Posted before...looking for answers...

I had unprotected sex with a female for no more than :20. She then gave me oral+ejaculated in her mouth. 1 wk after noticed dull pain in my left testicle/groin area. 10 days after rash on my testicles and penis.went to walk-in-had urine test for chlam/gonn - negative. rash cleared up in 4 days-doc had me take doxy for 10 days anyhow. Still felt tingling in groin area - became very nervous.

3.5 wks  went to reg doc - he said i had prostatits and put me on doxy for another 2 wks. Was getting chills while sleeping, diarrhea - started to notice white stuff all over back of tongue - freaking out. Also, began noticing tingling in right arm and both
feet at this pt.

At 4 wks, awful migraine and joint pain, etc. At 5 wk mark, had chills for 2 consec days
At 6 wks, 2 dys, had hiv test, at that point, i developed a headache that last a full wk, was also getting awful pain in both feet - on the top of my feet, off and on, at times, it hurt so much i had to soak them.

6 wk 2day test came back neg, and doc told me to go on with life, was ok to have sex with my wife. Felt fine for 2 days, then foot pain came back and lasted for 3 days - off and on-right arm still falls asleep all the time at night too...

at 9 wks, i got pain underneath my left thigh - on the underneath part - hurt for like 3 days, then went away - petrified that it was a swollen node?

1) do I need to get re-tested at 12 wks?
2) what

[smack4]

I was in the same boat as you. Had a 39 day (5.5 week) negative test after a low risk exposure and couldn't get comfortable with the idea that it was reliable enough (despite spending countless hours browsing through this site).

The doctor who did the test intimated that it was conclusive but still said I had to come back at the three month mark as a follow up. Not particularly useful information really.

Fast forward another 5 weeks and many consultations with HIV specialists. My personal learning from all these discussions are:

- at least 99%+ of those newly infected would test positive    
  within six weeks. The inability to provide 100% assurance at
  this point has more to do with reliance on historical
  seroconversion data (i.e. pre-modern generation tests), legal
  reasons (official three month window) and to provide a buffer
  for those that are overtly immunosuppressed.

- most newly infected individuals would test antibody positive
  within four weeks. With a 4th generation test, the majority
  test positive within 9 - 16 days.

- not one doctor had seen a six (several even said four) week
  negative turn positive from the same exposure.

- trying to diagnose HIV infection via symptoms is a complete
  waste of time. Some people have classic ARS symptoms while
  some have none at all and only get picked up at regular
  screenings.

- one-off female to male infection (via unprotected
  vaginal/anal) is a hard act to accomplish.

- contraction via unprotected insertive oral has never been
  documented and is truly a low risk act.

For those who regularly read Dr HHH's comments, none of this should really come as a surprise. What is hopefully (somewhat?) comforting is that there are other HIV / STD specialists who back up everything that Dr HHH says.

The HIV specialists I saw screen and diagnose a lot of patients and have years and years of cumulative experience.

Notwithstanding all this, I still got tested at the 10.5 week mark (negative). Before the test, my doctor calculated my odds of turning positive after the 5.5 week negative result at 1 in 2 million (being 99% certainty on the 5.5 week test X 1/1000 odds of being infected X 5% chance my partner was infected).

You would think that 1 in 2 million chance would help my sleep at night and realistically forgo the need for any further testing.

My reality was that my heightened state of anxiety coupled with all the noise out there about window periods etc. lead me to seek the emotional reassurance of another negative test.

[Xhost]

Great post, Smack! I would listen to this guy, for he is wise ;-).

[Fitt4]

I just got back from a follow-up with my urologist.  He said, "if he were me, he wouldn't even get re-tested - that if i were exposed, the six week test would have detected something." he told me to move on with my life.

i'm trying to take his advice to move on now -- any other thoughts?

[ryn21]

Some states in the US already use the 6 week window period for HIV testing.  The 3 month guidline is more a conservative measure by the CDC that covers all people, even immunocompromised (ie. IV drug users, chemo-therapy patients).  The fact is the chances of contracting HIV from one episode are 1 in 1000, possibly even less than that for a male.  You had a low-risk sexual encounter. The 6 week 2 day test is conclusive, by HHH's standards and by many US states' standards.  Go on with your life and relax.  Learn from this, use your head for now on.  Put it to rest.

[Fitt4]

The only thing that keeps me thinking is the white stuff on the back of my tongue, and the occasional pain on the top of both my feet - i want this thought out of my head -- hoping the 6 week, 2 day negative test is conclusive!!!

[o_g]

Actually, I am not really sure if massachusettes and new mexico really have 6 week window. I posted a link few weeks back from Mass health department and it stated window perios (periods) is 6 weeks to 6 months. Correct me if I am wrong or if anyone has a link to any updated published data from mass health department with respect to this. A lot of people also have confusion regarding the tests these states use and they use nothing other than a 3rd generation test.

[Fitt4]

you would get retested again if you were me? 1 incident of unprotected sex - for no more than :20.....and unprotected oral with same woman. my doc was telling me that he wouldn't?

[Fitt4]

now, that gets me worried again! i was just starting to feel good about the six-week negative test too! should i re-test?

[o_g]

" now, that gets me worried again!  " - You are not alone. I wonder how did this mass and 6 week window rumor(that's what it sounds like) got started and been doing rounds for last 3 yrs.

[o_g]

For reference, check this out

http://www.mass.gov/dph/cdc/factsheets/hivfac.htm

Check out answer to question - WHAT IS THE HIV ANTIBODY TEST?

[o_g]

To be honest, I am as confused as I have never been in my life about anything. You tell me whom should I trust -  CDC, GP's, ID specialists, microbiologists, folks with differing opinions on WWW or my physical symptoms. I am not sure what would I do if i were in your shoes but 1 thing I know is I do not want to be even in my shoes at ths point of time. I am may be a bigger mess than you....

[Fitt4]

why is yours a bigger mess than mine?
still trying to figure out what to do...

[o_g]

I meant to say that I am also in the same boat as you and not in a good metal/emotional/physical state. Add to that I am also extremely confused about testing timelines as far as conclusiveness is concerned.