
Hepatitis C Support Group
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne viral disease which can cause liver inflammation, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood. Many people with HCV infection have no symptoms and are unaware of the need to seek treatment. Hepatitis C infects an estimated 150-200 million people worldwide.

deleted_user
Ok..... After reading everything I can find on Hep C and not finding the answer I need to refer to my friends here at DS.
You see... I was tested for Hep C in 2004 and it came back negative. My question is .. does negative mean "undetectable". I was told by my doctor that there was no way I could have had a "false negative". The reason I am asking this is because between then and now I have contracted this virus and have had a couple outpatient surgery's. Is it possible that I got infected recently or was it actually undetectable in 2004.
I look forward to your opinions.
Love you all ....... Bob
You see... I was tested for Hep C in 2004 and it came back negative. My question is .. does negative mean "undetectable". I was told by my doctor that there was no way I could have had a "false negative". The reason I am asking this is because between then and now I have contracted this virus and have had a couple outpatient surgery's. Is it possible that I got infected recently or was it actually undetectable in 2004.
I look forward to your opinions.
Love you all ....... Bob
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I have a question about your first test being negative.
I am not all that familiar with all the kinds of tests they do, but there is the one where they test the results are more to do with antibodies. Do you have copies of your test results or can you get copies? I think they name the tests so you could determine more from knowing the types of tests done.
I know I am being fuzzy but I will use my very first test results.
I was told that I tested positive for C but negative for A and B. When I asked for them to explain that in English to me (LOL), they said that the negative for the A and B meant that I had never ever had either and that it would be a good time for me to get the series of vaccine for them.
For the C, we did more testing and also to get my viral load.
I know that's a piss poor answer, but see if you can get more specifics from that first testing.
If you tested negative for the antibodies, you definitely never had C then. I really don't have any damage to require tons of different types of tests, so I am sure lots of others around here can help you with more info.
That's my guess and I am sticking to it.
Sorry I guess my ramblings may not be all to helpful, but the others will have more to say.
Just notice this thread, hope this helps.....
In my opinion, when you first got tested, you had recently contracted the virus, it wasn't detectable in your blood yet.....
Initially your blood may be tested for the presence of hep c antibodies (i.e. an antibody test). If this comes back positive, then it only reveals that you have been infected with the virus at some time.
If it is negative, then you may be required to have another test a few months later.
This is called the window period - the rough time it can take from initial infection to the virus becoming detectable in your blood.
If your antibody test is positive, a further test to check for the active virus will be necessary.
If this is negative, then you have had hepatitis C but are no longer infected (this happens to one in five people and is called "spontaneous clearance").
However, if you have an positive PCR test then that means you currently have hepatitis C.
Sometimes this is ALSO referred to as "Chronic" hep c or CHC. (chronic meaning an ongoing infection).
The PCR is the real test it gives you the viral load, and genotype.
What you had in 2004 the test I mean, was probably just to check for antibodies of the hepatitis families, A,B,C....
See when I was tested, the antibodies showed that I had contracted at one point in my life, (MEXICO) hep A, and hep c, but apparently I had contracted the hep c a long time before getting tested.
So it showed antibodies of both hep A and C, so I was told to get vaccinated for hep B, since I will always have the antibodies of hep B & C even though I consider myself cured after almost 4 years now of being undetected for hep c.
I hope this clarifies your situation.
At this point you must have ahd a PCR test? If you know your genotype and viral load, you did get this test done.
Good luck
Mckenzie
One day at the time
McKenzie is right on
1) you likely had the Anti-HCV test (Hep C antibody test) which would be a "false" negative ONLY IF YOU HAVE NOT YET developed antibodies to the virus (usually occurs within the 3 months after exposure in most people)
2) Ill assume at that initial time you didnt have a RIBA (the Hep C confirmatory PCR test) OR a Hep C viral RNA which only would have been done had you had a (+) Hep C antibody test.
3) It is less likely you got infected after 2004 via surgery because we screened for Hep C at that time...
hope this helps
Dr O.
Bob
If you were tested in 2004 and it was negative, that meant you didn't have the antibodies, therefore you didn't have hep C.
"Undetectable" means that you had been found hep C positive, but either due to you spontaneously clearing the virus on your own(without the aid of treatment), or through the aid of treatment you reached an undetectable level.
This means that the amount of virus is so low that the current tests cannot measure it, which is often good news - especially if it stays that low over a period of time, because at that point (varies with different doctors), you are considered to have cleared the virus.