't. He said something to the extent of I'd been exposed to it, but my body fought it off...So you're telling me my body fought it off in the matter of a week? Because the first time I still had it apparently. So uh...yeah. I guess I should be happy at the news...but truthfully, I'm more confused than anything else. I doubt anyone has had any similar experiences...but if anyone can shed any light at all on the situation for me, I would appreciate it.

 

[Butterfly]

I'm not really sure about the testing process for hep C, I only have knowledge about HIV and hep B. I know when they first diagnose HIV they do an antigen test, to see if you have the virus in your body but it doesn't tell you how advanced it is, you have to have more tests for that. And with Hep B I get tested to make sure I have immunity to it. Maybe your doc only ran the test to see if the virus was in your system, rather than the tests to see how advanced it was, which is what he seems to have done this time round. So maybe you had the virus in your system, and your body fought it off, or it is lying dormant. I have heard of people who have hep C lying dormant.

 

[Acy]

The very best thing to do in my opinion is to discuss the results and their meaning IN YOUR CASE with your doctor.

From what I read about Hep C, it seems that the levels of whatever indicates you have the virus can go down with drug treatment for some strains of Hep C. If the readings of the levels came back just high enough to say you still had Hep C, then that would account for the doctor saying you had it two weeks ago. In the following two weeks, perhaps your system and the drugs got the levels low enough to say you don't have it now. I'm not a doctor, so I don't really know. Again, the best thing is to discuss it with your doctor and get a full explanation of the results.

 

[DrownedFishOnFire]

Happy for you, the doctors answer might not be clear enough for you if you want, can do a follow up in few weeks and make sure no more hep c

Or call the doc and ask him again to explain why in laymans terms.