ANYONE?

[pennielane]

Please... has anyone tested neg on the ELISA at one post exposure and then later tested pos?  Or has anyone heard of this happening to anyone else?  I am so sure im positive, why won't it show up? Im killing myself researching it... can anyone help me out?

[pennielane]

ps ive read cases where people tested pos on pcr and neg on elisa, why would this happen? im 20 and otherwise healthy.... if i was exposed to hep and hiv at the same time, could it delay seroconversion for both past 1 year...?

[Andy Velez]

What was your exposure and when did you test in relation to it?

In general I will say that if you test negative at 13 weeks after a risky incident that is a reliable result. In a very few cases it's necessary to test up to six months. In those instances I am talking about where IV drug use is an issue or the person has a severely collapsed immune system and/or is being treated for something like cancer. When an immune system is severely impaired it's not a subtle thing as pretty much everything is going. So unless those conditions apply 13 weeks is a firmly reliable testing point. 

[pennielane]

Unprotected sexual exposure drawing blood... no medical history really except high blood pressure and im on norvasc, aldactone and zovia, also i took chloroquine (an anti malaria med) for about 6 weeks when i went out of the country (this was about 9 months post exposure)

Tested neg at 1 year post exposure for HIV and Hep, if i was maybe exposed to both at the same time could it delay seroconversion?

[Andy Velez]

No, hep would not skewer your test result.

I note that you are avoiding being specific about the exact nature of what you are calling a "sexual exposure." Unless it was unprotected vaginal or anal intercourse it is extremely unlikely that you were even at risk.

[pennielane]

Sorry im not trying to avoid, it was unprotected vaginal sex (that drew blood) with a guy of unknown status (he claims to be "clean" whatever that means, but i know that he does drugs, not sure if any are intravenous though....)

[Andy Velez]

If you have tested negative at 13 weeks or more then you're HIV negative. Period. End of story.

A negative test is reliable and whatever is causing your physical symptoms is not HIV so you need to discuss them with your doctor. Stop self-diagnosing yourself.

[pennielane]

Thanks, i plan on making an appointment to discuss with a doctor as soon as i can get in, believe me....

[pennielane]

So i went to my PCP today, to discuss some very swollen lymph nodes in the groin area/maybe armpit area, she said the "bump" in my groin was in fact a swollen lymph node.  I told her my story about a possible exposure 1 year ago, just to give her some background (also trying to get her to tell me im definitely OK) and she said that I still could have HIV! What? that contradicts everything everyone else has told me! she said i should test every year out to 3 years post exposure! where the heck did she get that number?  i thought 6 months/maybe 1 year would be long enough... why would she tell me to keep getting tested, i havent put myself at risk since a year ago....

[RapidRod]

You need to take the time and read the "Welcome" thread and the posting guidelines. This forum is not like Medhelp. You cannot keep starting new threads. You have to keep all your questions and concern in your original post.

[Andy Velez]

Pennie, don't start new threads. I've merged yours here so please keep all entries in this same thread.

Your doctor is so far behind the times that I wonder what other misinformation she is handing out. We gave you the real deal about HIV. Testing is not necessary beyond 13 weeks other than in the exceptions I have noted. I am not going to debate the nonesense your doctor scared you with.

Whatever is going on with you has nothing to do with HIV as long as you tested negative at 13 weeks past the last risky incident you reported and assuming you haven't had any since then. That's the real deal.

[pennielane]

STRAINS N AND O IN THE UNITED STATES? ANYONE?

Well ive been doing my reading, the first strain of HIV-1 O in the United States was discovered in 1996, that's about all Ive been able to read up on O... very limited information, but that was more than 10 years ago! Wouldn't O have spread to way more people since then... I know for a fact that the standard antibody tests do not pick up antibodies for this strain (as well as strain N which currently hasn't been found in the united states)....

On that note, I finally was diagnosed with generalized lymphadenopathy... also still have muscle aches and nausea and some weakness, and weird sensations in my feet sometimes legs, negative test for mono... no one can seem to figure out what is wrong with me, is it that far fetched that I have a strain that the tests cannot pick up?  The strain would have become more predominant only since none of our tests can detect them, the CDC obviously can't be keeping good records on a virus they cannot identify...

Do you know of a test I could ask for to test for the rarer strains?

What do you think?

[Ann]

pennie,

You've got your "facts" wrong. Today's standard tests pick up all strains. How else do you think they know the strains exist?

You are conclusively hiv negative. If you cannot bring yourself to accept that fact, then seek counseling. We cannot help you with that here and you will not be permitted to use this forum to continually question your conclusive test result. If you've read the posting guidelines in the Welcome thread like you're supposed to, you would have read the following:

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

[pennielane]

New concern = HIV 2!

I was wondering if there are any current stats for HIV-2 in the US?  I still have symptoms and have been diagnosed by a physcian with generalized lymphadenopathy and am still suffering from body aches

1) Is HIV 2 a concern here in the US?
2)Would you reccomend and HIV 2 test (reviewing my past tests, only covered HIV-1)

What do you think?  Please help!

[Matty the Damned]

Pennie,

HIV-2 is almost entirely restricted to western Africa. In any event the HIV-1 antibody tests in the US and other developed nations will almost always detect HIV-2 as well.

You do not have HIV, type 1 or 2.

You should keep the warning Ann gave you back on April 2nd in mind.

MtD