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HIV Prevention (Expert Forum)
Not Feeling Well - Worried - What More Can I do?
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
This forum is limited to prevention of HIV and to safe sex in general. If you believe you might have been exposed to HIV and want help to judge your risk, would like advice about HIV testing, or have questions about the effectiveness of condoms or the risks associated with specific sexual practices, this is the site for you.
IMPORTANT
No questions will be accepted on the treatment of HIV/AIDS or its complications, viral load, and similar topics. If you have questions about a specific STD other than HIV/AIDS, please visit the STD Forum. Questions that do not pertain to the above topics will be removed from the forum.
If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR PAYMENT WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, condom- protected intercourse hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids as well as symptoms of early HIV infection.
No questions will be accepted on the treatment of HIV/AIDS or its complications, viral load, and similar topics. If you have questions about a specific STD other than HIV/AIDS, please visit the STD Forum. Questions that do not pertain to the above topics will be removed from the forum.
If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR PAYMENT WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, condom- protected intercourse hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids as well as symptoms of early HIV infection.
Not Feeling Well - Worried - What More Can I do?
by Ronnie99, Jun 30, 2006 12:00AM
Question: I had a potentially very risky sexual encounter in early February of 2006. I am not very sexually active and I have been very worried about this incident since. About two weeks later I got a feeling of feverishness. Later on I would get occasional swollen glands under the arms but mostly in the neck. When I went to the doctor I was tested and found to have a new and active Epstein Barr infection (they ran a dual test of some sort). The level of infection was high also as per the test. They tested me again for ebv a month later and the level of the infection had fallen somewhat. I have had the following hiv tests since the incident:
7 week - elisa - negative
11 week - elisa - negative
12 week - pcr proviral dna – no virus detected
19 week - elisa (hiv-1 & 2) - negative
19.5 week - pcr proviral dna - no virus detected
The reason I keep testing is that I still feel bad even after 4.5 months since the incident. I have not had sexual relations since the incident.
Regarding symptoms, I always have had minor hair follicle acne in my arms which I occasionally pop at times. Generally they heal and go away after a few days after I pop them. Recently the little scabs from this acne got extremely angry and turned into larger sores. When they healed after a week they left discolored areas on my forearm, somewhat pinkish which went away after a few weeks. I also have a few new, odd oval shaped sores with a small round center on my forearms. These are very strange because they have caused the tissue surrounding them to turn a purple-brown color. They almost seem like cancer or a viral sore, but I don't know because I have never had such a thing before. They are starting to shrink and go away now.
I am extremely worried that I might be a late sero-converter from what I read on line. Is there anything more I can do to determine my status? I am very worried over this and don't feel well at all.
Thank you in advance for any information.
Regards,
Ron
7 week - elisa - negative
11 week - elisa - negative
12 week - pcr proviral dna – no virus detected
19 week - elisa (hiv-1 & 2) - negative
19.5 week - pcr proviral dna - no virus detected
The reason I keep testing is that I still feel bad even after 4.5 months since the incident. I have not had sexual relations since the incident.
Regarding symptoms, I always have had minor hair follicle acne in my arms which I occasionally pop at times. Generally they heal and go away after a few days after I pop them. Recently the little scabs from this acne got extremely angry and turned into larger sores. When they healed after a week they left discolored areas on my forearm, somewhat pinkish which went away after a few weeks. I also have a few new, odd oval shaped sores with a small round center on my forearms. These are very strange because they have caused the tissue surrounding them to turn a purple-brown color. They almost seem like cancer or a viral sore, but I don't know because I have never had such a thing before. They are starting to shrink and go away now.
I am extremely worried that I might be a late sero-converter from what I read on line. Is there anything more I can do to determine my status? I am very worried over this and don't feel well at all.
Thank you in advance for any information.
Regards,
Ron
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jun 30, 2006 12:00AM
, Jun 30, 2006 12:00AM
As I have said innumerable times on this forum, symptoms NEVER are a reliable indicator of recently acquired HIV infection. Symptoms are ALWAYS much less valid that HIV teesting. Your test results prove without doubt that whatver is causing your symptoms, it isn't HIV. You ahve been overtested already. Discuss your symptoms with your health care provider, but do not request any further HIV testing. You don't have it. (On top of all that, your symptoms don't even remotely suggest HIV anyway.)
Please no "yes but" or "what if" follow up questions. There is no additional information that would change my assessment or recommendation.
HHH, MD
Please no "yes but" or "what if" follow up questions. There is no additional information that would change my assessment or recommendation.
HHH, MD
http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/gap/pmtct/Trainer%20Manual/Adobe/Module_6TM.pdf
It says
"A negative result usually means that the person is not infected with HIV. In rare instance, a person with a negative or inconclusive result may be in the 'window period". This is the period of time between the onset of infection with HIV and the appearance of detectable antibodies to the virus. THE WINDOW PERIOD LASTS FOR 4 TO 6 WEEKS but OCCASIONALLY up to 3 months after HIV exposure. Persons at HIGH RISK who initally test negative should be RETESTED at 3 months after expsoure to confirm results."
This is RIGHT off the CDC testing manual. Hope you trust your results now!!!!
Thank you for your answer and have a great Independence Day!
Doctor: I won't post a follow up about symptoms per your request, but I do have another question. Is there any issue regarding the time it takes to test positive with an HIV antibody test if a person picked up another serious viral infection at the same time? As noted in my original post I appeared to pick up a first time Epstein Barr infection at the same time of my encounter I am worried about. I was just curious if there is any known effect on testing if a person has an active EBV infection.
You don't have HIV. Move on.
HHH, MD
Regards,
Ronnie