RNA Und and Elisa neg. during possible ARS. Is it Possible?

[hopeitsnothing]

Hi,

Its my first post here, and hopefully its just out of exagerated worrying

My story is the following:

3 months ago I had a low risk exposure with a theoretically high risk person of unknown status. (after I got sick and asked her if she was pos, she got mad and blocked me on whatsap, though denying it)

Anyways, 10 days after this situation I start feeling weird in the middle of the night. First, when I took Ibuprofen, i get in to fever and really cold. Later that day i actually got into high grade fever (39)and also had throat pain. But after that I start taking antibiotics and other meds, and the fever got lower and i woke up next day with no fever, just the sore throat and general bad feeling.
On the third day, Im better from my fever and throat pain, but develop a swollen lymphnode. This was probably the day that i serached for Dr. Google and learned abouy ARS, which started to freak me out. Despite no fever, still had a bit of night sweats (and i guess from that day on some possible hair loss, though im balding anyways).
I get my first exams 14 days after exposure, Elisa Negative. Also at night on day 4, I start to feel somewhat of a flushing sensation. No real visible rash that I could notice, but i could feel my sking burning on back and arms and maybe chest, could be what some people refere to as mild sunburn, but im not sure (I did change my antibiotics to amoxylin two days before, so Im hoping this could be one reason). Also didnt eat much from that day on. Even though I did go out to restaurants several times, just didnt appeal much.
After the 5th day, most symptoms were already gone, though I still had the swollen lymph node and sometimes I would feel quasy and also not much hunger.

Anyways, on day 18 after exposure I had really dry mouth and was really tense, but most of the symptoms had left except for the swollen lymph. I go to the doctor and describe her these symptoms. After examining me, she says I was going crazy, that I had nothing but gave me another ELISA and a PCR exams at the lab of a pretty respectable hospital. This day i finally start feeling a bit better, I guess from all the emotional roller coaster.
For the next three days, untill the results came back I started becoming tense again. The only symptom I still had was the swollen lymphnodes and the lack of sleep (I would spend all night long, and sometimes day, reading HIV forums like this one). Also for these last days, I had a very weird sensation of my blood travelling around my body (Anyone ever felt anything like that during seroconversion?).

Finally, my exams came back. Both NEGATIVE! I was really happy, since I had been almost sure I would be positive. I called my doctor and she told me this was a definitive result. Her rationale was the following: If I was really going through ARS, and still had my antibodies undetectable, I would necessarily have to have a high viral load, or at least something would have to show up(I did a ultra sensitive real time pcr where ud<20).

After the exam results, I magically felt 100% (even went back to running the following week). Though I am now not sure if it beacuse of my head or because ARS would actually be over.

Fast forward, three months later, I am starting to feel a bit weird again. It all started last monday when i started taking doxycicline for this old silent bacteria I had. Once I took the medication, i started feeling down again, and started feeling my same neck lymph again (not sure if it was before or after the antibiotic, but was indeed on the same day). I kept taking doxycicline during the week and was feeling worst every day. On day 2 or 3 i started developing a very similar "warm rash feeling" to the one I had three months ago. Still could not notice much of a rash besides maybe some back pimples. Once I stoped with doxycicline, this flushing feeling wained down, but i still feel it every once in a while especially when i get concerned and at one situation when I drank wine. Also, its been 8 days that I have had this on and of lymph node pain on my left neck. What concerned me more this time though was that on friday (after 5 days the neck lymph started to bother, i start feeling some soreness and heat on my left arm and sometimes next to my chest. I would assume there could be some relation to my armpit lymphnode, but i dont really feel anything on my armpit. 3 days later, I got the same feeling on my right arm.

I will obviously be going to the doctor soon as even if its no HIV I definitely have something wrong. But I would like to know from the experience of you guys:

1) Is it Possible to have an udetectable viral load during or right after ARS Symptoms if it really was ARS? In other words, have anyone ever heard of a false-negative viral load DURING ACTUAL ARS?

2) Do you guys think what I had at the first time could really be ars?

3) Has anyone experienced something like this "second ARS", though without fever and generally feeling better than the first time? What could it be?

4) In case I had HIV, is it possible that Doxycicline might have given me this alergic reaction?

5) Has anyone felt this warmth in the upper arm? Would this be how it feels the so called PGL?

Sorry for the huge text, and thank you so much for anyone that might be interested in my story

[Wade]

Hi , We do not discuss symptoms and your post is full of them , you need to see a doctor if you are sick  . We do risk assessments.  Please tell me what your low risk was and stick to those facts only.

Thanks, Wade

[hopeitsnothing]

Hi wade,

Sorry if I mixed everything up too much. I will defeinitely go to the doctor. i just explained the symptoms to give a context of my situation and maybe to understand if this "ARS recurrence" 3 months later could happen. But more anything, I guess my main doubt is trying to understand the possibility of a false negative RNA.

For the past two-three days I have been reading a lot about the relation of a combined RNA + ELISA  testing during acute syndrome. Aparently the current cdc algorythm for possible Acute HIV would be these two tests together (From what i understood if both are negative, they discard possibility of ARS at that moment). I havent been able to find in any of the studies that I read or on the thread posts a situation where a person first tested negative on the RNA during a theoretical ARS (or right after symptoms) and later would become positive.
Was wondering if anyone here in this forum has read, heard of or been in a situation where this false-negative could have happened? ALso, anyone knows how often a top tier lab could mess up on a PCR exam?

 I wont be going to the doctor untill the the end of this week or begining of the next one, and at least understanding this concept would give me a better peace of mind to figure out what to do going forward. Also, I do understand that there are cases of antibody detection with negative VL, but as far as I know this would be only on the latency phase, correct? What I am more concerned of is during a supossed acute case.

[Wade]

Hi , You're  putting the cart before the horse , You have still not said what your risk was and you are wasting your three free posts. You may have had no risk and are worrying needlessly .

[hopeitsnothing]

I Had unprotected sex with a Girl i later found out is a drug addict and possibly a call girl.

[Wade]

Hi , Im going to assume you had unprotected intercourse 3 months ago.
A negative result after 6 weeks will rarely change , the result will be conclusive at 13 weeks.  Please speak with your doctor about the window period of the tests you have already taken.   Here is more information on testing.

http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/HIVtests_5029.shtml

To avoid infection,
You need to be using condoms for all anal and vaginal intercourse until you are in a trusting monogamous relationship and both have been tested for all STDs and HIV.
Everyone who is sexually active should have an annual exam and test for all STDs and HIV ,and always after unprotected intercourse. Always using condoms will give you peace of mind your tests will return with a negative result.

Wade