Thank you for that post, I'm still worried. And constantly checking my hands chest tongue and all lymph nodes for HIV Symtoms, and I've found them all including the flakey rash. But ur situation is hopeful for me.
Ok Teak, thanks for the correction.
Jose
The only PCR test approved in the US for helping diagnose early HIV infection is a PCR-RNA test and it has to be use in conjunction with an antibody test.
Hi,
Thanks for your post. I had a symilar situation. Had unprotected sex, and drove my self craizy thinking that I had contracted HIV. Symptoms, a lot! Enlarged lymph nodes, hand shaking, profusse night sweats, neurophaties in the legs, rash, herpes-like infection in tongue. Not all the symptoms at the same time. Only enlarged lymph nodes and neuropathies lasted for about four or five months, but the other symptoms lasted much less, and one afther the other.
Emotionally, I was broken. Couldn't sleep, nor work or live.
However all my tests have come negative. Sixteen of them! Including 3rd and 4th generation ELISA, Western-Blot, two quantitative RNA PCR, one qualitative DNA PCR, and a p24 test. Several of these tests were done well before the three and six month mark. And were performed in different labs.
I mean, symptoms can't diagnose HIV.
Some notes, three month mark is conclusive for people with normal immune system (the exceptions are people under chemotherapy and other strong conditions). PCR tests, although sensitive can lead to false positives. In USA they are approved for diagnosis. The most secure way to test is to use a third our four generation ELISA at three months. If you test negative at two months with a modern ELISA (3rd our 4th generation), then is very very likely you are negative at three monts (but it is conclusive only at three months). Labs are constatnly cheking the accuracy of their tests to detect all HIV variants. There is a web page call Pubmed where scientific information can be found regarding HIV, however only an expert can interpret accurately that information. Anxiety can led you to do very wild things, like I did geting all those tests.
Hope my experience helps to others!
Jose
Thanks for your sorry this was very helpful and has calmed me down a lot. I have had two negative tests now one at 3 weeks and another at 5 months after exposure. I still find myself completely in a state as I have had so many symptoms, which of coourse could be anything!! And of course the internet just makes everything so much worse. This is definately a wake up call and a lesson well learnt but it helps to know that others have experienced the anxiety which I also believe can actually manifest into the symptoms themselve as I literallt thought I was the only one. I know i'll never put myself in that situation again and hope it helps those reading.
Wow, this was amazingly helpful. I even had protected sex but I've been going insane! Had a negative test at 1 month, and yet, cannot stop focusing on symptoms. I've checked my hands so much that I resemble Lady Macbeth! To the point that little spots eventually appeared! Scared me to death! I'm at 6 weeks now, trying to hang in for another 6 to get conclusive 12 week testing. Even with me using a condom I'm horrified I've been infected. Your story definitely has given me hope.
not everyone is given a warning...it IS possible to contract hiv from a one time exposure.
If only you had used a condom, you wouldn't have had to worry about HIV.Let's hope you've learned your lesson now.