Canuck.....I feel your pain. So sorry you had to go through that. Big Hugs Bless your Heart!

Oh Canuck, 

The only part of this story that upsets me is that you "came home and cried and cried" I don't like to picture that at all.  You are a treasure to all of here...

Soooo, I should know NOT to do quaaludes and winter sports (or summer sports) at the same time? 

Eww, dear me, that sounded AWFUL dharmabum!!!!!!!

So, Lamont, are you over that fear of flyin thing after that dive. I am sure you are likely giving JohnAnton the willies with that re-count, lightening too, good grief. 

Hey Nicky - Glad to see some posts from you lately! And for your sig line and updated info. Your plane must be landed back in one spot now?

Lamont - You started this "dental disclosure" thread with that comment ... " I'd hate for him to run out of the room, or something....I took me years to find a good dentist!" ... in a lighthearted way, even though we know you were bringing it up seriously (I always enjoy your way with words and stories BTW). We know you took it seriously tho, as you went to great lengths to inform some of your X's of your newly found HCV status, just in case, when you were first diagnosed - which was a very nice thing to do BTW. 

I had a bad experience, about withholding info from my dental office (just BEFORE I started treatment) - I KNEW I had HCV, they did not, I went in anyway, I wish (now) I had decided NOT to go in, because once there, I made a HUGE mistake (you know, the kind you can NEVER take back ... and I have had to deal with that mistake I made, and I have been beating myself up about it, ever since. That bad decision I made, can NEVER be rectified.

I intended to say something to her when I first went in, (excuse coming ... get ready for it) but the rooms have only "part" partitians, and the reception area (local gossips I know from past experience), and other pts. (I swear my town owns the highest population of vicious ignorant gossips i have ever known!), can over-hear conversations, no privacy (unless the drill noise or suction or screaming covers the talking), about to start on "my news" for her (when my mouth was free for talking), there was dead silence from behind all the other partitians - no drill covering noise, I hesitated spilling my gutty news, waiting for the next "noisey" opportunity, we had already started in on the dental work, on and on it went, torture! (not the procedure, but that I had NOT said anything first!, and I let her start). Same when we finished, all ears were listening, shamefacedly (I can't tell you how disappointed I was in myself) I got up out of that chair, paid my bill and came home and cried and cried. I had to go back and tell her what I had done, but it was too late, you cannot rectify those kind of mistakes, the damage was already done, my mistake had been made and I felt just awful about myself. When I went back to try to "fix" what I could, I (instead) dealt with the girls at the front desk head-on first and asked for my health info form and added the info to it, then I went to her and spoke to her about my mistake, and apologized about not telling her before my appointment had started. Of course she was nice and understanding and said, all was covered anyway, as they always use their universal blood precautions no differently than if I had HCV or not, but still she did not understand why I felt so bad. 

Weird thing happened later though, I had to be seen by a gum specialist in another town, being new, i filled out a health info form, with my "now cured" (used to have HCV status) written on  there - the hygenist then proceeds to stab herself with the freezing needle she has just taken out of my mouth! I tell you, I was glad I had not withheld my hx and disclosed, prior to her stabbing herself. She went for antibody testing which is their standard policy, in these cases of accidents.

Just thought I would share my experience, being that we are off and on the topic. There are other posts on the site, quite a few actually, about disclosure. C. 

Lamont......

HA!!!... RIGHT!?RIGHT?!?!

dharmabum wrote:

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Sorry, I know that I am further taking this off topic, but I have a quick Quaalude story for Lamont ...a cautionary tale really.

.....

Well, this idiot stoner falls on top of me and wrenches my roller skate around so that my foot is now facing the wrong way. Spiral fracture of the left tibia.  In a hip to toe cast for almost 10 months.  We never saw that guy again.

Let's be careful out there.

Ouch, spirals are no fun. I saw a few when I ski patrolled. They can be dangerous, life threatening even.

bbomb wrote:

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I always told the dentist/doctors ......Plus they ask you this question when you fill out paperwork/medical history. 

 

  So I have a story .... I was told by a few dfferent doctors that hep c is a sexual transmitted disease. (very rare but possible) SO, I went to the dr./lab and asked to be checked for ALL sexually transmitted diseases (knowing that I had hep c) and so they took a bunch of blood/tests and results came back that I had no sexually transmitted diseases...YAY GREAT! ...BUT!!! they didn't check for hep C...(remember I already knew I had going in) I said to the Dr. what about hepatitis C, and if its a sexually transmitted disease then why would you not check for that too?!?! I did ask to be check for ALL sexually transmitted diseases.....Dr. said ...We just don't check for that....I'm lilke REALLY?!?! HA!! I just don't understand!!!

---

 Amazing, isn't it? I have had the same HMO for 40 plus years, only two GPs in all that time. I think I had to see a doctor once in the first 30, so now that I have a growing list of things, they give you "That Look", as if you brought it all on yourself. Right!

I always told the dentist/doctors ......Plus they ask you this question when you fill out paperwork/medical history. 

  So I have a story .... I was told by a few dfferent doctors that hep c is a sexual transmitted disease. (very rare but possible) SO, I went to the dr./lab and asked to be checked for ALL sexually transmitted diseases (knowing that I had hep c) and so they took a bunch of blood/tests and results came back that I had no sexually transmitted diseases...YAY GREAT! ...BUT!!! they didn't check for hep C...(remember I already knew I had going in) I said to the Dr. what about hepatitis C, and if its a sexually transmitted disease then why would you not check for that too?!?! I did ask to be check for ALL sexually transmitted diseases.....Dr. said ...We just don't check for that....I'm lilke REALLY?!?! HA!! I just don't understand!!!

Sorry, I know that I am further taking this off topic, but I have a quick Quaalude story for Lamont ...a cautionary tale really.

I was 19 and my future brother-in-law invited all of us to roller skate on a Saturday night in New Jersey.  It was crowded and fun, fun, fun!  Most everyone (not me, I was there to skate, grew up ice skating) had taken a Quaalude.  My brother-in-law was a big guy and so were his friends.

I was coming out of the curve at a pretty brisk pace, getting ready to accelerate when one of those BIG guys high on Quaaludes comes skating up behind me and grabs my waist for balance - you know, like when a drowning man pulls you down so that he can get closer to the surface?  Just an idiot behaving stupidly.

Well, this idiot stoner falls on top of me and wrenches my roller skate around so that my foot is now facing the wrong way. Spiral fracture of the left tibia.  In a hip to toe cast for almost 10 months.  We never saw that guy again.

Let's be careful out there.

Ahh, 714's.... That was some stuff there, whew. I knew some folks that did that once and fell asleep on a South Carolina beach, in the middle of the summer, on a hot, sunny day, for about 5 hours, no sunscreen. They never spoke of Lemmon's again! That was quite a dentist you had. I bet there was a lot of repeat business there, lol!

I once had a dentist, "Painless Ralph", who freely dispensed Quaaludes, Demoral and IV morphine when he had to do something drastic. His compassion extended to giving me 4 Quaaludes every time I had to fly to Detroit from SF for work. I was an incredibly fearful flyer, so I'd take one as I boarded. I found myself not giving one sh*t by the time we jumped off the runway. 

One time, high over the upper midwest,  a flight I was on encountered a deep air pocket over a T-Storm. The plane fell from 30,000 to about 12,000 then slammed hard in to solid air, just as a huge bolt of lightning engulfed the plane. I was in the Smoking Section, last row, with out a care in the world.

I'm glad it went well. Anyone dealing in a profession that contacts biologic material is mandated to follow strict infection control guidelines. It's our moral duty to let them know. 

Don't they always drill too deep? I'm a rel fan of root canals, not! I swear, there are times I think they entered a sinus, it happens... Thank God for Novacaine!

Absolutely.

Stamping out the Dragon is to go to all out war with it. In every case where I have told a healthcare professional I have gotten nothing but thank you's.

JimmyK

Yep you need to tell him. That was the first thing I said to all my Doctors and Nurses. When I was on treatment I had blood drawn every week to check my HB. I refused to let one nurse take my blood without her gloves.  I earned the respect of every one there.

Best wished for you.

I told any and every healthcare professional I have/had. It is my responsibility to do so. It can and will affect anything they may prescribe and I also have their best interest at heart. 

I was the only member logged in at that time. We have guests that can read but not post to our messages. Each time a thread is reopened, it counts too. They all count if you're counting. Some days you might not get a reply at all. Depends on their interest too. We get to it eventually.

Absolutely, you must tell your dentist. Anytime there is a risk of exposure to blood, you owe it to the individual so they can follow treatment guidelines and safety protocol for HCV exposure. There may be medication limitations involved, etc. You never know how these things may connect. 

#14: HTH 

CDC_Dental

Interesting
13 people have viewed the post/question, but no one wants to go there.

I don't either...

Me:"hey, guess what?"
Dentist" "what's that?"
Me: "Uhh, well, ...never mind."

I have a checkup next week at the dentist. Does he need to know about my diagnosis, or is it not any of his business? I remember there was a dentist who transmitted HIV to a lot of his patients, but they weren't practicing good hygiene and sterilization in the office, as far as I recall anyway.

I'd hate for him to run out of the room, or something....I took me years to find a good dentist!