Hello, due to a recent exposure I've recently tested 3 times in the last month and a half with the last test being 6 week post exposure. The test result came back negative (It was a 4th generation test). However this recent exposure has brought back my fears I had growing up that I was HIV+. About 11 years ago, I found a piece of chewed gum at a hotel during a trip on a railing and for whatever reason I put it in my mouth and chewed it (gross, I know but I was like 7 or 8) before spitting it out a few minutes later. Mind you guys I was in Atlanta during this trip and Atlanta has a high rate of HIV+ people right? Ever since i've learned about HIV after this encounter I always thought I had it (because what if there was HIV infected blood on the gum?) until one day I discussed it with somebody and they told me it's not likely. Well fast forward 11 years later, here I am worried again as I believe I have entered the aids stage. Not only have I read that the aids stage is less likely to produce antibodies due to your immune system being immunocompromised/ immunocompressed (hence the reason I tested negative on one Elisa-Antibody test and Two Fourth Generation) but I also read that Inhalers (the corticosteroids in the medicine) cause a decrease in antibodies as well. Now my theory is due to the fact that I'm so far into the disease (if I have it) then antibodies decreasing along with my inhalers medicine affecting my test, these are the reasons my tests are coming back negative. I'm hoping that if I was infected the tests would come back at least intermediate! At the last test I got the lady stated, "It's negative, it couldn't be any more negative," however I just can't trust that after everything I've read online and after all of my symptoms (I will list below). I've also read that p24 antigens show back up late in the disease (I'm assuming the aids stage) so I find confidence in that because no antigens were picked up on the 4th generation tests, however what if I'm not too far in the aids stage and that's why no antigens showed up? I would like to save myself before it's really too late but I don't know what to do next, my tests keep coming back negative. In my own head i'd love to believe that a decrease in antibodies (no matter what) would cause for a rise in antigens thus my tests are accurate but I just don't see anything online supporting these claims. The two inhaler medicines I am taking are 90mcg of albuterol (i've never been told how many times to use this inhaler so i've gone crazy with the dosage over the last 3 years since being diagnosed with asthma) and 200 mcg of Asmanex with 2 puffs in the morning and at night (this inhaler used to be an advair inhaler but it was switched not too long ago) (I've also used a higher dosage of both of these medicines as well). Is me using higher dosages of my inhalers along with the fact that I'm late into the disease, affecting my test results? I had a cbc with differential recently (I know you can't diagonse hiv based on a cbc I know and i've gotten my hiv tests) and the wbc, rbc and platlets came back normal. Wouldn't they be relatively low after 10 years? Idk I read hiv affect everyone differently so I guess there's still time for my results to change. I even read that inhalers would cause my wbc results to increase which didn't give me much faith because even if my wbc were low after all this time, my medicine is causing them to rise again! Now for the symptoms I've been having (mind you guys I didn't notice any of this before my exposure (now 8 weeks ago) but maybe I just wasn't paying attention).
I will post the symptoms in the comments due to going over the posting limit!