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Author Topic: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind  (Read 29034 times)

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Offline pep4hiv

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #50 on: November 06, 2008, 10:09:27 am »
Ann,I completely agree with you and I had no intentions of coming back until I was ready to have a conclusive test,it's just that the meeting with the doctor today threw me completely off balance and I just wanted to get a second opinion.Now that I have your opinion,I'm thinking of trying to find another specialist.And the testing wasn't my idea,it was the doctor's.Like I said I was just thrown completely off balance by today's meeting so.......But just so I know,do you recommend getting a second opinion or should I just straight away stop taking the medicines on day 28?I have 4 days to go on the PEP pills,and I have enough to last me for 2 days after that,so I'm covered till I find another specialist,but with the weekend coming up I'll have to start looking for one and making appointments right away.

Offline RapidRod

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #51 on: November 06, 2008, 10:26:37 am »
PEP is give for 28 days PERIOD.. Not shorter nor longer. 28 days.

Offline jkinatl2

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #52 on: November 06, 2008, 01:26:49 pm »
It amazes me that your doctor would be so misinformed, and then so arrogant as to lie to your face. You do not require, nor is it recommended, for PEP to be taken longer than 28 days.

I still agreee with Andy, in that the PEP was an overreaction to the incident. And I fully believe you will test negative after this extremely low risk incident.

Obviously, in the future, please remember that wearing two condoms (called "double-bagging") is considered extremely dangerous, as the friction of latex against latex can -and often does - cause both condoms to break.
"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

-Kimberly Page-Shafer, PhD, MPH

Welcome Thread

Offline pep4hiv

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #53 on: November 18, 2008, 12:16:14 am »
I just finished with my PEP 4 days ago,I took it for 30 days totally,and finished with it.The doctor wants me to wait for 2 weeks and have a P24 antigen test and a ELISA,I get why he would want me to have the ELISA 6 weeks after exposure,but why would he want me to have a P24?I mean at 6 weeks I'm out of the window period for it right?Also since yesterday evening I've had extremely watery diarrhea and a temperature of 101-102 degrees Fahrenheit and a really bad headache which is persistent.I went to the doctor and he said it might be Gastroenteritis.Now I would have ordinarily believed him without there being any two things about it,but this is the same doctor who recommended PEP for 6 weeks,so I have a little nagging feeling in the back of my mind that this might be something else(specifically seroconversion).Now I know that HIV cannot be diagnosed on symptoms,I get that this is an advise forum,but I was just wondering if I should just wait it out for a week and get tested as per my doctors recommendation,or get a a second opinion,or is there anything else you guys here can suggest?

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #54 on: November 18, 2008, 08:24:41 am »
Our position here is that you ultimately will need to test at 13 weeks past your completion of PEP for a conclusive result. 

We've already expressed some opinions here which differ from your doctor's. I'm unwilling to get into a back and forth about that. I do expect you are going to test negative. And I repeat that from our point of view, which is one that I hasten to add concurs with that of the HIV scientific community, test at 13 weeks after completing PEP for a conclusvie result.

Your symptoms are neither HIV-specific nor surprising. You have just completed a course of very strong medications which often have strong side effects.

Good luck with your test(s). 
Andy Velez

Offline pep4hiv

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #55 on: November 24, 2008, 11:27:24 am »
Hey Andy,Ann,JK,just swinging by to tell you guys that I tested negative on a  my 6 week ELISA,also according to a separate doctor and the helpline I consulted(it's a testing helpline)there's no difference between PEP timelines and non PEP timelines according to CDC guidelines,but I know I'm going to test twice after this anyways,but this is supposedly a really good indicator of my future test results,which makes me feel relaxed.I'll swing by with my 3 month result later.Thanks a lot for everything,God bless.

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #56 on: November 24, 2008, 01:12:36 pm »
Yes, it is a good indicator. And from our point of view your final all-clear will be when you test negative at 13 weeks after completion of PEP. And I do expect you will continue to test negative.

Cheers.
Andy Velez

Offline pep4hiv

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Quick testing question
« Reply #57 on: December 17, 2008, 06:59:54 am »
Hi all,
I just got my exam time-tables today and found that they start about 8 days before my 3 months are up.I don't really want to wait until my exams get over to test,and so I was wondering if 10/11 weeks is the same as 13 weeks,and there is only a theoretical difference or there is a genuine difference.Also I had a cold and was wondering if that might give a false positive,seeing as how both are retroviruses.I previously had a negative 6 weeker and this test will be after the 10th week,the longest I could wait including the approximate time for the results would be about 10.5 weeks the day I get tested so that I know before my exams start.
Thanks in advance.

Offline RapidRod

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #58 on: December 17, 2008, 07:37:49 am »
You knew before you posted that 10.5 weeks is not 13 weeks.

Offline pep4hiv

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #59 on: December 17, 2008, 07:45:19 am »
I agree rapidrod,I was just wondering if it makes a huge difference,that's all.Could you tell me if it does or not please?

Offline RapidRod

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #60 on: December 17, 2008, 07:49:30 am »
Take the test after your exams.

Offline Ann

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #61 on: December 17, 2008, 08:09:47 am »
PEP,

There's not a huge difference between 10/11 weeks and thirteen. In fact, the window period in most of Europe is twelve weeks.

If it would help you concentrate on your exams, test before them. I'm fully expecting another negative result after your six week negative, and so should you.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

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"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline pep4hiv

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Just got my 11 week results.
« Reply #62 on: December 29, 2008, 09:03:57 am »
Hi guys,I just got my 11th weeks results,and they were a complete negative,the report says non-reactive for HIV 1/2.Kit used 3rd Generation ELISA,now,I'm not questioning the negativity of my results,but just one more test sometime after about 3/4 weeks should be good right?I don't have to be monitored till 6 months right?I'm only asking cause on some article on the CDC I read the in case of PEP the patient should be monitored until 6 months later.Also I know this is a HIV forum,but could any of you tell me when an appropriate time for a full STD panel would be?I only ask because Ann(on some other topic) said that there are other STDs which also do not show up until much later.Thanks.

Offline RapidRod

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #63 on: December 29, 2008, 09:08:46 am »
You don't have HIV. MOVE ON.

Offline pep4hiv

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #64 on: December 29, 2008, 09:25:43 am »
Thanks Rapidrod,will do.

Offline Ann

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #65 on: December 29, 2008, 11:40:23 am »
Pep,

Ann(on some other topic) said that there are other STDs which also do not show up until much later.

???

Most STIs can be tested for ten days to two weeks following a risky incident, or sooner if you develop a discharge or lesion. One exception is syphilis, which shares a three month window with hiv for a conclusive negative result.

What you might be thinking of is when I sometimes say that some STIs often have no noticeable symptoms, just like hiv. This doesn't mean they can't be tested for in a timely manner. For example, it's quite common for people to not have any symptoms of chlamydia - and so they never bother to test for it. This is one of the reasons why it's one of the most prevalent STIs world-wide.

If you're going to paraphrase me, make sure you get it right. ::)

And by the way, you don't have hiv. No big surprise there, you never had a clear-cut risk to begin with as we've told you and told you and told  you. It's time you got on with your life, making sure you use condoms and use them correctly.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline pep4hiv

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Thanks Guys
« Reply #66 on: December 31, 2008, 11:20:56 am »
LOL,you're right Ann,I should have paid more attention.Thanks for all your support and help,and you too rapidrod,Andy and JK.I hope you guys have a great 2009,Happy New Year to all of you.

Offline pep4hiv

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Not too drag this on for too long......
« Reply #67 on: March 05, 2009, 01:12:28 pm »
Sorry I'm back again,but I just got what I hope will be my final test, the test showed a negative,however the values have doubled since my last test.The values on the latest test I took showed up as

Sample value:0.102
Cutoff value :0.332

My last test showed

Sample value: 0.047
Cutoff value : 0.325

This test was 100 days after I finished PEP and 4 months after exposure,can I take this to be conclusive and move on?Should I be even remotely concerned about the change and values?

Thanks in advance.

Offline RapidRod

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #68 on: March 05, 2009, 05:09:51 pm »
You're conclusively negative. That's alll you need to know.

Offline Andy Velez

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #69 on: March 05, 2009, 05:53:18 pm »
Jeez man, give it up willya! Negative is NEGATIVE. Period. End of story.

Be happy about that, get on with your life and make sure you always use condoms for intercourse. No exceptions, whether you're in India or Indiana. They provide very effective protection against HIV.

 
« Last Edit: March 05, 2009, 05:55:15 pm by Andy Velez »
Andy Velez

Offline pep4hiv

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Delayed seroconversion.
« Reply #70 on: April 10, 2009, 04:47:25 am »
Hi,I'm sorry to be back,but my doctor just mailed me a link that says that taking PEP can cause delayed seroconversion,and at first I thought it was just for exceptional cases,but posts on Medhelp which Teak(Rapidrod here)is present on,the doctor has replied to say that it is necessary to followup till 6 months after.Last month,I was pretty sick and I thought it was just the stomach flu,but now after reading the post and some threads on medhelp,I'm thinking otherwise,I have a lot of respect for the knowledge you guys have here and so I'll do whatever you guys reccomend,
                    Is it important or even relevant for me to test this later this month( at the 6 month mark)given the fact that I have taken PEP,or is the previous 3 month test good enough?The last test was properly after 3 months after finishing PEP.I'm only worried because of the varying information on post PEP testing time lines nothing else.This is the article my doctor mailed me

http://72.14.235.132/search?q=cache:tG83QGDRx3IJ:cfenet.ubc.ca/webuploads/files/SAS012909.pdf+Delayed+seroconversion+after+PEP+the+body&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=in

and this is the post on thebody.com

http://www.thebody.com/Forums/AIDS/SafeSex/Archive/Treatment/Q194795.html

The post on the body is quite recent,July 2008.

Thanks,and sorry for bothering you again with this.Happy Easter

Offline RapidRod

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #71 on: April 10, 2009, 05:15:44 am »
3 months after your last dose of PEP. END OF Disussion. It's time you moved on.

Offline Ann

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Re: Please help me,I'm going out of my mind
« Reply #72 on: April 10, 2009, 06:44:11 am »
Pep,

You have been told repeatedly you never had a clear-cut risk to begin with. I'm sorry if it disappoints you, but you have already tested more than conclusively negative. You don't have hiv and you're just going to have to deal with it.

If what your doctor told you puts doubts in your mind, then test out to six months. BUT. Do NOT expect to be able to come here and wring your hands while you wait for the six month point. As far as WE are concerned, you are hiv negative and that's that.

Post ONE MORE TIME about this this situation where you didn't have a risk that warranted PEP in the first place, one in which you have tested CONCLUSIVELY hiv negative, and you WILL be given a time out. Got it? Good.

Consider yourself warned for the absolute LAST time.

It's high time you got on with your life.

Ann
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

 


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