I was just told by my md that I have hep c he is doing a blood test that takes three days to come back?

I was told 15 years ago that I was exposed to hep c but I was never effected by it however in the past year I have been under alot of stress and just one month ago I was revived by 911 because I had taken wrong medication. Needless to say my body has gone through hell and back but about 5 days ago my eyes started becoming yellow, muscle aches all over, urine is dark and my bowels are almost white. I am wondering if this is the virus now waking up or am I going to need treatment, I have read alot about this and many people go through what I am experiencing but it goes away in a couple of weeks ???? I am planning on seeing a specialist but to tell you the truth I am scared that I am not going to get out of this as soon as others???also what is the difference between being exposed to the virus and having it can it become a virus?

I was just told by my md that I have hep c he is doing a blood test that takes three days to come back?
First of all, 15 years ago they didn't know much about hcv, so more than likely you've been chronic active all this time (it happened to me as well).





Exposure to hcv will in 85% of the time become a chronic infection. The remainder 15% of those who have been exposed somehow resolve on their own.





It used to be an old thinking that if the alt and ast levels were normal, you were simply a carrier. Now days they know that is not the case because alt and ast flucuate, remain normal or the alt and ast levels are chronic- but- now they know that alt and ast really isn't something they can rely on.





Your doctor is probably doing a pcr test. It will show if the virus is active or not. Chances are it is, but I am no doctor.





So, if it is active, the best thing you can do is treat. The early the hcv infection is treated, the more chance you can have a sustained viralogic response (cure if it is past one year after treatment). This is regardless of genotype.





Now, you could have a delayed reaction to the medication and the damage it has caused. Or it could be that you've had chronic hcv and the medication you were on made the virus much worse. (some medications can cause faster liver damage in those with hcv)





As with any virus, a virus can reactivate. 15 years ago your infection might of been too recent for correct test results.





There are many things that can play a role, but I bet they simply thought you were a carrier when all this time you've been active.





I wish that wasn't the case, so I'm praying it was just bad medicine!!!! I wont ask what it was for, but I can almost bet the medication you took was for a side effect of HCV itself. (just guessing, could be wrong) but there are over 150 bi-directional diseases that stem from having hcv.





If you need to talk, message me through yahoo questions and answers!