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Reactive Elisa Indeterminate Western Blot High Risk

Hello,

Bear with me here, I've had a lot of crazy things happen to me these past 6 months and I'm going to sum things up as best as possible.

I'm a 22 year-old American and it appears I really got myself into a mix. I spent the summer in France and I spent most of the time with this middle-aged French woman with whom I was having unprotected sex regularly (from early July to the very end of August). Obviously I did not exercise sound judgement; I thought I knew her and put my trust into her like a fool! I get back to the USA at the very beginning of September and i get myself tested at planned parenthood, not only because I was having unprotected sex regularly for 2 months but I had (and still do) this redness inside the tip of my penis, which appeared probably the second night after having sex with that French woman. The first time I go in, she takes a sample of my uretha, tells me there is a high white blood count, which they send to the lab. Then they give me some antibiotics, both an injection and a couple pills and send me on my way. I call them a week or so later and they say I have to come back in because there was a lab mistake. I come back in, give a urine sample and leave. I call back a week or so later and they tell me my results are negative.

Now towards the end of September, I decide to participate in a pharmaceutical clinical trial to earn some extra cash. I pass the screening test (they test for HIV) and able to participate. I participate in the trial which only last for about 4 days, 30 september to 3 October I believe. They ended it early because the dosage was apparently too high and they knew there was no point to continue on. The investigational drug that we were taking was for Hepititis C.

A month later, I decide to try and do another clinical trial (a different company) to earn more cash. I go to the screening the 5th November I believe. I call them a week later to see if I qualify as a participant and they tell me I'll need to schedule a recheck. After the weekend I call them again to see when I can schedule this recheck, the girl tells me either the doctor or nurse is going to have to call me back because only they have the information. Immediately I knew something wasn't right. The following day, the doctor tells me it looks like I've contracted HIV, with a positive Elisa test and indeterminate Western blot. Right away, I knew it had to be from that French woman, the only woman I had sex with this past year !

Coincidentally, after more than a month of not hearing from this French woman, she gets back in contact with me and leaves me a message the VERY day I get the bad news. The following day I get to talk to her and obviously I inform her of everything and tell her to get consulted immediately. From what she told me, she really isn't a woman that gets around, but spring of 2011 she had a fling with a greek guy that she didn't know too well and that's why i wanted her to get tested, but she never did apparently ! That's what she told me, but know that this woman lied to me about a lot of things, her age, her marital status (still married but separated), her family situation (kids). I didn't find out about a lot of those things until much later ! She's a very perturbed woman.

This is where it gets complicated. So I tell her to get consulted and that following weekend, she and her husband both get tested. She went with her husband because apparently they tried to get "back together" during 2011 christmas and they had sex. Well I catch her after the weekend and she tells me they're both HIV NEGATIVE !! From what she says, you got to believe her ! Still I'm telling myself there's no way this can be ! She tell me that her husband says I was lying only to get back at her for lying to me ! Lol, unbelievable these people. Anyways, i get into contact with her husband, who, again is probably as perturbed as she is. He confirms everything and said they even took the tests further to make be sure. Obviously I ask him to send me the results and he did afterwards. From the results, they do indeed appear to be HIV negative ! I'm no longer in contact with her, which is pretty weird, but whatever.

As for me, from that screening I took, I had a reactive Elisa test and an indeterminate western blot test with the p40 and p24 bands present. A week and a half later, I got more testing with my parents' doctor, same results: Elisa positive and western blot inconclusive ! I'm getting retested at the beginning of January. I'm keeping my head and will keep it, regardless of what happens, but I got to admit that I'm pretty convinced that I'm HIV positive, it's just too much of a conicidence: having taken so many risks with this woman for two months and then three months later, having a positive elisa and indeterminate wb. Furthermore, since I got the news, I've been feeling sick ! Of course, all the symptoms of HIV, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes swollen, sore throat, well it feels more like pneumonia even though I'm not coughing. The feeling is more in my lungs.

With all that said, I would really appreciate anybody's input. If the next test in January has the same results (elisa pos WB indeterminate) that would be a good sign, right ?

Thanks for reading
5 Responses
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Avatar universal
I wouldn't be in a rush to retest.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello Teak,

I think I'll go back to my parents' doctor or maybe planned parenthood. The people that did my initial test (beginning of november) was actually a clinical research company. I went to one of their screenings to try and participate in one of their studies. It was their doctor who called me, a week or so after, to inform me that I had a test elisa reactif and a inteterminate WB. To be honest, they kind of leave you to dry afterwards lol. He told me that they declared my status to the health department and then mailed me the results. A week and a half later I went to my parents' doctor for another HIV test, but the results came back the same apparently.

From what I've been told, given my situation, you should wait 1 - 2 months before getting retested and I was planning to get retested at the beginning of January. That said, would you advise I get tested earlier or should I, indeed, wait until January ?

Your input is appreciated

thanks for reading
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You'll have to contact them. I would continue to work with the people that did your other tests.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thanks for responding.

Can I get this test anywhere - with my parent's doctor, for example?

Otherwise, where would you recommend I go?

Thanks
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Take a Indirect Fluorescent Antibody (IFA) test.
Helpful - 0
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