Nurses with Hepatitis

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I've been a nurse for over 10 years. I just found out I am hepatitis C positive. I haven't told anyone at work. I'm thinking about starting treatment soon and worry about side effects from the meds taking it's toll. Any other nurses out there with hep c?

Thanks Twinks

please i am a urse in a small hospital i just found out i have hepc i don't know how i got it,i didn't get stuck by a needle . i am so scared of what to expect treatments,work , diet ? i am just so scared

Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
please i am a urse in a small hospital i just found out i have hepc i don't know how i got it,i didn't get stuck by a needle . i am so scared of what to expect treatments,work , diet ? i am just so scared

This is something that you really need to discuss with your own doctor

Hi. I am in my last semester of nursing school. Three weeks ago I have found out that I have HCV when I donated blood. Not sure what to do now... Do I quit nursing now? Being a new gard is it even possible to find a job for me now? And am I safe for my patients?

Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.
Hi. I am in my last semester of nursing school. Three weeks ago I have found out that I have HCV when I donated blood. Not sure what to do now... Do I quit nursing now? Being a new gard is it even possible to find a job for me now? And am I safe for my patients?

No, you do not quit nursing. You don't even have to divulge that you have HCV

to employee health at a new job.

As far as what areas of nursing to rule out - I would rule out surgery. And

that would be because you have an open pt and you might cut yourself and

drip blood into the pt. (very small chance)

Another area of concern would be if you accidentally needle stuck yourself and

then used the same needle to stick your pt with. Zero chance of that happening

unless you do it on purpose!

There are many nurses with HCV, with some being on the job injuries. There

are even nurses with HIV. Don't over worry this problem! :)

Thank you, thank you so much for answering ! I feel like my my whole life has been turned upside down. I have no idea now how to act around people now. If I keep quiet I feel like I'm lying, if I tell someone I am scared they would be afraid to even talk to me. Not even sure how I can meet people now. Hmm what nursing dx should I apply to myself " Ineffective coping" sounds about right :-) Do you think I should let my instructor know? In your experience how have people reacted to it? The other thing I am worried is finding a job when I graduate. It would be hard enough to find a job, on top of that who would want to hire a new grad with hepatitis.

Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.

No, do not tell your instructor unless you have to do something in class

like starting IVs on each other. You don't want to expose other people to

your blood.

There is no reason to divulge your HCV status in a job interview. I usually do

because I had a liver transplant and I do feel I should be honest about that.

I don't have to tell though if I don't want to!

At this point, keep this between you and your doctor. If you decide to do

treatment, I might divulge then. (After you have a job.)

No fear, my dear.

Specializes in Hospice / Psych / RNAC.

I would like to say that it wasn't until 1986 that blood could be tested for Hep C so that means anyone who was given blood during surgery previous to that date has a higher incidence of being infected then patients post 1986. After all who were a large part of the population that was giving blood; it was junkies.

We found a large number of older people with it and I started venturing into my theory that the older population is exploding with it due to the inability of us to not be able to test blood prior to 1986. My own mom who is a non-smoking, stay at home type but had 2 hips complete with getting some blood during both operations previous to 1986 - yep - she has it.

Also about the genotype; so what if you have 1a or 1b, do the treatment anyway (it won't hurt). The meds have gotten better so the stream of medication if constant now as opposed to that lull on the weekend. My heart goes out to anyone with it and is having a rough time with the treatment. Hang on; remember the tunnel.....it is at the end.

My mom, her liver is fine and she has no symptoms so she not going to do the treatment. What I'm saying here is always practice clean technique while doing patient care. All those sweet older Aunties may be infected and not know it.

Thank you for the heads up. I am still thinking if I should do treatment or not .... its a tough decision to make in light of all the side effects. I don't think I have symptoms now but you never know and it is always in the back of my mind ... so that is the scary part. So I'm thinking ... and thinking ... My doc is encouraging me to start the course but don't they always. Why did your mom opt to not do it?

Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.
Thank you for the heads up. I am still thinking if I should do treatment or not .... its a tough decision to make in light of all the side effects. I don't think I have symptoms now but you never know and it is always in the back of my mind ... so that is the scary part. So I'm thinking ... and thinking ... My doc is encouraging me to start the course but don't they always. Why did your mom opt to not do it?

I was diagnosed 4 yrs ago in nursing school, a random test to r/o why liver enzymes were elevated.

I had a liver bx and it showed very minimal damage at this point. My GI specialist offered tx but gave me the strong impression that I should wait it out and check bx's Q 2-3 yrs. If and when I need tx, hopefully tx advances will have been made by then.

I never had any sx and I still don't but am now extremely health conscious and paying attention to what I put in my body and definitely strict universal precautions.

That seems to be just like my case. I am almost done with my nursing school and got dxed when I donated blood several months ago. Liver bx and symptoms picture is the same as yours. Would I get asked about it when I look for a job and do I need to report it to my employer? I am so at a loss about what to do. Thank you so much for your reply !

Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.
That seems to be just like my case. I am almost done with my nursing school and got dxed when I donated blood several months ago. Liver bx and symptoms picture is the same as yours. Would I get asked about it when I look for a job and do I need to report it to my employer? I am so at a loss about what to do. Thank you so much for your reply !

I have never reported this to an employer and you are not required to. I was devastated when I was dx'd but felt a little more relieved to learn there's not much damage and if I need to I can have tx. I do have the genotype that is most difficult to treat though. It was odd my viral load was severly elevated at time of diagnosis and I felt perfectly fine. I have a doc that specializes specifically in hep C and he seems optimistic and not too worried at this point. Hang in there it gets better:)

I found out I had Hep C about 7 years ago. I took 2 years of treatment, and am now Hep C free! The treatment wasn't all that bad. I took the shot on Friday, felt like crap on the weekend, but kept working during the week. I just felt like I was about 90 years old. I didn't get depression. I fought it off by staying incredibly busy. I am glad I took the shots, even though the first year didn't work. I saw my GI doc last week and he said recent studies show that if you can stay clear for 6 months after treatment the odds of Hep C coming back are very slim. I would encourage you to go for it.

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