Determining exposure date

[Naxos]

Hi all,

I know it's not worth spending too much time on, but I am agonizing over my exposure date and would like some advice.

Is it possible to seroconvert and test positive in within two weeks?  I literally had blood drawn two weeks to the day after my suspected exposure, but I'm unclear if that is enough time to produce a positive ELISA and Western Blot result.  Both tests came back positive, with ALL proteins positive on the WB. 

While my acute symptoms were somewhat present after the suspected exposure, I also had other symptoms two weeks prior (a severely inflamed neck lymph node, for example).

Again, I know it's not worth obsessing over, but it is really making me retrace what few risky steps I took, and if I may be missing something a few weeks/months earlier.

Any advice is helpful.  Thanks.

-Naxos

[Jeff G]

The average time to seroconversion is 22 days. Most who are infected will test positive by 6 weeks. For various reasons a small number will take longer and that is why we follow the CDC recommendation to test at 3 months for a conclusive negative result .

Why are you agonizing over the exposure date ?

[Naxos]

Ok, thanks.  I'm just curious to know if it's possible to test poz as I have within 14 days of exposure.

I'm an analytical person, and knowing how things happened and how they work are part of my mental DNA.

[Jeff G]

Ok, thanks.  I'm just curious to know if it's possible to test poz as I have within 14 days of exposure.

I'm an analytical person, and knowing how things happened and how they work are part of my mental DNA.

Welcome to the forum, glad you found us . I can understand wondering when and how you were infected . I was relieved to hear it was curiosity that drives you because some times when people ask that question after testing HIV POZ they do so trying to figure out who to blame, as in not take responsibility for their own infection .   

[Naxos]

Thanks for the reminder.

Yes, it's pure curiosity.  I have no motivation other than understanding the course of events and my own actions, which I take responsibility for. 

That said, is 14 days to totally seroconvert possible?

-Naxos

[tednlou2]

Thanks for the reminder.

Yes, it's pure curiosity.  I have no motivation other than understanding the course of events and my own actions, which I take responsibility for. 

That said, is 14 days to totally seroconvert possible?

-Naxos

From what I've read, including this site below, it is possible to test positive within 2 weeks. 

http://hivtest.cdc.gov/faq.aspx

[Jeff G]

Some people never experience any symptoms of seroconversion while others can have a rough go of it . A person may experience acute phase or primary phase of HIV infection after two weeks to three months after the infection.

Here is our lesions section . http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/Introduction_4702.shtml

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/WhatIsAIDS_4994.shtml

[Ann]

Naxos, it would be unusual, but not impossible to test positive so quickly, particularly on the WB. At two weeks, most people would still be either testing antibody negative, or indeterminate where not enough bands are present to show a firm positive result.

It's more likely you were infected sometime before the date you have in mind. As Jeff said, many people never notice their seroconversion so your symptoms are pretty much meaningless in this regard.