I just joined the forum, and haven't had time to read through all of this...three girls at at home.  But to the OP, when we found out my husband has it, he tried to donate blood, I was pregnant with our 7 year old when the mail came saying he had it...I immediately called my OB.  I was clear, our 3 year old was clear, the baby was clear.

Fast forward to May of this year, Ben's gastro told me to get screened again since we've been married over ten years.  I'm still good, no sign.  Alot of people think you can get it from sex....  it's not an STD.  It has to be through blood contact.

Don't let him handle any cuts without gloves.  If he bleeds, have him clean it up, with paper towels and anitbacterial cleanser.  You can get a box of gloves in the medical dept of walmart or anywhere for $5.

That`s great news indeed kristy, what a relief it must be for you both!

That`s funny, a bit of wishful thinking going on there I think!  If only...!  

~ Jill xx

K2 that's great news!  I'm sure you're both relieved.

Update- my wonderful husbands test came back Undetected so this is great news.

He's funny though, says if he is not infected then he questions wether my positive test was accurate. I was positive for antibodies 20 years ago and showed a 700,000 VL 4 months ago. I think it is safe to say that I'm not doing this tx for no reason. Bless him xxx

your husband is a lucky man, you are a real "looker"

brian

Hi Elizabeth and welcome. I am fairly new here and have found so much support, information and some really good jokes. lol

My husband got hep c in 1982, diagnosed 1992. Myself and our two children were tested and everyone was fine.

We are always vigilant about anything blood related from David. But if you practice good hygiene such as separate area in the bathroom for his stuff and hers including towels and facecloths, glasses etc. No sharing nothing. Make your bathroom a his and hers.

We have daughters, son in laws and grandchildren. Everyone knows what the rules of hygiene are here.

All in all it gets to be a way of life and I am not concerned at all as the incidence of it happening are almost nil. I don't have places to send you about it but Cinnamon Girl has given a link.

Get tested, relax, and before you know it, it won't be an issue!!!!!

Take care. XX Trudy

My husband and I have been together 18 years, I've probably had the virus 20. He is very supportive and loving and never made risky choices. He went and had a test a couple of days ago. I am praying he is not infected, he says he's not surprised if he is and we'll deal with it together. Keeping positive, Fingers crossed- waiting to exhale.

Chances of infection from sex are almost zero.   After a 16-year relationship with an active sex life my ex tested negative.

Good study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15128350

Iris, you're right about that!  There was an interesting article in the LA Times yesterday about it.  

"Hepatitis C a latent legacy of baby boomers' youth"

I've only had time to scan it and will read it in its entirety later, but it points out that this is definitely a serious issue.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-boomers-hepatitis-20120502,0,4558891.story

I just wanted to say here that hep C is much more prevalent than most people think. My husband was recently tested and came back positive, they said they can't genome test or viral load test,  I DO NOT know why. 

He was a heroin addict before I met him, so it is not likely he got it from me. Would really like to know if we are the same genome, I mean chances are he got it from his risky behavior, but we used to share everything, razors, toothbrushes, digging splinters out with the same pin, toenail clippers... who knows?

Iris

nohcvforme wrote:

---

Testing will bring you peace of mind. I had(!) the highest VL ever, and my family all tested negative.

---

 Congratulations!  Isn't "had" a beautiful word in this instance?  I'm anxiously awaiting the day we can use it!

Super! I feel his relief and yours, too. There will be little things like this along the tx path that really make it better, if only temporarily. Worry and stress don't help.

Phil G wrote

__________________________________________________

It is definitely not self-centered. I probably had more fear about having infected her than she had about being infected. I have done enough harm already. It was a huge relief for me.

_________________________________________________________

Phil, like you, my husband needed to know that he hadn't infected me.  I really wasn't concerned, but it was a simple thing to do to ease his mind.  And, as expected, all tests were normal.

Thanks to everyone who responded.  I appreciate everyone's time in doing so as well as the education.

all the best to each of you!

elizabeth wrote:

---

I need to do a LOT of research and reading but his docs told us that blood to blood is not the only method of transmission, that things such as poor bathroom hygiene among food preparers or servers is but one other method.  I mention this only as a curiosity because I keep reading the "blood to blood" statements on every reference source.

---

Hi again Elizabeth:  On another thread, where you mentioned that hubby will be starting tx, I recommended that you do get tested--just to be on the safe side.

In as much as saliva and other bodily fluids can contain blood, I suppose it is possible.  But, from everything I have read and heard from docs, this virus is carried through the blood, much like HIV.

I go to all dr. appts. with my husband (he had a stroke and has virtually no short term memory so it's the only way to know what's going on with his health and he prefers that I go with him). No doctor (GP nor hepatologist) has mentioned me or his ex(es) being tested.   He starts tx next week and I'll probably wait to be tested until he finishes tx just in case.  In a worst case scenario, I want to be "healthy" to help him during tx.

I need to do a LOT of research and reading but his docs told us that blood to blood is not the only method of transmission, that things such as poor bathroom hygiene among food preparers or servers is but one other method.  I mention this only as a curiosity because I keep reading the "blood to blood" statements on every reference source.

Thanks for your help!

My wife and I discussed having her tested, and the doctor wholeheartedly agreed that even though the risk factor was low, it was worth doing. I thank God that she tested negative, and is now more aware of hazards, such as sharing razors, etc.

Well, you wrote that none of your husband's docs suggested you test.  I hate to ask it, but did they say this to you directly or did that come from your husband?  It would not be unheard of for a spouse to be less than candid particularly if that spouse did not intend to treat the virus.  I would talk to my own doc about it.

Having said that, I don't find it unusual that a doctor would not recommend testing and this is why: First, you are in a low risk group for transmission.  Second, the diagnosis carries a heavy psychological burden and unless the patient wants to know, why test?  Third, docs test for infectious diseases based primarily on the recommendations of governmental agencies.  In the US, those agencies are the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH).  The CDC's information for health care professionals suggests the following persons should be tested:

• Persons who ever injected illegal drugs, including those who injected once or a few times many years ago.
• Persons who received a blood transfusion or organ transplant before July 1992.
• Persons who received clotting factor concentrates before 1987.
• Persons who were ever on long-term dialysis.
• Children born to HCV-positive women.
• Health care, emergency medical, and public safety workers after needlesticks, sharps, or mucosal exposures to HCV-positive blood.
• Persons with evidence of liver disease.

Spouses in long term monogamous relationships are not on the list b/c they are considered low risk.  In low risk cases, whether to test or not is a decision left to the patient and her doctor.

Being a person who is suspicious of governmental policies, I tend to think that US citizens have been under-tested in the past due to a lack of viable tx options.  An infectious disease causes panic.  Why panic the citizenry about a disease for which there is a lack of viable treatment?  I have no doubt that as the tx improves, a public awareness campaign and increased testing will follow.

Tx options have been limited b/c the government has not made hep c a priority in the past.  Drug companies have known for some time that there is big money to be made from tx, so the race is on. I also expect that with increased testing another discovery will be made.  That is, that hcv is transmitted via sex more frequently than we were led to believe. 

HCV, like HIV, requires blood to blood contact.  This can occur during sex.  The prevailing wisdom is that blood to blood contact is unlikely to occur in most long term heterosexual relationships. 

Thanks, Jill.  I'll definitely check out the site you referenced.  

all the best!

Thanks Brad & moptop.  I guess part of would like to know but I'm not overly concerned.  I had also wondered about his ex wife since they said he could have had this for 20 or 30 years before dx.  I appreciate you both taking the time to answer and wish you both all the best!

Elizabeth, My wife and I have been married 35 years, have 2 kids, and have not led a particularly sheltered life. I have had Hep C for at least 35 years, as long as we've been married. She did not, however, engage in the same behavior that I did. It was her doctor's decision to test and our joint decision that she should at least tell her doctor. She is clean, does not have it, and never has.

It is definitely not self-centered. I probably had more fear about having infected her than she had about being infected. I have done enough harm already. It was a huge relief for me.

Its a simple test that will eliminate all doubts. We have segregated all dental implements and anything else that might transmit to avoid any future concerns.

Well, when I was diagnosed, my Dr. told me to tell my Ex-wife (we had been married 18 years.)  They also told me I needed to inform my girlfriend, who I was with for 6 years after that. (She was a nurse, so especially important.)

So, in my opinion, no, it's not normal - you should test.  Plus, If I were you, I'd just REALLY need to know.  The basic antiboby test is very quick, easy, and cheap.  They even do it for every pint of blood donated.

One last thing, don't worry too much. Unless you shared needles, your odds are very low.  I looked up the sexual transmission rate for hetero sex, and it was very low, to non-existant. 

Lastly, yes, read all you can.  And don't be afraid to ask questions.  There are many great people here, with tons of info, and tips.  I'm sure many will join in here.

Good luck to you and your husband!

Brad

I'm new here and plan to read all topics as time permits.  My first question may seem a bit self-centered and I don't mean for it to but none of my husband's doctors have suggested that I get tested.  Is this normal?

Many thanks!

BTW, your question is not self-centered at all.  It is a great question!  Welcome to the forum.

An interesting side note:  My doctor's daughter had a blood transfusion as a child that he believed may have exposed her to hep c.  He and his wife made the decision not to have the child tested or discuss this with her until she was 18.  When you think about it, this makes sense.  The tx options, especially for children, have not been promising in the past.  So, the psychological trauma of knowing would not be worth it.  I expect he also factored in that the child was at low risk of transmitting the disease to others.

Hi Elizabeth and welcome! 

I agree with Brad and moptop, best to get tested yourself, if only for peace of mind.   

But remember, the risk of passing it on in a routine domestic situation is minimal, it has to be from blood to blood contact.  And Brad is right, the risk of normal heterosexual transmission is extremely low, so don`t worry too much. 

When I was diagnosed I had both of my children tested (they were teenagers at the time), because I  realised I`d had Hep C since before they were born. I`m glad to say they were both clear of the virus. 

Here`s a link to a website which has lots of fact sheets about all aspects of Hep C, including info on the risks of infection.  Hope you find it useful -

http://hcvadvocate.org/hepatitis/factsheets.asp

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like, someone will always try to help!

 ~ Jill xx