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HIV/Hep C help
Hello all, I have decided to hit the internet for some advice about my brother.
Here is some background info before I mention the main story.
He is 31 years of age, usually pretty fit but has suffered from anxiety and to a lesser extent depression for a lot of his life. He never really had a HIV phobia until he had a scare 4-5 years ago when a girl he had sex with accused him of giving her something(after tests my brother was clean). In 2014 after having sex with a girl in Thailand(using a condom) he started getting sick about a week later(diarrhea). His anxiety starting kicking in and when days and weeks went past he started mentioning more symptoms (rash, itchy rectum, swollen lymphnodes, constant googling). During this time I tried to calm him down but he wouldn't listen. His mentality was extremely negative and thought his test would come out 100% positive. It was negative.
Now here is the latest story which has brought me to this message board.
After that last negative test he was extremely careful and never put himself at risk(not wearing condoms). 3 days before we were meant to leave on vacation to America(we are from Australia) he had sex with his girlfriend without a condom. A couple days after arriving in America(in Vegas), his girlfriend who was back home started getting a bit sick. That's when his anxiety kicked it and starting questioning himself and started thinking that he gave her something. I was then trying to calm him down with logic but he wouldn't listen. We then flew to San Fransisco for the next part of our trip(6th day of the trip). His anxiety was bad and he was like a zombie. I made a bad judgemental call(not taking into account added anxiety both prior/after and knowing nothing about the lab) and booked him a test to prove to him he was negative(the test was booked with stdcheck.com and the blood was taken at Labcorp, Fransisco Street, San Fransisco. He freaked out when we walked inside. He walked into the room with the nurse. (his version of events) "The nurse prepped him and then picked up an already prepared needle from a tray. As he didn't see her open it from a new packet(in Australia it is done this way), he got agitated and asked for a new needle. She picked up another one from the same tray and took the sample". The next day the test came back negative, this calmed him down for 4 days.
4 days later, when we were in L.A he started complaining about joint pains(he was pressing on them) and nausea. This is when he started questioning the method of the blood draw in San Fransisco and his anxiety went through the roof. I called the lab to get reassurance that it was done correctly. Little info like this calmed him down for a little bit but it wouldn't last long. He had nausea and complained about dizziness near the end of the trip(1 week after the test). When we arrived back to Australia he started getting headaches along with the dizziness. He went to the doctor(1 week after arriving home)and had a standard blood test, his doctor said he thinks it was anxiety related at the time. Everything came back fine(his white blood cell count was 7.0). For the next 2-3 weeks he was constantly complaining about chronic headaches and dizziness(no other symptoms) and lost a few kilograms.
After the 2-3 weeks he said that his headaches and dizziness had stopped and then started complaining about rashes on his hands and face. I didn't notice anything on his hands but he had a bit of red around his nose(I get it all the time). He said he had a itchy nose itchy ears and dry skin, also had stuff that looked like dandruff in his beard, he claimed his skin was sensitive to the sun and would get itchy everywhere when trying to go for a run. This lasted for 2 weeks and his anxiety was extreme during this time(he'd hide in the corner of the room, was extremely negative thinking his life was over and distanced himself from others). He was seeing a psychologist once a week, broke up with his girlfriend but was still going to work.
After that 2 weeks it was 6 weeks and 2 days from the test in San Fransisco. He got a general blood test done, a HIV scan, a HEP C scan and a few other things. Everything came back negative at 6 weeks & 2 days but his white blood cell count dropped to 4.5(his original doctor was away and the other doctor didn't mention the low white blood cell count). His anxiety dropped after finding out these results but 3 days later he started saying his chronic headaches and dizziness have come back and then his anxiety hit the extreme again. He denounced the 6 week test as not conclusive due to the 12 week guidelines. He started mentioning the possibility of a HIV/HEP C co-infection which would delay a positive result. He has it fixed in his head that the nurse that took the blood either didn't follow protocols on purpose or by accident.
Today is 2 weeks since his negative result in Australia and 8 weeks since the test in San Fransisco. He went to see his original doctor 2 days ago. The doctor mentioned the low white blood cell count of 4.5 which is in the lower end of the normal category but said he thinks it's all his anxiety/stress which my brother refuses to believe.
He says he still has chronic headaches and dizziness. The last two days he said he has had a sore throat and has complained about rashes on his stomach. For the last 7 weeks I have not seen him say anything positive.
Jump to 13 weeks and he tested negative to both HIV/Hep C. Inbetween the 13th and 18th week he had 4 wisdom teeth removed and he stopped taking Lexapro which he started about 4 weeks after exposure. It is now 18 weeks since he thinks he got exposed and is still saying he has chronic headaches, dizziness and sore throats. He had a CT scan a month ago and his Liver, Spleen were enlarged.
Can someone tell me how testing for a coinfection works and how can I help him because I truely believe this is a mental issue.
Sorry for the long post.
Here is some background info before I mention the main story.
He is 31 years of age, usually pretty fit but has suffered from anxiety and to a lesser extent depression for a lot of his life. He never really had a HIV phobia until he had a scare 4-5 years ago when a girl he had sex with accused him of giving her something(after tests my brother was clean). In 2014 after having sex with a girl in Thailand(using a condom) he started getting sick about a week later(diarrhea). His anxiety starting kicking in and when days and weeks went past he started mentioning more symptoms (rash, itchy rectum, swollen lymphnodes, constant googling). During this time I tried to calm him down but he wouldn't listen. His mentality was extremely negative and thought his test would come out 100% positive. It was negative.
Now here is the latest story which has brought me to this message board.
After that last negative test he was extremely careful and never put himself at risk(not wearing condoms). 3 days before we were meant to leave on vacation to America(we are from Australia) he had sex with his girlfriend without a condom. A couple days after arriving in America(in Vegas), his girlfriend who was back home started getting a bit sick. That's when his anxiety kicked it and starting questioning himself and started thinking that he gave her something. I was then trying to calm him down with logic but he wouldn't listen. We then flew to San Fransisco for the next part of our trip(6th day of the trip). His anxiety was bad and he was like a zombie. I made a bad judgemental call(not taking into account added anxiety both prior/after and knowing nothing about the lab) and booked him a test to prove to him he was negative(the test was booked with stdcheck.com and the blood was taken at Labcorp, Fransisco Street, San Fransisco. He freaked out when we walked inside. He walked into the room with the nurse. (his version of events) "The nurse prepped him and then picked up an already prepared needle from a tray. As he didn't see her open it from a new packet(in Australia it is done this way), he got agitated and asked for a new needle. She picked up another one from the same tray and took the sample". The next day the test came back negative, this calmed him down for 4 days.
4 days later, when we were in L.A he started complaining about joint pains(he was pressing on them) and nausea. This is when he started questioning the method of the blood draw in San Fransisco and his anxiety went through the roof. I called the lab to get reassurance that it was done correctly. Little info like this calmed him down for a little bit but it wouldn't last long. He had nausea and complained about dizziness near the end of the trip(1 week after the test). When we arrived back to Australia he started getting headaches along with the dizziness. He went to the doctor(1 week after arriving home)and had a standard blood test, his doctor said he thinks it was anxiety related at the time. Everything came back fine(his white blood cell count was 7.0). For the next 2-3 weeks he was constantly complaining about chronic headaches and dizziness(no other symptoms) and lost a few kilograms.
After the 2-3 weeks he said that his headaches and dizziness had stopped and then started complaining about rashes on his hands and face. I didn't notice anything on his hands but he had a bit of red around his nose(I get it all the time). He said he had a itchy nose itchy ears and dry skin, also had stuff that looked like dandruff in his beard, he claimed his skin was sensitive to the sun and would get itchy everywhere when trying to go for a run. This lasted for 2 weeks and his anxiety was extreme during this time(he'd hide in the corner of the room, was extremely negative thinking his life was over and distanced himself from others). He was seeing a psychologist once a week, broke up with his girlfriend but was still going to work.
After that 2 weeks it was 6 weeks and 2 days from the test in San Fransisco. He got a general blood test done, a HIV scan, a HEP C scan and a few other things. Everything came back negative at 6 weeks & 2 days but his white blood cell count dropped to 4.5(his original doctor was away and the other doctor didn't mention the low white blood cell count). His anxiety dropped after finding out these results but 3 days later he started saying his chronic headaches and dizziness have come back and then his anxiety hit the extreme again. He denounced the 6 week test as not conclusive due to the 12 week guidelines. He started mentioning the possibility of a HIV/HEP C co-infection which would delay a positive result. He has it fixed in his head that the nurse that took the blood either didn't follow protocols on purpose or by accident.
Today is 2 weeks since his negative result in Australia and 8 weeks since the test in San Fransisco. He went to see his original doctor 2 days ago. The doctor mentioned the low white blood cell count of 4.5 which is in the lower end of the normal category but said he thinks it's all his anxiety/stress which my brother refuses to believe.
He says he still has chronic headaches and dizziness. The last two days he said he has had a sore throat and has complained about rashes on his stomach. For the last 7 weeks I have not seen him say anything positive.
Jump to 13 weeks and he tested negative to both HIV/Hep C. Inbetween the 13th and 18th week he had 4 wisdom teeth removed and he stopped taking Lexapro which he started about 4 weeks after exposure. It is now 18 weeks since he thinks he got exposed and is still saying he has chronic headaches, dizziness and sore throats. He had a CT scan a month ago and his Liver, Spleen were enlarged.
Can someone tell me how testing for a coinfection works and how can I help him because I truely believe this is a mental issue.
Sorry for the long post.
After working my way through your post 3 times, the ONLY thing I kept going back to was your statement........"he'd hide in the corner of the room, was extremely negative thinking his life was over and distanced himself from others...."
I am NOT a doctor but your story has "mental issue" red flags all over it. You said he "WAS" seeing a psychologist, which I take to mean he no longer is. In my humble opinion I believe your brother needs to be evaluated by a top notch psychiatrist as soon as possible. I believe his problem(s) go much deeper than simple HIV phobia.
I have included an Australian website regarding the issue of co-infection of Hep C and HIV. I can't and won't vouch for the information, but it may at least give you a starting point. I definitely think this is something his psychiatrist and doctors should deal with.
I'm sorry I couldn't give you a more positive response, but I believe your brother's issues are beyond the scope of this forum.
I wish both you and your brother the very best
RubyWitch
http://www.hepatitisaustralia.com/hepatitis-c-facts/hep-c-hiv
I am NOT a doctor but your story has "mental issue" red flags all over it. You said he "WAS" seeing a psychologist, which I take to mean he no longer is. In my humble opinion I believe your brother needs to be evaluated by a top notch psychiatrist as soon as possible. I believe his problem(s) go much deeper than simple HIV phobia.
I have included an Australian website regarding the issue of co-infection of Hep C and HIV. I can't and won't vouch for the information, but it may at least give you a starting point. I definitely think this is something his psychiatrist and doctors should deal with.
I'm sorry I couldn't give you a more positive response, but I believe your brother's issues are beyond the scope of this forum.
I wish both you and your brother the very best
RubyWitch
http://www.hepatitisaustralia.com/hepatitis-c-facts/hep-c-hiv
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