POZ Community Forums

HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: Leon on April 07, 2011, 10:06:40 am

Title: PEP and how it reflects on ARS and 4th gen ELISA
Post by: Leon on April 07, 2011, 10:06:40 am
Hey all ,

I am Leon!
On March 4th i had an anal receptive sexual experience without condomn..The guy probably did not ejaculate inside me , but i am not sure for that..I got really worried and 28-29 hours later i started the PEP.
I took Kaletra and Truvada for 28days and last Friday i finish the treatment..

On March 9th i found the quy and we both were examined with 4th gen Elisa and PCR..Both results were negative for him and me..The problem is that 10days before the exams (thus 5days before our sexual action) he had another sexual experience without condomn where he told me that he was top (which is a little bit safer) , so this incident could not fully examined neither with Elisa nor with PCR.

On March 14th i developped a rash on my hands.I had also a kind of sore throat(my throat is really sensitive and when the springs come i often face sore throats) and the docs told me that i was probably an allergy, due to a hand creme i had used the night before (but already used it sometimes in the past)
The rash dissapeared next day

On march 30th(2 days before i finish the pep and 26days after the exposure)  i also went for an other 4th gen Elisa test which came also negative..I would like to do it exactly after the end of PEP but the exams here are made only in certain days , so if i haven't gone then i would have to wait for a week..:((

On Friday 1st April i finished the PEP and now i am really worried about how much reliable is the result of my second Elisa..Last 10days i have cough and nose congestion but many people have it maybe due to a virus, so i try not to pay attention to that..The problem is that i also feel a kind of discomfort or pain(don't know how to describe it exactly) in my left neck and axillary and i don;t know if it has something to with my nodes..I palpate my axillaries but didn;t find anything suspicious..but i am not specialised..:(

As far as I know ARS happens the first 2-4weeks , can it appear later due to PEP??and the 4th gen Elisa can it also be so much affected by that??Its window time is 16-20 days for the antigen p24, so otherwise it would be a relialbe result , i think

I know i may overreact , but i can't take negative thoughts out of my mind..

Thank you , in advance!:)
Title: Re: PEP and how it reflects on ARS and 4th gen ELISA
Post by: Andy Velez on April 07, 2011, 10:20:22 am
When you have done PEP the time for testing starts counting from completion of PEP. In other words, for a final and conclusive negative result you need to test at 13 weeks after the completion of PEP.

You can do an initial test at 6 weeks after completion of PEP. A negative result at that point is likely to continue to be negative at 13 weeks.

Someone else's test result maybe encouraging to you but ultimately it is only your own negative result at the right time that you can depend upon.

AND learn from this experience. You can have as much anal sex as you want to and regardless of the other person's HIV status. But you need to do it the safer way which means the insertive partner must always be using a condom. No exceptions. Anytime you have anal intercourse without a condom you are putting your life at risk. It's as stark and as simple as that.

Good luck with your test(s).
Title: Re: PEP and how it reflects on ARS and 4th gen ELISA
Post by: Leon on May 04, 2011, 03:37:13 pm
Hey again!

Today I completed exactly 2months from my suspicious sexual experience and 33days(4weeks and 5days) from the end of PEP and went for some new examinations..
I was tested negative for hiv (Ag-p24 and Ab anti-hiv1-2) with the method of CMIA.
The same method was also used for Syphilis, HCV and HBV and the results were also negative.

The public centre for hiv in my region uses 4rd generation of Elisa and not CMIA. I also went to examined there today but the results will be ready next week...So i decided to go to a private centre where i took the exams and results i told you before.

I would like to ask you. If there is any difference in reliability between ELISA and CMIA??
and How much reliable is the result at that time??I will be examined again in 2months of course..

Thanks in advance!
Title: Re: PEP and how it reflects on ARS and 4th gen ELISA
Post by: Andy Velez on May 04, 2011, 06:01:53 pm
Taken at the right time both CMIA and ELISA are reliable tests.

The average time to seroconversion is 22 days. All but the smallest number of those who are going to seroconvert will do so within 4-6 weeks after an exposure to HIV. So your negative at 4 weeks is a good sign of course. A negative at 6 weeks would make it very unlikely that you would get other than another negative result at 13 weeks.
Title: Re: PEP and how it reflects on ARS and 4th gen ELISA
Post by: Leon on July 02, 2011, 07:44:12 am
Next monday i am going to make the last test for my incident (it will be 4months exactly from the incident and 3months after the conclusion of PEP) Although last 2 months i had took hiv out of my mind(last month very stressed with my exam session in university , which still goes on:((  ) now i think i am feeling stressed again about the results..Besides that all that period i did not have sex and i think it will be very difficult again to trust somebody..But i have also some good news , i read recently here:
 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303936704576397491582757396.html

let's hope that all these news will lead to an efficient vaccine!:)) 
Goodmorning to all people here!!!And let's try not to allow the stress of hiv to destroy our lifes!i did it for 2months and it was very bad!!
Title: Re: PEP and how it reflects on ARS and 4th gen ELISA
Post by: Ann on July 02, 2011, 08:11:50 am
Leon,

I totally expect your conclusive, three month post-PEP result to also be negative.

Ann