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Author Topic: Question about testing and background  (Read 6103 times)

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Offline Anthonyindc

  • Member
  • Posts: 7
Question about testing and background
« on: November 21, 2006, 09:40:51 am »
Hello Folks,

I posted here about 2 years ago after a scare that I had (Which turned out to be fine).

This past Monday, I went to my Primary Care Physican for my end of the year Physical. Besides all the normal testing done (Bloodcount, Chorlestoral, Sugar, Ect Ect...) I had asked for a full STD Panel to be performed (It has been 2 years for me) including an HIV Test. (Please keep in mind that I get an HIV test every 6 months apart from other tests) I asked the doctor what kind of test they performed, he mentioned they do a standard ELISA test to which I get the results back in a week. I gave the OK to perform the additional tests.

I get a phone call from my Doctor this morning saying that all of my STD panel came back negative. When he mentioned my HIV test, he said that 7 out of 8 bands came back negative. He said that one band came back inconclusive (TB114 or TR114 or something along those lines) and that I would need to retest in another 4 to 6 weeks. He also reccomended instead of waiting that long, that I should come back in tomorrow and get a PCR Viral Load test. He said that the odds are in my favor because usually when testing is done and usually a few more bands show up positive.

I am really worried now. When I have sex (I am a gay male) I always use protection when doing anal sex. There was an instance 5 weeks ago that I had when a guy I was. We were doing frotage on each other and at a point his penis did go inside me for a second or two...was not that long. When we both noticed this, he put on a rubber and we proceded to do our thing. Please also keep in mind that the Friday before I went to see my doctor for my Physical, I went to Whitman Walker in DC to have the HIV Oral Test done that came back negative as usual.

I am in kind of a fog now now about this. I have never had an inconclusive result before, and I have been tested for HIV many times in the last 10 years and have never had this happen. Can someone give me some BACKGROUND ON THIS? And some good advice?

This is a agreat site that I did nto think I would have to come back to again after my real scare 2 years ago. Also, I posted under an old screenname before that I do not remember the name that I used.

I look forward to the responses.

Thanks, Anthony

Offline Anthonyindc

  • Member
  • Posts: 7
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2006, 12:11:46 pm »
Just an update.....

I went to Whitman Walker Clinic this morning and had another Oral HIV Test. It came back negative of course....

So any words from anyone?

Offline Anthonyindc

  • Member
  • Posts: 7
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2006, 01:25:34 pm »
Hello...Is this thing on?

Anyone out there care to comment?

Still patiently waiting....

Thanks

Offline Nashvegas

  • Member
  • Posts: 196
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2006, 01:30:55 pm »
Well, the good news is the oral test came back negative.  The bad news is you're still worried.  Did you get the viral load test done?  That should clear things up a bit and perhaps ease your mind.  The conduct you describe in your prior post sounds very unlikely to result in infection, but you probably won't be completely at ease until you know for sure.  Hope everything comes back negative.   
8/12/06 - sero-conversion
9/14/06 -- Positive Test results confirmed
9/21/06 -- CD4 - 586; viral load 8,000; 29%
12/25/06 -- CD4 - 373; VL 2,800; 23%
2/10/07 - CD4 - 228; VL 865; 25%
3/15/07 -  CD4 - 365 (no viral load test)
5/1/07 = CD4 - 341; VL 4,358; 27%
8/1/07 - CD4 - 315; VL - 2,300; 25%
9/20/07 - CD4 - 378
11/22/07 - CD4 - 257; VL 7,300;
2/27/08 - CD4 231 (16.5 %), VL 5,960
5/20/08 - CD4 229 (18.3%), VL 11,100
6/17/08 - CD4 166 (14.5%), VL 9,030
6/17/08 - STARTED VIRAMUNE + TRUVADA
7/2/08 - CD4 272 (20%), VL 113  :-)
7/16/08 - CD4 -217 (21.1 %), VL - Undetectable
7/30/08 - CD4 - 220 (20.4%). VL - 92
8/14/08 - CD4 - 280 (22%) VL-undetectable
1/04/09 - CD4 - 250 (28%) VL-UD
5/15/09 - CD4 -393 (28%) VL-UD
8/15/09 - CD4-346, (26%) VL-UD
11/15/09 - CD4-373 (28%)

Offline Anthonyindc

  • Member
  • Posts: 7
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2006, 02:16:25 pm »
Thanks for the reply Nash. I appreciate. The weird thing is that this test is almost 6 weeks in to the "Window Period" for me. The incedent took place on October 8th, 2006. We used protection for our intercourse. Plus, me and this other fellow have hooked up in the past b4. I have had no symptoms what so ever. I know that means nothing, but still.....All of my friends when I lived in NYC and Boston who are HIV Positive, and came down with this fraking disease have all had some sort of flu like symptoms.

In Mass and NY State, they rec 6 week testing. This is what I have always gone on. From reading this site and others, this seems to be the norm except for the "normal" 3 month waiting period.

So this is where I am confused....what does "Inconclusive" mean? Being that I have tested at the 6 week period as negitive (From the HIV Oral Test) but this other test showed up with these other results? Is the Oral test very sensative? What is this 8 Band Elisa Test where 7 out of 8 bands are neg and one comes back with "Inconslusive"

Thanks, Anthony

Offline RapidRod

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  • Posts: 15,288
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2006, 02:24:32 pm »
Did you say that you had protected sex?

Offline Anthonyindc

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  • Posts: 7
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2006, 02:31:01 pm »
This was part of my first post....

"We were doing frotage on each other and at a point his penis did go inside me for a second or two...was not that long. When we both noticed this, he put on a rubber and we proceded to do our thing."

So only for those few seconds, it was not protected. But once we noticed this...we put on rubbers.


Offline Andy Velez

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  • Posts: 34,126
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2006, 03:05:26 pm »
Anthony, given what you have reported in terms of the incident itself, (extremely  brief insertion without ejaculation) and a negative on the Oral test, I expect you will continue to test negative.

In the future I would say just work on keeping matters under control. When you start fooling around keep the condom right handy so you don't have to go through this kind of worry again.

Personally, although I know you are concerned, I think a PCR is overkill. Re-test at 13 weeks and I expect you will collect a negative. The PCR was never designed to be a diagnostic test. You need to know because of its high level of sensitivity it can yield a false positive but not a false negative.
 
Cheers,
Andy Velez

Offline Anthonyindc

  • Member
  • Posts: 7
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #8 on: November 21, 2006, 03:20:53 pm »
Thanks Andy for the kind word's. This is just kind of mind numbing for me. I will go ahead and test out at 13 weeks for the results. From what I have read on this site, inconclusive results can occure because of all sorts of different things (That is what the doc told me this morning) ranging from having another virus in your system to bad lab results.

Thanks again,

Anthony

Offline Andy Velez

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  • Member
  • Posts: 34,126
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2006, 05:15:15 pm »
Anthony, that inconclusive has understandably spooked you. However, as your doctor has indicated, "inconclusive" happens for all sorts of reasons. I say the odds are still in your favor that you will test negative.

Now, just practice the good deep and slow breathing which I recommend whenever you're tensing up. It really helps getting through.

Keep us posted. And good luck.

Cheers,
Andy Velez

Offline Ann

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  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #10 on: November 22, 2006, 10:36:14 am »
Anthony,

I wasn't available for comment yesterday, sorry. Your doctor had no business telling you about this inconclusive test. The correct proceedure under this type of circumstance is not to freak the patient out and start talking about PCRs and testing again in a few weeks, it is to order a Western Blot test on the blood sample they already have. Western Blot testing is the standard proceedure for checking on both an inconclusive test and a positive test.

If this doctor you went to isn't up to date on hiv testing proceedures (and refuses to update) then you might want to have your future hiv testing done at a place where they know what they're doing.

The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test positive by six weeks, with the average time being only 22 days, so that negative oral test you took is unlikely to change. Hang in there, you're going to be ok.

Ann
 
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Offline Anthonyindc

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  • Posts: 7
Re: Question about testing and background
« Reply #11 on: November 22, 2006, 06:50:31 pm »
Thanks Ann!!!

I appreciate the info and the words of wisdom. When I lived in NYC my doc up there always did the finger prick test which I loved. Whitman Walker here in DC is really good  job as well. They give the choice of either a regular ELISA which can take 2 week, or the Oral Swab test. Which is even easier  then the finger prick quick test.

When I lived in Boston and NYC, both of their department(s) of health said get tested at 6 weeks. Hence when the doctor told me about that inconslucive test, I went to WWC in DC to get another Oral test. It showed up Neg.

I will keep everyone posted. Thanks for all your help.

Anthony

 


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