Right now there is a performer represented by an agent in LA who has tested positive for Hepatitis C. Now this could be a very serious issue. So I wanted to take a moment to discuss what this means, what it could mean to you and why all this matters in the first place.
Before I get into the story she apparently does not have Hep C but you’ll see more on that later in the story. I just didn’t want people to start freaking out while reading this thinking I’m keeping a very big secret for some random girl. I would never do that. If I knew FOR SURE the girl in question had Hep C, HIV or anything, I would tell the fucking world. I wouldn’t be like those people who hid Mr. Marcus’ secret. Fuck that.
Anyway ….
Just last week I posted a story about how STI testing in the porn industry works. Long story short, those tests check for HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis as well as hep B and C and trichomoniasis vaginalis.
If someone (anyone – no matter who they are) tells you it’s okay to shoot a scene of any kind without being tested for all of these things, you absolutely do not want to shoot that scene or have anything to do with anyone who has shot a scene with that person. For your own safety and well being, you don’t want to ever perform any sexual acts with any person without verifying their test from an approved testing facility which at this point is only CET and TTS.
What this comes down to is the fact that your health matters.
While some of these listed STIs are curable, some of them like HIV and Hep C are not. Today we are going to talk about hepatitis C. While the infectious stages may come and go, there is no cure for hepatitis C (okay well now there might be but see below for more on that).
However that being said, there are medications you can take to clear up the virus in your blood and most people are considered “cured” when the viral load is undetectable for at least 6 months. This doesn’t mean you are truly cured because again there is no actual CURE for Hep C.
As of 2011, there is a new drug on the market that will stop the virus from replicating. This is a huge advancement in the treatment of Hep C. It’s not a cure and it is expensive, but it could mean the difference between dying in a few years from liver failure or living a long and happy life like everyone else. The problem is, while this is a great new drug, there are a lot of major side effects and so some people stop taking the medication because apparently the side effects were worse than the cure.
So if you don’t think liver failure or a shortened life span isn’t a big deal then you are fucking crazy. Without your liver you are going to die. Just ask Lamar Odom whose liver is currently failing.
If your agent or your friend or some random producer tells you it’s no big deal, they are wrong. Dying from liver failure is in fact a very big deal and that is exactly what could happen to you if you get Hep C.
So now let’s talk specifics …
If you get Hep C you will always have hep c. Even if you take your meds and your viral load is like super low, which means you will at that point probably not be infectious to others, you still have Hep C. Why? Because there is no cure. So if you were to go to Talent Testing right now and take the test, you would in fact still test positive. You will always test positive for the anti-body because you will always have Hep C.
If you go to Talent Testing and test positive for Hep C, they don’t just assume you actually have it. Because hey, false positives do happen. If you test positive once, they then bring you back in a do another special kind of test that they call a confirmatory test. This is sort of a double check system just to make sure. This way, even if you aren’t currently infectious (meaning your viral load is low), then they will still know you have it and then have double checked just to be sure.
Now what some people are doing is going to CET instead of Talent Testing because Talent Testing does the specific kind of test that will test for the anti-body, while CET apparently does a different test that only base it off of your current viral load so if you are on your meds that suppress the virus, then you won’t pop positive and that “clean test” lets you work in the adult industry.
So the question is, are you the unlucky person who gets booked with a person who is Hep C positive and using the CET workaround to get away with it?
When people find out this one girl in question can’t test at Talent Testing she tells people she has Lupus and that is what makes her test positive for Hep C. Just so you won’t fall for this, the two things have NOTHING to do with the other. Just because you have lupus (which I doubt she actually even does) does not mean she will in fact test positive for Hep C. She tests positive for the Hep C anti-body because she has the fucking Hep C anti-body in her system.
Lupus is an auto-immune disorder and has nothing to do with a virus. There may be another reason that she is testing positive for Hep C but it sure as fuck has nothing to do with lupus. So while it turns out this girl in question MIGHT NOT have Hep C, the entire point of my article is that you always use common sense and don’t listen to some random bullshit that some chick makes up. Demand to see proof with your own eyes.
The doctor tells me there is in fact something called autoimmune hepatitis which is an inflammation in the liver that occurs when the immune system attacks the liver. However it is unrelated to hepatitis C which is an infection caused by a virus that attacks the liver and leads to inflammation. The two have nothing to do with each other, it was just an interesting side note.
Actually speaking of interesting, there may in fact be a cure for Hep C. This however will cost you an amazing $1,100 per DAY and you must stay on it for 12 weeks. So if you happen to have $95,000 cash lying around just for the prescription alone, and you do get Hep C, there is a possibility you could be cured. The problem is, not everyone qualifies for the treatment and even if you have insurance and you do happen to qualify to be given the treatment, there is a high chance your insurance will not cover it, because it’s still considered experimental.
So if you don’t have $95,000 in cash to cure yourself, just in case …. make sure that the people you are working with has in fact tested negative for Hep C. Don’t take people’s word for it. Don’t believe insane sounding stories. Demand to see a person’s test with your own eyes.
Remember, just because someone says something, doesn’t make it true.
