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Need Expert Advice Doctors....
I'm 25yo Male. Been with my current girlfriend for 3 years now never cheated till about 2 months ago. I want to marry her so I've never worried about STD/HIV.
I met a 22 year old girl at the bars 2 months ago, I was dating her behind my girlfriends back for a little while. I feel bad & obviously have stopped since. We had sex probably 20-25 times unprotected. I never thought anything of it until I found out she was bi-polar which is totally cool but she just seems strange and a little off like she's crazy or something. And also a few times she came over she seemed really out of it like she was on drugs she told she pops prescription pills but I don't know what to believe.
Why I worry about HIV is she said her EX-BF used to do heroin but was clean when she got w/ him. And I know drugy’s are at a high risk. So I made her get a HIV/STD test a month ago. She tested negative for HIV and STD's and she said the last time she slept with him was about 5 weeks before hand but I don't know if I believe her.
The other day I did a rapid HIV test (like hers) & std test & everything was negative. This was 28 days after the last time I slept with her so almost 1 month (4 weeks) after the last time I slept with her. We only had vaginal sex. I also met a 37 year old 5 weeks ago and had a one time vaginal (unprotected) with her but I'm not worried about that because she was hot and seemed normal.
Questions
1. My GF now knows and were moving on. Do you think we can go back to having sex now since the HIV test the girl and I had?
2. The lady at p.parenthood said to test for a while every year after this because most people would test positive @ 4 weeks but the virus hide's in the body for months or years! This cant be true right!?
3. Should I retest more? This is where you could give me your advice?! I want to marry this girl & want kids can I 100% move on and not worry about HIV? What ever advice you give me I'll do, If I need to test more I will if not ill be glad to move on
I met a 22 year old girl at the bars 2 months ago, I was dating her behind my girlfriends back for a little while. I feel bad & obviously have stopped since. We had sex probably 20-25 times unprotected. I never thought anything of it until I found out she was bi-polar which is totally cool but she just seems strange and a little off like she's crazy or something. And also a few times she came over she seemed really out of it like she was on drugs she told she pops prescription pills but I don't know what to believe.
Why I worry about HIV is she said her EX-BF used to do heroin but was clean when she got w/ him. And I know drugy’s are at a high risk. So I made her get a HIV/STD test a month ago. She tested negative for HIV and STD's and she said the last time she slept with him was about 5 weeks before hand but I don't know if I believe her.
The other day I did a rapid HIV test (like hers) & std test & everything was negative. This was 28 days after the last time I slept with her so almost 1 month (4 weeks) after the last time I slept with her. We only had vaginal sex. I also met a 37 year old 5 weeks ago and had a one time vaginal (unprotected) with her but I'm not worried about that because she was hot and seemed normal.
Questions
1. My GF now knows and were moving on. Do you think we can go back to having sex now since the HIV test the girl and I had?
2. The lady at p.parenthood said to test for a while every year after this because most people would test positive @ 4 weeks but the virus hide's in the body for months or years! This cant be true right!?
3. Should I retest more? This is where you could give me your advice?! I want to marry this girl & want kids can I 100% move on and not worry about HIV? What ever advice you give me I'll do, If I need to test more I will if not ill be glad to move on
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I already gave you my recommendations about testing intervals. Read my replies above. "Conclusive" comes not from the test alone, but from assessing all the factors that can affect the decision that you do or don't have HIV. On that basis, it is already conclusive: you do not have HIV. You definitely do not need RNA testing.
Symptoms never are as helpful indicators of HIV as the test results are. Your symptoms don't sound like HIV anyway.
You came here for reassurance. I gave it. Accept it or not, I don't care -- but if not, you're on your own. THis forum has nothing more to offer you. No more comments, please.
Symptoms never are as helpful indicators of HIV as the test results are. Your symptoms don't sound like HIV anyway.
You came here for reassurance. I gave it. Accept it or not, I don't care -- but if not, you're on your own. THis forum has nothing more to offer you. No more comments, please.
Doctor I've come to the realization that I'm going to need to test until it's 100% confirmed in the clear. For some reason I can't shake this HIV worry. I even went in for a 5 week test yesterday and it was negative.
2 quick questions.
1) when after the last exposure can I consider test 100% conclusive? 6-8 weeks or is 3 months?? I live in the Bay Area and have access to RNA testing would you recommend that?
2) now at about 4.5 almost 5 weeks after exposure I have a rash on my hands mostly on my left hand (on the top, not on the palm) and not any where else I can find. The rash are small individual raised bumps probably a 1mm in diameter they don't itch and are very lightly colored almost the same color as my skin. I never get rash's so it worry's me. I went to my doctor today and asked him if he thought it was due to primary HIV infection he said he didn't think so and that rash's can be normal after get a cold/virus and it could be a reaction to that. But he isn't and HIV specialist so I just wanted to get your insight. Thanks doctor!!
2 quick questions.
1) when after the last exposure can I consider test 100% conclusive? 6-8 weeks or is 3 months?? I live in the Bay Area and have access to RNA testing would you recommend that?
2) now at about 4.5 almost 5 weeks after exposure I have a rash on my hands mostly on my left hand (on the top, not on the palm) and not any where else I can find. The rash are small individual raised bumps probably a 1mm in diameter they don't itch and are very lightly colored almost the same color as my skin. I never get rash's so it worry's me. I went to my doctor today and asked him if he thought it was due to primary HIV infection he said he didn't think so and that rash's can be normal after get a cold/virus and it could be a reaction to that. But he isn't and HIV specialist so I just wanted to get your insight. Thanks doctor!!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for the thanks. We're glad to be of help. You are absolutely right about the relative risks of HIV versus auto accidents and similar things -- and of heavy alcohol use, for that matter. (National Safety Council show that the average American has 1 chance in 1,756 of dying of an accident -- vehicular crash, falls, drowning, etc, etc -- within the next 12 months. By contrast, the chance you caught HIV probably is in the range of one in many million, literally thousands of times lower.
I don't mean to make light of your symptoms, but worrying about those symptoms being due to HIV after a night of such hard drinking is sort like someone getting hit over the head with a baseball bat and then wondering whether his headache might be caused by meningitis. Anyway, early HIV infection doesn't cause vomiting, stuffy nose, or cough; ARS is more like mono, with fever, sore throat, swollen glands, and skin rash.
All is well. Don't worry about HIV. And watch that drinking. Such heaving binging is a very bad idea and if it happens more than a couple times can classify as true alcohol addiction. If that's a habit, please talk to your health care provider about it.
I don't mean to make light of your symptoms, but worrying about those symptoms being due to HIV after a night of such hard drinking is sort like someone getting hit over the head with a baseball bat and then wondering whether his headache might be caused by meningitis. Anyway, early HIV infection doesn't cause vomiting, stuffy nose, or cough; ARS is more like mono, with fever, sore throat, swollen glands, and skin rash.
All is well. Don't worry about HIV. And watch that drinking. Such heaving binging is a very bad idea and if it happens more than a couple times can classify as true alcohol addiction. If that's a habit, please talk to your health care provider about it.
Hey doc I'm back and thank you for your help. I decided that I'm not gonna worry about HIV and not get tested any more I'll take the fact she had a negative test and my 4 week test as enough evidence. I mean the chance of dying from drunk driving has to be thousands of time's higher than getting HIV and I never worry about that so why worry about HIV? I think it's all an anxiety/stigma thing.
Any ways I do have a couple of last questions for you. I know that you guys say something like less than 1% off all ARS cases actually are ARS and so forth. I just want to make sure these symptoms dont seem alarming to you. So on Wednesday after I got your fantastic and reassuring response I decided to go out and party to celebrate. Lets just say I drank a lot that night probably between 15-17 shots of hard alcohol. I think I got alcohol poisoning because I threw up the entire next day (kind of yellow acidy) and was really sore and felt weak and had hot flashes. Then after a couple of days I got sick and am starting to get over it now. I had a lot of fatigue, tons of sinus congestion and a bad cough and possibly a slight fever but nothing too crazy.
I'm thinking that my immune system just got weak from the alcohol and I got a cold.
Does the timing, duration, and type of symptoms sound like anything you would worry about as far as HIV and ARS go?? The main reason I'm asking is that I read that almost all people have some sort of symptoms (from very mild to extreme) when they first get HIV. Thanks doctor :)
Any ways I do have a couple of last questions for you. I know that you guys say something like less than 1% off all ARS cases actually are ARS and so forth. I just want to make sure these symptoms dont seem alarming to you. So on Wednesday after I got your fantastic and reassuring response I decided to go out and party to celebrate. Lets just say I drank a lot that night probably between 15-17 shots of hard alcohol. I think I got alcohol poisoning because I threw up the entire next day (kind of yellow acidy) and was really sore and felt weak and had hot flashes. Then after a couple of days I got sick and am starting to get over it now. I had a lot of fatigue, tons of sinus congestion and a bad cough and possibly a slight fever but nothing too crazy.
I'm thinking that my immune system just got weak from the alcohol and I got a cold.
Does the timing, duration, and type of symptoms sound like anything you would worry about as far as HIV and ARS go?? The main reason I'm asking is that I read that almost all people have some sort of symptoms (from very mild to extreme) when they first get HIV. Thanks doctor :)
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I'll try to help. The bottom line is that there really is no cause for anxiety about HIV. First, even before your new/casual partner was tested, the odds she had HIV were very low, regardless of past sex with an injection drug user. Second, her test results prove she wasn't infected. Third, your own test is powerful evidence you weren't infected. To the specific questions:
1. I never guarantee someone isn't infected. But if I were in your situation, knowing what i know, I would continue unprotected sex with my wife.
2. The PP provider is wrong or you misunderstood. About 90% of newly infected people have positive tests at 1 month, as you did, and virtually 100% are positive within 3 months. It never takes a year. However, lots of agencies, perhaps including your local PP clinic, recommend sexually active people with multple partners get HIV tested routinely once a year. I'll bet that's the policy your provider was quoting, or you misunderstood her reasong.
3. Frankly, I don't see any particular need for HIV testing at all in your situation, except for the advice about routine testing once a year. But since you asked and it's on your mind, you might wish have a final test 6-8 weeks (or if you wish, as long as 3 months) after your last sexual exposure to your new partner. (This is not "code" that means I really believe you are at risk. I do not.)
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
1. I never guarantee someone isn't infected. But if I were in your situation, knowing what i know, I would continue unprotected sex with my wife.
2. The PP provider is wrong or you misunderstood. About 90% of newly infected people have positive tests at 1 month, as you did, and virtually 100% are positive within 3 months. It never takes a year. However, lots of agencies, perhaps including your local PP clinic, recommend sexually active people with multple partners get HIV tested routinely once a year. I'll bet that's the policy your provider was quoting, or you misunderstood her reasong.
3. Frankly, I don't see any particular need for HIV testing at all in your situation, except for the advice about routine testing once a year. But since you asked and it's on your mind, you might wish have a final test 6-8 weeks (or if you wish, as long as 3 months) after your last sexual exposure to your new partner. (This is not "code" that means I really believe you are at risk. I do not.)
Best wishes-- HHH, MD
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