POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: Giorgiodc on October 28, 2012, 07:02:32 am
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Hi,
Just want to know if maybe what I am experiencing is odd or just the signs of a sure infection.
Started six months ago with acute colon pains and cramps, seliing of the nerves behind the ears, cold and hot sweats, loss of apetite.
I work pretty hard and when I took leave for a month this summer all these symptoms disappeared, i tested before I went and the results came back negative.
I am now experiencing dizziness and loss of apetite, did a FBC test yesterday and showed no indication of any infection whatsoever....
I am puzzled, can anyone enlighten me as to what is it you experience when you are first HIV positive?
Thank you,
Giorgio!
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What was your possible exposure?
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risk is high....i was exposed, but my last partner just tested negative...
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Gio,
Unless your risk was unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse, then you've been worrying about hiv for no good reason.
None of the symptoms you're complaining about have anything to do with hiv. It sounds like constipation or some other bowel problem - this is something to explore with your doctor.
You cannot know your own hiv status going by someone else's test results. I've seen it time and time again where one partner tested negative and the other positive, even when unprotected intercourse had been going on. If you've actually been at risk, the only way to reliably know your own status is to have your own test done.
If you have had a risk (unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse), the earliest you should test is at six weeks past the incident. 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 six week negative is highly unlikely to change, but must be confirmed at the three month point. A three month test is conclusive.
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.
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!
Ann
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Thank you Ann,
I am getting tested again tomorrow.
The symptoms above are but a few and i am still trying to narrow it down to sthing...
I am losing weight rapidly though and that is also just got me anxious now....