POZ Community Forums

HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: burn26 on December 29, 2013, 07:36:36 am

Title: Needing some reassurance.
Post by: burn26 on December 29, 2013, 07:36:36 am
I just want to start out by saying how appreciative I am of this forum - the administrators are excellent sources of knowledge and comfort for a great many people.

I just really need some reassurance, I guess. I made a poor decision a few months back. I had unprotected anal sex as the receiving partner 6 months ago and he ejaculated inside me. He said he was disease-free. What scares me most about these situations is the fact that a large amount of HIV positive people aren't aware of their status, and are often sexually active at the most likely time for them to transfer the disease. I've read that if a person has developed ARS, the chance for transmission can be as high as 20% during that time due to their high viral load. This is terrifying to me. Condom use is truly a must! I tested at the 4 week mark using the at home Oraquick test and was negative. I also went ahead and tested at the 6 month mark with the same test and was thankfully negative.

I guess it may be guilt over such a stupid encounter, but I haven't been able to rule the thoughts of false negatives out of my mind. I have only engaged in protected intercourse sense then, but the thoughts won't leave. I don't have any symptoms, yet I still worry constantly about the thoughts of false negatives. I realize testing with false negatives twice would be extremely rare! I'm considering going in for a blood test done by a professional to see if that will make me feel better. It probably won't! Are false negatives a huge issue for these Oraquick tests?
Title: Re: Needing some reassurance.
Post by: Ann on December 29, 2013, 08:14:11 am
Burn,

You are conclusively hiv negative. You don't have hiv.

False negatives are only a problem when testing too early in the hiv testing window period. The testing window for a conclusive negative result is three months. You tested far outside that window period and you should trust your result. 

If getting a blood test done through a doctor is the only way you're going to trust your result, by all means go do it. Just don't be surprised when the result doesn't change.

You should also be regularly testing for ALL the STIs, not just hiv. The other STIs are MUCH more easily transmitted than hiv and some can also have serious consequences if left untreated.

Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:

You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL sexually transmitted infections together.

To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.

Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.

ALTHOUGH YOU DO NOT NEED FURTHER HIV TESTING AT THIS TIME, anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.

If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results.

Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv. Some of the other STIs can be present with no obvious symptoms, so the only way to know for sure is to test.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

Ann