POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: seki on September 27, 2006, 06:47:48 pm
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Hi all, i came upon this site while searching for aids related information. Finally decided to post because of the many most helpful people circulating this forum.
Ok my problem is exactly 1 week ago i had unprotected sex with a prostitute. It was a grave mistake i know and ive been worried sick since. Anxiety attacks and unable to sleep well or long. Its affecting my social life and work! I really need some advice on how to carry on. So after browsing through the posts here, heres my plan ---
Go for HIV Test at:
22 days
42 days
3 months
Any comments or suggestions is appreciated!!!
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Seki,
Unprotected anal or vaginal sex is indeed a risk for HIV transmission and you do need to be tested. But first up some good news, HIV is a fragile virus that's difficult to transmit and the likelihood of you being infected from one encounter isn't high. HIV is also much more difficult to transmit from female to male, but you've not specified the gender of the sex worker you went with, so I won't presume.
Nevertheless HIV is nothing to guess about so that test is a must. The majority of people who test positive do so at the 22 day mark. The official window period for HIV seroconversion is 12-13 weeks so that's when you need to get tested. Testing at 22 and 42 days will only be definitive if you test positive. A negative result from tests at those points will need to be confirmed by a final test at 13 weeks.
My advice to you would be to wait until 13 weeks has past and have your anti-body test then.
You should also know that STD's such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea are much more prevalent and contagious than HIV. Sexually active people should have a full STD screen at least twice a year. In your case I would strongly recommend you have a full STD screen performed.
Please take the time to read our Welcome Thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0) to learn more about how HIV is and is not transmitted. In the future use good condoms and water based lubricant eveytime you have anal or vaginal sex and you'll be fine.
Best regards,
MtD
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im just testing in advance to sorta give myself a piece of mind....so that i wun explode!!!!
thx Matty really....gotta go now still in the middle of work sigh....
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Seki,
If you cannot wait three months, the earliest you should test is six weeks. If you get a negative result at six weeks it will be an excellent indication of your true status, but MUST be confirmed at the three month point.
Hiv is a fragile, difficult to transmit virus and more so from a woman to a man, so you do have a good chance of testing negative. Try to relax until you take your test because high stress levels will make you feel ill.
And as Matty says, 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 STIs together. To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with a sexually transmitted infection.
Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.
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.
You can test for the other STIs in another week's time, except for syphilis, which shares a three month window with hiv.
Use condoms and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple.
Ann
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ok i've been pretty positive abt all things until now......
non-itchy red rashes broke out all over my chest today n i had headache for a week n a half
i mean...wat else can i tink except tt im infected alredy...its now 1 month past the exposure shud i get tested now?
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erm....my rashes went aways after a day on my chest....is this consistent wif ars?
besides tt i'v been having ichy single spots on various spots on my body....is this dangerous as well?
ok lastly my headache been bothering me for 2 weeks......
if ani1 has ani experience wif these symtons pls share.....
i noe symptons ar not conclusive i juz wanna noe to have a better idea..
i think im goin to test today at 33 days....i think i neid all the luck in the world.....
hopefully some1 will gimme an honest reply, im the only son after my brother died so i really dun wanna make my lovely parents depress sigh
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seki,
Nothing you report sounds like ARS. The only way to know for sure is to test at the appropriate time, which is no earlier than six weeks. Only a three month negative is conclusive, but the odds are in your favour of testing negative.
Stay productively busy while you wait for the appropriate time to test. I would suggest you work on your spelling - that should keep you busy for hours, if not days.
Ann
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i went to test today at 33 days.....cos my headache just wun go away!
im afraid of all the mild symptons i had...approximately how long if theres ars will u produce antibodies?
"life is a series of random lotteries n tragedys"
Ann u a part time comedian? lol
(used the spell check option this time to avoid your snide remarks :P)
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Seki,
The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six weeks, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days. A negative result from today's test will be a good indication of your true status, but it won't be conclusive.
A headache is not an indication of ARS. It's far more likely to be stress-related, however, you really should see a doctor about any headache that lasts more than a day or so. It could be something serious - but unlikely to have anything even remotely to do with hiv.
And speaking of headaches, sorry about the crack about your spelling, but reading your post was giving me a headache trying to figure out what you were saying.
Ann
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hey Ann,
tested neg at 33 days....so this is a very good sign issit it....?
however, i notice pus discharge coming out of either my penis or anus i dunno which
ok so even if i do not get Hiv, genital warts and herpes still sticks for life doesnt it...do you noe abt these STDS?
Haven spoken to a doc abt it cos i dunno the window period for STDs....any advice?
I wanna be responsible and test but i just dunno when to do it....and kissing is so common im afraid i pass std to someone
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i notice pus discharge coming out of either my penis or anus i dunno which
Seki,
Are you trying to tell me you don't know your ass from a pole on a hound? If you are leaking puss from any part of your body you need to show that to a doctor. We cannot diagnose your puss, much less tell you where it's coming from. Except for hiv and syphilis, you can test for the other STIs ten to fourteen days after an encounter, sooner if you experience symptoms - such as leaking pus. Get yourself to a doctor.
Your 33 day negative is encouraging but not conclusive. You need to test again at the three month point. Syphilis shares a three month window period with hiv.
Again, get yourself and your pus to a doctor. This is not optional.
Ann
edited for a glaring spelling mistake!
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hey Ann,
i couldnt tell because i only noticed the pus in the toilet bowl after passing motion...thats why...
i have financial difficulties as well to go for testing as i am still studying...
so if i go for a full panel checkup at 6 weeks, it would be wise right?
or should i just do stds checkup now?
i cant believe the mental stress that comes after sex can be so excruciating, im quitting sex!
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seki,
If you have pus coming out of your body, then you need medical attention NOW.
Ann
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thx Ann for your advice, i will see a doctor....decided to do it tmr at 40 days....or shud i wait 2 more days for the full 6 weeks?
i will be doing full panel stds plus hiv testing. My question is if a neg at 40 days is as good as at 42 days. Since the 6 weeks mark seems to be so crucial.
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seki,
If you have pus coming out of your body, then you need medical attention NOW.
Two days isn't going to make a huge difference to your hiv test. Whether 40 days or 42, you will still need to confirm you result - if negative - at the three month point.
Ann
Ann
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yup went to the doc to get treatment, doc says its probably juz some common infection as i had tested neg for stds earlier.......
im goin to get my 6 week test tmr for hiv.....pretty stressed out now, keeping my fingers crossed.
i do stand a pretty good chance if i test neg tmr rite?
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so at the clinic today, my doctor kept stressing that the official window period is 6 months and not 3 months....so i asked him issit only veri rare cases do people show up positive after 6 months, he said no, it happens. Is all these because of the different generation in tests? I noe my country is using the elisa screening test but im not sure which generation. Anyways, i guess the only thing that matters is whether or not a person tests neg or pos. Just wondering because 6 months is a very long time, will sweet Ann pls explain ahha....
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Your doctor is not up to date. You only have to be tested up to 13 weeks/3months.
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Seki,
As Rod says, you doctor is giving you outdated information. At three months the generation of test does not matter.
Are you on chemotherapy for cancer? Anti-rejection drugs following organ transplant? Have you been injecting street drugs every day of every week for the past few years? No? Then you do not have to worry about not getting an accurate result at the three month point. No kidding.
Ann
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hi Ann,
so i tested neg at 68 days.....hurray but still skeptical as i noe im not 100% clear....will test agn at 12 weeks....
so the purpose of this post is to clarify my chances??? im pretty safe true? my girlfriend is very anxious as well
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Seki,
Most people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six weeks. Your nearly ten week negative is not likely to change.
Ann
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Took my 3 months test today....my doc explained to me that 3 months was the old window period and for a few years now it had changed to 6 months. Now this totally contradicts the "guidelines" on this site. Some say 3, some say 6, im confused. Will Ann show me the light at the end of the tunnel?
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seki,
Your doctor is either confused or doesn't know what he's talking about. The old window period was six months. The newer window period has been at three months for quite a few years now. I'm fully expecting that window period to be further reduced to six WEEKS sometime in the next few years.
When your three month test returns another negative result, you will be done. No further testing over this incident will be necessary.
Ann
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hello, my test came back negative at 87 days. Is this considered conclusive? Its a few days short of 13 weeks.
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seki,
You are conclusively hiv negative. Protect that negative status by always using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse. Use condoms and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple.
Ann