ars posible answers

[alienshadow]

Retroviral Syndrome (ARS)

This strikes you as a flu-like sickness usually about 2 to 4 weeks following initial infection.  The symptoms usually last 3 to 14 days and go away on their own, just like the flu.  It is estimated 50% to 90% of persons infected will get this syndrome.  The most common symptoms are fever (fever means 100˚F or higher), sore throat, swollen glands in the neck, armpits and groin, muscle and joint pains, rash and/or night sweats.  Less common symptoms include weight loss (10 to 15 pounds), diarrhea, nausea, headache, and, very rarely, yeast infections of the mouth (thrush).  Respiratory things like runny nose, sinus infection, coughing, sneezing, etc. are not generally considered symptoms of this syndrome.

The symptoms do not generally last longer than 14 days and will rarely occur 6 or more weeks after exposure.  The symptoms may range from mild to severe, but mild symptoms will typically last a shorter period of time than severe ones, and the symptoms that are going to occur usually do so all at once.  After this period, you most likely will not get another HIV-related illness for 10 or more years; however, there have been rare cases where the person went directly into AIDS following ARS.

All of these symptoms may be caused by other factors, including the flu or stress.  You cannot diagnose HIV based on symptoms, only by testing; however, if you experience these symptoms after a high-risk encounter, you may want to see your doctor.  

Whether or not you get this syndrome may or may not impact the testing window period very much, but will probably indicate how the disease will progress.  I have read that some say you will test positive about 10 days after having this syndrome, others state it doesn’t affect the window period at all.  You are extremely infectious during this period, so if you fear you may have ARS, be extra careful with safer sex and sharing needles.  There is some debate over the subject, but it’s likely that beginning treatment during this syndrome will greatly affect how the disease will progress later on.


Hope this helps

[Teak]

Your point is unfounded and no scientific data to back up your statement. No all people develop enough antibodies for the tests to detect at 6-8 weeks. There is no test approved for a conclusive negative result at less than three months. Nor has the FDA approved any tests that would give a conclusive test less than three months. The CDC does not regulate the tests or their approvals.

[stupididiot]

3 month is conclusive for the CDC because it CYA...the CDC very well knows that it takes about 4-6 weeks for people to develop antibodies, so they cushion it by 2 months just in case

and if it was definite scientific fact that it takes up to 3 months for people to develop the antibodies, the CDC would obviously know this and thus slap on another 2 months cushion and say 5 months is conclusive...CYA

see my point?

[Teak]

Standard HIV tests are not almost always positive at 39 days post infection. You don't ge a 100% certainity at 6-8 weeks either. The conclusive test is 3 months post exposure. What it says is that it is rare for one to test positive after three months.

[SkinJ]

Agreed - regarding Dr H's post. This seems more than ever the right time to test. I will see if I can do that next week at week 8 for me. Thanks for posting that.

[alienshadow]

The standard HIV tests almost always are positive within 39 days of infection, so your result is highly reassuring and strongly indicates you didn't catch HIV.  And you describe a low risk exposure; most likely your illness had nothing to do with that event.  To be 100% certain, have another HIV test 6-8 weeks after the exposure.  (Many formal health advice sources say 3 months, but it is extremely rare for it to take that long for the test to become positive.)

SKINJ now that is reassuring dont you think this is from dr h on todays questions answered

[alienshadow]

let the god above see us through for some of has sin but we all make mistakes and we learn from them and try and move on and yes i will drink a nice cold ice beer tonight for all of us and cheers to sky because we are all from different parts of this world SKINJ goodluck keep me posted

[vivhek]

yea man!! im sure we wud all turn out alright.we have regretted our folly and we shud change in accordance. i read that multiple unprotected sex usually maker transmission possible .yet fear lies at surface.i hope i cud turn time and noy have had encountered the young indonesian prostitute. she was discipline though.immediately she had a condom put on me.i live in the city of singapore by the way.out of 4 million our hiv rate is below 4000.yet no peace i can find.pls god. i beg u to forgive me!!!

[SkinJ]

I have to confess that too much beer got me into this mess in the first place, lets say a huge contributing factor. But I like the idea of that and I'll drink to that tonight.

[lantongblack]

vivhek, i'm going thru d exact same thing with u, i also have my 1st sex with a CSW...but in THAILAND... tested neg at 7.5 weeks... now at week 9... will test at exact 3 months 15 DEC...dats my date of exact 3 months mark... i live in Malaysia..n i think they hav MEIA here (3rd generation) here...i also having some dobt bout the test reliability...

i seriously wish all of us, shadow, skin J...would turn out alright...lets jz support each other in this forum...n help each other thru this...

mayb after this whole scare n we all turn out alrite.....we could b frens n really sit down n drink beer...

[SkinJ]

Then go with that. My concern is definately my wife and family as I cannot change what I did to myself in terms of exposure and if she said that to me then I would probably accept that. I am glad you don't have it either. For myself I have changed the things I can change, but hope the things I can't don't come back to bite me.

[alienshadow]

find you a nice looking cherleader and move on

[vivhek]

im a teenager. im not married. it was ma first time having sex with a csw.

[vivhek]

thanks skin J

[alienshadow]

my wife said she feels good i dont have hiv and she says not to retest so i probably wont i really feel if i had it one of those test would of picked it up i feel sure about that

[SkinJ]

My wife is still talking to me. She says she thinks about what I did a lot more than what I could have. In fact she admited to me that she thinks that me having anything is unlikely. However she asked not to know any details about the girl, if she did then perhaps she would reconsider. Also my wife does not live in my body, after all I am quite familiar with it after 40 years and it is doing some very odd things which it certainly did not do before.

If I were you I would retest at 12 weeks and make that your final test, if only as a way of putting it all to bed. That's just my opinion though.

[vivhek]

guys, u are ******* awesome!! everyday i login to this website to recieve assurance.IL never have sex with a csw ever!! il have the 3 month test jus to be sure. the test i had was 99.9 % accurate as stated by a website.One side of me feels that im safe becus it was my first time having se which was protected and lasted for onli 10 min.however the other of me feels that im being punished by god for disrespecting a womwen and my great family.

[alienshadow]

you are right it wont change i almost lost everything for cheating on my wife she did leave but she came back and as far as the beer goes i will cheers to you tonight and wish you goodluck on the test i want to retest just to be sure but my doctor will make me go somewhere else so i will move on and trust that he knows more about it than we do hell hes the dr not me and like dr h says an 8 week test negative test proves you dont have hiv

[SkinJ]

Me too. But I need that reassurance from a test. It is all consuming, even if I try to put it away to the back of my head it comes back into my mind all the time. I just want to move on, but can't as I am not in the same position as you, yet. Condensing down the window period into its basic meaning I take it that in a normal person i.e. healthy the medical comunity expect that at 12 weeks a normal person will have detectable anti bodies of HIV all things considered. If none are found then you are 99.999999 percent ok, or there abouts. They can't say 100% but then no one can. Also the same is being said of 8 weeks, which is your case and what your doctor is telling you. I am not sure by what is meant by "knowing by now". Its so vague as to what is meant by that. If it was a simple as knowing then none of us would need testing. That is aimed at your dr friends, not you. Its a tricky evil disease. You sound like you are past the worst and I hope that you make the mental adjustment that should follow with your Dr's comments. I wish we had had a beer together some 6 months ago and realised what we were at and basically headed all of this off at the pass. I know I am an idiot for doing this, that will never change.

[alienshadow]

its reliable if not they would not use it you are going to be ok just like i am hell my condom came off and i am still negative

[SkinJ]

It will not do any harm to test at 12 weeks for sure. I do not think that the ARS rash is itchy, however there are other things that cause rashes. Did you get screened for other STD's? My CSW came from Estonia where there is a 1 in 20 chance of her having HIV that is according to the GUM clinic I went to. Get checked out and look at the possibility of something else as well. Good luck.

[alienshadow]

hell no but i have talked with sevral drs and they have said move on i dont have it and i say what about cdc recommendations they say if you had it you would know by now so what is all this window period about i dont know it has taken over my life and i am trying to get back to normal

[vivhek]

hey guys.. i had protected vaginal sex with a csw.first time in my life having sex!! anyway, if im not wrong, i think , 2 weeks later i had fever 100.0 , and very pain back pain and a ******* itchy rash all over.im not sure if the rash came together or far before.anyway i had a rapid test(fingerprick) at 8 weeks.NEGATIVE!!!yes, jus as i am happy, new worries have washed over. Is the Rapid test reliable. im testing at 3 months again. i've never felt so guilty.pls comment

[SkinJ]

Congratulations - that must be a hell of a relief. I want the same for myself of course and then I can find out what is really going on with me without the fear of it being that. In the UK the GUM clinic still insist on the 12 week mark and as I live there then that is what I am going to do, despite the fact that most seem to think 6 - 8 is as good as that was when first defined, with modern testing having improved, this of course may be changed. My 4 week test certainly helped my mood, but now I am not so sure. Any way I am glad you are ok.

Do you feel normal now?

[alienshadow]

No my dr cancelled my 3 month and told me to move on he is my best friend so i trust him and his advise and like i told him it was vaginal with an escort and the condom slipped off but he seems reassured i dont have hiv since i did test at 8 weeks 3 days and it was still negative

heres the test done on me
6 days post hiv neg
15 days hiv viral load test negative
40 day hiv test neg
8 week 3 day test neg
he said if i had it it would be positive by now no if ands or buts and i called stste health dept and they said to move on that most of there cases show positive in first month