POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: stillhoping on February 20, 2007, 03:43:26 pm
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I am so scared right now.This is by far the toughest week of my life.I have so many questions, mostly out of fear.But first my story.
Before I was exposed to the disease 6 weeks ago, I was certain of my negative status as I had taken a test 6 months prior to that and became celibate.I met a nice girl, and we had sex 13 times.3 of those times the condom broke and I only noticed after I climaxed inside her.The sessions were very long and quite when the tip of ismy penis became exposed I cant tell.We talked about our sexual background and she was honest enough to say she had been very promiscuous and often engaged in unprotected sex.She said with 15 different guys.Further, her very latest boyfriend before me was a South African, which is a high risk area. My last encounter with her was on the 13th of january 2007, and then thing started going hey wire from there.She does not know her status yet, but the pessimist in me knows she is positive, though she seems very nonchalant about the possibility.She is from Latvia and I am in london.
this is my timeline.
13 jan 07...last risky encounter
18 jan...first symptoms of benign cold..sore throat, slight fever and tonsils.
21 jan...symptoms disappear.
3rd feb...ulcer in mouth,absess around wisdom tooth,painful tonsil
4th feb...tonsil heals on one side and shifts to the other, painful nerve in my bigtoe..
psychological state still intact, not too worried yet.all syptoms subside except a tonsil now and then.
14th ...all goes loose, slight fever and tonsils.I get worried and dont sleep at night.
15th-20th....wake up with sore throught, high fever, tonsils, and lethargy, feels like flu, but its not reaching its pick as ussual.I can feel my lymph nodes under my chin, not sure they are swollen but they hurt.I check the internet, such as this forum, and everything points to ars, which increases my enxiety, i get very tired, slightly confused, hot and chilly.now i start to fell weird pain where glands aught to be, my armpits and and groin.I cant sleep for days now, I am so worried of losing my girlfriend(she is not at risk, we dont have sex).I cant eat but I take painkillers for the fever, nothing happens.Early morning today I had running stomach, but it hasnt been back since.I decided to Skip work and go to a GUM clinic, where I had cousselling and took tests for all the STI including HIV.The Dr was disappointed to see me back and she tried to be encouraging but I could tell from her eyes that things didnt look good.All she could say was that these are also very common symptoms of other ailments, but I am not sure, its just too coincedental, the timing, the severity, its all clogging my mind and leaving at teether ends.
I am picking up the results tomorrow afternood, but I need something to hang onto for now.Do I have a chance, or is this a classical case of positive diagnosis?What Am I expected to feel when I test positive?I know what I'd feel if its negative.I am trying to be strong but I cant, I went to church for the first time in years last sunday.I need hope, something I can hang on to till around 6pm UK time tomorrow, I am not suicidal but my mind is running berseck, I cant sleep, eat, think, or even talk to anyone.
Please help...what I promise is ..no matter what the score is, I will post here tomorrow, either as a broken man or a reborn man.
I love you all.Awaiting your thoughts,
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ARS, does not come on like you have mentioned. They come on 2-4 after infection and all come at once and leave all at once. They don't come one day, then another one in a week. etc. No one can tell you about your test until after you receive your results. This is not a guessing game.
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Hoping, HIV is not an easy virus to transmit. It's significantly more difficult to accomplish from female to male. The condoms which broke would have protected you until they broke. That would reduce even further the possibility of transmission IF she is even HIV+, which you are only sumissing.
You're about about 6 weeks from the most recent broken condom incident. The average time to seroconversion is 22 days. All but the smallest number of those who are going to seroconvert will do so within 4-6 weeks after an exposure to the HIV virus.
So assuming you test negative on your current test that will be very encouraging. You should confirm that result with another test at 13 weeks.
There's absolutely nothing in the symptoms which you are reporting which is in any way HIV specific. If your symptoms persist you should discuss them with your doctor. By the way, neither the presence nor the absence of symptoms is ever the way to know about HIV status. ONLY an HIV test can give you a reliable answer about that.
You might also make sure you are wearing condoms which fit you properly. 3 breaks within such a short time makes me wonder if you are wearing the right size.
Good luck with your test result. The odds are in your favor.
Cheers,
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I appreciate your input very much.
Indeed in all those instances, it was at her place and we used her condoms, which were the only ones available and seemed to be too tight.To this day I still regret not packing my own.What scares me is that the sessions were really really long.
I know its not a guessing game but I took the first step to finding out my statys, I suppose its common to feel this way while waiting for the results.I am struggling with the waiting period while trying to assess the level of my risk and the relevance of my symptoms.How scared should I be?
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You want us to tell you how scared you should be? Thats not right. You had a risk as Andy pointed out. You are waiting now. Look at it this way, there is nothing you can do either way to change anything so might as well not fret about it.
Its easier said than done. But not coming here every day is a good step in the right direction if you want my opinion.
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I have another question, do you get people who come on here, with similar definate exposure, and typical symptoms that happened within the said time period, and still come back negative after tests?
I noticed that my tougue has white and red spots and and my nose is running, this all ads up to the fear.Atleast I have tested.
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I have another question, do you get people who come on here, with similar definate exposure, and typical symptoms that happened within the said time period, and still come back negative after tests?
I noticed that my tougue has white and red spots and and my nose is running, this all ads up to the fear.Atleast I have tested.
ALL THE TIME! 99% of the people who come to this site with one risk or another test negative.
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I was exposed to the virus last jan 13 and today I took a test and expect the results tomorrow.I am very likely positive as my ARS symptoms were on point.I have these questions that I need to face,
1.what is the life expectancy of a newly diagnosed person in these era of modern drugs?
2.I have a heart condition, palpitation caused by SVT, and I take propranolol for these, does this shorten my life expectancy?
3.As a male, is it possible to have kids anymore?
4.How do I cope with the waiting period, as I am fretting and on the verge of a nervous break down.results out tomorrow 18pm u time
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Hello
0. Wait for the test result please
1. 35 years. If you think treatment won;t improve in 35 yars, think again
2. No
3. Yes, deffo
4. Drink a beer, really there is no way to say how, but wait for the test result (easier said than done eh...)
Take care
- matt
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Still,
I removed the thread you posted in the Treatments forum and merged it here, with your original thread, which is the ONLY place you should be asking questions until such time as you have a CONFIRMED positive result.
Please read the Welcome Thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0) and pay close attention to our forum posting guidelines.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Ann
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I was exposed to the virus last jan 13 and today I took a test and expect the results tomorrow.I am very likely positive as my ARS symptoms were on point.I have these questions that I need to face,
1.what is the life expectancy of a newly diagnosed person in these era of modern drugs?
2.I have a heart condition, palpitation caused by SVT, and I take propranolol for these, does this shorten my life expectancy?
3.As a male, is it possible to have kids anymore?
4.How do I cope with the waiting period, as I am fretting and on the verge of a nervous break down.results out tomorrow 18pm u time
You dont know if you were exposed to the virus. People come here with symptoms like yours almost every day and they test negative. Try and follow my advice and quit hanging around an HIV site. It's definitely not doing you any good.
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It looks like my seroconversion started on 14 feb and before that it was just other flu.Today I called the doctor but instead of giving me the results over the phone as promised, he asked me to come in.I have had a strong high fever everyday and malaise for the last 6 days.I am going there tomorrow, still feel rough, and it looks like i am infected.I know you cant tell me its seroconversion for a fact, but you can atleast tell me its consistent with one.
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How do I treat these symptoms?Fever,malaise, sore throught, tonsils, rush on tongue,swollen lymph nodes..atleast if i could feel like my old self
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Rod had no symptoms when he seroconverted. So yours are not consistent with that. I was called in to the office for every one of my test results. They don't generally give them over the phone. I was negative 4 out of 5 times.
Just go in and find out. Nothing you can do until then.
And seroconversion does NOT start 1 day after exposure. 2-4 weeks. Not 24 hours later.
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Today 12 noon as promised I went to pick up my results.As you can imagine, I did not sleep a wink last night, my symptoms were so severe and I was so worried that by the time i picked the results up my brains were not functional, i could no longer percieve fear.So here in London bridge, Guy and St thomas GUm clinic, the nice lady doctor called me into the office, while I made a lazy attempt to assess her body laguage, but i was too tired.She smiled and said good news, you are negative, there is no HIV.I cried, asked if 6 weeks after exposure is long enough to make it conclusive, she said, she used 2 tests and she is 100% sure.I can test after a further 6 weeks if i want but there really is no need to.
I wanna thank everyone who helped me cope with the false alarm as well as the waiting period.This must be a really weird flu as its downed me for a week now, with other dodgy symptoms.I hope to get my life in order again and reclaim my life.
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I should also say that I am booking myself with a cognitive behaviour therapist, this Aids phobia has done enough damage to me.