doc h please tell me im done with this

[rosalinea5678]

hi doc thank you for everything. i was recently dating someone ive known since junior high. we are both heterosexuals, non iv drug users, two years out of highschool. he has only had 2 other partners other than me but admits he didnt use protection every single time. we always used protection except for one time which was stupid i know. we had vaginal sex and anal sex-anal lasting about 5 minutes. it was both of our 1st times ever having anal. for some weeks ive been experiencing temps in the 99's, tierdness, and muscle twitches. also heart palpitations at times. i was tested at 5,6,7, and 9.5 weeks. all negative. here are my questions.

1. are my test results definitive?
2. do i need further testing?
3. are the symptoms i mentioned something to worry about?
4. can i move on and forget all this?

thanks.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

You were already told the 9.5 week test nailed it down for sure.  Did you think I might have changed my mind?

Don't post anything more.  This thread is over.

[rosalinea5678]

doc i know you said no further testing was needed but i got a test at 11 weeks anyhow, it was negative. does this nail it down for sure?

[rosalinea5678]

thank you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

You'll find plenty of online and other sources of information that still stick with the older recommendation of 12 weeks, but it really isn't necessary.  With modern HIV tests, almost every newly infected person has a positive result by 6 weeks and it is extremely rare to need testing beyond 8 weeks.  I would not have recommended testing at all in your situation, let alone 4 tests!  A single test anytime beyond 6 weeks would have been fine.  You don't need further testing.  

[rosalinea5678]

thanks for your comments...so just for clarification my 9.5 week antibody test is definitive and i do not need a 12 week test?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Everybody's temperature normally goes into the 99s, and it is more common in women, whose average body temperature is a little higher than men's--especially in the second half of the menstrual cycle.  (Remember being told that you can detect the day of ovulation by a slight temperature rise.)  But if in doubt, see a health care provider about it; never rely on online advice in preference to personal health care.

[rosalinea5678]

thank you for your response. i recently had routine tests for gonorrhea and chlamydia they were negative. its good to know i could put this behind me. as for my temp being in the 99's i was curious if this was abnormal?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Obviously you have an inflated view of the risks of HIV, probably based on exaggerations you heard in high school of other health education settings.  You describe a nearly zero risk sexual lifestyle for HIV, although not for toher STDs.  To be maximally safe, you should recommit yourself to routine condom use.  Directly to your questions:

1) Yes, your HIV test results are definitive.
2) You do not need further testing.
3) If your symptoms concern you, discuss them with a health care provider. HIV is not the cause.
4) You can move on with respect to HIV. It would make sense for you to have routine tests for more common STDs like chlamydia, gonorrhea, etc.  I doubt you have any of them, but the risks are far higher than for HIV.

Good luck--  HHH, MD