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HIV Anxiety
Hi All,
First of all I would like to thank everybody for keeping this side active.
My name is Mike. Please help me as my anxiety about HIV is killing me already for 2 month. About 8 weeks ago I had sex with a girl. I was using a condom but right after I start thinking that maybe it was not fully pulled on. About 1 week later I woke up with a pain in a throat and on next day i got sick. I developed runny nose, I was coughing, I had muscle pain, headaches and neck pain (I was feeling very sick) but no fever and i lasted for about week and a half or 2 weeks. After I got better with that, on week 3 I developed a feeling like something stuck in my throat. On week 4 I start having neck pains again and I took an HIV test - that was negative.
1st question - Is taking HIV test after 4 weeks will give me a good results?
Later on I still had severe neck and upper back pains and feeling like something in my throat. I went to ENT doctor on week 5 but he did not see anything. Now almost at week 8 and I still have once in a while slide muscle and head pain.
So my 2nd question is that possible that i have HIV? and When should I take another HIV Test?
Please help me as my anxiety is killing my. I can not work , can not have any fun. Thank you.
First of all I would like to thank everybody for keeping this side active.
My name is Mike. Please help me as my anxiety about HIV is killing me already for 2 month. About 8 weeks ago I had sex with a girl. I was using a condom but right after I start thinking that maybe it was not fully pulled on. About 1 week later I woke up with a pain in a throat and on next day i got sick. I developed runny nose, I was coughing, I had muscle pain, headaches and neck pain (I was feeling very sick) but no fever and i lasted for about week and a half or 2 weeks. After I got better with that, on week 3 I developed a feeling like something stuck in my throat. On week 4 I start having neck pains again and I took an HIV test - that was negative.
1st question - Is taking HIV test after 4 weeks will give me a good results?
Later on I still had severe neck and upper back pains and feeling like something in my throat. I went to ENT doctor on week 5 but he did not see anything. Now almost at week 8 and I still have once in a while slide muscle and head pain.
So my 2nd question is that possible that i have HIV? and When should I take another HIV Test?
Please help me as my anxiety is killing my. I can not work , can not have any fun. Thank you.
Some correction to my last post. Seems like four weeks for most people it will show up, but for some it does not. But I would agree, you shoudl relax a bit. But if you are overly worried, you can get tested...
Window period
Antibody tests may give false negative (no antibodies were detected despite the presence of HIV) results during the window period, an interval of three weeks to six months between the time of HIV infection and the production of measurable antibodies to HIV seroconversion. Most people develop detectable antibodies approximately 30 days after infection, although some seroconvert later. The vast majority of people (97%) have detectable antibodies by three months after HIV infection; a six-month window is extremely rare with modern antibody testing.[9] During the window period, an infected person can transmit HIV to others although their HIV infection may not be detectable with an antibody test. Antiretroviral therapy during the window period can delay the formation of antibodies and extend the window period beyond 12 months.[3] This was not the case with patients that underwent treatment with post exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Those patients must take ELISA tests at various intervals after the usual 28 day course of treatment, sometimes extending outside of the conservative window period of 6 months. Antibody tests may also yield false negative results in patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia; other diagnostic tests should be used in such patients.
Three instances of delayed HIV seroconversion occurring in health-care workers have been reported;[10] in these instances, the health-care workers[11] tested negative for HIV antibodies greater than 6 months postexposure but were seropositive within 12 months after the exposure.[12] DNA sequencing confirmed the source of infection in one instance. Two of the delayed seroconversions were associated with simultaneous exposure to hepatitis C virus (HCV). In one case, co-infection was associated with a rapidly fatal HCV disease course; however, it is not known whether HCV directly influences the risk for or course of HIV infection or is a marker for other exposure-related factors.
Window period
Antibody tests may give false negative (no antibodies were detected despite the presence of HIV) results during the window period, an interval of three weeks to six months between the time of HIV infection and the production of measurable antibodies to HIV seroconversion. Most people develop detectable antibodies approximately 30 days after infection, although some seroconvert later. The vast majority of people (97%) have detectable antibodies by three months after HIV infection; a six-month window is extremely rare with modern antibody testing.[9] During the window period, an infected person can transmit HIV to others although their HIV infection may not be detectable with an antibody test. Antiretroviral therapy during the window period can delay the formation of antibodies and extend the window period beyond 12 months.[3] This was not the case with patients that underwent treatment with post exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Those patients must take ELISA tests at various intervals after the usual 28 day course of treatment, sometimes extending outside of the conservative window period of 6 months. Antibody tests may also yield false negative results in patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia; other diagnostic tests should be used in such patients.
Three instances of delayed HIV seroconversion occurring in health-care workers have been reported;[10] in these instances, the health-care workers[11] tested negative for HIV antibodies greater than 6 months postexposure but were seropositive within 12 months after the exposure.[12] DNA sequencing confirmed the source of infection in one instance. Two of the delayed seroconversions were associated with simultaneous exposure to hepatitis C virus (HCV). In one case, co-infection was associated with a rapidly fatal HCV disease course; however, it is not known whether HCV directly influences the risk for or course of HIV infection or is a marker for other exposure-related factors.
Based on what I know about HIV, you would not get symptoms within a day of contracting it. You perhaps got a cold or the flu, perhaps the girl was sick at the time you had sex together? It is possible you have other STD's, but you would need to post thsoe questions in the STD forum, not here. I feel the minimum time needed to get an HIV test is 6 weeks, though others say 3 months and then again at 6 months, though I could be wrong about this part, but I think 4 weeks is too early. Perhaps it is anxiety that is getting you rather than you have actually contacted anything.
Thanks. I know, I wish I did not read all that HIV stuff. It looks like what ever I will read, shows up on me in a few days.
Ok first of all calm down. You would of known if your condom came off or broke. And Im not a Dr. But it sounds to me like anxiaty is what is causeing the symptoms you think you have. See what happens is a lot of people start reading into the symptom of HIV and start conviceing them selfs they have symptoms. Keep your mind off of it the best you can. And dont stress. If your condom did not fail you had no risk of HIV. If you think your condom failed get tested at the 3 month mark. It will be neg. more than likely. And move on with your life. Main thing is dont stress at all.
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Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.
