I DON'T THINK OUR MEDICAL SYSTEM WAS THAT STUPID. MY GRANDMOTHER WAS A BABY DOCTOR HEAD NURSE FOR 37 YEARS. THER BIG THING WAS ALCOHOL SWABS.

You do have a point with the school and military vacinations back then, I remember standing in line and getting those multiple vacinations and then to the next kid. When mine was done to get in the milatary (4F me) who ever was next in line could have gotten it from me, I do not remember many doctors wering gloves back then including my ortodontist. I not too sure about the needles though I remember them screwing on new needles when I had blood test but they also had no gloves on. So you have a good point. ouch:)

And how do ya expect me to remember that? I've been sitten here for an hour tryin too!!! But? I remember it wasnt no air gun either for us. That was 1967. Come to think of I just cant remember shit??????? OPPS sorry sister! Im no good on this one. LOL But it is a Damm good point you made too!!!!!

tattman, you always make me laugh. I can't seem to make it around a corner without ramming myself into the wall lately, what is that? Anywho, I only remember cuz I was so dam scared....and I'm pretty sure it was before '67 when I got it. I think I was in the first or second grade....yeah, that would have been '63 or so....that dam gun made a funny popping air sound. It wasn't at all cool. xo

I only remember going to the Dr.'s for shots but I do remember being in line (don't know where LOL) and getting those nasty cubes of sugar with the medication inside it and the nurse making me stand there until I chewed the whole damn thing up..yuck!!!

Good point linda. I do remember being in line and getting all the shots. you never know what they did. thanks for the post.

Yea,tatt is right...lol...I don't remembet back then sister,your brain is surly greater than mine...I know where I got my hep c and I did it to myself and I have to live with the consiquinses of that...I am still happier now than I have ever been in my whole life...love you sister...Pam

I don't remember and airgun but I do remember being injected for vacinations. Assumeing the vacinations in grade school is where I contacted it then the virus has been hidden for at around forty years as I just found out I was positive late this year. I do think it possible for the virus to lurk for many years like 25 five years because I am assmuming mine came from a tattoo done in my younger twenties at a biker party with not so clean equipment used. Kinda scary how long it can hide. Maybe everyone one should test at least once a year even if they feel they have not been in a situation to think they may have the virus. After all many take time to vacinate against hep A and B.

hey lindalou
i havent heard anybody come up with your idea before, but it is a really valid point you raised. well done sister for being so focused and analytical:) i remember those vaccinations well. mine festered and swelled and caused me jip for quite some time. i always thought my hepc came from transfusion in 1975, but i think it is very possible that it may have come from one of the childhood jabs. cant see our respective governments agreeing to that tho, cos they'd have to cough up serious compensation! lol it would be interesting tho to put it by them and see what they come back with. i guess we start with our docs first.
hmmmmmmm...... this is good food for thought and worth investigating further dont you think?. you never know, if this the case, insurance for a lot of you will cease to be a prob and you will get the tx you need without having to fight for it. god knows, its enough that you have to fight the dragon!
i'm gonna put it to a few ppl this end for sure and let you know what i come back with.
in the meantime my friend, stay positive, keep smiling, keep up the good work and have a really good weekend all of you.

in response to you indoornow. i think we would all agree with you, the medics are not stupid. BUT things were different back then and hygiene was definitely not as crucial. for instance, my g/mother, mother and sister were nurses and they were all encouraged to smoke. in the hospital that my mother and g/mother worked there were notices posted all round the wards saying, "Nurses. You are advised to smoke as smoking kills off bacteria!" yes they had the alcahol wipes, but just cos they cleaned the area it doesnt mean that they used clean sharps every time. then there are the ones that are lapsidaisy. only recently the nurse at my gp's took my bloods without gloves and she knows i have hepc. she went into 5 different areas on my arms and hands trying to find a vein with the same sharp and only wiped my skin the first time she went in. she also spilt some blood and wiped it up with a tissue only. and that's today with all their modern training! so, without being offensive cos i dont mean to offend anyone. i'm sure your g/mother was one of the best and she was dedicated to her work as was the case with my lot, but there are nurses and then there are nurses, both back then and now. i say anything's possible.
lindalou has raised quite a valid point and possibly highlighted the root-cause for many of us. this virus can remain hidden without any symptoms for 50+ years so you never know eh?
anyway, the past is the past and it is today that we need to deal with. hope the sun shines for all of you today and every day after. stay positive and keep smiling everyone.
love y'all

Back in the Dark ages, when I had dipth. & whooping cough jabs, we were all afraid of getting blunt needles! - the reason - they were re-used, I'm told, 3 times! BUT - the room used to get steamed up windows, from all the autoclaves they brought with them. I even remember when the dentist had these little steamers going all the time: 10 min. boiled, at least. Several yrs. ago I had to give myself injections(Vit.B12). I got an awful lot of med.hazard waste: wonder where it does? I sterilized mine after use, & broke needles off. I know I carry a monkey virus (from early Polio vaccine-but so far harmless). Any help? JaneD.

Thats a ggod point however werent those shots muscle shots? I dont remember them hitting blood. Remember the one shot however that left that same circle on your arm...it always got a big scab on it...what shot was that? I dont remember if that was a blood to blood shot. I got HEPC shotting drugs...there is no doubt in my mind. I remember the day the friend and how sick I was 2 weeks after I got high with this person. Never use to share needles...did that time!!! BIG MISTAKE. I think this is a real good topic to research thou. Theres many people with HEPC that didnt go my route. Thanks for sharing!! Peace and love

Hey Linda, I have often wondered the same thing. I found out I had HEP C at the ripe age of 17. I don't know how long I had it before I was diagnosed either. I have racked my brain many a time. From my pierced ears, blood drives and the vaccinations. I remember well the vaccination I got in school. It was trigger loaded whatever they used and most of us still have that little dimple in our arms to prove it, caused by the raised bump that came later. I don't remember what vaccination it was. Like many others,I will never know how I got HEPC. I do believe because of HIV awareness, the health care profession took a big hard look at how they were doing things. You no doubt have raised a very valid question. Do I think the risks were there? YES! I am thankful however that the factors of risk are pretty non existant now and others will not have to suffer what so many have..I don't think it is a coincidence that there are so many our age that have it. I do believe many of us are the last of our kind from an age prior to awareness. Many have suffered but one thing I can take comfort in, is knowing that how ever I contracted it, that risk is no longer a factor today.

I remember going to get TB tests in Primary and Middle schools in the 60's and 70's. They just did one kid after another. It left a single dot surrounded by six dots in a circular pattern and then they looked at it a few days later. They were just under the skin, sort of like a scrape. There was some blood as I remember.
I was diagnosed in 1978 with hepatitis but they didn't know what HCV was yet. I always thought it was from a dentist, but it could have been from the shots in school.

The vaccine that was given on the arm and scabbed over and left a scar was for smallpox... I'm pretty sure but not positive !!!!