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HIV Testing
Dear Doctor HHH,
It has been few weeks since i wrote you about this subject. Your replies were quite useful and the links you provided me were also helpful. However, i am still quite anxious with the matter, having a hard time to believe on the test results. Somehow i am hanging myself on the Forum comments that only at 3 months you have a conclusive test.
Just to remind you, i had a negative PCR at 2 weeks and a negative Combo (Elisa 4th generation) at one month.
The post you provided me also discuss the difference between 99.89 vs 99.99pct. Here again i keep imagining what if i am the 0.1pct....
I went after medical advise and saw a psychiatrist, who is treatment my anxiety with some medice now. I am taking some anti-depression pills. When discussing with him the subject i mentioned the possibility of having another test as tomorrow i will complete 3 months after the sexual exposure. He is affraid the if i happen to have a false positive, i will have a bigger problem on my mind.
I am seeking your advise on the above issues: the 0.1pct difference, the 3 month conclusive period and the risks of false positive if i choose to repeat the tests.
Just as a note, the Lab i use only provides the Combo. Not sure if it matters or not.
Kind regards
Shark
It has been few weeks since i wrote you about this subject. Your replies were quite useful and the links you provided me were also helpful. However, i am still quite anxious with the matter, having a hard time to believe on the test results. Somehow i am hanging myself on the Forum comments that only at 3 months you have a conclusive test.
Just to remind you, i had a negative PCR at 2 weeks and a negative Combo (Elisa 4th generation) at one month.
The post you provided me also discuss the difference between 99.89 vs 99.99pct. Here again i keep imagining what if i am the 0.1pct....
I went after medical advise and saw a psychiatrist, who is treatment my anxiety with some medice now. I am taking some anti-depression pills. When discussing with him the subject i mentioned the possibility of having another test as tomorrow i will complete 3 months after the sexual exposure. He is affraid the if i happen to have a false positive, i will have a bigger problem on my mind.
I am seeking your advise on the above issues: the 0.1pct difference, the 3 month conclusive period and the risks of false positive if i choose to repeat the tests.
Just as a note, the Lab i use only provides the Combo. Not sure if it matters or not.
Kind regards
Shark
Thank you Doc
I will do my best to avoid testing again
I will do my best to avoid testing again
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome back to the forum. As you know, Dr. Handsfield and I share the forum. You got me. FYI, the reason we share the forum is because we have worked together for nearly 30 years and while our verbiage styles vary, we have never disagreed on management strategies or advice to clients. I've read your earlier interchange with him and agree with his advice.
I agree with your psychiatrist. The reason we have the blood tests is because they are useful. For us to doubt blood tests really works against us in many ways. Since false positive tests are, at least in part, chance events, the more you test, the more likely it is that you are going to get one. Like Dr. Handsfield I find that the two results you already have are conclusive. Remember, the chance that you would find that your earlier tests is not really 0.1% but far lower. I say this for several reasons including that you are not dealing with the possibility that 1 test was incorrect but two, unrelated tests which have already indicated that you do not have HIV. Thus retesting is not a 2nd but a third test. Further, the mathematical chance that your test was wrong was not 0.1% but 0.1% of POSITVE tests which are less than 1% of all tests performed (i.e. in commercial labs only about 1% or less of tests performed are positive). Thus the mathematical chance that your test was wrong is not 0.1% (i.e. 1 in 1000) of tests but considerably lower than 1 in a million.
Bottom line. You will decide if you re-test of not. I see no medical need and agree with your psychiatrist that the risk for a false positive result is higher than the likelihood that you have HIV when your prior tests are considered.
Finally, I will remind you that it was Einstein who said that one definition of insanity to to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. I advise you to believe your test results.
I hope this helps. EWH
I agree with your psychiatrist. The reason we have the blood tests is because they are useful. For us to doubt blood tests really works against us in many ways. Since false positive tests are, at least in part, chance events, the more you test, the more likely it is that you are going to get one. Like Dr. Handsfield I find that the two results you already have are conclusive. Remember, the chance that you would find that your earlier tests is not really 0.1% but far lower. I say this for several reasons including that you are not dealing with the possibility that 1 test was incorrect but two, unrelated tests which have already indicated that you do not have HIV. Thus retesting is not a 2nd but a third test. Further, the mathematical chance that your test was wrong was not 0.1% but 0.1% of POSITVE tests which are less than 1% of all tests performed (i.e. in commercial labs only about 1% or less of tests performed are positive). Thus the mathematical chance that your test was wrong is not 0.1% (i.e. 1 in 1000) of tests but considerably lower than 1 in a million.
Bottom line. You will decide if you re-test of not. I see no medical need and agree with your psychiatrist that the risk for a false positive result is higher than the likelihood that you have HIV when your prior tests are considered.
Finally, I will remind you that it was Einstein who said that one definition of insanity to to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. I advise you to believe your test results.
I hope this helps. EWH
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