I think if you are worried about the grandson then go ahead and get him tested just for your own peace of mind. He probably is NOT infected...if he has a healthy immune system he should be okay. My sisters' hubby is hep c and she has lived with him for 26 years and is not infected herself. I don't think it is passed off as easily as you might think. So the odds are your grandson is fine.

It sounds like he is in a good place, now, so freaking out your other daughter unnecessarily is not a good idea. He can be tested and then you can tell your daughter the situation if you think it is necessary - that he is not positive but that the boyfriend had it, etc.

I personally think you should 'come clean' and tell her the truth.
It may cause an uproar, but in your heart, you know it would be the
right thing to do.
To not tell her would be a lie by way of an act of omission.
Whether or not you don't think you are strong enough to tell her,
you are. There is nothing she can do to harm you. By telling her
the truth, you are showing the whole family that truth is more
important than worring about repercussions.
Just do what you think is right regardless of what may happen.
If you wait longer and she finds out, it will be worse for you.
Get a mediator if you need one. Practice with someone else.
Don't live the rest of your life by hiding and wondering if she
will find out. You are better and stronger than that.

Best of Luck!

I would get him tested. When I found, we had all the kids tested and my husband. They all are fine. Most likely the boy is fine. What he needs now is love and a sense of belonging.

Dear 855,
I've had Hep C for over 20 years (didn't know it until 3 years ago) and I've been married twice and have 3 sons. My first two sons are now grown up and I raised them not knowing I had Hep C... they are fine! My new son, age 2 and 1/2 is also fine. I've had years of unprotected sex with both wives... and they are fine also.
I agree with others to have your grandson tested, and to tell your daughter... but don't alarm her with false information. Hep C is not that easy to get... I got mine from a blood transfussion in the early '80's.
hope this is helpful.

When I first read your post it angered me because people do react as you have in your post to even the sound of the word Hepititis C and its nasty reputation for being a disease of intravenous drug users, but then I remembered my own family's reaction and my reaction when I found out I had the disease. It served none of us to be upset about it or to be fearful and it certainly doesn't help the infected one deal with the disease or the ones living with infected people. Its a very baffling virus for sure, and my DRs can't tell me where I got the disease (tattoos, blood transfusions, HepC immunizations while in the military)but the most prominent and fastest way to transfer HepC is through direct blood contact as through needles. When I was diagnosed with the disease and people outside of my family started discussing it (small town - DR with a big mouth) I was ostracized for being associated with the disease of hookers and drug users.

Educate yourself - don't be ignorant of the disease - start with the Centers of Disease Control and also stay here in the cure zone to listen to first hand experiences of people who live with the disease every day.

My family was tested, my children do not have HepC and neither does my husband and he's even more subseptible to catching it from me because he has herpes which can cause sores (as everyone knows) and open wounds, and if we've had intercourse close to or too soon after a menstrural cycle, and its a breakout period, well... it could spell immediate disaster - and yet we practiced unprotected sex even before I knew that I had the disease and have encountered these types of scenerios, thankfully with no infection to my husband.

So, adding to what others have said, try to look at it in a different light without so much emphasis on the "nasty" of the disease. HepC is a horrible disease, it is affiliated most with intravenous drug users, but its just a disease, that's all. Its not a filthy mark that people should have to live with - you'd be amazed at how many people you've touched, stood next too, were served by in a restraunt, that have HepC you'd be amazed. There are ways to tell people you have the disease, there is a gentle way to face the issue with limited pain in the bad news.

Catching HepC from a toothbrush is probably an unlikely way to transmit, but the CDC does recommend separating personal hygeine implements as most of us should do anyways.

I am not an expert, just a woman suffering from the disease - who has been through announcing my new found chronic friend and being severely treated for doing so, even to the point of losing a job because my co-workers didn't want to work in the same office where I had my desk.

Blessings to you and your family....