Anxiety getting the better of me

[Pips2011]

Wonder if you guys could help me with something.  I have had negative HIV tests and 3, 5 and 10 months.  I know excessive but the anxiety has been getting to me.  I had my negative 10 month test this week and only now I have a question that has never bothered me until now - which is:

when someone tests negative (at recommended time), does that mean you have NEVER been infected?

This is my crazy thinking - I know the body can clear some viruses (like Hep B for example).  I would hate to think that I got infected, passed on the virus, then my body cleared the virus and now I have a negative result.  Or does HIV not work like that?  

I would just like to know that a negative result truly means there was never an infection.

I'm sorry if this sounds paranoid but I never knew much about HIV until finding this forum and as I said, this question never entered my mind until this week.

[scaredlonelady]

HIV antibodies are for life. You don't have it :)

[ricky_id]

Once it's in HIV can't get rid of.

[Pips2011]

No, I have none of the conditions above.

I was scared that I may have been infected and my body got rid of the virus and now I have a negative result.

[ricky_id]

Assuming you didn't have any of the special conditions I wrote above, no, you haven't been infected by HIV. Do you have any special concerns about what you think may delay the conclusive test result? Anxiety doesn't count, though.

[Pips2011]

thanks for your reply.  Thing is, this is what was worrying me.....

"I know the body can clear some viruses (like Hep B for example).  I would hate to think that I got infected, passed on the virus, then my body cleared the virus and now I have a negative result.  Or does HIV not work like that?"  

What I'm asking is, if you have a negative result (after 3 months) then that means you have NEVER EVER been infected?  

[ricky_id]

Of course you don't haveHIV, unless after the test you did something risky (any of unprotected vaginal/anal sex and sharing needle), then you may have a chance.

The stuffs that that delay seroconversion period are if you're on chemotherapy, on meds after organ transplant, or a heavy IV drug user, and they alone extend the conclusive result to 6 months post-exposure and other than those 3 months.

Just make sure you've taken a health body approved HIV test and you're conclusively negative.