UK Doctor, a question

Hi UK Doctor,
I was just wondering where you stood on HIV window periods?
Six weeks?
Twelve weeks?
Six months??

Thanks, and thanks for your help with Jamesey:)

[UKDoctor]

Sorry to be a party pooper but I cant give medical advice on here (although I have started to - probably shoudnt have!!)

I would direct your question to Dr HHH.  Although you will be able to get answers to your questions by reading the hundreds of threads on this website.

It is too soon for your test to be accurate but I would not worry.  Chance of the sex worker having HIV will not be as great as you think and combined with transmission rate being 1 to something like 500 or even as high as 1000 odds are seriously in your favor.

If someone told you that you had a 1 in 10,000 chance of winning the lottery you wouldnt get excited would you!

[dobber21]

well, according to guidelines, the PCR method can detect the virus 10 days post exposure, as it looks for the virus itself.

That's the CDC's line on it anyways, and they're fairly conservative.

Mike you didn't really have a risk, your exposure was too brief, it really was, and your antibody test at six weeks will be negative:)

[mike_no]

I think that pretty much answers my question, thanks doc

[WorriedT]

You see - even the UKdoc says you're fine!! Stop worrying!!

Yes, the mirror worked again. That's 2 days now. I'm feeling really, really calm now to be honest. I think Rayfloyd put everything into perspective for me. Put it this way - I now absolutely believe that I could just get on with my life after a negative test and that it's very much just making extra sure in my own head that I'm not a threat to my family as opposed to thinking I may actually have HIV. I don't believe that any more. Before, I was a liitle bit concerned that I might suffer the jitters that so many worried wells seem to have here and worry about it regularly over the coming months and years.

[UKDoctor]

PCR test is 10 - 14 days accurate your right.  However I have little experience of this method so am reluctant to comment on its accuracy.  Although to be fair - most stated time frames are conservative so I would rest easy Mike.

[mike_no]

i think i've got my answer, thanks people, your suggestions and scrutinity is really appreciated

[o_g]

PCR tests other than having problems with false positive have some technical defficiencies as well. They look for the virus in lymphocytes and monocytes. In case the count of these cell structurwes is less, it can possibly yield false negatives.

PCR's generally do not civer all clades of HIV-1 and very rarely we can find a lab offering PCR's for HIV-2.

However, they are considered to be conclusive 4 weeks post exposure for the strains they look out for. I am talking about DNA PCRs.

[WorriedT]

Again, just canvassing your views really... Do you think oral sex is no risk, or is there enough in the literature to indicate some potential risk? And does that split into receptive oral sex on a man as a possible risk, but insertive being no risk as has been cited on some websites?

[mike_no]

i'm a smart guy, i got RNA PCR...lol.                 og: now c'mon stop scaring of..lol:)

[o_g]

Don't get me wrong. Sharing my personal fear and trying to paint correct picture. I am glad that you tested neg on RNA PCR... congratz!!! Good luck!!

[mike_no]

thanks mate

[iknowihaveit]

UKdoctor,

I have a question for ya. All the posters here have been very helpful in calming my fears somewhat. I had a low risk exposure on Jan 25 in Vegas that involved making out with a stripper and genital grinding. 3 weeks later i came down with a very bad virus/bacterial infection that sent me to the hospital. 104 Fever for 4 days, night sweats, shaking chills, swollen white/puss covered tonsils, lost 10 lbs, vomit, headache, etc. 10 days after to now i've had neuropathy in my hands and feet and burn feelings throughout my body. Especially burning feet when standing and shoes are on. Doc at hospital asked me if i had recently been exposed to HIV but this was my only exposure. I've had a negative HIV rapid antibody unigold test 46 days after exposure - that's almost 7 weeks. Do you think I'm in the clear or do i have to test again at 3 months? I just want to be clear that I wasn't exposed to her blood via my mouth.

Please answer if you can.

[UKDoctor]

Hi Dobber,  see below.  This is a comment I made earlier on another post.



I feel I need to help the good ol` Doc out here with a bit of backup. The biggest problem with getting accurate figures of the length of time antibodies take to appear in your body is getting accurate information from the patient ie,the exact date when they were exposed. YOUR BODY WILL and I repeat WILL have enough antibodies to show up on an ELISA test by week 6. The acception to the rule is if you are so ill (from another illness) that your immune system is "Knackered" but you would have to be pretty ill!. In my opinion the test after 6 weeks is 100% accurate. Any report you see of someone testing negative at 6 weeks and then positive at 12 weeks have been exposed to the virus AFTER the date they are worried about thus throwing the reported accuracy out the window!!

The DOC recomends a further test at 12 weeks for high risk situations - this is because high risk is for folk that have been repeatadly subjected to possible exposure ie, they are usually the ones that are not sure of the date of exposure.

Hope this helps!!

Lets just add some facts to make you all feel a bit better;
- IGNORE symptoms when waiting for a result of a test. The mind can just about manifest any symptom if you think about them for long enough.
- Only 0.1% of the UK population has HIV so this combined with the chances of getting HIV if exposed to the virus PLUS if you had a negative at 6/7 weeks I would have the same chances of being stuck by lightening TWICE is one day!

You dont have HIV!!

Sleep easy !!

[dobber21]

Thanks for that. I'm in Ireland. Unprotected insertive vaginal sex in September. Tested negative 86 days post exposure for all STDs including HIV.

That would leave me in the clear, regardless of symptoms right?
The six months thing bugs the s.h.i.t. out of me!

Thanks:)

[UKDoctor]

You are clear.  We all have a touch of OCD when anxiety kicks in - you can stop worrying!!

It is unfortunate we live in such a blame culture - if we didnt all Dr's would feel a lot happier to put more weight on the 6 week test.  Docs are unlikely to put their head above the parapet and gaurantee the 6 week test for the fear of consequences of being challenged.  As described earlier the problem is knowing EXACTLY when someone was infected.  

[mike_no]

hi doc, i have a question for you, would really appreciate your opinion. i had an unprotected vaginal with a sex worker gotta neg PCR test at the 10th day after exposure, partner's ab test was neg (however that did not cover the window period risk), all other STD tests negative. I still have a more weeks to go for the 6 week mark, how do you look at it? regards, mike

[mike_no]

hi doc, i have a question for you, would really appreciate your opinion. i had an unprotected vaginal with a sex worker gotta neg PCR test at the 10th day after exposure, partner's ab test was neg (however that did not cover the window period risk), all other STD tests negative. I still have a more weeks to go for the 6 week mark, how do you look at it? regards, mike

[dobber21]

I think I'm beginning to understand.

It will be nice when I let this all go!
Thanks for your help today, it was much appreciated:)

[scared83]

Hi Doc, What's your opinion on window periods if you've been on Post-Exposure Prophylacis medication right after exposure (PEP duration for a month)?

Thanks

[Brian123]

You do NOT know if this person is a REAL MD!!
Get REAL!
I can say I was an underwear model for Calvin Klein....would you believe me too?


PLEASE!!! Spare me!

And besides, any legitimate MD would not have the time nor energy to give out advice on the web....nor should they, when it is someone else's website.

[WorriedT]

Hey Brian - what size are you? I was trying to imagine you in Calvin Klein underwear... :)

Seriously though, you are absolutely right. Who knows what anyone does on this Forum!