Author Topic: Can't stand waiting (Read 9405 times)

notsosmartbod · « **on:** August 07, 2011, 05:58:30 pm »

Hi all, i'm new to this site and wasn't entirely sure where to post my message.

to cut a very long story short, 10 weeks ago i was date raped and woke up to find my date on top of me. I don't have much memory of what happened that night apart from waking up briefly halfway through but being really confused and thinking, did i agree to this... I went to the clinic last week where the did all the regular recommended tests and got the hiv one back within a couple of hours, it came back negative. The doctors have asked me to go back for another test in around 3-4 weeks, will this be the final one which tells me that i'm ok or not? I wasn't really taking much in when the doctor was explaining, greatly relieved when the first one came back negative though - i hadn't even realised just how worried i was. I know that i'm seriously low risk because it was one time, don't know if a condom was used or not. Also if he does have HIV does the bruising and bleeding that i sustained highten the risk?

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #1 on:** August 07, 2011, 06:56:48 pm »

Sorry, i'm sure everyone gets seriously bored of answering these questions from worriers all the time. can't speak to anyone else about this though as my family and friends know nothing about what happened and i'm keeping it that way. I've trawled through a lot of the messages on here and it looks like three months is the maximum period of time in which the virus will not show up on a test, can someone just confirm that please?

Andy Velez · « **Reply #2 on:** August 07, 2011, 09:16:39 pm »

You can get a conclusive result at 13 weeks/ 3 months. You can also test anytime now just for your peace of mind. If you decide to do that and you test negative at 10 weeks, then in all likelihood you will test negative again at 3 months. And no, the brusing and bleeding would not heighten your potential risk.

That's a shocking experience to have had. And it seems you are going through getting over it pretty much by yourself. Check out and see if there is a Crisis Center you can contact by phone if not in person.

Fingers crossed for you that you come out of this ok.

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #3 on:** August 08, 2011, 04:25:08 am »

Thankyou for the help

I'm not sure i need a crisis centre at this point, merely a pointed reminder to never invite a virtual stranger back for a film and drink and trust him

i'm halfway through a psychology degree so i've got access to plenty of therapists if i need them, at this point i'm spending a lot of time with my friends, helping myself that way.

Thanks again

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #4 on:** August 09, 2011, 05:51:17 pm »

I actually feel like i'm to spontaneously combust whilst waiting to test at 3 months. i'm off to the clinic in the morning to collect my other results, ie gonorrhea, chlamydia etc... i know lack of symptoms (except from extreme paranoia) means nothing but no news is good news right? surely if i had caught something the clinic would've called and asked me to come in earlier or do they wait til you come back?

Mind you, if i had gone to the clinic earlier i could've had these answers by now...

Brief question though; i've had rheumatoid arthritis for years, would this kind of autoimmune issue make any difference to my window period? i assume not but read somewhere that autoimmune problems can crreate a longer window period
I need to stop thinking about this and get back to studying, now sounding like a hypochondriac ...

Andy Velez · « **Reply #5 on:** August 09, 2011, 08:07:03 pm »

No, rheumatoid arthritis would not skewer your test result. Ask them at the clinic just to confirm that.

Good to hear you have the support of friends to help you get through the waiting period.

Fingers crossed for you here for a happy negative result.

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #6 on:** August 09, 2011, 08:19:31 pm »

Thank you for the confirmation about the arthritis, that's the answer i was expecting and hoping for (although will clarify in the morning with docs).

My friends have been great, none of them know what happened but spending time with them is the most beneficial route at the mo.

Should really get some sleep but worrying is preventing me, 01:11 currently.... sure i'll prove negative but have joined the 'what if' and 'arrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhh' club.

Never mind, will get on with the studying (though not sure existential psychotherapy and CBT are sinking in) hope all is well with you Andy, thanks for the helpful and quick response

Andy Velez · « **Reply #7 on:** August 09, 2011, 08:28:44 pm »

If you have trouble sleeping then just simply lying down actually gives the body some rest even when you are still awake. And you can do deep and slow breathing in and out which can be calming and help the zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz come.

That kind of breathing is also helpful anytime fear strikes in calming down. It really works.

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #8 on:** August 09, 2011, 08:55:44 pm »

Thanks

I'm sure i'll fall asleep at some point, reading Freud usually works for me,lol.

I'm very analytical and self reflective anyway so have a pretty firm grip on my thought processes (although reading my last post i'm not convinced entirely on this).

Sounds strange but is a proven fact - pressing gently on your upper eyelid slows down your heart rate - have tried this a few times with the deep breathing you mention.

Will now ignore all yours and my advice and will self medicate with a cup of tea and a cigarette whilst finishing up a 2000 word essay which is due by 12 midday (500 words and references to go)

Ann · « **Reply #9 on:** August 10, 2011, 07:33:23 am »

Not,

While your autoimmune problem will not lengthen your window period, it might cause a false positive result on the antibody test. I'm not saying it will, I'm saying it might. You may want to let the person who tests you know, so they know they will need to run a Western Blot before telling you if you do get a positive result. The WB test will rule out a false positive.

Hang in there, you're more likely than not to test negative.

Ann

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #10 on:** August 16, 2011, 04:08:40 pm »

Hi Andy and Ann and all

Not been feeling well (Pleurisy -ouch)...so only went back to the clinic today for my results, ALL CLEAR

Ann; thank you for the heads up on the potential false positive result. came back as negative with no indeterminate straight away though, big sigh of relief. Had another one performed this morning and although its only been 12 not 13 weeks i'll take that negative as conclusive and just go for a repeat in 3 more months as they've recommended.

Andy; thank you for the advice and everything. decided to report the guy to the police this morning - all done now, was very undecided about doing this but police were brilliant and feel i made the right decision to prevent other people from going through this.

The work you perform is amazing and seriously beneficial to everyone out there worrying about their status.

Is there anyway i can help at all? Maybe you need a counselling corner or something?

tony_china · « **Reply #11 on:** August 16, 2011, 09:34:21 pm »

Congratulations, for You have collected all negative results again near 13 weeks and I believe you will definitely get all the negative results again in 13 weeks.

RapidRod · « **Reply #12 on:** August 16, 2011, 09:38:59 pm »

tony_china,

■Only those Moderators and members who are authorized to answer questions in the Am I Infected? forum are permitted do so. Unauthorized responses may be deleted without permission of the poster. Repeatedly posting replies of this nature may result in a Time Out or permanent ban, at the discretion of the Moderator Team.

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #13 on:** August 17, 2011, 05:30:58 am »

Tony_China - thank-you for the message, i know the results will be fine for myself

I hope you resolve your situation and feel more at ease soon

Ann · « **Reply #14 on:** August 17, 2011, 08:10:18 am »

Not,

A twelve week negative IS conclusive. To worry about 12 weeks vs 13 weeks is to split hairs.

You do not need to test again in three months time unless you engage in unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse in the mean time. As a sexually active adult, you'd be wise to test at least once a year, but you only need to test more than that if you have unprotected intercourse or are very active with many different partners.

You do not have hiv. Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will continue to avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!!!

Ann

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #15 on:** August 17, 2011, 10:01:17 am »

Ann,

Sorry i should've clarified - they are testing me again in 3 months due to the fact that i take Imuran for the rheumatoid arthritis and this has affected my immune system to some degree. The doctors are very confident and agree with all your advice, the retest is merely to cover their butts

Also if you ever decide to look into a counselling section for the 'Am I infected' forums i would be pleased to assist in any way. I'm a fully qualified CBT therapist and i'm currently studying for a full psychology degree to further my career. I've performed a lot of research on the efficacy of 'distance/email' counselling v the normal face to face route and apart from a small issue with clients being mildly more dishonest via this method it has proven very effective.
Hope you and everyone else is well and enjoying wherever you are - weather is stunning here in the UK currently

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #16 on:** August 17, 2011, 03:18:54 pm »

Ann or another Moderator, massive apologies for a completely stoopid request from me, could you please delete my account - can't seem to find a button to perform this task.
Thanks for advice all

Warm wishes to all

Notso

Ann · « **Reply #17 on:** August 18, 2011, 08:25:31 am »

Not,

We do not delete accounts.

Ann

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #18 on:** October 04, 2011, 05:45:37 am »

Ann or another moderator,

Am i allowed to post in the off topics forums? i've been following a thread with great interest as i'm housebound (Neutropenic) at the moment and hideously bored (recipe thread). Not sure of the rules/conventions on there so didn't just want to post and get slapped for it

Ann · « **Reply #19 on:** October 04, 2011, 06:32:52 am »

Notso,

You may post in the Off Topic forum, but be aware that some might not take too kindly to your presence there. However, as long as you're respectful and polite, it shouldn't be a problem. Hope you have some good recipes!

Oh, and please, the Off Topic forum and this forum are the only ones you may post in. OK? And thank you for asking before posting. That was the right thing to do and I appreciate it.

Ann

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #20 on:** October 04, 2011, 08:58:24 am »

Ann,

Thanks for about the response. I'm not sure anyone will like my recipes though.lol. i was thinking more about stealing some and asking for a recipe for Gumbo

I mostly eat soups, stews and salads but will happily share those if people can stand them.

i won't mind if my presence isn't received well - you would get funny looks turning up at an arthritis meeting (especially if you can walk without crying)

As for the other forums - no probs - those rules are nice and simples. Anyway will stop wasting your time on this forum.

Notso

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #21 on:** October 26, 2011, 07:12:36 pm »

Hi all;

Can someone chuck some science in my direction please? I went for another test this morning and was in the doctors office by 4:30 being told i had a preliminary positive - i'm assuming this is a false positive as the timescale doesn't add up for a true positive (in my mind anyway), and will get proper results back in about ten days or so. Assuming this is a result of the arthritis - why does this affect the test and why did the last one come back as negative ? - i realise you probably aren't psychic (Lotto numbers please) but hope you can shed some sort of scientific light on this...

Notso (who is now 8lbs heavier than before i found this site

)

Andy Velez · « **Reply #22 on:** October 26, 2011, 07:22:02 pm »

I agree this is likely to be a false positive. I am not going to interpret why that's happened. I expect a western blot will come out negative though I am sure it is anxiety provoking to get a positive result even when you think it's in error.

Hold tight. Based on your story, I expect you to come out of this ok.

Ann · « **Reply #23 on:** October 27, 2011, 06:49:41 am »

Notso,

Yes, as RA is considered to be a systemic autoimmune disease, it could quite conceivably cause a false positive. I'm not sure we know why autoimmune disease can trigger these, we just know they do. Autoimmune disease isn't always going to cause a false positive, so it's not all that surprising you've had negatives in the past. The more one tests in the presence of autoimmune issues, the more likely it becomes that you'll get a falsie.

You didn't need this test anyway. You were already conclusively negative back in August.

I'm fully expecting the WB to prove you've had a FALSE positive result. In the meantime, get busy with other things while you wait for the results. The time will go much faster that way.

Ann

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #24 on:** October 27, 2011, 06:44:51 pm »

Ann & Andy - Thanks for the replies...

puzzled rather than worried about the result but really don't have the energy to trawl through mountains of complete crap whilst searching for an answer on the internet, so came to ask some intelligent peeps

Whilst almost certain that i did not need this test, i'm following doctors orders/advice to the letter to ensure i won't be left with any element of doubt (and because i always follow doctors orders).

I'll post back with my results when they are given.

Notso

Andy Velez · « **Reply #25 on:** October 27, 2011, 06:54:13 pm »

OK. And I continue to expect a happy result from the western blot.

notsosmartbod · « **Reply #26 on:** November 10, 2011, 09:52:07 am »

Indeterminate with one reactive band... a cautious negative

Need to pacify docs by re-testing for a couple of months but my doc said she is very confident that the result is negative - further saying that in her experience - this type of result has 'never' turned positive at this late point in time. Of course i had to repeatedly promise that i wouldn't take her word as gospel for legal purposes

Ann · « **Reply #27 on:** November 10, 2011, 11:21:59 am »

Notso,

One reactive band is not indeterminate, it is negative.

You tested conclusively hiv negative back in August. You did not need further testing over this incident after August's test and you don't need further testing now.

You do not have hiv!

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

Quote

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

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Author Topic: Can't stand waiting (Read 9405 times)