I am 64 years old. When I was 13 or 14, I had hepatitis. The original diagnosis was appendicitis, and the real problem was discovered only in the operating room, already sedated, as I was about to be cut, when the surgeon recognized my yellow skin and eyes. At the time, the only treatment was bed rest and a restricted diet. (As I recall it was called "high protein, low fat). I spenty the better part of a month in the hospital.
On release, I was told a few things at that time:
1) I should not drink alchohol. Over the years, have done so, but mostly in great moderation. Except for rare over-indulgences in my 20's, and none in the past 35 years or more, I have not noticed any ill effects. My only health problem is BPH and occasional flare-up of prostatitis, both of which are being treated with Hytrin. (Oh, and two years ago, I actually did have an emergency apondectomy, and recovered so well, I was able to leave for a three week trip through China only 19 days later.) Question: although alchohol abus not an issue for me, should I concerned about the nightly glass of wine I drink?
2) I was told I'd always "carry" Hepatitis, could never donate blood, etc. When I was drafted during the Korean War, I concealed that medical history (one of my childhood buddies had been killed there and I was loath to avoid service, especially considering his surviving family lived next door.) While in the Army, when they demanded I "volunteer" blood to the Red Cross, my refusal to "donate'" cost me weekend passes and a promotion. Later in life, when one of my children needed a transfusion following an accident, the doctor agreed I could not be a donor because there supposedly was no test to screen for hepatitis. About a month ago, a dentist declined to work on me because I reported at intake that I'd had hepatitis. I was told there is now a test to determine if I am still infectious. Question: how reliable is such a test? Does that test have a name?
At the moment, I'm visiting one of my children, but email to the address below is forwarded to whereever I happen to be.
Reply: --------------------
I recommend getting tested for Hepatitis A, B and C. Both can cause chronic hepatitis. I doubt you have either actively at this point because each would usually cause cirrhosis after 20 years if active.
My guess is that you had hepatitis A. This would have caused symptoms more like appendicitis that the others, was more common fifty years ago, and would have been more likely in a young adolescent who was not sexually active, using intravenous drugs, and who never had a blood transfusion.
Please reply when you get your hepatitis results. I expect them to show that you have recovered from Hep A and don't have B or C.
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Paul Hunter, MD - Family Doc.
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