Worried about hep c infection

[famlam]

My mum had blood transfusions 48 years ago after giving birth to me. Over the years she has had various routine blood tests and her bilirubin has been raised slightly. Sometimes the whites of her eyes go a little yellow. Not enough to ever be investigated. We imagined it might be Gilbert’s syndrome. There is a bbc news report today highlighting the number of people who do not know there are infected with hep c. This has got me really worried. Would any treatment be successful after all these years if she was positive? She has massive health anxiety so I’m worried about bringing the subject up. She is due a routine blood test for blood pressure meds but she keeps putting it off. My dad has cancer so she is under a lot of pressure right now. She seems in fairly good health but does get tired but she is 76. I saw her this morning and she has no obvious liver problems ie skin good colour, not lost any weight and eating ok. Wwyd?

You can get an NHS hep C test at home

It's quite simple and maybe it would make her less anxious this way?

hepctest.nhs.uk

Thanks @WifeOfMartyr. I have ordered a test. I’m so worried. I naively thought she would know by now if she had been infected but appears not. I also contacted the hepatitis c trust who did tell me that some people can have minimal damage after an infection many decades ago.

Well done x

It's scary isn't it. I had a possible exposure and I was really nervous for my test too.

I hope your mum is ok

@WifeOfMartyr glad you are ok. I really struggling tonight. I have mentioned it to her but I think there is a part of her that would rather not know. I’m not sure if she push her or not. Is it still better to know at this stage?

I can understand that. Especially when she has the worry of your dad too. But there are really effective treatments now and if she does have it, better that she can have the treatment (which is just some pills). I imagine she just doesn't want one more thing to worry about at the moment which I totally get

The worry is if she had developed chirrosis which you would know by now.
It clears itself in most cases. (HPCV)

The new treatment is just pills but doesn[t make you feel great. But works.
(Being vague) I know someone in their 70s now, who got it in the 50s and it became apparent something was wrong in the 80s.

I hope that reassures. Basically: youd know by now.

(I say that because other symptoms manifest after so much time) I do have very direct experience and knowledge of this.

Thanks @BlackStrayCat. I really hope so but the article in the bbc talked about how a woman had it 47 years and didn’t know until she developed liver cancer and it was too late. Im having massive panic attacks right now. I don’t want to terrify my mum but feel really responsible. If I have told her should I leave it there?

Being blunt: chirrosis would normally occur before cancer if Hep C was involved.
I know it is scary; the Body Shop lady was infected by it wasnt she (and sadly died)

Honestly? I would leave it. It is possible, many things are possible for all of us. In this case, and others I know infected at the same time... all were diagnosed after 30 years or went bright yellow with big swollen stomachs and low energy and were disgnosed after 40 years.
All are in their 70s and still alive.

Thanks @BlackStrayCat. I think I really needed to hear this. I have been coping with so much the last few months. My husband was diagnosed with cancer in January, my dad has cancer and my head is all over the place. I feel like I’m just waiting for the next awful thing to happen.

HepC doesn’t clear itself in most people without treatment (unlike Hep B), but totally agree that at 76 had your mum been infected, either hepatitis, cirrhosis or liver cancer it would have already happened. The intermittent jaundice does seem more typical of Gilbert’s syndrome.

HPCV is human papilloma virus associated with genital warts and other types of warts. It is not associated with HepC. It is the cause of 95% of cases of cervical cancer and is increasingly the cause of oral cancer in younger people.

I recently did a home test for Hep C ( you send a small blood sample taken at home), I had the result via text within a couple of days.
I had received a needle stick injury three months previously and the patient had had HepC but was not aware whether they were a carrier. Fortunately it was negative.
HepC is actually the hardest hep to contract since you have to have blood to blood contact. Hep B is much easier to contract since it is carried in most bodily fluids including blood.
Hep A is a water born fecal infection.

HepC can cause a jaundice infection initially but can also cause no symptoms at all. It is also very treatable with a course of tablets.

@famlam I don't know if you've been reading about the infected blood inquiry, the report was published today and one of the key recommendations is for everyone who had a blood transfusion in the UK pre-1996 to get tested for Hep-C. As PPs said hopefully you mum has not been affected as she'd likely know by now, but I'm just flagging up this is a recommendation now for all relevant patients.

Thanks @PurplePansy05 . I have mentioned it to her but she is absolutely riddled with anxiety about my dad and his cancer diagnosis right now, so I’m not sure she could cope with the anxiety of having a test right now. I’m having massive panic attacks about it. My husband also has cancer so I’m not in a very good place right now.