HIV and Lyme Disease Testing

Dear H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.,

I am a 28 year old male (gradate of Washington State University) and I have been stressing the fact I might have contracted HIV. About four years ago, I had unprotected sex with an older woman who was just recently divorced. I meet her at a bar and it looks like she went to bars a lot. We had unprotected sex and I never seen her again.

The beginning of this year, I tested positive for Lyme disease (due to muscle twitching shooting muscle and joint pains). I researched Lyme disease testing on the internet, and it appears the HIV testing (Elisa/Western Blot) is identical to Lyme disease testing. Plus on top of it all, I read that a “false positive” Lyme test means you either have HIV or Epson Barr Virus. This scares the hell out of me, now I think I might have contracted HIV from the one unproductive encounter, I had four years ago. Please help!

1) What is the risk of me contracted HIV from the above encounter? Note: She said she wasn’t wet and we stopped having sex after 3-5 minutes.  

2) Are muscle and joint pains a sign of HIV? Note: my muscle and joint pains are sharp and last for a few seconds, go away and come back. They are not consistent.

3) Does a positive Lyme disease test mean I might have HIV?

4) I also had a CBC complete blood count test, which can back “no diff” (I think that means normal). PLEASE tell me after four years my white blood cell count (or any other blood cell count) would have been abnormal, if I did contract HIV?

Thanks so much doctor, you’re a good man,

P.S. Best medical website on the net!

Go Cougars beat Dawgs!

Brad

[Teak]

You posted in the wrong forum.