Scarleteen

Hello Scarleteam,

As you guys may know, I've been dealing with anxiety over STIs. I'm not as worried as I was before about other STIs now(after being reassured by the workers at Scarleteen and the nurses and doctors at the youth clinic I go to), but I just want to make sure of something so I can stop thinking about it. Hepatitis C is scaring me because apparently there's a chance to contract it from sharing earrings. I know this might be silly of me to ask, but I really think it'll stop me from worrying, so please bear with me. So here are my situations: I wear earrings, and I have a bad habit of touching my earlobe and fiddling with my earrings and also a bad habit of peeling off skin off of the area where my ear got pierced. Occasionally while fiddling with my earrings sometimes the hole gets bigger(kind of like a cut? or it sort of splits)and sometimes it bleeds. If I were to touch everyday objects and then touch my ears again would there be a risk?(Taking in account for blood on ears?)(And does this apply for any other cuts on my body?) I've read that hepatitis C can live on surfaces for 16 hours, but no more than 4 days. I've shared earrings with probably only my sister and my best friend. I do not know of their status for hepatitis C. Should I get tested for it? I know this is also probably a silly question to ask, but it is unlikely and almost impossible to get HIV from getting my blood drawn out for a test by a nurse/doctor, right? And if I were to touch everyday objects and forget to wash my hands and masturbate, would there be a risk for any STIs?

Thanks again for the help, I really do appreciate it.
If there are ways for me to calm my anxiety on my own, please let me know as well.

Hepatitis C is primarily transmitted through blood-to-blood contact; the concern there isn't so much sharing earrings as it is improper sterilization procedures by tattoo/piercing practitioners (in situations like unlicensed shops, prison tattoos, etc.). It's very important that you let your ears heal and find a way to stop touching/picking at your piercing when it's sore and bleeding, but that's because you don't want just a plain old infection to occur. You're at a much larger risk of that than of something like Hep C.

For your other worries: simply put, neither of those things are a significant risk. It may help to think about the fact that people get basic blood draws and masturbate without washing their hands all the time. If STIs were so easy to catch and transmit, they'd be at epidemic levels by now.
You can always ask a doctor or nurse to show you the sterile wrapper any needle came from before they take your blood, if that would help you feel better.

Are you getting any ongoing support for your anxiety around this? It sounds like the information you've gotten from us and your clinic is only taking you so far, and that you're still feeling a decent amount of worry. If you're able to access some mental healthcare I think you'd find it helpful to learn some strategies for dealing with this sort of anxiety.

Thank you for answering my questions Mo. I'm planning to see a counselor for some guidance and help with my anxiety over STIs. Information helps me assess my risks, however I think I really prefer concrete evidence like taking a test and hearing that I'm negative, because it really does lift off my worry. After being given the information from scarleteen and my clinic, I don't not fear other STIs as much anymore.(especially since my partner was tested negative for what he was tested for based on his risks) the clinic kept reassuring me that I shouldn't be this concerned, especially since my partner has only been with me. I just wanted to let you workers at scarleteen know that I will seek help for my anxiety. I think the last thing I want to get tested for at my clinic is hepatitis C, because I have been vaccinated for B and A. They have taken my blood for testing HIV and syphilis, and it'll be a week since I gave them my blood to test. Do you think I could just ask them to test for hep C, or will I need them to take my blood again? (I'm not scared anymore after you've assured me, thank you ) Hopefully I can relax after getting results in two weeks and support. Thank you again for all your help and support!