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Will a regular blood test pick up on HIV?

At the end of 2009, I was really really really stupid. I went through a phase of casual indiscriminate sex with anyone I felt like, and had sex with a few fellow university students that I met during nights out a few times. The particular instance I'm concerned about occurred at the end of November. I was extremely drunk (stupid, stupid, stupid; I know never to behave this way again) and carelessly engaged in sex without a condom, figuring that since I was on the pill, I wouldn't get knocked up. STDs hadn't really occurred to me in that state.

Around 3rd week of January 2010, I woke up one morning with an extremely sore throat. I felt weak and feverish and could barely lift myself out of bed. When I went to the doctor after a couple of days, he told me I had strep throat, which made sense because I'd woken up with it the morning after I'd kissed somebody new. It cleared with antibiotics in less than a week, and I didn't think to worry. Only now am I worrying that it could have been a symptom of HIV.

Furthermore, in early May, I noticed a bump on the back of my neck. I felt no unusual symptoms; there was just the weird bump. When I went to my family physician, she told me it was a swollen lymph node, and sent me up to the lab to get a blood test done. The next week, she told me the blood test had detected mononucleosis, but apparently a very mild case because I'd had no symptoms whatsoever.

I'm wondering if the blood test would have detected HIV if I'd been infected? And is it suspicious that I had mono without having any symptoms besides the lymph node? I know HIV is typically asymptomatic for several years and I realize that I should get tested just in case because there's really no way of knowing until I do, so in addition to suggesting that, I'd just like a second opinion on my case.
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Avatar universal
Only an HIV test will detect HIV.
There is no relationship between Mono and HIV.
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Avatar universal
* And is there any relationship with mononucleosis and HIV? Is it possible to mix up the two in a blood test?
Helpful - 0
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