Transmission, Testing, Confused
I guess I am worried, confused. In June I had an equivocal/reactive hep c test. The follow up NAT test was negative/no virus detected. Other than what I thought was safe sex there has been no exposure. Oral, mutual masturbation. I was sick with a virus when I had the test, could that affect the initial test. From what I read, the chances of transmission through these acts are very low. Was this a false positive confirmed by the negative NAT. I really don't want to take another test, my OCD will make me continually test. I talked to a friend who is a Doctor and he said negative, don't worry. Any suggestions here?
Hi
. Welcome to the community. I'm glad you understand your OCD well enough to know that getting tested repeatedly is a bad idea. It will only feed the OCD and lead to more and more testing. False positives are not uncommon and your illness might actually have been the cause. Here is an article that explains why false positives can happen: https://hepatitisc.net/living/why-your-test-may-give-you-a-false-result.
The fact that the follow-up test was negative should give you comfort. The first test looked for antibodies. The follow-up test should have been an RNA test, which detect the actual virus. If the RNA test was negative, you are in the clear. Could you check with your doctor and see whether that is the type of test you took for the follow-up? If not, maybe you could ask for an RNA test. That should bring you peace of mind and give you fodder for fighting off OCD's influence. I hope that helps. We are here for you, regardless. Best wishes. - Lori (Team Member)Good afternoon, I lost my sign in so had to redo it. The test was a RNA test through Quest Lab that looks for the virus. Through reading RNA test appears to be gold standard which detects virus 2 to 3 weeks after infection. Everything tells me the second test was a false positive, I'm just trying to get my OCD under control. I can't keep testing I know me I would never stop, thank you for your reply it made me feel better
Hi
. I am glad you understand the impact of your OCD and the need to resist it. People often fail to understand how debilitating OCD can be. Feel free to reach out whenever you need us. Warmly, Lori (Team Member)
Thank you for the response. One last question I hope. Based on the facts presented I don't think I have anything to worry about, your thoughts? I have a good friend who was my Doctor for a long time, he closed his practice. He told me not to worry. I haven't talked to my current Doctor and would rather not for different reasons. I trust my friend, former Doctor completely
I am not a medical expert, so please keep that in mind. But, given what you have told me about your situation and given your dosctor's adive, I wouldn't worry. That's just me though. If the situation continues to cause too much stress, I would urge you to talk to your new doctor about it. Even if you don't retest, your new doctor can look at the past results and give you a second opinion. Please do reach out again though if you need more support. We don't mind at all. That's what we're here for. - Lori (Team Member)
