so shure

[extremelysadness]

This is my sad history... I woke up at 6 o'clock in the morning a month ago after a night of heavy drink... and then I knew it... I knew somebody had taken me home and took advantage of me when I was completely black out... What kind of bad bad person can do this? When I could barely walk on my foot... I just dont remember almost nothing but this experience is awful and I dont wish to anybody what I am going trough... I have a lovely relationship at 11 years with somebody but we live now in different countries.
How is going to be our life if i test positive? How can I have children, pursue a career, be happy
Tomorrow I am going to know my status. And I am freeking out. It is not definite I know, but it will look also to antigen 24, which is going to give me 98% shure in case of negative. But I am so shure I will be positive, I've done one stds test 15 days after experience -  negative but not conviced in case of hiv... yes, he used condoms but I was not in state of knowing if he used well...
I dont work at 1 month, one entire month - I just go to the net and see all this synthoms of acute phase ... all this sad stories about people who are living with that...
Problem is I am having symphtoms ... anxiety or not... I got all this swollen lymp nodes , a pain and muscle tension in my face and all this headaches, and I also got  a rash in my upper right arm! True I smoked a lot due to stress and that is really bad for sore throats thinking a lot and a lot of anxiety wish is bad to your body  but still I think it is very bad signals... specially the rash... No fever it is true, but I never have fever anyway...
I went to three places last Monday: to a hiv anonimous test; to throat doctor who thinks I am having a rinosinus; to skin doctor who thinks my right arm suffers from keratosis pilaris. I want to believe in this. I want so much to be nothing.
Tomorrow I am going to pick up the results with my boyfriend in the clinic. My boyfriend is the most beautiful person in the world and he doesn´t believe I am infected and he call me hipocondriac. Maybe, but this time maybe there is reasons to be. I am afraid of tomorrow. I wish to delete all this. He is supportive, caring and I am so lucky for all his love, I wouldnt imagine how to pass trough this without him; but he is  not  superman. I want he and me  to be strong, strong for the two, this is too much for both of  us. I dont know what I am going to do in case of positive. What the hell I will do 3 more years in a different country where I dont have any friends? I just post this because I will learn my lesson in the good or bad way. In case it is negative I will be a better person - more grateful to the life I have, with more respect for my health, more caring for others. I hope I dont have to think in what I am going to do in the case I test positive.

Well, my heart is with everybody here , good luck!

[ACinKC]

We see ALOT of people who are SURE they have it.  99.9% dont.  A test taken at the appropriate time is the only way you will know.

From what you have indicated (he used a condom) I expect you to test negative.

[RapidRod]

A p-24 is only good for 3 weeks after exposure.

[Andy Velez]

The key thing in this situation is that you are reporting the guy used condoms. They provide very effective protection.

Neither the presence nor the absence of symptoms will ever tell you anything accurately about your HIV status. Only an HIV test taken at the proper time will give you that answer. The average time to seroconversion is 22 days. All but the smallest number of those who will seroconvert will do so within 4-6 weeks.

A negative result at 6 weeks should be confirmed by re-testing at 13 weeks.

Assuming you test negative at 4 weeks that is certainly encouraging.

During this waiting time you need to work on staying productively busy instead of torturing yourself with remorse and regrets. Given what you have described of the incident and most specifically about condoms, I'd say the odds are in your favor that you will test negative.

Avoid excessive drinking in the future. It's problematic for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it lowers your ability to negotiate safer sex.

Keep us posted on your test result.

Good luck.

 

[extremelysadness]

Hi, thank you all,  Andy,for your kind reply

I just come by to tell the results of my 30 days  test - HIV Elisa antibody+ap24 negative HIV1-2...

I was definetly overreacting and I feel very  guilty on my first post... really insensitive and histerical

I feel much more relieved... like there is 1% of me saying you can still have it but it is not like crying all the day on antecipation..
The swelling on my face and body almost vanish on the day I pick up the results, I assume it was everything stress related... I stopped to touch my armpits and face and now I am feeling much great!
I am still a bit worried because my tongue is whitish and my vagina is itching so I thought it could be systemic candidiasis but I went on Monday to a std clinic and they couldn find anything strange on me... still  itching (but whatever, maybe it is still stress).. I guess I am learning that synpthoms tell you very little...

I still would like to make 2 questions
1) window period- In some sites, they say 4 weeks 4th generation test is 99,8% shure, the lady that gave me the results ask me to repeat on week 6 or 8, why you are saying 13 weeks? I was very stressed with all this waiting results and I dont want to do anything on window period. Plus,I would like to know if there  is anybody here with a 4th generation test at 4 weeks negative and with a positive result later?
Do you recomend me the next test to be on 13 weeks and not on 8 weeks?
After 8/13 weeks do you think I can have unprotected sex with my fiancé ( he is 100% shure negative, no trust issues) or would you recommend me to wait 6 months or 1 year ?

2) I would like to make a question about condoms because latex normally irritates my vagina... Do you knowcondoms that are less irritating?

I will come by on my last tests to say the results...
Thanks to all,
Sofia

[Andy Velez]

Sofia, I expect your test result is unlikely to change. However, because a very, very small number may seroconvert later, the CDC recommends testing at 13 weeks.

I would suggest you do that just as a precaution and not because I expect the result to be any different.

There's another very important issue here. Of course it was crumby of the guy to have had sex with you when you were drunk. But Sofia, YOU are the one who has to be responsible for your own healthcare. You need to avoid drinking excessively. Again and again I have seen that as the beginning of dangerous situations sexually and otherwise.

Happily you have tested negative. You can date, you can have sex with whomever you like. Do it soberly and make sure that the guy is wearing a condom everytime. No exceptions.

Cheers,   

[extremelysadness]

Thank you again for your wise comments,Andy

it is so true what you said,
 I must confess that I never thought myself as an addicted, but after this incident I had really to rethink;
   Prior to this incident I only drunk when I went out with friends, never alone... So it was possible for me to be 1 month without taking a beer. But after this incident  I realized that I was addicted to social drinking as I really could drink more than  5-10  drinks night, I mean I will not control that I was drinking too much in sake of the party...
Unfortunately this time the person that take me home was not a good friend as previously...
This scare make me really good to me as a person... I guess I grew up. First the thought in my mind about being HIV positive? I thought why not me? What makes me special to other people so I can joke with luck?
I guess nothing.

 I mean wonderful people have hiv and it is not your fault, people that die every day in a car accident, with a stroke, heart attack... Kids that are kidnapped, people dying from hunger... C´mon - I have a good life - Love of my life, nice career, lovely family, caring friends- what else do why need and I need to stop complaining about little things all the time and have a good life with the cards that were given to me!!

 It really make me think that I was joking with my own body so I just made some decisions:  stopped smoking (3 weeks clean!) and  stopped drinking (45 days clean!). I just think I should thank GOD and make absolutely everything to respect my body not only for me but for the others! And after this, I am  just accepting my life finnaly and trying to have more empathy for the others... just not being so selfish - and I am liking the new me - it is more calm and it is more happy,


Sofia

[Andy Velez]

It sounds like you have done a wise thing, Sofia. You got a lemon in  your life and you've turned it into lemonade. Good deal!

Lots of choices that are sometimes hard to make or things that are difficult to do become clearer and (somewhat) easier when considered from the viewpoint of which of these choices is about getting on with LIFE and which lead to DEATH. If you want to stay alive for as long as possible the choice usually becomes pretty clear. It's great that you have recognized you had a problem and been willing to take steps to correct it. 

Good luck to you in continuing to take good care of yourself.

Cheers,

[extremelysadness]

 Hi, guys!! Maybe I was too quick in dismissing my anxiety, and now is returning after what I read in an article about 4th generation essays in blood donations. This article said that in only one case of analysis with various tests, the 4th generation didnt pick the p24 but only a separate p24 test pick it. So they were saying that there is a possibility of a second window period for 4th generation tests, this means ap24 peaks at 16 days and then after that when it decreases it could be a case when both ap24 and antibodies are not detected.

... I know this site is not giving me any reassuring of what I really need to Know (my status) so I decided to have another test on 8 weeks - you have to agree than in case of positive is better to know at 8 weeks than at 13 weeks so you can prevent some of the damage in case of meds needed-
 
I would prefer of course making this time a rapid test (for anxiety reasons). As you guys now a lot and a lot about, I was just wondering the difference between a finger prick test (where I can now in the moment the results) and a 4th generation essay at 8 weeks in detecting the right result? In my view, in my case, if I was positive and it didnt show up the a24 and both the antibodies at th 30 day mark, the a24 is not going to appear again making it irrelevant to make one or another. Am I right?

Gracias,
Sofia
(who knows, despite her question, she needs to be tested at 13 weeks mark)

[RapidRod]

A conclusive test is 13 weeks, not 4 nor 8. It can take up to several months for the body to produce enough antibodies for the tests to detect. You can test every week but until you have your 13th week test it will not be conclusive.

[extremelysadness]

Hi, I know that, but a 8 week test picks more seroconversions than a 4 week test, I admit less than a 13 week. Some of you have been here too, so I guess it is natural I want to make a test at 8 weeks.

In this case what is the best test 4th generation or finger prick??

[Ann]

ex,

It doesn't matter what test you take at eight weeks, only a three month test is conclusive.

I'm not expecting your four week result to change, but you need to just wait and test at three months.

Ann