Confirmation of status

Hi Doctor,
I have expressed my concerns a couple of times before with you. After all of your advice and guidance i decided to carry out a test in a clinic finally in my home counry (India) instead of relying on home test kits. When i carried out the test which was approx 1 and half years after the suspected exposure it came out non reactive which i assume indicates negative HIV status. This was done last weekend. Just 3 days back i had very high fever and flu symptos which got me admitted in the hospital. They carried out different blood tests on me during which i found something strange about my results. The lymphocytes % was 4% and neutrophils was 80%. The value of Lymphocytes was 0.45K/mic L. Ive read in some sites that low lymphocytes is associated with HIV. Please can you confirm on this and also let e know if i can consider the HIV test done as conclusive or do i need some other test carried out to confirm the status.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your history of previous posts on this site and at the HIV community demonstrate the you remain very nervous about the  possibility of having gotten HIV form this exposure over 1.5 years ago despite multiple negative tests and despite assurances from both me, Dr. Handsfield and members of the HIV Prevention Community Forum.  You now have  another test which, once again, shows that you do not have HIV.  You need to believe the test results.  There is NO evidence that you have HIV.  

Your fever and flu-like symptoms are likely the flu or some other viral infection (not HIV).  Thus your lymphocyte counts are irrelevant.  Indeed your lymphocyte count is a bit low but that is a typical response to most viral infections and in no way suggests you have HIV.  It is time for you to put your past exposure behind you, forget about it, and know that you do not have HIV.

I hope this comment will help you to move on.  EWH