Aa
Blood Donation, HIV test
TO SET THE SCENE:
I had an affair with a married man in December. In January I started having a very raw throat which lasted for a couple weeks. No cold or flu symptoms, just the sore throat. Since then I've started getting small purplish spots on my face for no reason. (They look like, in color, what a sucker bite would look like.) Around my lips, nose and eyelids. Now I have one on my neck. The insides of my hands have been aching terribly all the time and just recently the arches of my feet hurt the very same way...like a muscle strain pain. I'm overly tired and suffer with neck pain as well. 3 weeks ago I broke out in a rash that the doctor wasn't sure of...small random red bumps that itched like crazy all over my body. This lasted about 3 days and gradually diminished. I'm scared, worried and tormented by the thought of this possibly being HIV.
In the first part of March I went to the Red Cross and gave blood. They have a new test which is conducted to detect the HIV virus. I've not received a call for any negativity in my blood but am wondering if their test would even detect anything so soon.
Any comments, facts, answers...anything would be of great appreciation.
Thank you.
I had an affair with a married man in December. In January I started having a very raw throat which lasted for a couple weeks. No cold or flu symptoms, just the sore throat. Since then I've started getting small purplish spots on my face for no reason. (They look like, in color, what a sucker bite would look like.) Around my lips, nose and eyelids. Now I have one on my neck. The insides of my hands have been aching terribly all the time and just recently the arches of my feet hurt the very same way...like a muscle strain pain. I'm overly tired and suffer with neck pain as well. 3 weeks ago I broke out in a rash that the doctor wasn't sure of...small random red bumps that itched like crazy all over my body. This lasted about 3 days and gradually diminished. I'm scared, worried and tormented by the thought of this possibly being HIV.
In the first part of March I went to the Red Cross and gave blood. They have a new test which is conducted to detect the HIV virus. I've not received a call for any negativity in my blood but am wondering if their test would even detect anything so soon.
Any comments, facts, answers...anything would be of great appreciation.
Thank you.
Thanks everyone, you all give me a sense of relief. I will test again and update then.
:)
:)
Your rash could mean anything and we can't really tell by symptoms. What is your risk anyway?
Doctor is in the other forum - Doctor to patient.
In US, blood banks do test your blood after 21 days with p24 antigen testing.
In US, blood banks do test your blood after 21 days with p24 antigen testing.
My risk? I'm not sure other then we didn't use a condom and I've been feeling strange ever since.
I read in another thread about a woman who's been having the same symptoms as me, tested for HIV, negative results. Someone told her it could all be from the anxiety of it all, you know, the worry. I would of posted in that thread but it was closed so I started my own.
I read in another thread about a woman who's been having the same symptoms as me, tested for HIV, negative results. Someone told her it could all be from the anxiety of it all, you know, the worry. I would of posted in that thread but it was closed so I started my own.
small random red bumps that itched like crazy all over my body
The rash associated with ARS does NOT itch.
I imagine, if you had an affair, that you have suffered a lot of anxiety over this incident. Anxiety can cause all sorts of skin conditions.
The chances are you are negative, especially after donating blood. But test again at six weeks post your exposure just to give yourself some peace of mind:)
The rash associated with ARS does NOT itch.
I imagine, if you had an affair, that you have suffered a lot of anxiety over this incident. Anxiety can cause all sorts of skin conditions.
The chances are you are negative, especially after donating blood. But test again at six weeks post your exposure just to give yourself some peace of mind:)
You need to pay 15 dollars by credit card to ask question in doctor's forum. But this doctor is one of the best in USA
Hetrosexual sex is low risk, but this depends on number of exposures etc. It is not too soon to test if your last exposure was in December. Past 6 weeks, the Dr. says the test is always accurate.
Don't worry about your symptoms which is most likely caused by a garden variety virus, not HIV.
Now please go have a blood test or rapid test (Elisa) which is widely available in the US (if you are from there), and come back to us with the good news.
And as you may already have realised, unprotected sex is just not worth the stress :).
Don't worry about your symptoms which is most likely caused by a garden variety virus, not HIV.
Now please go have a blood test or rapid test (Elisa) which is widely available in the US (if you are from there), and come back to us with the good news.
And as you may already have realised, unprotected sex is just not worth the stress :).
OHConcern - I can guarantee the blood transfusion service would have screened your blood for HIV using extremely sensitive PCR technology. These screens may miss HIV infections in the window period but do not miss 3 months out. You are very, very, likely to be negative for HIV, but you may want to test just to make sure and for your own peace of mind. This long post-exposure, you should be able to walk in and get a result in 20 mins.... :)
Since I'm new here I guess I made a mistake. I didn't realize there was a DOCTOR FORUM also. And...do you have to PAY for those forums? Oh well, maybe someone in here can help.
:)
:)
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