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Can anything affect your HIV test results?

Can anything effect your test results? (besides the window period) meaning any other sickness or disease you have...can those things affect HIV test results interfering in a false negative? Can antibiotics interfere with the test? Can anything?
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Avatar universal
Thank you for reading my post I really appreciate it. and thank you for you advice. its just so scary and so hard to wait so long!
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EQ2
I'm afraid I don't know enough about this to provide hard facts.  I'm reluctant to offer a hypothesis.  But -- it really doesn't seem logical to me that Lyme disease, or any disease a person might have for that matter, could create a false *negative* hiv test result.  Regardless of whatever illnesses a person has, an hiv test is trying to *find* something -- hiv antibodies.  It seems more logical that an hiv test would come back with a *false positive,* because it was looking for something (hiv) and found something (Lyme disease).  If your hiv test came back negative, that means that it didn't find *anything,* not hiv, nor Lyme disease, nor anything.  All I can say is that this just seems like deductive reasoning for me.

Also, two more things.  To be as distressed as you are, it seems like you're really fixating mentally.  It might be worthwhile to look up OCD and see if it fits for you.  Seriously.  I've read many places about how hiv-obsession is a real psychological phenomenon.  Second, the more you think about it, the more time will crawl.  If you can just try to focus on normal life again, the time will pass faster between now and when you can get a conclusive test result.
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have you read all my posts? what is your opinion? advice?..... I know but this happened about a week after my last unprotected sex exposure... I was and have been going crazy. It also says on websites HIV can mess up the Lyme disease tests. I have no idea how I got Lyme I don't even go outside much. This is why I am thinking that it isn't it and it might be HIV I tested 4 HIV and it comes up negative as far as after my 2 week mark which I know is too soon to get tested. And I was also wondering if it messed up that test considering I had partners before that was done...about 6 months ago I had different partners. My ex says there is nothing to worry about but who do you trust you know? He says he has gotten tested and that hes clean... Id like to say I trust that he hasn't had unprotected sex after we broke up and started messing around again but who knows... and it all happened about a week after out last sexual encounter... its making me go nuts and I haven't been sleeping at all really..
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Avatar universal
you also gotta remember the weather changes alot frequently so getting sick alot is often during this time... i had 3 sore throats with in 2months... so imagine i was freaking out like crazy
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Avatar universal
again thank you for all your help and answers Teak, you have been very nice,sincere and patient...Yes I understand I just don't have and recollection of a "bite" and no "rash" this is why I am thinking of other possibilities that this could be... and especially because within this month I have had sex with the same partner unprotected a few times. And I was thinking my symptoms sounded very similar to ARS so I have been having that in my mind ever since.  
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Avatar universal
It's not an HIV concern. You contract lyme disease from ticks not unprotected sex.
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I did take the WESTERN BLOT TEST for Lyme since the result of the ELISHA test was positive and the WESTERN BLOT for Lyme also came back positive.
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Thank you  so much, Teak. I appreciate all of your answers and advice on the topics discussed and you seem like a very intelligent person. I wish you well in life! .... I will test in about 10 weeks to see my hopefully negative HIV result which will be the 3 month mark. Thank you again!
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Avatar universal
They aren't using the same test to get result for both. They are running two different ELISA test. An ELISA test for HIV won't pick up antibodies for Lyme disease an the other way around. You don't take a Western Blot unless you have tested twice for HIV and both were positive.
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so they use the same tests (ELISHA and WESTERN BLOT) but check for antibodies of different viruses/diseases? sorry I am just overwhelmed and confused because I really don't know how I would have gotten Lyme and my "symptoms" point to a lot of things but based on my unprotected sex encounters I am constantly thinking ARS.
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No they are NOT the same tests. One checks for antibodies for HIV and the other checks for Antibodies for lyme disease.
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well they are used by the same tests ELISHA and WESTERN BLOT test, thats why I was wondering about it.... and I read online that if you have HIV, other diseases or any other bacteria it can affect the Lyme disease and might result in a false positive so I was wondering if this is true and could this happen for HIV too?
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Avatar universal
How in the world can those two test interfere with each other? They are two totally different tests.
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Thank you Teak and yes I will def. retest. I was just asking do you think these 2 tests can interfere with eachother? Is there any chance of this? Do my symptoms sound like ARS? sorry I am just freaking out and would like any help I can get.
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Avatar universal
3 months is when you can obtain your conclusive negative test result.
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If anyone knows anything about this could they please comment? anything would be very helpful right now. Thank You.
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I have also had a cough that is hurting my chest a little. and a stiff neck. back hurts at times. But all of this was diminishing after I was given my first set of antibiotics. (except the cough and it hurting my chest, still there.)
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Avatar universal
I have had unprotected sex a few times within this month with the same partner so I am worried about ARS and worried about HIV because I had gotten sick about a week after the last sexual encounter me and my ex had (swollen lymph nodes in neck, tonsilitious and achyness around legs and a little in the arms) about the Lyme disease tests and the HIV tests...I am worried because they are the same test given for both Lyme and HIV... I honestly have not had any rash at all or fever...so I am asking myself could I have HIV not Lyme? and I have also read that HIV can alter the test results for Lyme disease, make it a false positive. I have also read other bacteria can do the same thing as well... My HIV test after 2 weeks was a negative, obviously I will retest. And my Lyme disease test both on the ELISHA TEST and WESTERN BLOT were both positive. This is just so confusing. I tested the Lyme first a few days after I had not been feeling well and was also on antibiotics and then after I had gotten the results then had a blood test for HIV. Any ideas on this? Advice? help me please.
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Avatar universal
Dear Lizzie,
You have been so helpful...I did leave you 2 notes by any chance can you give me advice and/or answers to those questions? Im sorry I am just going crazy here....
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186166 tn?1385259382
the only reason someone "might" need to test out past the window period is because they are either:
on chemotheraphy for cancer treatment
on anti-rejection meds following an organ transplant
or a CHRONIC iv drug user

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