I tell anyone who has any contact with my blood. The heartbreaker was the look on my Mom's face when she helped extract a tick head from my arm and I told her to throw away the kleenex and wash her hands. She was crestfallen when she realized her baby she had doctored from birth was now a biohazard. That realy hurt.

JJ, I'm sure she wasn't planning on scrapbooking the tissue.....

I, take extra precautions, now. The last thing I want to do is infect anyone.

Everyone that I know is aware that I'm Hep C positive. I also am an advocate so I wear T-Shirts that advise to get tested, etc. I don't care who knows that I have this disease. If they have a problem with it, then I don't want to know them. I always let anyone that can come in contact with my blood be aware ie: dr.'s, nurses, dentists, Medics, etc.
None of my prior partners or current husband has ever contracted the disease from me. The risk of sexual transmission is pretty minimal..though some disease's arent. So best to be careful anyway with anyone new. I always insist on a mutual STD test before anything happens. Not very romantic, but better safe then sorry.
Anyhow, that is the farthest thing from my mind at this point. I'm endstage with decompensating disease so sex is not really a priority anymore. Guess that's probably more info then most people need. LOL

I am very open about my Hep C and have told anyone who might need to know. The only folks who seem clueless are the lab people who actually take my blood. You would think they, of all people, would take better precautions, but twice I have had to ask them to put on gloves. Twice!

God bless,
Rob

hello Ive read your comment and I must say, no matter what its absolutely necessary to tell everyone involved in your blood. My husband we are sure contracted hep c thru a fishing hook, after he picked it up , after one of his friends had it. We did not know he had it at the time.

Did your friend know he had it
It is estimated that there are 1 to 2 million people that
have Hep C and don't know it. I had it for 27 year and didn't know it

JJ I'm sorry that your were hurt by your Mom's reaction - probablyj just 1st time reality hit her...it'll be ok!

1st time I realized how seriously dangerous I could be was when grocery shopping & loading groceries shut truck on fingers -- not bad just enough to bleed....had grandson w/me! Reality hit when I had to figure how to wrap hand to put him in car seat (lil boys always have cuts/scrapes ya know). Found towel & I did but scared the hell outta me-now carry 1st aid kit everywhere.

Did ya know that a drop of blood left on cabinet or anywhere can stay active for weeks unlike Aids that dissapates instantly - so keep clorex wipes handy....I have friends w/HepC that don't tell others so unintentially pass on so I feel honesty is good policy....although in some jobs, small towns etc ya just can't tell. Every situation is different.

I tell everyone but it did backfire on me when daughter & her ex were in custody battle - he was gonna use it against me to show I wasn't a safe caretaker for Brett! Really hurt and I didn't go to court cause didn't want it brought up! Couldn't even be there to testify what a great mom my daughter was. That was only time I was discriminated against but in worst way possible!

b

I struggle with this constantly.. I don't want my daughter looked at differently but I also don't want any other mother to have to deal with this. She is only 4 so I don't have to share it with her friends parents and don't know that I ever will. I will probably just not let her go and stay with others untill she is old enough to know how to protect others from her blood. She will be allowed to have them at our house where I can make sure there are no risky behaviors taking place (sharing jewelry and such) She gets to stay the night with her cousins because my sisters know what she has and they are cautious. We are midly cautious but try not to make too much of a big deal about it. I do stress that ALL blood is nasty and she should never touch anybodies blood or let them touch hers. That way if another Mommy tries to help her she will be less likely to let another person touch her blood. My Hepatologists says that the risk of someone getting it from casual contact with blood is minimal as well. He said it takes more that touching blood, you must allow it access to your cirulating blood. He said blood exposure to CONTACT skin is not and exposure but we should always wash our hands if we get her bood on us. He said we should try to avoid touching her blood at all but that it really is not that easy to get. He said the medical field is at more risk than we are in her family because we are not performing medical procedures on her. Anyway, I do tell her school nurse and may tell her teacher but will not allow them to share that info with anyone else. I am a teacher at her school so I should have some control over that. My hepatologist said that he would bet money she is not the only child with a blood born pathogen in her school or even in her class.... I think we should just be responsible but not be paranoid...

I think you're doing everything right. None of us asked for this. Least of all little kids... I hope it goes well for your daughter and your family.

I didn't tell anyone for months. (I was embarrassed and afraid of what they would think) I got over that, and now I talk about it all the time---trying to raise awareness. I do feel like some people stand farther away and are afraid to get to close, including some health care workers. Most people are ok when I tell them how it is transmitted.........

I told my housemate, an ex and my good friends and I told my employer because I had to have a medically acceptable reason for missing so much work. She has been very nice and knows how to help me if I get a cut or something.
I always tell medical or dental people. I am always amazed at the number of nurses at the free clinic who don't wear gloves when drawing blood. The techs at MCV always take precautions.

I tell all docs and dds and family and that is it. But get this:
I went in to my gyno to get birth control during tx, and he acted like he didn't know I had it! He asked me about the hx and then flipped through the charts and said, "oh, yes"
Should I tell them at every visit?

Those docs are so damn busy I would remind them at every visit.

I am scared to death to tell anyone. My dentist goes to my church and I have visions of the whole congregation sitting on the other side. My husband says "screw em" but I am still scared.