Risk, should I take pep??

[help450]

Brief unprotected with csw. Had all the sypmtoms. Non reactive ICMA antibody test 32 days post exposure and negative RNA by PCR 37 days post exposure.

[RapidRod]

If it was unprotected anal or vaginal sex you can get your conclusive test result 12/13 weeks post exposure.

[help450]

I understand that, but what about my test results thus far?

[Ann]

help,

Any negative result is a good result. The vast majority of people who have actually been infected will seroconvert and test postive by six weeks, with the average time to seroconversion being only 22 days. While I don't expect your results to change, you need to confirm that negative at three months.

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 all three 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.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple.

Ann

[help450]

Hello. I had a very high risk exposure over 4 months ago. Two weeks after the exposure I had rash, diarreah, mouth sores, lowe back pain, joint stiffness, hives,etc. One month after exposure I have 3 symptoms  that persist till this date. Gingivitis, which I have never had before in my life, chronic sinusitis and a host of skin manifestations. One of my rashes the dermatolagist deemed a viral rash. My test results are

non reactive antibody at 32 days post
less than 50 copies RNA by PCR 37 days post
non reactive at 18 weeks post

What is going on???

Thank you.

[help450]

why is it that of the 2 people on this forum with any real risk or symptoms cant seem to get a response? anyone?

[Ann]

help,

I've merged your new thread into your original thread - where you should post all your additional thoughts or questions. It helps us to help you when you keep all your additional thoughts or questions in one thread.

If you need help finding your thread when you come here, click on the "Show own posts" link under your name in the left-hand column of any forum page.

Please also read through the Welcome Thread so you can familiarize yourself with our Forum Posting Guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation.

why is it that of the 2 people on this forum with any real risk or symptoms cant seem to get a response? anyone?

We're not sitting here waiting breathlessly for new posts. We have lives too. I've been offline for an hour or so because there was an electrician in my house fixing something so the electricty was off.

Regardless of whether or not you had a risk (you never did say what made you test), you are conclusively hiv negative. The window period is three months and you tested negative far outside that time-frame. You don't have hiv.

Whatever is going on with you has nothing to do with hiv as you do not have hiv. Work with your doctor to find out what is going on. Whatever it is, it is NOT hiv.

Ann

[help450]

what if air got in the test tubes, what if labcorp messed up my tests? My symptoms are way too coincedental. My pcr by rna test was done at an infectious disease clinic but that sat in the test tube for 2 days before it was  tested.

[RapidRod]

what if air got in the test tubes, what if labcorp messed up my tests? My symptoms are way too coincedental. My pcr by rna test was done at an infectious disease clinic but that sat in the test tube for 2 days before it was  tested.

Let us know when you become a lab tech and you know more than the lab.

[Ann]

help,

Screw-ups in the lab usually result in false POSITIVES, not negatives. That's certainly the case with PCR testing. If you had hiv, the RNA test would have picked it up at 37 days. It didn't pick anything up because YOU DON'T HAVE HIV!

There's absolutely NOTHING hiv specific about any of your physical troubles. They could be cause by any one of hundreds of illnesses or pathogens. Keep working with your doctor to find out what's going on. Whatever it is, it is NOT hiv.

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

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

[help450]

I had an encounter at an asian spa. Protected oral, then protected vaginal for maybe 10 seconds, back to protected oral then finished with unrprotected hand-job. I am worried because condoms are not always safe. The oral before the vaginal was very rough and lasted forever, it could have damaged the condom and put me at risk for the brief time i was in there. I called an hiv doc today who is willing to prescribe PEP to me tom morning even though it will be past 6 hours past the 72 hour deadline. what should i do? please help.

[Ann]

Help,

Once again, I've merged your new thread into your original thread - where you should post all your additional thoughts or questions. It helps us to help you when you keep all your additional thoughts or questions in one thread. It doesn't matter how long it has been since you last posted in your thread or if the subject matter is different.

If you need help finding your thread when you come here, click on the "Show own posts" link under your name in the left-hand column of any forum page.

Please also read through the Welcome Thread so you can familiarize yourself with our Forum Posting Guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation.





You did not have a risk and you do not need to test. If the condom was damaged, it would have very obviously broke and you would have known.

You do NOT need PEP.

You do NOT need to test.

You had NO risk.

Ann

[help450]

why would the doctor offer me pep then if there wasnt much or any risk?

[Andy Velez]

We can't interpret why your doctor made that offer of PEP. We can only tell you that it is not warranted in your situation. Period.

I have known in the past for someone's extremely anxious state over HIV to prompt a doctor to offer PEP simply to ease their anxiety. I don't know if that was so in your particular case.

The bottom line for you is that you didn't do anything that put you at risk for HIV. Let it go and get on with your life.

[help450]

He did say from a psychological standpoint he would prescribe it to me, the lowest level of pep which consists of one pill a day. But he also said that my encounter was not 100% safe.

[RapidRod]

Find another doctor that knows what they are doing. You didn't have a risk and no doctor that knew anything about HIV and nPEP would give you nPEP just for a psychological standpoint.

[Andy Velez]

It sounds to me as if he was responding to your emotional upset about the issue.

However, let's not get into a discussion interpreting why he did that.

The point is you did not have a risk for HIV. Period. You don't need PEP. You do need to let go of this unwarranted concern and get on with your life. There's really nothing more we can say to you here.

This is not an HIV situation.

[anniebc]

Help

As you have already been told by 3 of our experts you are HIV negative, I have no idea why your Doctor would prescribe you PEP, you don't want to be taking these Meds unless it's absolutely necessary, you don't need to take them..trust me it's a very unpleasant experience.

Jan