HIV, PEP & CD4

[kayce180]

Hi there,
let me thank you first of all for the outstanding work uve been doing,
please i need help.
here is my storie
on the 24th of dec, i was exposed to menstrual hiv blood, the exposure was during 3 sec of unprotected sex, and i had a small cut on my penis.
after 9 hours i started pep ( Atripla). after 2 days of completing pep i went for P24 and cd4 test, i had a negative P24 and a cd4 count of 357 & cd4 % was 29
on the 24th of april, 3months post pep & 4 months post exposure, i had a negative elisa 4th generation duo test and a cd count of 733 & cd4% was 34
16 weeks post pep i had a negative detetmine alere antibody test.
my question is:
1- Do i need further testing?what about my cd4 count?iam so confused and worry, anxiety is getting to much specially im about to marry within the next few weeks. i am in contact with an abroad dr, i cant meet sit down and talk to him, i just need some advise and confort..
thank you very much
kayce

[jkinatl2]

You do not need further testing. An HIV test 30 days after completion of PEP was all the testing you required, and you were negative.

I am actually rather surprised you sought out PEP for what seems to be a brief insertive incident. But you did, and it's done, and you are reliably HIV negative.

[kayce180]

thanks for your prompt reply,

the girl was positive, ive run 3 antibodies tests and all came positive, and she was on her period and the small cut i had nd the unprotected sex makes me go for pep choice..
the prob im facing now is that some people says that i should wait up tp 6 months post exposure or post pep, and to tell u the truth, it very hard,
do u think i should go for a pcr test?
Have u seen anybody seroconverted 3 months post pep, google is full of serconversion stories..
i hope u can settle down my anxiety a bit,
let me thank you again..
kayce

[Ann]

Kayce,

The six month testing window period is woefully outdated.

The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six WEEKS (post exposure or post PEP), with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days.

A six week negative is highly unlikely to change, but must be confirmed at the three month point. In the twelve years I've been answering questions on this forum, I've yet to see a six WEEK negative change at three months.

You are absolutely, positively hiv NEGATIVE. You do not need further testing over this incident.

Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:

You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL sexually transmitted infections together.

To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.

Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.

ALTHOUGH YOU DO NOT NEED FURTHER TESTING OVER THIS INCIDENT BACK IN DECEMBER, anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.

If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results.

Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv. Some of the other STIs can be present with no obvious symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to test.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

You are hiv negative. You do NOT have hiv.

By the way, ALL of our testing information and risk assessments are given with the assumption that the other person is hiv positive. While you did have a risk, you dodged the hiv bullet - this time. I hope this experience has opened your eyes and made you wise up and stop having unprotected intercourse with people of unknown or positive hiv status.

Ann

[kayce180]

I really appreciate your reply ann,

i guess you shut me down with the definitve conclusive reply that i am Hiv Negative,

it really cooled me down, but u knw over the past 5 months, all im thinking of is HIV, its really hard to remove the idea from my head that easley..

if i told u that since i started pep, im doing antibody test weekly, sometimes daily, would u believe it?

I called the doc who gave me pep, and he said that he promises me that i will test negative at 6 months post exposure, and i called another dr and told me that i should go for pcr if i dont want to wait for 6 months, thats why i mentioned the 6 months test.
Ann, be sure that i dont mean to disturb u or anybody in the forum, but do u advice me to go for pcr test? cos i knw if ill close this window right now, my thinking will directly goes to 6 months test, seroconversion....
just give me an advice how to finish this experience..
please let me assure u that i dont mean any offence whatsoever to u or your team, and ur previous reply was quite understood.
Thanks.
Kayce

[Andy Velez]

Kayce, it is not our job to hold your hand until your doubts go away. Doubts and fears are not facts. You have been told in no uncertain terms that you are reliably and conclusively HIV negative. Period.

If you can't let go of your unwarranted fears then see a therapist or other professional about the issue. We can't help you in that way in this setting.

I can tell you that if you continue to return here about your HIV status when we know you're HIV negative, you will find yourself getting a Time Out from the site. Your HIV status is not the problem. Your unwarranted fear is the issue. There's a big difference. Get professional help to deal with it if you need it.

[Ann]

just give me an advice how to finish this experience..

Kayce,

You are ALREADY finished with this experience. The doctors who told you to test out to six months - or worse yet, take a PCR test - don't know what the hell they're talking about.

You don't need a PCR test nor do you need further antibody testing over this situation. PCR test are not diagnostic tools and can return FALSE positive results. That's the last thing you need in your present state of mind.

You are conclusively hiv negative. You were never likely to end up positive over this brief insertive incident, blood or no blood, cut or no cut, PEP or no PEP.

You do not have hiv. Get over it and get on with your life instead of wasting time and energy over a virus you DO NOT HAVE.

As Andy has told you, if you cannot accept the fact that you DO NOT HAVE HIV, we can't help you with that here. Find a therapist who can help you with your unfounded, irrational fears.

Ann