murderboy:
Two stupid questions...bare with me, please =(
As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, my doctor thought that I MIGHT have Leukoplakia, and advised me to go to an ENT for it. Well, it went away on it's own (without any medication) before my appointment with the ENT, so I was never able to find out what it really was. If it was due to HIV infection, I would have tested positive, correct? Or rather, a friend of mine (who is studying to be a nurse) told me that if it was from HIV, it wouldn't have gone away by itself, and that it would have occured when the infection had turned into full-blown AIDS, and I would have known I had it by then because I'd be hopsitialized with some other illnesses. Is that right?
Secondly, I'm good at letting my imagine run freely, and the thought that the test was performed wrong has crossed through my mind a few times...As I said, it was an Orasure test, and the conseluor administrating the test gave me the little swab thing and had me stick it my mouth myself. He had me keep it in there for a few minutes, then had me rub my inner cheek up and down a few times before I had to put it in it's little vile. Now, there's no way I could have fucked it up where it wouldn't have picked up enough saliva or whatever it tests, right? Reagrdless of how dry my mouth felt?
I know I sound crazy...but thank you tremendously for dealing with my questions.
jkinatl2:
You are absolutely, completely, certifiably HIV negative. Seriously, Were there a shred of doubt, no one here would say that. At least, not without a healthy debate emerging. Aidsmeds.com takes it's science very seriously.
The next step for you is to decide whether you are brave enough to leap from the circular train of HIV worry. Believe me, it's not easy. There's a real comfort in that cycle. But ultimately, it can consume you. I urge you not to let it do that.
murderboy:
Yeah I know...I've been trying to keep myself busy so the "what-ifs" don't pop into my mind. I'm just worried that the test kit didn't pick up enough speciem since my mouth was kinda dry when I took the test. Is that even possible?
And yeah...sorry for bothering you all with my questions. I feel like a jerk asking them =/
Ann:
murder,
If the oral swab antibody test was suceptible to those kinds of problems, it wouldn't be approved for diagnostic use. It was thoroughly researched, tried and tested before it was available for use by the general public. People who create the tests and the people who administer the test do so to discover people's hiv status. If there were a chance the tests were not diagnosing some people, they wouldn't be using them.
And just so you know, when they were testing the oral swab technology, they were double testing people. They'd also take blood for a traditional test and compare those results with the oral results. The oral swabs work, no matter if your mouth is dry or not. (Do you honestly think you were the first to take that test while nervous with a dry mouth?)