Aa
Help. Window period confliction..
Hi I am in dire straits here. 12 weeks ago today I had brief drunken unprotected sex with an Asian sex worker. It lasted seconds. To this day I have not been the same - I had a test at 28 days by the p24 4th generation combo which was negative. I was confirmed 'all clear' by a private doctor at 5.5 weeks and therefore had unprotected sex with my girlfriend. Since I have experienced long mild headaches, muscle aches and my eyes are slightly sore and blood shot. I experienced a bite like rash on my arms and stomach. My girlfriend had a 5 day flu like feverish condition for 4/5 days and a few days later developed similar bite/spot marks to me. Obviously worried I went for a 7.5 week 4th generation duo test which came back negative. My doctor said when I asked was this the 'all clear (again)' he replied that "there is absolutely no need for retesting". Subsequently as my girlfriend started experiencing fatigue, quite severe it seemed I went to my NHS clinic and recited the above; there response was " You do not have HIV " "The tests you have had are conclusive and no more testing is required" I queried the 3 month window and was told that "they are for the older tests and these are considered conclusive at 6 weeks. They were very insistent on this. My girlfriend now has flu and muscle aches - albeit 5 weeks after her first bout but I am absolutely paranoid despite being told I don't have HIV - my health adviser even said that he wouldn't test me again! I have since experienced hives every-other day. My concern is the confliction of the 'window period' - why is one NHS professional saying wait and test at 3 months whilst 3, as stated above are saying that my tests are conclusive and there is no need for retesting and that I haven't got HIV. My girlfriends symptoms are far too coincidental to ignore that last point. I can't afford a private test (£130) and if the NHS won't test me again then I guess I should just get on with my life. Something is very wrong though! I can feel it.
This discussion is related to High Risk Encounter.
This discussion is related to High Risk Encounter.
Pleasure.
Maybe one day it will but they do have to play on the side of caution - especially where people may not know the dates accurately.
I went through the exact same as I mentioned buddy, - my gf has a two month cough, mouth ulcers, skin rash, very sore throat and I had all of those plus more inc oral thrush - I was a mess.
When I was going through my anxious time, I remember a nurse in the NHS saying to me that she has seen people with HIV have sex with their partners for a year and they have not caught it, - only after a year did they get tested, - not to say that this is the norm but what I am getting at is that even if the other person has HIV, it is a hard virus to pick up.. That combined with your test at 7.5 weeks means you are 100% safe, you do not have HIV.
Keep strong, you are fine... Just keep away from sex workers and never, never have unprotected sex unless you have both been tested and you exclusive to one another.
All the best!
Maybe one day it will but they do have to play on the side of caution - especially where people may not know the dates accurately.
I went through the exact same as I mentioned buddy, - my gf has a two month cough, mouth ulcers, skin rash, very sore throat and I had all of those plus more inc oral thrush - I was a mess.
When I was going through my anxious time, I remember a nurse in the NHS saying to me that she has seen people with HIV have sex with their partners for a year and they have not caught it, - only after a year did they get tested, - not to say that this is the norm but what I am getting at is that even if the other person has HIV, it is a hard virus to pick up.. That combined with your test at 7.5 weeks means you are 100% safe, you do not have HIV.
Keep strong, you are fine... Just keep away from sex workers and never, never have unprotected sex unless you have both been tested and you exclusive to one another.
All the best!
Great work fella - sleep easy knowing that you only made a mistake, you did not catch HIV and you can move on with you life! :)
The most important thing to do now if the thought pops back into your head over the above concern is just ignore the thought, you are 100% HIV free buddy!
All the best! :)
The most important thing to do now if the thought pops back into your head over the above concern is just ignore the thought, you are 100% HIV free buddy!
All the best! :)
Blimey. Sounds so familiar! Thanks again and NO I will not be going down that road again. Take care mate.
It is up to the FDA and testing manufactures to shorten it. They have made a strong recommendation with the DUO test at 28 days to be used and taken as conclusive. But official antibody test is still 3 months.
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. It means a lot. This has been very difficult. The symptoms my girlfriend has experienced have driven me to the point of desperation. The whole window thing has messed with my mind. I.e one minute I am conclusive the next minute I am not. Will the window ever be officially shorten? 7.5 weeks just seems very early compared to 3 months.
Hi there,
You do not have HIV.
I went through exactly the same three years ago, - I did everything you did, I focussed in on every symptom and related it back to HIV.
The 4th gen test is so sophisticated that 28 days in considered conclusive, you have tested well beyond this, - you are not going to be the first person to develop HIV after 6 weeks of testing with a 4th gen test - trust me.
In can be frustrating the whole "3 month" thing, part of the reason is that many people who put themselves at risk, do so time and time again and often don't recall the dates, - it's not as if at 11 weeks 6 days you're negative and at 12 weeks positive, - this is a fail safe that still exists in some healthcare areas, - it doe not help peoples anxieties though.
You are perfectly safe and do not have HIV, - you can safely move on with your life knowing you have been tested to the "Gold Standard" of HIV testing - you are negative and unless you do anything to change that such unprotected sex, it will stay that way.
Stop worrying - now go enjoy your day safe in the knowledge you are HIV free!
All the best. :)
You do not have HIV.
I went through exactly the same three years ago, - I did everything you did, I focussed in on every symptom and related it back to HIV.
The 4th gen test is so sophisticated that 28 days in considered conclusive, you have tested well beyond this, - you are not going to be the first person to develop HIV after 6 weeks of testing with a 4th gen test - trust me.
In can be frustrating the whole "3 month" thing, part of the reason is that many people who put themselves at risk, do so time and time again and often don't recall the dates, - it's not as if at 11 weeks 6 days you're negative and at 12 weeks positive, - this is a fail safe that still exists in some healthcare areas, - it doe not help peoples anxieties though.
You are perfectly safe and do not have HIV, - you can safely move on with your life knowing you have been tested to the "Gold Standard" of HIV testing - you are negative and unless you do anything to change that such unprotected sex, it will stay that way.
Stop worrying - now go enjoy your day safe in the knowledge you are HIV free!
All the best. :)
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