My situation, Doctor.

Firstly, let me congratulate everybody here on the fantastic service which they provide.

I am a 19 year old male, and I live in the south west of the UK which has very low HIV prevalence. In October 2006, during a period of bereavement and confusion over my sexuality, had sex with 2 men, separately, once 4 times (and a ** which i gave and swallowed) an the other twice. In all instances, i was the receptive partner. Everytime, with the exception of the oral sex, we used protection (although the quality of the condoms i cant be sure as they were provided by the other men). Although both denied their hiv status, one can not be too careful. With the exception of my current long term partner (female) of 2 years these are the only sexual encounters i have had.

At 10 weeks post last encounter, i was tested ( i have no idea what kind of test they use or whether it tests for hiv1 and 2, presumably both, perhaps you will know what they use :) ) The test was negative. At 14 weeks, i was tested once again...negative. Following this test i was satisfied and put it all behind me and consummated my relationship with the said partner who i love dearly (i have never discussed any of this with her though). However, for some reason (probably something i had heard or read) in November 2007 i decided to get tested again ( i know the chances of it being pos were very low, but i wanted a final peace of mind). At the gum clinic they have a ''no news is good news'' policy which means if the test comes back negative you shall not be contacted. I never received a reply.

To this day, i have still slept with nobody else bar my girlfriend (who is certainly not positive.) But the bad memories of what happened in 2006 and the emotional turmoil have left their scars and i continue to worry about my hiv status. What worries me most is that when i had the nov 2007 test the nurse seemed to be genuinely angry that i was taking the test...this has lead to a fear that she may have not sent my blood off for testing because of this andd hence my status is undetected...also the ''no news is good news'' policy has caused me to fear ''what if they forgot to call me''. it may seem ridiculous..but up until today i have been bothered by this. This is the first time i've discussed it with anyone since the gum nurse in 2007. It's killing me emotionally.

this last week i have decided to get another test done and request they call me to say the words to me rather than leave me stewing. doctor, is there a possibility i have hiv?

[Mitch82]

Oral sex no risk for HIV, protected anal sex with a latex condom no risk for HIV, a 12 week HIV test is also conclusive and I think it is highly unlikely that the nurse didn't send your blood away or that they forgot to call.  Maybe the guilt involved in this situation is the issue here.

[Oxford1989]

I think you are right. But even so, i can't stop worrying. I just want to know once and for all whether i have hiv or not. Everytime i look at my girlfriend i think ''what if?'' (as in, have i infected her), i can't go on like this. Given my situation, is there honestly no chance of me having hiv?

[Oxford1989]

how conclusive is a 14 week test?

[Teak]

12 weeks is conclusive in the UK.

[Oxford1989]

is it true that the chance of getting hiv from receptive anal intercourse without a condom is 1 in 200? I have seen this figure before but find it hard to believe. although the sex i had was with a condom...but anything is possible. How effective are condoms at preventing hiv? Also, what is the latest ars can set in post exposure?

[Teak]

Are you a betting man? I wouldn't bet. Use latex condoms and waterbase lube.

[Mitch82]

Latex condoms are very effective, stop worry about ARS, I think guilt is more of an issue for you here

[Oxford1989]

but what is the latest one can experience ars? Because i did feel very ill and have very swollen lymph nodes at about 8 weeks post exposure

[nick7403]

go test agin to your doctor or gum clinic they do rapid tests in both they dont have policy "no news is good news" for hiv in UK i tested last month in London they give you results for hiv within 40 minutes no news is good news for othe std like syphilis,ganorreha,chlamidia which need up to 2 weeks to come from the lab.

nick

[Oxford1989]

Well, it was over a year ago, but the nhs gum clinic i referred to had at the time a no news policy. Whether they still do or not i am unsure. They also had a 3 week wait on results. Bear in mind that this is in the deep south west of england and not london so it's likely that the wait and consequent no news policy was related to this ineffciency. They certainly did not have rapid testing here at the time. I would not lie.

But, as they did not contact me, am i to assume it was neg? I have paranoia about this as i said. Also when is the latest u can suffer from ars?

[Oxford1989]

yeah they didnt do rapid testing. so the wait was because of the lab wait. they said they would have informed me within 3 weeks. again, over a year this was...do all clinics now have rapid testing?

[nick7403]

I believe they do even when i go to my doctor reads HIV test and results with 1 hour at the clinic i tested they gave me the results for hiv with 30 minutes gee it was like hearing you hav ewon the lotery hearing you are negative when you know you have done stupid mistakes its best for you to test to put your mind at rest rather than thinking everyday have i been infected if you kbow you been exposed.

nick

[LIZZIE LOU]

your test was reliable and conclusive...proving that you do not have hiv.

any further concerns should be taken to the anxiety forum here at medhelp, as you do NOT have a hiv concern.