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Confused and Worried about my test result
Hi dear Doctor,
I had an exposure (unprotected oral and protected anal sex with a black lady, but the condom slided off and I put it back on) back in March. After that I developed some symptoms very similar to HIV ARS, so I did several HIV test (ranging from 4 weeks to 6 months), The Rapid Test (UNIGOLD; OraQuick), HIV EIA and viral load test (PCR; bDNA) all came back negative (The last test is the HIV 1/2 EIA, at the 6 month mark). I also did other STD tests, all came back negative.
A very scary thing is: In April I persuaded that lady to take a UNIGOLD rapid test, the result is BAD! The doctor asked me to come back on 3 months doing a HIV test again. I got negative result on 6 month mark. This eased my mind a little.
However, I still have many symptoms (Ear Ringing (appeared from 3 months a severe cough, muscle pain, eye floaters (appeared from 6 months), and easy to catch cold, also some small bleeding spots on arms and legs, itchy and easy to get red on skin).
I just got my test for Lymphocyte subset done recently. Comparing to the previous test result in June, I am really very confused and worried:
June: CD4: 751 CD4 percentage: 45% CD8: 420 CD8 percentage: 25% CD4/CD8 ratio: 1.79
Nov: CD4: 738 CD4 percentage: 39% CD8: 511 CD8 percentage: 27% CD4/CD8 ratio: 1.44
My CD4 count doesn't change much, but the CD4 percentage and CD4/CD8 ratio dropped significantly. The CD8 count increases by almost 100. Could you explain to me what this might mean? Some Bad sign? I learned that during HIV infection the CD4 and CD4 percentage, CD4/CD8 ratio will go down gradually and CD8 will rise, which is very similar to my result. I cannot think other reason to explain this, the only difference is that back in June I got a very severe cough and was on anti-biotics for several weeks.
Could you help me on this? Thank you very much, I really appreciate your kind assistance! I am very worried and scared now. Am I infected by Subgroup O or a highly mutated virus strain?
I had an exposure (unprotected oral and protected anal sex with a black lady, but the condom slided off and I put it back on) back in March. After that I developed some symptoms very similar to HIV ARS, so I did several HIV test (ranging from 4 weeks to 6 months), The Rapid Test (UNIGOLD; OraQuick), HIV EIA and viral load test (PCR; bDNA) all came back negative (The last test is the HIV 1/2 EIA, at the 6 month mark). I also did other STD tests, all came back negative.
A very scary thing is: In April I persuaded that lady to take a UNIGOLD rapid test, the result is BAD! The doctor asked me to come back on 3 months doing a HIV test again. I got negative result on 6 month mark. This eased my mind a little.
However, I still have many symptoms (Ear Ringing (appeared from 3 months a severe cough, muscle pain, eye floaters (appeared from 6 months), and easy to catch cold, also some small bleeding spots on arms and legs, itchy and easy to get red on skin).
I just got my test for Lymphocyte subset done recently. Comparing to the previous test result in June, I am really very confused and worried:
June: CD4: 751 CD4 percentage: 45% CD8: 420 CD8 percentage: 25% CD4/CD8 ratio: 1.79
Nov: CD4: 738 CD4 percentage: 39% CD8: 511 CD8 percentage: 27% CD4/CD8 ratio: 1.44
My CD4 count doesn't change much, but the CD4 percentage and CD4/CD8 ratio dropped significantly. The CD8 count increases by almost 100. Could you explain to me what this might mean? Some Bad sign? I learned that during HIV infection the CD4 and CD4 percentage, CD4/CD8 ratio will go down gradually and CD8 will rise, which is very similar to my result. I cannot think other reason to explain this, the only difference is that back in June I got a very severe cough and was on anti-biotics for several weeks.
Could you help me on this? Thank you very much, I really appreciate your kind assistance! I am very worried and scared now. Am I infected by Subgroup O or a highly mutated virus strain?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
What, did you think I might have changed my mind? I already told you: I am not "pretty sure" you do not have HIV. I am 100% rock-solid sure.
Yes, psychology can do al ltha you are feeling, but you should not expect that knowedge, by itself, to stop your anxieties about it. You likely will need professional help to do that.
When a thread is closed, no additional comments are permitted. Any more and I will imediately delete the entire thread.
Yes, psychology can do al ltha you are feeling, but you should not expect that knowedge, by itself, to stop your anxieties about it. You likely will need professional help to do that.
When a thread is closed, no additional comments are permitted. Any more and I will imediately delete the entire thread.
Thank you, I will only ask one last question. So you are pretty sure that I don't have it, even when considering all these symptoms? Subgroup O is detectable in test I have done?
Can psychological do such harm to people? then I could move on and ease my mind from worrying about it.
Can psychological do such harm to people? then I could move on and ease my mind from worrying about it.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Sorry, this forum only deals with HIV, which you do not have. There are probably at least a hundred possible causes and there is no reason to keep worrying about HIV. Your main problem might be psychological. The only answer will come from seeing a doctor or clinic.
That will have to end this thread.
That will have to end this thread.
Hi dear Dr. Handsfield,
thanks for your kind reply. It makes me feel better now. Yes, when I mean BAD, I mean she is tested HIV positive.
The problem is that, my body has changed a lot since that contact, and I cannot find out the reason. I got many symptoms very similar to the HIV infection. For example, muscle pain appeared in two weeks, stomach acid up to throat also, with several night sweat. Dry hand and Hand rash, face rash later, then some bleeding spot under skin on arms. I got a very severe cough and anti-biotics helped very slowly, and I got ear ringing since then. I used to be very strong and healthy, so these changes really make me confused, worried and scared a lot. After those test, I kind of accept the fact that they are truely negative, but then I cannot explain what happened on my body. All other STD tests came back also negative.
My family is also a big concern for me. I tried hard to protect them but it seems that they are easy to catch cold now, and my children are often coughing. I know I made a mistake, but I want all good for my family.
I am worried that I got some virus strain such as subgroup O that cannot be detected by the current method, dear Doctor, could you tell me what the possiblity is? Anyway to find it out?
If I don't have these symptoms, I could accept the test results and move on, but because of these symptoms, I found that it is very difficult for me to do this. Dear Docotor Handsfield, you are one of the leading experts in this field, could you give me some advices what might cause these if it is not HIV. These different symptoms are likely related (called Syndrome), and I am now really tired and exhaused by them and the thoughts about their cause.
Thanks a lot!
thanks for your kind reply. It makes me feel better now. Yes, when I mean BAD, I mean she is tested HIV positive.
The problem is that, my body has changed a lot since that contact, and I cannot find out the reason. I got many symptoms very similar to the HIV infection. For example, muscle pain appeared in two weeks, stomach acid up to throat also, with several night sweat. Dry hand and Hand rash, face rash later, then some bleeding spot under skin on arms. I got a very severe cough and anti-biotics helped very slowly, and I got ear ringing since then. I used to be very strong and healthy, so these changes really make me confused, worried and scared a lot. After those test, I kind of accept the fact that they are truely negative, but then I cannot explain what happened on my body. All other STD tests came back also negative.
My family is also a big concern for me. I tried hard to protect them but it seems that they are easy to catch cold now, and my children are often coughing. I know I made a mistake, but I want all good for my family.
I am worried that I got some virus strain such as subgroup O that cannot be detected by the current method, dear Doctor, could you tell me what the possiblity is? Anyway to find it out?
If I don't have these symptoms, I could accept the test results and move on, but because of these symptoms, I found that it is very difficult for me to do this. Dear Docotor Handsfield, you are one of the leading experts in this field, could you give me some advices what might cause these if it is not HIV. These different symptoms are likely related (called Syndrome), and I am now really tired and exhaused by them and the thoughts about their cause.
Thanks a lot!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Relax. Despite the title you selected for your question, there is nothing confusing here at all. You don't have HIV. The nature of your exposure doesn't matter. Symptoms don't matter. Your CD4/CD8 test results don't matter. Even your partner's HIV result (assuming "BAD" means she tested positive for HIV) doesn't matter. What matters is that your own HIV tests are negative. Test results always outweigh all those other factors -- always. It is not possible to have HIV and have a negative HIV antibody tests at 3 and 6 months.
As to the ancillary questions: CD4 counts and CD4/CD8 ratios are not stable things, and they regularly vary by as much as yours. Even 4 hours difference in testing time, e.g. 10 am versus 2 pm, can make as much difference as in your results. In fact, the very same blood specimen, tested twice, will often give results that differ as much as yours. Your CD4/CD8 counts were a waste of money in this situation, and the results of your tests are meaningless.
And your symptoms really don't even hint at HIV. Had you come to my office, those symptoms would not have prompted me to even think of HIV as a possibility.
It is long past time to accept the truth, and to accept the reassurance you undoubtedly have received from your own health care providers: You don't have HIV, whether subroup O or any other. Congratulations! All is well.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
As to the ancillary questions: CD4 counts and CD4/CD8 ratios are not stable things, and they regularly vary by as much as yours. Even 4 hours difference in testing time, e.g. 10 am versus 2 pm, can make as much difference as in your results. In fact, the very same blood specimen, tested twice, will often give results that differ as much as yours. Your CD4/CD8 counts were a waste of money in this situation, and the results of your tests are meaningless.
And your symptoms really don't even hint at HIV. Had you come to my office, those symptoms would not have prompted me to even think of HIV as a possibility.
It is long past time to accept the truth, and to accept the reassurance you undoubtedly have received from your own health care providers: You don't have HIV, whether subroup O or any other. Congratulations! All is well.
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
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