and all those drugs we did. The problem there is that HepC is poorly transmitted by anything but blood to blood contact and most of us didn't use needle drugs.

This is just more alarmism and Boomer bashing.

I doubt Boomers are more likely than any other age group to be carrying the virus. However, Boomers are now at the age when the virus is going to rear its ugly head if they did do risky things with needles back in the 60s and 70s. This same story will come out in another 15 years or so about the Hep C "epidemic" among Gen. X.

That's how my husband got it (we assume), after a bad accident just before our son was born. This was before HIV came on the scene and they began screening donated blood for pathogens.

He had vague although increasingly debilitating symptoms, starting about a decade later, but he remained undiagnosed for another 15 years, when an alert nurse practitioner decided to test for it. By that time his liver disease had progressed to just about stage 4.

Now that donated blood is screened, there will never again be the big surge in cases like there is now and for perhaps the next 20 years.

I just got done googling Hepatitis C, wondering if some of my unexplained symptoms, which also go back many years, could possibly be related to blood transfusions I had back in 1992. Turns out that I have many of the symptoms. -BUT- the info I found specified that Hep C risk involving blood transfusions only go back to July 1992 and before that. My accident was in December of 1992.

Nonetheless, in addition to all of the tests my doctor has already ordered, I might suggest he check for that as well, based on your husband's experiance. July 1992 and December 1992 (only 5 months apart) feels a little too close for comfort imo. I'll see what he says. I've been having unexplained health issues and inconclusive test results (for a wide variety of possibilities) for years now. But I've never had any type of Hepatitis test that I am aware of.

Btw- Liver issues (and the oft accompanied abdominal pain and jaundice) have been among the symptons that I have been going through- My doctor just seems to think it's a case of "non-alcoholic fatty liver" as well as "hemochromatosis" -(I have that gene- but I'm just a mildly affected carrier). However, maybe 'they' are wrong and it's more then that?

I'm so sorry that your husband went undiagnosed for so long. But thank you for your post.

So it was really a newly discovered virus.

But that is no excuse. At one doctor visit regarding the symptoms of The Sickness (as we came to call it), the doctor say that if there IS something wrong with him, it will get worse, and then they will be able to diagnose it.

Looking back on it, that was inexcusable, particularly considering the damage that was being incurred all along the way.

If positive, further tests would be needed to determine if you have Hep C (some people who are exposed clear the virus, yet will always have a positive antibody screen). Both tests are relatively inexpensive, both require a blood sample.

It's good to know that these tests are just a matter of blood sample(s) and not terribly expensive. Thanks for the info!