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Author Topic: Massachusetts Girl - 10 Week Negative??  (Read 11810 times)

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Offline sunflowers

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Massachusetts Girl - 10 Week Negative??
« on: August 31, 2010, 11:03:40 pm »
Hi and thank you so much for your advice...

So here is my story...I am a female and beyond myself at this point - have been dealing with this since April.
Tested negative 10 weeks Oraquick Advance in Massachusetts, was told to "move on"...


I had unprotected sex three times Jan, Feb, March, no issues same person, male.  Stupid I know.
Unprotected anal sex April 4th for a minute -  no ejaculation, same person.

April 11th, my vagina broke out in pretty bad irritation - uncomfortable but not painful. Never happened before or since.  Cleared up on its own.

A few days later, the lymph nodes under my neck swelled on me suddenly.

Prior to this, a week or so before, my outdoor cat bit me, but I cleaned the wound and my Doctor gave me 10 days Amoxocillin.  Cat is healthy as ever today, not sick, etc.

Then my symptoms started around 4/15 - my eyes were very red and painful with strange headaches. I had photosensitivity and photophobia started. 

Primary Doc said ear or sinus infection, gave me Keflex for 10 days. Diarrhea started and continues off and on.  Lactose intolerance started. I got a hemorrhoid flare, never had one of those before or since...and I got a weird sunburn like rash allover my buttocks and shoulders, and a few hives, which would come and go for a week or so.  Hasn't happened since.


I also lost 10 lbs withought trying during April - everyone noticed but me as my fingers were swelled so my rings still fit.  

My body felt like it was swollen, my clothes would leave marks, my skin got very wrinkly and dry. Got a strange cold sore on my skin above my lip which cleared up quickly.  I became very depressed and had panic attacks the next few weeks and went on Ativan.


After that, I had a coated tongue, insane insomnia,  one leg and one arm swelled and I experienced chest pain, joint redness, red palms, numbness in leg and head at times and now hair thinning. Muscle twitching, paleness, unusual headaches from 4/15 until now which have somewhat stopped in the past few weeks.

I did have STD testing for Chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea on 5/10 - Negative.

Then I noticed little brown spots, and a few little tiny warts started appearing randomly on my body and a couple of my face, no appetite, and lost another 10 lbs.


Finally I went to ER, 6/9, requested an HIV test, I got a chest X-ray, and blood work, all was fine except for my white blood cell count was elevated which I read could be caused by stress, smoking , the cat bite, etc.  They don't do STD testing, but the Doctor said my white blood cell count would be low if I had HIV.

Next day  6/10, at just shy of 10 weeks I went to a testing site at Boston Medical and received a negative Oraquick Advance finger blood test.

They said it was conclusive, especially if I had been experiencing symptoms for that long.  

Right now, I still have swollen lymph nodes, neck only, that come and go, very painful and pronounced, and diarrhea, still down 10 lbs., appetite has returned, and the brown spots starting to fade all over my body.  My hair seems to be thinning, and am very tired all of the time - also have developed alcohol intolerance.

Do I need to test again? Massachusetts says six weeks is conclusive.  But do you think taking Amoxicillin and Keflex would effect the results of my testing?  Also, is it true that if I had been experiencing symptoms since 4/11,  and they were HIV related, that the test results would have been positive by 6/10 when I tested?

I am trying to move on but I have never experienced such symptoms before.



Thank you Andy for your response already, I had mixed up the timing of my symptoms and not sure if that matters.....

« Last Edit: September 01, 2010, 04:34:14 pm by sunflowers »

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Massachusetts Girl - 10 Week Negative??
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2010, 08:11:40 am »
Sun, at this site we follow the CDC's recommendation to test at 3 months/13 weeks for a conclusive result. So I would recommend re-testing although frankly I do expect you are going to test negative again. I suggest doing that mainly for your peace of mind.

There is nothing in anyway HIV specific about your symptoms. That's not surprising since I believe you are negative. So you should be discussing your symptoms with your doctor to determine what the real cause is of your problem.

For future reference make sure that you are using condoms everytime you have either vaginal or anal intercourse. By doing that you will be well protected and not have to worry again about HIV being an issue. No exceptions. Condoms everytime!

Good luck in finding the real cause of your physical problems.
Andy Velez

Offline sunflowers

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Re: Massachusetts Girl - 10 Week Negative??
« Reply #2 on: September 03, 2010, 12:08:58 am »
Andy , or someone - not sure if I posted this right place.

Please, I could really use a little more reassurance on the likelihood of my 10 week test being truly negative...

So antibiotics no way would effect results?  Also I  do not recall waiting for a full 20 minutes, maybe 10 or 15 minutes for the test results, would that make a difference too??

From reading these forums, I do not understand why Massachusetts has a six week conclusive when it is 12/13 weeks elsewhere. 

I am still just experiencing some strange things still sypmtom-wise seemingly since this stupid lack of judgement and I am having a hard time trusting my 10 week negative - I really want to put this behind me but am having serious issues. 

So symptoms really mean nothing??  If I had symptoms for 6 weeks or longer before even testing, would I have produced enough antobodies at 10 weeks??

Thanks again, I have learned so much from reading these forums - you all are amazing people and the service you provide is invaluable to many.

Offline Ann

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Re: Massachusetts Girl - 10 Week Negative??
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2010, 07:18:25 am »
sun,

Antibiotics would have absolutely no bearing on your hiv results.

Yes, if you'd been having symptoms that were actually related to hiv six weeks before your test, you would have tested positive. The illness that some people experience is a reaction to the process your body goes through while producing antibodies, not a reaction to the virus itself.

Did you ever get checked out for the other, more easily transmitted STIs after your unprotected intercourse, or did you just worry about the one you were the least likely to end up with?

Your ten week hiv negative result is highly unlikely to change.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline sunflowers

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Re: Massachusetts Girl - 10 Week Negative??
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2010, 02:17:14 pm »
Hi Ann

Thanks for the reassurance, I appreciate it sooooo much.  That is exactly what the clinic in Boston said, that if I had been experiencing symptoms so long that the test would show...but I am finding it hard to accept my test results.  He even called me a worried well, but I dont feel very well even still today.

I did get screened for everything else at only one month or a little after, do you think I need to retest VDRL for syphillis, would antibiotics effect those results?  My doctor said it was crazy for me to test for syphillis, that no one gets it anymore.

Or maybe I need to talk to my doctor about hepatitis, I dont know, this is all new to me - first time I was with someone in over 15 years when my husband and I were seperating..I knew the other person for even longer and just assumed after talking to him that I had nothing to worry about, but he hasnt tested for 10 years, and if he didnt care to use a condom with me, its probably the same for everyone else....I am far from being not worried - still!!!!!!!!!!  He said he did not want to test for HIV or anything else when I asked him to go with me, so that ended that.

I was told it was not necessary to test again, that my results were conclusive, but I keep thinking that
if the tester didnt leave it in the full 20 minutes, would that cause a wrong test result???

Also, if my body was fighting an infection from the cat bite, would that delay antibodies for HIV to develep?  Both incidents happened same time frame...could that be a cause for concern about a false negative do you think??


Hope you are having a great day and thanks for making mine a little better too....

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Massachusetts Girl - 10 Week Negative??
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2010, 02:26:41 pm »
Sunflowers, you are worrying needlessly about antibiotics and fighting off infection as causes to affect the accuracy of your test result. Re-test at 13 weeks and pick up what I expect will be another negative result.

It seems to me that a lot of anxiety may have been stirred up by having sex with someone other than your husband after many years of monogamy. If that is so you may want to think about having some conversation with a therapist or other professional to get some support. Just a thought...

As far as HIV is concerned I don't see a problem for you.

Cheers.
Andy Velez

Offline sunflowers

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Re: Massachusetts Girl - 10 Week Negative??
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2010, 06:16:53 pm »
I just keep thinking that the test taker didnt think I was in a high risk group even though I told him my risks and took a shorter time for the test and maybe blew me off - also the guy not wanting to take a test and dropping off the face of the earth...and my symptoms, symptoms, symptoms...which I know enough about now from reading these forums mean nothing....

I am just still scared.

Felt a bit better today after hearing from you and Ann - takes a lot of courage to even post it seems, I have been reading you guys for months and am at least thankful and appreciateive you took the time to talk to me...


Offline Ann

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Re: Massachusetts Girl - 10 Week Negative??
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2010, 06:22:48 am »
Sun,

People are not high or low or no risk, activities are high or low or no risk. The only true risk group is that group of people who have unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse. That's a mighty big risk group and one most of us belong to.

The window period in Massachusetts is six weeks. You tested negative far outside this window. You do not have hiv. If you feel you need to, you can test again at the more generally accepted window period of three months, but your result is not going to change.

If you read the Welcome Thread before posting like you're supposed to, you will have read the following posting guideline:

Quote

Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.


Please consider yourself warned!

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

 


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