3 1/2 month tested positive

[YoungNScared]

Well after going through 3 months of testing it came out positive.

Not sure if anyone knows me on here but i posted about 4 weeks ago in the Am i infected fourm. Well apparently iv tested negative until 3 1/2 months post exposure.

Not sure why this happens but i had a confirmatory test that also came back positive.
Im 24 years old in good health and a medical/psych student. Crazy part about all this is the girl i slept with called me to tell me her ex bf tested positive, i mean what are the odds of that.. -_- smh. I looked up the transmission rate from female to male and how often it happens and Im super appalled at the statistics lmfao. I guess it was fate for me. So i have a few questions for all of you living out there with HIV.

1. Have you heard of anyone testing positive 3months + exposure?

2. I know im not going to die. BUT! how well do the medications work and are the side effects bearable for work and school?

3. Since my DOC caught it early will i benefit from ART therapy started now while my cd4 count is above 600+?


Yes i am very scared, but i know i will not die and i will be a survivor like the rest of you amazing people!


Thanks,
Kyle

[xunil]

Kyle, sorry to hear that your test came back positive.  I'm newly diagnosed myself and know exactly what you're going through.

I don't know the answer to your first question for certain. 

I do know though, that the medications have advanced very far from what most people know about and they are extremely effective.  You will live a perfectly normal life and be able to continue school and work and all of the other wonderful things life has to offer.  You may have an adjustment period with the medication where you will have side effects, but with the newer medications these are generally relatively tolerable side effects.

The current guidelines for starting HAART in the US is to begin them immediately no matter the viral load or CD4 count.  I was a bit hesitant about this because I remembered all of my research from a decade ago (when a close friend was diagnosed) and many doctors back then didn't recommend going on meds right away depending on your numbers, but we know a great deal more now.   You'll want to stop the replication process as soon as possible so that your body can reduce inflammation caused by the infection and so that your immune system can rebound on its own.

I've only been taking Triumeq for a week and a half but so far I don't have any major side effects.  I have some ups and downs as far as my energy level is concerned and my appetite has decreased a bit, but nothing drastic at all.  I also think some of the ups/downs may be related to not intaking enough water at the right times and letting myself become slightly dehydrated.  My biggest issue seems to be general anxiety associated with the diagnosis, and my own fears about the medications that were from long ago.

From what I've read the most common things most people experience when starting most of the newer once-a-day regimens like Stribild and Triumeq are nausea, stomach discomfort, ups/downs in energy, some people who take Atripla and Stribild commonly report very vivid dreams, headaches, and dizziness.  Most people also report that these side effects subside a month or two after beginning treatment.  Remember that there are so many options so if for some reason one doesn't work for you, you'll be able to try another.

I've found this forum to be incredibly helpful and informative.  It's also nice just being able to talk to other positive people and hear their stories.

[YoungNScared]

Hello xunil!

Im sorry to hear about your diagnosis too, although i agree with you 100% we will be happy and we will be able to live a normal life thanks to advances in medicine. Knowledge is power these days and the more we learn about our disease the more we can become "normal" is what i think. These past 3 1/2 months have been hectic for me and my girlfriend, shes still going through the testing phase.

Yes from recent reports that's what my doctor said too, but i am just really scared about the side effects because of my work/school schedule. i work from 4am-1:30pm mon-friday and go to school from 3:00pm-8:00pm Wens-Friday. I am also scared about my diagnosis if i can even continue my education and work as a psych RN?. Sadly im almost done too! I pray to god i can still work in the medical field.

And i have read about alot of medications, although my doctor is completely confused about my diagnosis im still waiting for all my baseline testing to be done. She hasent had a newly positive person in her career and she has been stressing out trying to find out what to do. Sadly she has not refereed me to an ID doc because she said she could figure it out and get me to "tip top shape" lol.

[Joe K]

YoungNScared,

I remember you from the Am I Infected forum and this was your post:

hello poz fourm,
i am 24 years old from California, current psychology major.
Literally cant even concentrate right now lol. I had unprotected receptive anal about 2 1/2 months ago and i can remember feeling like crap about 2 weeks after the incident. 103 degree fever and a dry cough for about 2 days. At 8weeks  i had the Aptima RNA Qualitative TMA done and it came back Non-Reactive. At 10 weeks Negative Oral swab. And 12 weeks Negative Oral swab. I just went yesterday to my doctor because i told her i have been feeling really tired lately so we went ahead and did another ELISA antibody test. Would you guys say this is my last confirmation test? And what are my chances of this becoming positive? I honestly just feel like total "shit" and not myself. I feel like a 50 year old lol..
Thanks for any responses!

You said you had a 12 week negative result and you asked your doctor to run another Elisa test.  What was the result of that test and what confirmatory test did they run, to confirm your HIV positive status?

The answers matter because it is improbable that a 12 weeks negative result, all of a sudden turns positive, when you have no mitigating factors, such as having undergone chemotherapy or been taking immune-suppressing drugs.

Until you are able to answer my questions, I must insist that you only post in this thread.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Joe

[xunil]

I came across this article about how people were showing up as positive on initial/rapid testing but negative on Western Blot: http://blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-observations/index.php/its-time-to-dump-the-hiv-western-blot/2012/09/19/

This why I don't fully trust what anyone says about the timelines for showing up positive (ie that you were completely safe at 12 weeks like people said in your initial posts to this forum, which I completely disagree I don't believe people should be leading others to believe that 12 weeks is enough.  There is plenty of evidence to suggest not everyone will test positive at week 12).  People tend to take information they want to believe as fact, but the more time goes by the more we learn there are exceptions and that we weren't always right.

I would highly recommend that you see a specialist, whether that is ID or a general care physician who specializes in HIV.  My general care physician immediately referred me to someone else when my test came back positive since she did not know how to properly treat HIV.  You also want to go to someone who is experienced with the medications and the side effects and complications of both the meds and HIV in general.

[Jeff G]

This why I don't fully trust what anyone says about the timelines for showing up positive (ie that you were completely safe at 12 weeks like people said in your initial posts to this forum, which I completely disagree I don't believe people should be leading others to believe that 12 weeks is enough.  There is plenty of evidence to suggest not everyone will test positive at week 12).  People tend to take information they want to believe as fact, but the more time goes by the more we learn there are exceptions and that we weren't always right.

We stand by the information we provide in the AM I Infected forum and that message is not negotiable. Its the cdc and peer reviewed science and not us that set the window periods for HIV and testing .

If the OP is indeed POZ and I doubt that then it really doesn’t matter how or when he tested positive . Please don’t go throwing links up to prove your point, there are extremely rare cases where people take a little longer than 3 months but that is the exception to the rule so think twice before you go saying we ought tell people we are leading them with false information.

Youngandnscared … welcome to the forum . What test were done to confirm your diagnosis .

[xunil]

I don't mean to disagree or cause issues here, I like this community, but you reconfirm what I said in that some people do take longer than 12 weeks.

The guidelines for testing have changed over time and they may continue to do so.  I always would prefer people err on the side of caution than to assume absolute certainty with timelines.  Someone like this OP could have gone years before getting tested again because they assumed the could not be positive since it had been 12 weeks.

Again, I really don't mean to cause any friction, but I've met two people now who had not tested positive at 12 weeks, not including this OP.  One didn't test positive until 16 weeks and the other until 14.  Neither had any sexual encounters after their risk event occurred.  I don't see how urging people to get tested after 12 weeks is a negative thing.

[Jeff G]

I don't mean to disagree or cause issues here, I like this community, but you reconfirm what I said in that some people do take longer than 12 weeks.

The guidelines for testing have changed over time and they may continue to do so.  I always would prefer people err on the side of caution than to assume absolute certainty with timelines.  Someone like this OP could have gone years before getting tested again because they assumed the could not be positive since it had been 12 weeks.

Again, I really don't mean to cause any friction, but I've met two people now who had not tested positive at 12 weeks, not including this OP.  One didn't test positive until 16 weeks and the other until 14.  Neither had any sexual encounters after their risk event occurred.  I don't see how urging people to get tested after 12 weeks is a negative thing.

If you want to discuss it please take it with the cdc .

[xunil]

You might want to revise yours because the CDC recommends testing after 3 months now: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/testing.html

From the "When should I get tested" section:

"A few people will have a longer window period, so if you get a negative antibody test result in the first 3 months after possible exposure, you should get a repeat test after 3 months. Ninety-seven percent of people will develop antibodies in the first 3 months after they are infected. In very rare cases, it can take up to 6 months to develop antibodies to HIV."

[YoungNScared]

I technically went by my calender in my phone JoeK, i Could have swore it was 12 weeks but i do not know for sure, i slept with her March 17th And tested positive by Western Blot on Today June 15th. And agin the March 17th date is from when i last believed i was with her, it could have been a week before or a week after. The reason i have been posting was because she gave me a call 2 weeks after and said her ex Boyfriend tested positive and that i needed to get checked asap. My last antibody test was a Oraquick and it came out negative on June 6th. I thought i was in the clear until i started reading on webMD and TheBody from Dr. Bobs posts. I just got my results today from which i believe is 3 1/2 months from exposure.

March 25th Oraquick Negative
April ELISA from Doctor Negative
Beginning of April APTIMA -RNA - TMA Qual  - - -  Not Detected
June 6th Negative Oraquick
June 9th go to doctors agin, She Orders Another Elisa
June 15th + Elisa Indeterminate Western Blot

[YoungNScared]

And agin i dont mean any harm in my posts to the community, my doctor has never dealt with HIV and does not know what to do. I have had my doctor since i turned 18 and she is defiantly an amazing woman. I am comfortable with her and she told me today while i was in the office she said im basically 99.9% positive and i should refrain from any type of intercourse at this time. The Positive Elisa And the Indeterminate Western blot Means i am HIV+. And yet again i am just going by what my doctor has told me today and im still trying to have this all come together in my head. 

[Joe K]

You might want to revise yours because the CDC recommends testing after 3 months now: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/testing.html

From the "When should I get tested" section:

"A few people will have a longer window period, so if you get a negative antibody test result in the first 3 months after possible exposure, you should get a repeat test after 3 months. Ninety-seven percent of people will develop antibodies in the first 3 months after they are infected. In very rare cases, it can take up to 6 months to develop antibodies to HIV."

xunil,

Our assessments are not up for discussion.  It is not your role to tell members what constitutes a conclusive negative result and if you do it again, you will be given a Time Out.

I must also insist that you no longer post in this thread.

Consider yourself warned.

[Jeff G]

 

And agin i dont mean any harm in my posts to the community, my doctor has never dealt with HIV and does not know what to do. I have had my doctor since i turned 18 and she is defiantly an amazing woman. I am comfortable with her and she told me today while i was in the office she said im basically 99.9% positive and i should refrain from any type of intercourse at this time. The Positive Elisa And the Indeterminate Western blot Means i am HIV+. And yet again i am just going by what my doctor has told me today and im still trying to have this all come together in my head. 

We are very careful when we do assessments to tell people who do not trust a 3 month test why and how the window period could be extended and advise they work with a doctor if they the think they may have an autoimmune disease . We have to be careful to make sure people know these are not just our opinions and they are based and the latest peer reviewed science . I appreciate that you were concerned enough about others that you offered us the fact that you were not sure on the timeline .

Again, welcome to the forums .

[Joe K]

And agin i dont mean any harm in my posts to the community, my doctor has never dealt with HIV and does not know what to do. I have had my doctor since i turned 18 and she is defiantly an amazing woman. I am comfortable with her and she told me today while i was in the office she said im basically 99.9% positive and i should refrain from any type of intercourse at this time. The Positive Elisa And the Indeterminate Western blot Means i am HIV+. And yet again i am just going by what my doctor has told me today and im still trying to have this all come together in my head.

YoungNScared,

You are incorrect.  A positive Elisa and an Indeterminate Western Blot means you are NOT confirmed as HIV positive, otherwise the Western Blot, would have returned a positive result.  You need to see an ID specialist to get the proper tests to accurately determine your status.  You acknowledged that your time frame of testing may be different that what you thought, so I am not saying you are conclusively anything, just that you need to get the proper tests from a doctor who knows how to test for HIV infection.

Joe

[YoungNScared]

yes i totally understand, i just want to feel accepted somewhere now that this will be apart of my life. All my parents wanted was a good son and i just feel like i let them down with this. I know it was my fault and i know im going to have to en-devour this until i die. And im not totally sure if i have any other auto-immune disease. I was Born Pre-mature and was put on Growth-Hormones from age 7-18. If it were not for HGH i probably would have been 4'9. Today i stand 5'8 1/2 115lbs. And agin im not totally sure if that has anything to do with why i have tested so late.

[YoungNScared]

YoungNScared,

You are incorrect.  A positive Elisa and an Indeterminate Western Blot means you are NOT confirmed as HIV positive, otherwise the Western Blot, would have returned a positive result.  You need to see an ID specialist to get the proper tests to accurately determine your status.  You acknowledged that your time frame of testing may be different that what you thought, so I am not saying you are conclusively anything, just that you need to get the proper tests from a doctor who knows how to test for HIV infection.

Joe

Okay i will go ahead and do that, My doctor has not refereed me to anyone yet nor has she given me another test date. What should i do and how should i go about this? Do i call my insurance company and ask them for a specialist?

[Joe K]

yes i totally understand, i just want to feel accepted somewhere now that this will be apart of my life. All my parents wanted was a good son and i just feel like i let them down with this. I know it was my fault and i know im going to have to en-devour this until i die. And im not totally sure if i have any other auto-immune disease. I was Born Pre-mature and was put on Growth-Hormones from age 7-18. If it were not for HGH i probably would have been 4'9. Today i stand 5'8 1/2 115lbs. And agin im not totally sure if that has anything to do with why i have tested so late.

Hey Young,

I am not trying to make you feel unwelcome, but I want you to be sure of what your diagnosis actually is, so that if you are positive, you can take charge of your health.  You had not mentioned your other medical issues, which might influence your HIV testing, however, I don't know enough to give you the correct answer.  I would ask your doctor for a referral to an Infectious Disease Specialist for the appropriate testing.

The results you mention do not indicate a confirmed positive result and given your risk, all your other tests have negative results.  There are such things as "false positive" test results and I want you to get the proper testing, so you know the truth about your status.

Welcome to the forums.

Joe

[YoungNScared]

Well thank you for the warm welcome 
and yeah i know now im wondering too, my regular doctor is just a Family Practice Doctor. I will go ahead and call her office tomorrow considering shes gone at this time.
And thanks a bunch Joe i am doing the best with what i have right now. I will Keep this post updated when i see a specialist then 

[YoungNScared]

Okay guys got an update, I am positive. What are the steps I need to take now into getting to a specialist, my doctor seems to have no idea. She said she could run a CBC test for me and a PCR to check my viral load and then she told me that she'll look over some medications that people are taking and see if I wanted to try one. I told her if she could refer me to a specialist but apparently in my GROUP HMO she has to find one. I currently have United Healthcare, JOEK or somebody please respond I need help on this. I live in San Bernardino California.


Thanks

[YoungNScared]

And the positive was done VIA Elisa and Western blot.

[Joe K]

Hey Young,

I am sorry to read that you are confirmed positive, but happy that you are here.  Right now, just take it slow.  Yes, you need to see an ID specialist, but time is on your side here.  A few weeks will not affect the quality of your care and you need someone experienced with HIV to treat you, so let your doctor find someone for you.  You may also want to contact your local AIDS Service Organization (ASO) to see what help they can provide.  There are many programs that assist pozzies and a case manager can help you to access those you might need.

For right now, just take it slow, as your emotions will probably go wild and that is perfectly normal.  Allow yourself to feel, whatever it is you feel, without the need to do anything about any of it.  As I said, time is on your side, there is no hurry here and all that matters is for you to start adjusting to the fact that you are poz.

We will be here to help in any way that we can.  Just remember, you are not alone in this journey and though we have no idea how your journey may unfold, we will be here with you, every step of the way.

Joe

[Jeff G]

You can find some helpful tips and links to doctors and providers in our lessons section by following this link . http://directory.poz.com

There are also many topics and lessons you can access at the top of the forum page. You are going to be OK, welcome to the forum.

[YoungNScared]

Okay went ahead and found one called "Foothill Aids Project" i will give them a call right now, i just literally got home from work couldn't take the stress from the call i got. And the worst part about all of this me and my 2 year relationship girlfriend broke up, and i decided it was time to date new people met this girl.. had relations with her one time and now me and my 2 year are back together but it seems i have no way of telling her the result. I may have put her in danger from my stupidity after testing negative the first time. I feel so ashamed and so much anger is going through my blood vessels right now. Im a 24 year old fucking Californian medical student who is heterosexual and has no prior drug use... this shouldn't happen to me! sorry just a lot i had to let out right now.. i know what i must do and that is to take care of myself and to now get my girlfriend tested.

And thanks for being here much appreciated.

[YoungNScared]

Okay so a little update, i guess i have whats called a "case manager" now shes going to call me back tomorrow and set up a network of specialists in my area with my insurance. Thank god for this forum.

[Joe K]

Hey Young,

I just want to tell you that nobody deserves HIV and you do not get HIV because of who or what you are, you get it from the known HIV risks.  Nobody here cares how you got HIV and we never focus on how one became infected.  A large part of adjusting to being poz, is to forgive yourself, for whatever role, if any, you played in becoming poz.

This is not a time to place blame... it is a time to forgive yourself because we are all human and we make mistakes.

Joe

[titik]

The good news is that once you are undetectable, there is very little chance you will pass on the virus to whomever you are dating. The chance is virtually zero if she is also on PrEP, you guys are monogamous and you are undetectable.

The challenge is them accepting after disclosing your status which is another topic entirely.

[YoungNScared]

Thanks for the responses, feeling a bit better with my mother and fathers supprort I even told my HR boss today and she cried for me and she said that she'll work with my doctors appointments and stuff which is a very good thing. Although I still feel extremley bad about this situation I feel with all the support I'll be able to live a normal life agin. All in all it just basically feels awk lol. And I noticed in 2015 they keep intercepting studies that are doing stem cell transplants, maybe we all just have to ride this out for 5-10 years more. One can only hope.

I am seeing a ID doctor soon too!
As for starting medication asap would that depend on cd4 counts and viral load? I also have a heart condition called Mitral valve prolapse.

[titik]

US guidelines now say to start treatment as soon as possible regardless of viral load and CD4 count, with appropriate resistance testing.

[Jeff G]

US guidelines now say to start treatment as soon as possible regardless of viral load and CD4 count, with appropriate resistance testing.

True, but that does not mean all people who test positive must worry that waiting a few weeks for labs and doctor visits are in any kind of danger. If a person is critically ill at the time of diagnosis then time is of the essence in that situation.

You may know this but i didn’t want Young to think he is in danger or that its unusual to have to wait a few weeks to see a ID doctor .

[titik]

True, but that does not mean all people who test positive must worry that waiting a few weeks for labs and doctor visits are in any kind of danger. If a person is critically ill at the time of diagnosis then time is of the essence in that situation.

You may know this but i didn’t want Young to think he is in danger or that its unusual to have to wait a few weeks to see a ID doctor .

Oh yeah, we are in agreement here:)

Mine took about three weeks from time of diagnosis to my first pill!

[wolfter]

Hey Young, will you answer a question?  I tend to read through an entire thread before investing my time and energy.

How did you have receptive anal sex in March if you only had sex with your girlfriend and one other lady?  The timeline and details raise an eyebrow.

[bino88]

i was wondering the same question @wolfer asked. also on a side note i don't think its fair that xunil is at the verge if not already barred from a discussion for just expressing his/her thoughts on an issue that is not "entirely" false. after-all its the exact same thing that @jeff and @joe are doing with subsequent posts... i personally know someone who came on this forum when he was first diagnosed and he never returned. when i  asked why he said it was the way he was treated here as someone who was newly diagnosed on his first post he didn't feel welcomed because of similar   behaviour. but anyway that's just my thoughts. i hope i don't get "barred" myself for trying to express them.   

[DANIELtakashi]

Just my thoughts.

I appreciate Joe's, Jeff's and Andy's occasional tough love. 
It is something needed to keep this forum going on. 

[bino88]

I also appreciate their efforts in "calling out" an individual out for false information. but i don't always agree with barring a participant from a discussion because u have the means to do so as the moderator. while you can go ahead and post what you want. it feels biased. again. i wont post further, just thought i should mention what some folks feel regarding that. Nice day ahead!   

[DANIELtakashi]

My understanding is that this forum is based on scientific information, much of which is given by the CDC and the medical experts.  The moderators do not want us to be confused by what is not scientifically proved or do not want us to be unnecessarily worried by this and that.

And what l like about this forum is its strict rules against verbal abuse and name calling.  Years ago, l saw a young man beaten up after an argument in a baseball stadium in Chicago and still have trauma from hearing the certain words in English.   

[DANIELtakashi]

And thank you, bino, for sharing your thoughts.

[CuriousKid588]

I may get crap for this but I feel the need to say something about this entire situation. Your story seemed odd to me so I did some digging...

hello poz fourm,
i am 24 years old from California, current psychology major.
Literally cant even concentrate right now lol. I had unprotected receptive anal about 2 1/2 months ago and i can remember feeling like crap about 2 weeks after the incident. 103 degree fever and a dry cough for about 2 days. At 8weeks i had the Aptima RNA Qualitative TMA done and it came back Non-Reactive. At 10 weeks Negative Oral swab. And 12 weeks Negative Oral swab. I just went yesterday to my doctor because i told her i have been feeling really tired lately so we went ahead and did another ELISA antibody test. Would you guys say this is my last confirmation test? And what are my chances of this becoming positive? I honestly just feel like total "shit" and not myself. I feel like a 50 year old lol..

You followed that with this explanation...

Well he was my *Friends with benefits* And i forgot to disclose he tested positive, either hes lying to me to not talk to me again or hes telling the truth. We have always used condoms it was just one of those drunk nights, if indeed he was positive at the time then somebody was defiantly looking out for me! hopefully this last test comes back negative. Still really scared 

When you came forward about testing positive in this thread you said the following...

Not sure if anyone knows me on here but i posted about 4 weeks ago in the Am i infected fourm. Well apparently iv tested negative until 3 1/2 months post exposure.

Not sure why this happens but i had a confirmatory test that also came back positive.
Im 24 years old in good health and a medical/psych student. Crazy part about all this is the girl i slept with called me to tell me her ex bf tested positive, i mean what are the odds of that.. -_- smh. I looked up the transmission rate from female to male and how often it happens and Im super appalled at the statistics lmfao. I guess it was fate for me.

Here is my point...

In the initial post, On JUNE 7th you said had unprotected receptive anal with a guy and you were friends with benefits. You said you had always used condoms. You also said you posted "about 4 weeks ago" and you didn't even join POZ until JUNE 6th. Your only post activity has been in these 2 threads.

You later goes onto say he only had vaginal sex with a girlfriend and another female.  In your post you said you had an RNA test done at 8.5 weeks past exposure, but later says  you had it at the beginning of April, which is only about two weeks after your expected exposure of MARCH 17th. Looking calendar on my phone and even though it says it took 3.5 months, you tested positive exactly 12 weeks after his exposure.

Lastly, in your first post, which was JUNE 7th you said you took an ELISA the day before, which would obviously be JUNE 6th. However, on the testing timeline you describe, you say you the ELISA test on JUNE 8th.

Now, this could all just be a misunderstanding, and you may really be POZ. However, I think that posting information and threads information disregarding testing deadlines is very irresponsible. People like me who are actually scared of testing POZ have been on this blog looking for insight and answers. Topics like 3 1/2 month tested positive is scary and upsetting. If your partner was REALLY a male. When was THAT exposure. Unprotected Receptive Anal is MUCH more dangerous than what you're claiming happened.

[Jeff G]

I may get crap for this but I feel the need to say something about this entire situation. Your story seemed odd to me so I did some digging...

You followed that with this explanation...

When you came forward about testing positive in this thread you said the following...

Here is my point...

In the initial post, On JUNE 7th you said had unprotected receptive anal with a guy and you were friends with benefits. You said you had always used condoms. You also said you posted "about 4 weeks ago" and you didn't even join POZ until JUNE 6th. Your only post activity has been in these 2 threads.

You later goes onto say he only had vaginal sex with a girlfriend and another female.  In your post you said you had an RNA test done at 8.5 weeks past exposure, but later says  you had it at the beginning of April, which is only about two weeks after your expected exposure of MARCH 17th. Looking calendar on my phone and even though it says it took 3.5 months, you tested positive exactly 12 weeks after his exposure.

Lastly, in your first post, which was JUNE 7th you said you took an ELISA the day before, which would obviously be JUNE 6th. However, on the testing timeline you describe, you say you the ELISA test on JUNE 8th.

Now, this could all just be a misunderstanding, and you may really be POZ. However, I think that posting information and threads information disregarding testing deadlines is very irresponsible. People like me who are actually scared of testing POZ have been on this blog looking for insight and answers. Topics like 3 1/2 month tested positive is scary and upsetting. If your partner was REALLY a male. When was THAT exposure. Unprotected Receptive Anal is MUCH more dangerous than what you're claiming happened.

If you are not living with HIV yourself you should only be positing in the Someone I care about has HIV forum or off topic where we discuss anything other than HIV .

Please read the posting guide and only post in areas you are authorized to post in . Additional topics or comments will be deleted if you post in the wrong section again.

[YoungNScared]

I did test positive and I endangered a girl I met off of POF.com I had all my baseline tests done on Monday. Waiting for results. Basically what happens is i partied way too hard on my break from college. I was testing my sexuality and indeed I am straight. I was doing a few drugs that I believe impaired my inhibition to realize my sexuality. I am not gay after all and it took me a couple times to realize it. You do know almost EVERYONE goes through this stage in life. Where you question your sexuality. Obviously I went about it the wrong way and I don't like talking about it. I had 2 encounters with people I barley knew. One of them infected me And none of them
Are answering any of my calls. The guy did test positive and informed me. The girl I could have endangered her and her ex I have no idea honestly. It sucks yes but I know I'm positive now.

[YoungNScared]

All I can say is I went through half a year testing my sexuality. I'm straight now and I know it. I will never speak about my past as it utterly disgusts me. Ecstacy highly effects the way you think. I suggest nobody ever touches the stuff.

[Jeff G]

Young … Curiouskidd will not be posting in this thread again so just ignore his comments and you may want to ease up on expressing how disgusted you are with sexual experimentation as we have people here who may take offense of that kind of talk.

[YoungNScared]

Oh and one more thing to clarify, it probably was not 3 1/2 months. My dates on my calendar I have confused.

[YoungNScared]

Jeff!!! I am sorry o did not mean it like that!!  I really am sorry , it's just that I don't think I  am gay I highly suspect Ecstacy to impair my thinking at the time :/ that's the part that discusts me. The drug use! Not gays!

[YoungNScared]

Well got my VLs and genotype testing back today at the docs,

My Cd4- 580
My VL- 8,000

If anyone cares anymore.. Lol

[efox020]

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis.. It sucks but it will be ok.
I briefly read though the comments on questioning how, when you where expossed I don't know why it should even matter here.. I was testing negative way after 3 months upon exposure, hell I even had an AIDS diagnosis before a positive antibody test and that is just a fact! my VL was in the millions before an HIV antibody positive result.
 
In my opinion a VL test should be done with the antibody test for a positive result.

I don't beet myself up anymore trying to figure out a timeline of my exposure because it just doesn't make sence.

Your numbers are good and will just get better with treatment.

Hope all is well.

[YoungNScared]

thanks a bunch efox,
yeah to be honest i just felt awkward about the situation, i couldn't tell my parents i had sex with a man. My father would have kicked me out on the street, sad to say that my family is like that. Way too high of expectations. I'm sorry to hear about your Dx too. My timeline does not make sense either. I thought i had everything correct in my head but I'm almost 99% sure it was longer then 3 months. I tested negative on Fourth Generation Assays in first weeks too. In the beginning of all this madness my Doc told me i need to test at 3 months and again at 6 months for 100% certainty, she was right. My ID doc didn't seem worried about my VL he asked me if i wanted to start treatment and i declined. I don't think i can adhere to medication right now nor do i think i can afford the co-pay. Doc checked my copay for a few medications and its nearly $320 a month for Atripla and close too $600 for Striblid.. im just trying to push it off until i graduate, i have 1 more year left. I go back for another checkup with my ID in 1 month and then again 3 months after that.

hope everyone is doing okay.

[efox020]

Wow $600 for Striblid! Thats insane! Under what insurance if yo dont mined me asking? Striblid does have a co-pay assistant program that should cover about 6000 a year in co-pays.

[YoungNScared]

i have United Healthcare under my dad until i am 26. i Just turned 25 August 7th so i have exactly one more year until i have to get my own insurance plan and one more year until i graduate.. considering i pass MicroBiology-2, Chem-B and  Statistics(i hate math). Yes my ID doctor said that he could get me a Copay card to pay for my co-pays but this is my last year of med school, i don't want the medication to mess me up. My doctor said depending on my VL next checkup we may wait until my Cd4 gets to 350 so it buys me some time because my first checkup my cd4 was 580 and saves me a little bit of $$$ for my school books i have left. Im running on School loans and my fathers credit card right now for help, my job currently is only part time and it barley pays for my gas and food. And i already have to pay for my HSV-2 meds(acyclovir) and my (welbutrin). those 2 alone cost me $50.00 a month.

[DodgerDawg]

My doctor said depending on my VL next checkup we may wait until my Cd4 gets to 350 so it buys me some time because my first checkup my cd4 was 580 and saves me a little bit of $$$ for my school books i have left.

Waiting until your CD4 count drops to 350 to save bucks? Buy you some time? Moaning about health care at 26 years old?

Go ahead... destroy your health to save those bucks.

Later in life you can reflect back on saving all those bucks, while your immune system suffered. Hopefully you live long enough to reflect on saving all those bucks.

Good luck and take care,

DD

[YoungNScared]

I am going by what my ID said i COULD do. Making the decision to start meds right now is a big deal. Especially for me, i don't think i can handle the side effects right now. And when it comes down to it obviously i will start. Probably next month depending on my labs.