99 % certainty I am infected.

[sm95]

Hi , where do I begin?

Symptoms:
-- loss of appetite
-- nausea
-- lymph nodes are not swollen (but I feel pain inside my inner-thighs, and my nodes in side my upper-arm, and seldom near the chest area.
-- I have pooped 2 times in the last week, everytime I eat food it always stays in my stomach, so I can barely eat any food.
-- Signs of peripheral neuropathy- tingling sensation in lower-arm, wrists, hands, calves, and feet.

I had unprotected vaginal sex with a female on July 9th. I started feeling symptoms around August 10th, specifically starting in the upper-arms, where the lymph nodes were being attacked from a virus. Eventually moved up to chest area. Then I started feeling Neuropathy, and it moved down to my groin area, as well. I thought the female was honest and clean, but I found out she sleeps around a lot. Big mistake for me. I have dropped out of college ever since, and I am on the verge of suicide. I was a straight A student 4.0 gpa, with prospects to UCLA and other high-tier schools (I am 21).

Monday, August 14th (36 days post-exposure), I had a test for HIV RNA bought on stdcheck, provided by lapcorp. The results came up negative. But unfortunately, I found out this means nothing.

I went to the doctors, Wednesday, August 16th, he tried to mellow me down and say it was all anxiety and I was "psyching myself out", yet my lymph nodes have been under attack ever since. I got tested at the doctors, August 16th for:
CBC with differential/platelet
CMP, Comp. Metabolic Panel
Chlamydia/GC amp.
HIV Antibody
TSH Rfx on Abnormal to Free T4
RPR


My life is ruined, I know I do have this disease, and all because of 5 minutes of stupidity. My family does not have health insurance, I have medicaid, but soon when I get older, I will have to pay 2,000 dollars a month or more on this medicine to survive-- averaging to ~ 26,000 dollars a year with frequent doctor check-ups. This means the only way I can complete this is through finishing college (half-way done), and trying to find a really good job, which is hard in this economy. Like I said, my life is pretty much all over.

[Ptrk3]

Relax, there is no need for you to "catastrophize."  You have no reason to conclude that your life is "over."  None.

Yes, you had a risk (presuming your partner was HIV positive), but it is not easy to contract the HIV.  If your partner is negative, you had no risk.

Your symptoms could be from many things--including anxiety and depression--and for this reason, these forums do not assess symptoms as potential indicators of HIV infection.  You should not assess them, either.

Your negative (labcorp) test may not be conclusive, but it does not mean "nothing."  It is certainly a good thing.

Most experts advise that testing for HIV antibodies be conducted six weeks past potential exposure, then at 13 weeks past potential exposure for confirmation of the six week results.

Continue to work with your healthcare provider as you move toward a conclusive test for HIV antibodies.

Also, discuss with him any anxiety you may have or any thoughts you may have about hurting yourself.

[sm95]

My HIV antibody test (taken at 38 days, 5 weeks and 3 days) came back negative.

I read forum-boards from 4-5 years ago saying that, hiv antibody would not be that conclusive at that time. But given the research and improvement in testing, how conclusive are my results now?

My doctor gave me the hiv antibody test, so would that be 3rd gen or 4th gen?

Someone please answer, tyvm.

[Ptrk3]

You need to ask your doctor what type of test it is and when he considers it to be conclusive.

Someone on the internet won't be able to answer that question, since the test was not administered by someone on the internet.

Tests today can be considered "conclusive" within earlier time periods (don't rely on four and five year posts).

Ask your doctor and rely on the information he provides to you.  He is a health professional and can provide to you all the information you need.

[Jim Allen]

I thought the female was honest and clean, but I found out she sleeps around a lot.

Ill add one thing about your post, so she may have a very fulfilling sex life, good for her and it does not make her dishonest or dirty and you should not be judging her.

This simply has nothing to do with HIV, and does not mean she has HIV either. Living with HIV has nothing to do with honestly or cleanliness. Being HIV positive does not make me or anyone living with this virus dishonest or dirty it is simply a virus that affects people from all walks of life and it does not discriminate.

Jim

[sm95]

I have another question if any of you do not mind me asking.

I had coitus July 9th, and then August 11th, I started feeling symptoms. The first symptoms were Pain in the middle of my arm, where the lymph nodes are at - bi-symmetrical pain. Then followed to the armpits seldom, I sometimes feel my neck getting tightened, then eventually went to my thighs, where I feel pain there now as well. It is August 29th, and I still feel pain in thighs, rarely. But what is happening now, is that I just feel tingling in my toes, and sometimes in my arms, where the lymph nodes are. Weird thing is that I have no rashes or enlarged lymph nodes (they just hurt sometimes). I have tried to research lymph nodes, and it isn't clear whether or not they are suppose to hurt, and if possible, if some people do not get enlarged, but rather, just irritated/inflamed.
Just being a pragmatic person, logic would denote that why am I feeling these sorts of pains, something I have never felt before in my life, coincidentally 5 weeks after I had unprotected sex, other than me having HIV. I doubt stress and anxiety or placebo effect would make me feel this, for when I am in class or doing something these physical feelings in my body flame up randomly through out the day.

I am trying to understand my test results, though.

1) HIV RNA quantitative test is considered 99% accurate after 28 days, so I had the exposure risk July 9th, then I started getting ARS symptoms around day 32. Wouldn't my viral load by day 36 when I got tested, already be enough to appear up positive on a test? Or because I converted at week 4, the viral load was still unable to appear? But with that logic then, the FDA claims that RNA test is 99 percent accuracy 2-3 weeks  post-exposure, they are forgetting if you develop ARS later, then does it not count for that? Sorry if this was a hard read to understand. Basically, does the ARS dictate your viral load? Or with post-exposure, should the viral load already be detectable before your ARS begins? But after thinking about this: then shouldn't an HIV RNA test always show up positive for a person who has HIV, given that they have a detectable viral load? 36 days, I got tested for this test, and I am assuming since it was negative, the viral load wasn't strong enough, should not this be a good indication? Kind of confused on this whole thing.

2) My 2nd question is: given I got a HIV antibody test at 38 days post-exposure, and that I live in a first-world country, I would assume that the test would be a 3rd generation or 4th generation at the latest? But why would the doctors not use a 4th generation HIV antibody test, since it is a better indication of HIV status?

3) I am getting tested September 14th at Labcorp and they will give me their results back in 2 days. My doctor appointment is on September 21st, if I find out I have HIV, let us say September 16th, what should I do for the next 5 days? Should I seek out a HIV clinic, or should I tell my doctor I have HIV and show him the lab results, then I assume he would want to take another test at his clinic to confirm, then after that can I start the medicine, or is he going to base it off my cd4 count? I have the insurance medicaid, or medicare, I don't know which one, but it is because I have low income. My Rfx is 0, does that mean I will get the HIV medicine for free?

4) The girl who I had coitus with said she she has no STD's (face-value), then she said she has herpes, so I might have herpes and HIV. Are herpes and HIV manageable co-infections, or will it exponentially lower my immune system faster versus just a person with HIV?

Note: As a precursor to my last message, I believe I was wrong by talking about her like that. It was my choice (stupid choice) to have unprotected sex, and now I have to live with the causes of my actions. I apologize if I offended anyone.

5) Also as a side note, my genital area has been very itchy for the past few weeks, I checked if I had crabs, and I could not see any, and I do not know about scrabies, though. Is it possible it could be a yeast infection or fungal infection? it is very bothersome, sometimes, should I perhaps speak about this to my doctor next visit?

6) Also, I will be graduating in 2 years with a degree in math, then studying for graduate school in math, and hopefully done by 26 years old. I hope then, to find a job. Given if I have HIV, how hard will it be to find insurance in America, primarily California with my status? And how much can I expect to pay yearly for my insurance if I qualify, or the prescriptions?

[Jim Allen]

1. RNA testing is not recommend as standalone test or for routine screenings due to the high level of false results. Rest of your question is thus irrelevant

2. The outcome is the same no matter what generation of test, 4th gen is at a very simple level a 3rd gen antibodies test with antigen test combined.

Most people test positive by 6 weeks, outliers by 3 mouths and at that stage it is 99.9% sure hence test at 3 months to confirm the earlier results for a conclusive result. The exception of the 99.9%, so the 0.1% are people with specific medical conditions such as people who are undergoing for example chemo for cancer.

To be honest I do not expect your results to change when you do test, it is simply something to do in order to confirm your negative HIV status.

3 Even if you get the results the next step is retesting and further testing to confirm

4 Nearly 70% of the population has herpes, it has nothing to do with HIV, stop reading junk online and overthinking things. HIV is manageable and with treatment you can live a normal life, herpes makes no difference to this outcome.

5 Yeah speak to your doctor, it has nothing to do with HIV however could be an easier to transmit STI

Agreeing to unprotected is simply agreeing to an STI - Its your own responsibility so go and treat whatever it is.

6 Stop worrying about problems you don't have and about "What if's"

Jim

 

[sm95]

Hello all,

I just wanted to give you an update, as I tested today and I will find my results out tomorrow or Monday. As far as physical health is going: I am not doing the best, same symptoms I mentioned but reoccurring a lot more now.

Moving on to the topic of my subject:

I was reading a post today, and a person got diagnosed as HIV+, and they are below 200 CD4, why is that? I thought that your CD4 level takes a couple of years to get down to that level, that is, without HIV medicine, and being infected. So if a person becomes infected, and say 3 months go by, it is possible for them to be below 200 CD4 already?

Sorry I didn't know where to post this, so I posted it here.

[Ptrk3]

You should post in your original thread, since you have not tested positive for HIV antibodies.  For that reason, I have merged your new topic.

In answer to your question, a significant number of people are diagnosed late in the HIV disease stage and, therefore, have (unknowingly) had the virus for years, perhaps.  That is why it is important to test regularly if you engage in risky activities.

Read more bout CD4 counts by accessing this link:

http://www.webmd.boots.com/hiv-aids/guide/cd4-count-what-does-it-mean