Hep C Infection

[tc400]

Here is my story. Five weeks ago, I had unprotected anal sex with a guy who claimed to be Hep C negative. The sex caused a bit of bleeding on my side, but none that I could see from his. Since then, I have been extremely worried about Hep C. I have had my Hep C ab test performed last week, and it came back negative. I have decided however to take and HCV RNA to confirm. I was - once upon a time - extremely concerned with reinfection, which is a controversial topic on this forum, but which, I think, rarely occurs. We can't find a single person on this forum who was diagnosed with super infection or re infection. What about Hep C? Is there anybody on here who was diagnosed though any form of sexual activity? If yes, what is treatment like? (again, I am doing very well on HIV meds, and was very scared at the beginning, hearing horrible stories). Sorry to share my (probably meaningless) worry with you, but I am concerned.

[RapidRod]

You've posted in the wrong forum.

[next2u]

well, my hcv was most likely through sex. i don't use iv drugs or coke or any stuff like that. i smoke pot and unless sharing a spliff is a transmission route i can rule out drugs. i got a tattoo in late dec but i doubt that is how i got it also.

one of the guys i was fucking would fuck anything willing to give him speed. i know at least two of his partners were iv drug users (but did not make a connection nor did i know of an hcv risk for pozzies). outside of his whoring was my own special brand of hoeing. that said, im sure i got it through fucking cause i aint seen my blood or another person's blood in forever.

well, there was the hospital...

im interested to know your test results. take care homie. 

[tc400]

hey thanks for your message! sorry to hear about your hcv diagnosis. It seems that the tattoo connection is more likely in your case... hcv is rarely transmitted through anal sex, but the virus can live for DAYS on the tattoo device... (I did soooo much research because I was scared a bit).
I got a new sets of results this morning, and I seem to be fine. Just to make sure, we will repeat the tests in three months...
thanks a lot, take care.

[Ann]

tc,

Actually, more and more hiv positive men are becoming infected with hcv through anal sex. Go to the links I provided for Next in that other thread and look at the RECENT information - and make sure you're reading about hcv in hiv positive people.

The majority of tattoo parlors these days know about the threat of hcv and all the tattooing components where hcv might lurk are now single-use and disposable. Unless a person is going to some fly-by-night outfit or having it done in someone's kitchen, there should be no worries about hcv infected when getting a tat.

Ann

[tc400]

Hello Ann,
Thanks a lot for your note. I was very concerned, and still am actually. I did an HCV ab two weeks ago, and HCV RNA a week ago, they all came back negative, but the doctor recommended to get tested again in three months, just to make sure... Hearing all the horrible stories about treatment was a bit scary, but my doctor assured me there were new treatments coming up, more tolerable, more efficient, and easier to take...
Anyway, we will see what's up in three months from now.
Thanks a lot to all of you guys! Next: take good care of yourself. Ann:thanks a lot for all of your informative posts.

[tc400]

So I went for another test at my local STD clinic (My doctor recommended to get test two additional times, in February and March). Right now, I feel weak, tired, have headaches, and more importantly have itchy skin -- so i am really scared. However, I got tested at Howard Brown, which is the leading gay clinic of Chicago, and the doctor, the STD counselor, AND the nurses, claimed that the virus was very RARELY sexually transmissible. That's just very weird that these professionals are claiming that -- when I have read exactly the opposite on so many websites... I was relieved, but confused at the same time. How can they not know that the rates are much higher in the HIV-positive gay male population... i dont know...