Aa
Very stressed
Hello doctor. My question is pretty simialr to all the other questions. 6 months ago I went to my friends bachelors party and I had a brief vaginal intercourse with a stripper. I freaked out after it happened and went to get tested after a month. Every STD came back negative . I went at 8 weeks again for HIV Antibody test and it came negative and again at 12 weeks it came negative.I just got tested 2 weeks ago again at 5.5 months and it came negative. My doctor told me that some people take 9 months to 1 year too. I dont know I have had few symptoms which come and go like diarhea, muscles pains, headaches. I never used to get these symptoms before. My question to you is can anxiety cause alll this and do you think I should still get tested after few months. Can coinfection with hepatits or herpes can cause delayed seroconversion.I got testd for them all of the STDs and they came negative. I am living a very stressed life and i hope you can help me.
Thanks doctor. I will try to move on in life and put tht event behind me. I appreciate ur quick response.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome. Thanks for taking the time to read the forum sufficiently to be aware that your questions are similar to others.
From your reading, you know what to expect in the first part of my reply. Your negative HIV tests prove you weren't infected. As we have said innumerable times, test results always outweigh the description of the sexual exposure and any symptoms that someone might have. And we have also repeatedly stated that no medical condition changes HIV testing; whether or not you have herpes or hepatitis, your HIV test results are reliable.
Can anxiety "cause" symptoms like you describe? Yes. But I put cause in quotes because it depends a bit on the definition. Certainly anxiety, stress, depression, and other psychological factors can so magnify normal body sensations that they seem abnormal or painful; and your list of symtpoms could have come directly out of a textbook describing the physical manifestations of emotional disorders. And whenever a person suspects his or her own symptoms have a psychological origin, usually s/he is correct.
"I hope you can help me". So do I. But the help on this forum is limited to judging the facts and probabilities about HIV transmission, so that's really all I can do. Assuming this reply doesn't settle all your fears about HIV, the only option is to see mental health care and counseling. As always in such situations, I suggest it out of compassion, not criticism.
Since you clearly don't have HIV, that's all I will have to say.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
From your reading, you know what to expect in the first part of my reply. Your negative HIV tests prove you weren't infected. As we have said innumerable times, test results always outweigh the description of the sexual exposure and any symptoms that someone might have. And we have also repeatedly stated that no medical condition changes HIV testing; whether or not you have herpes or hepatitis, your HIV test results are reliable.
Can anxiety "cause" symptoms like you describe? Yes. But I put cause in quotes because it depends a bit on the definition. Certainly anxiety, stress, depression, and other psychological factors can so magnify normal body sensations that they seem abnormal or painful; and your list of symtpoms could have come directly out of a textbook describing the physical manifestations of emotional disorders. And whenever a person suspects his or her own symptoms have a psychological origin, usually s/he is correct.
"I hope you can help me". So do I. But the help on this forum is limited to judging the facts and probabilities about HIV transmission, so that's really all I can do. Assuming this reply doesn't settle all your fears about HIV, the only option is to see mental health care and counseling. As always in such situations, I suggest it out of compassion, not criticism.
Since you clearly don't have HIV, that's all I will have to say.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
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