Tested + for Hep B core ab igm despite vaccine, need advice

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first, please note that I am NOT seeking medical advice. I am hoping someone has had a similar situation or can give me encouraging feedback.

Last week I went to my doctor for my annual exam. I told her since I am a HCP, I would like tested for "everything." My HBC ab igm came back "detected" and they called me and told me I tested positive for hep b and need an US. They said it could be a false positive or even from my vaccine. From my research, I believe the nurse was wrong, it would not have flagged for my vaccine. I either have it, or it was a false positive. I did have the vaccine in college, 2006ish I believe. I have paperwork showing that in 2010 my levels were checked and normal for immunity. However I have this vague memory of a doctor telling me the vaccine "didn't take" and I was not immune, but I don't really remember if I got all the details right, if I got a booster, or what ever happened with that. So I have no symptoms, but from my research, a lot of people are asymptomatic. Testing positive for this specific test means exposure in the past 6 months. I am an ER nurse. I have not had a needle stick. I have however gotten blood on my bare skin during a messy IV. I KNOW I stopped and washed it off well, and I know it did not get in an open sore or cut. Regardless of what I can recall, I am in a high risk group, working directly with blood, and apparently I contracted it. (FYI I read on the CDC website that it can live outside the body for 7 days in dried blood). So I need this US. Until then, what do I do? I am humiliated, mortified, scared, anxious, stressed. I am beating myself up for letting this happen. I can't imagine how I am going to last waiting for this US. I was considering asking to be retested, but I don't know. I have a very, very bad feeling about this. A positive test plus being a HCP...means I have hep B. What do I do about work? Am I allowed to work? Do I have to tell my manager or occ health? I mean, it's not like I'm spilling MY blood or lady partsl secretions on my patients. I'm so worried. Even if I have it and don't get sick, I have to wonder for the next several months if I'll turn chronic. I'm terrified. Please, if anyone has been in this situation or knows of anyone, I just want to know your story. Friends and family are writing this off, "it's a false positive, you're fine, you don't feel sick so you don't have it." I feel so alone...they don't understand the seriousness.

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

O sweetheart. It is so scary that this is happening to you. As a nurse you have gone through the worse case scenario. Take a breath.

Yes you can work, there are people working with hep B and C NOT that you know that you have it for sure. When is the USS booked for? Talk to your GP honestly and say that this is freaking you out and could you get it sooner? I had to go through the whole 6 months of testing for my needle stick and I thought that I was doing ok until the day of my clinic appt I saw them after night shift and was crying before during and after the appt. I was negative but the stress and my tendency to do worse case scenario meant that in my head I was a frequent pt on the gastro ward with all the complications!

I cried all the way home with relief and woke up that evening still super emotional.

Please go and get some counselling there should be EAP that you can tap into via Work it is private and no one at work needs to know until you have firm answers

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

I contracted Hep B while volunteering overseas over 30 years ago. Threw up for months, jaundice, dark urine, the whole bit. Recovered, now have an antibody titer consistent with immunity, totally normal LFTs.

Go see your PCP, get it all explained and retested. I was cleared to work when I got back to the US, in the days before universal precautions; and was told basically to do what we do today with the universals.

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That is a positive, at least you are immune in the future and not contagious. If I have it, okay, I'll deal with it and move on. I just pray I'm not part of the small percentage that goes chronic. I am otherwise healthy and all my other lab work was normal.

I also had gotten a flu shot 5 minutes before this blood work. Any chance those antibodies could somehow throw off the hep screen, since it is the antibodies that were detected? wishful thinking

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I'm scared they'll ban me from working. Not that I want to knowingly be putting people in danger. But I want to wait until I have a for sure diagnosis (the result of the US) before I say anything. I am totally freaking out. Just a week ago I booked an amazing 4 day hike in Machu Picchu for my birthday in Dec. I can't believe now I could be sick with hepatitis instead, because I take care of sick people for a living. I truly cannot believe this is happening, cannot think of how/who/why/where/when this happened. Like I said, I have a bad feeling. I do not think it is a false positive despite being asymptomatic and otherwise normal labs.

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Yes go see your pcp! They wont be able to know if you have a past, current, acute or chronic infection vs immunity from just one value. If I remember correctly its a collection of tests hep: core, surface antigen, dna, antibody,igm etc as well as hepatic panel that needs to be done to clarify what's going on. Don't panic. It might be a false positive or a misinterpretation by the person that called you (happens). I had a needle stick at work years ago. Pt refused to be tested and swore he was "clean" (yea as if that is reassurance for me). My life would flash before my eyes and I would have breakdowns for the rest of the year each time I had to retest for hep b, HIV. In the end I was cleared and I hope you will be too!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I'm scared they'll ban me from working. Not that I want to knowingly be putting people in danger. But I want to wait until I have a for sure diagnosis (the result of the US) before I say anything. I am totally freaking out. Just a week ago I booked an amazing 4 day hike in Machu Picchu for my birthday in Dec. I can't believe now I could be sick with hepatitis instead, because I take care of sick people for a living. I truly cannot believe this is happening, cannot think of how/who/why/where/when this happened. Like I said, I have a bad feeling. I do not think it is a false positive despite being asymptomatic and otherwise normal labs.

First.....take a deep breath in.......now......let it out. ((HUGS))

Calm down freaking out will not help you. Call you PCP....get another test and speed up the US. I know you have a bad feeling.....but this really could be a false positive and yes they happen.

Calm down.....let's not go any further and lets find out what is going on.....((HUGS))

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Agree with everyone above. Call your PCP.

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I would advise that you consult with gastroenterologist which is the specialty that evaluates and treats hepatitis infection so that you know for sure what is going on. ID physicians usuallydo not treat hepatitis, may do so more in future. An acute infection is not the only interpretation of a Hep B Core Ab positive result, depends on combination of results as well as clinical picture, etc. but don't want to say too much of course and go outside TOS. Interpretation of hepatitis serology results must be done correctly. Please also refer to the Center for Disease Control website under Hepatitis B Serology Interpretation for additional guidance.

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