OraQuick Swab Test

I had an oral swab test yesterday, some 10 weeks after the possible exposure (oral receiver).  It came back negative.  The health dept said come back in 30 days and ask for a blood test.  That would be beyond the 3 month window.  I'm concerned about the reliability of the oral tests - I really wanted a blood test.  Are they saying that a blood test is not accurate until after 3 months have passed?

[regularjoey]

The official guidelines is to wait for 3 months before taking a HIV test.
That doesn't mean that an earlier test is not accurate.
Almost everyone tests positive by 6-8 weeks, so you can take your negative result straight to the bank!

[jetski2007]

What about some goofy symptoms that started in June, diminished appetite, a few night sweats, some fatigue.  Do or can typical symptoms start before a test would find antibodies and produce a positive result?  I dont know whether to trust the oral swab result.  The health dept said come back in 30 days (that would be 16 weeks) and get a oraquick blood test.

[regularjoey]

The HIV test is always positive 2-3 weeks after the onset of symptoms.
So this means that your symptoms were due to something else