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Hiv Risk Assessment, Dying of Anxiety
dear medhelp,
thank god i found this website early or i would have gone crazy with anxiety with what i am going through right now.
Just a brief background, basically, i had an episode of unprotected receptive anal sex with a man whose status is hiv negative as of January 2013. I am also an hiv negative man as Of jan 2013. The encounter was very brief but i understand that it is not in the duration of the exposure that matters when contracting hiv.
It happened April 7, and today is the 8th day since it happened. Let me tell you quickly about the encounter, we met 10:54pm, did a few oral and then unprotected anal for about 3-5 mins. When i realized that we didnt have condom i asked him to pull out and he did. There was no exchange of body fluids. He did not cum inside me nor did he have fresh precum at the time he pulled out. By 11:08pm, i was already washing myself with soap and water. After that incident, we met up again, this time nonsexual and he assured me that he was negative.
Since that incident,i havent stopped obsessing about it. After that incident i went to the nearest health center and asked for the post exposure pills to which they refused to give me saying that post exposure pills are only given to high risk exposure and occupational exposure like those in the hospitals. I told them that i was wiling to pay for it but they still refused. They gave me an initial assessment saying that what i had was a low risk encounter and in layman's terms, its just like having a penis up my ***. But i didnt believe them because i felt that they were just telling me these things because they didnt want me to have the pills. I am thinking of filing a complaint to them to our department of health.
Since I couldnt get the post exposure pills,i decided to start my search online and it is never ending until now. Because of this growing anxiety and ocd in me, i decided to make a log of allthe things that happened after.
Day 1- I wasnt able to sleep the night after it happened so I decided to rush to a health center and got myself tested. Iam due for a retest anyway after my Jan 2013 test. After 2 hours, i got the results, its negative. I told the counselor about the recent encounter and he told me that i should wait for 2 weeks before getting tested again. But 2 weeks is too soon for an antibody test so he referred me to another counselor who is more knowledgeable in other tests.
Day 2- i decided to quit my job because i am not able to function properly. I was just obsessing about what happened the entire day, wasting my time on the internet, looking for hope. So i quit my job.
Day 3- i was feeling fine but my 72 hours for the post exposure pills is up so i was freaking out again.
Day 4- i started to have an allergic rhinitis attack but it would go away on its own. I read about the symptoms of hiv and it wasnt listed there.
Day 5-6- I managed to survive the day without letting myself drown in fear and anxiety.
Day 7- this is the day that all my fears and worries started to resurface again. I got sick with a low grade fever and started having muscle ache all over my body, a pain in my back, stiff neck. No sore throat, no rash, no swollen glands, no diarrhea, no nausea. I consulted with a doctor friend and told me that its okay to drink flu meds for it so i did. I was just resting the entire day but being more anxious and obssessed than ever. I immediately called the health center nearby and asked if i should be alarmed with the symptoms that i am experiencing and they said no. That i should take the meds and just observe my body in the next coming days.
Day 8- which is today,no more fever, i woke up feeling better and less tired and exhausted. There is still that slight fatigue i feel but it is limited to my stomach/abdominal area. I stopped drinking the flu meds because i dont want to go over it but i will drink again tonight just to be sure. I am back to my normal routine. And that includes spending the entire day online looking for answers and finding someone to help me give a real assessment of my risk with the given exposure.
As of today, I have plotted a clear cut plan of how i will get tested:
Day 10- I requested for an HIV RNA test from my doctor but she is still deciding on whether or not it is a wise decision as it will just be a waste of money if i decide to get the hiv duo combi test at day 14. Although this limits the window period but its very expensive.
Day 14 or 17- I will get an HiV duo combo test at the health center. They advised this to me because i kept bugging them about it. And because the 3 month window period is too long for my life.
Day 21- I plan to get another test. Maybe an antibody test or elisa test.
Day 28- i will get another hiv duo combo test for the confirmatory test.
Having said all of this, here are my questions (please forgive me for having so many)
1. Based on the exposure i described, can someone give me a personal risk assessment? Please? I really need to be enlightened in this area. It might help me calm my nerves.
Also, if the guy claims to be hiv negative at the time of the exposure, what are the odds of contracting hiv? He is a nurse that and he says that hiv testing is part of their company policy and that he is negative.
2. Do you think that i maybe developing a case of ocd and severe anxiety? Should i seek for medical help as well?
3. With the given rundown of events, would you associate the flu that i had on Day 7, possible ars symptoms. Am i overreacting to all of this? How soon does the ars symptoms appear? Am i imagining symptoms? Could this be of another viral infection? How long do ars symptoms appear? What specific symptoms or changes in my body should i be worried about that is directly related to hiv?
4. Given the course of action that i have planned for myself, can someone suggest a better action testing plan? Is the duo test 14/17tj day accurate? Will there be hope? Should i still pursue the hiv rna pcr test? What other tests are available that limits the window period to the shortest time possible?
I hope someone would be kind enough to answer my questions. I know its a long read but i hope there will be a kind soul who would be willing to share the information to help me go on with life.
Thank you Medhelp guys!
God bless us all.
thank god i found this website early or i would have gone crazy with anxiety with what i am going through right now.
Just a brief background, basically, i had an episode of unprotected receptive anal sex with a man whose status is hiv negative as of January 2013. I am also an hiv negative man as Of jan 2013. The encounter was very brief but i understand that it is not in the duration of the exposure that matters when contracting hiv.
It happened April 7, and today is the 8th day since it happened. Let me tell you quickly about the encounter, we met 10:54pm, did a few oral and then unprotected anal for about 3-5 mins. When i realized that we didnt have condom i asked him to pull out and he did. There was no exchange of body fluids. He did not cum inside me nor did he have fresh precum at the time he pulled out. By 11:08pm, i was already washing myself with soap and water. After that incident, we met up again, this time nonsexual and he assured me that he was negative.
Since that incident,i havent stopped obsessing about it. After that incident i went to the nearest health center and asked for the post exposure pills to which they refused to give me saying that post exposure pills are only given to high risk exposure and occupational exposure like those in the hospitals. I told them that i was wiling to pay for it but they still refused. They gave me an initial assessment saying that what i had was a low risk encounter and in layman's terms, its just like having a penis up my ***. But i didnt believe them because i felt that they were just telling me these things because they didnt want me to have the pills. I am thinking of filing a complaint to them to our department of health.
Since I couldnt get the post exposure pills,i decided to start my search online and it is never ending until now. Because of this growing anxiety and ocd in me, i decided to make a log of allthe things that happened after.
Day 1- I wasnt able to sleep the night after it happened so I decided to rush to a health center and got myself tested. Iam due for a retest anyway after my Jan 2013 test. After 2 hours, i got the results, its negative. I told the counselor about the recent encounter and he told me that i should wait for 2 weeks before getting tested again. But 2 weeks is too soon for an antibody test so he referred me to another counselor who is more knowledgeable in other tests.
Day 2- i decided to quit my job because i am not able to function properly. I was just obsessing about what happened the entire day, wasting my time on the internet, looking for hope. So i quit my job.
Day 3- i was feeling fine but my 72 hours for the post exposure pills is up so i was freaking out again.
Day 4- i started to have an allergic rhinitis attack but it would go away on its own. I read about the symptoms of hiv and it wasnt listed there.
Day 5-6- I managed to survive the day without letting myself drown in fear and anxiety.
Day 7- this is the day that all my fears and worries started to resurface again. I got sick with a low grade fever and started having muscle ache all over my body, a pain in my back, stiff neck. No sore throat, no rash, no swollen glands, no diarrhea, no nausea. I consulted with a doctor friend and told me that its okay to drink flu meds for it so i did. I was just resting the entire day but being more anxious and obssessed than ever. I immediately called the health center nearby and asked if i should be alarmed with the symptoms that i am experiencing and they said no. That i should take the meds and just observe my body in the next coming days.
Day 8- which is today,no more fever, i woke up feeling better and less tired and exhausted. There is still that slight fatigue i feel but it is limited to my stomach/abdominal area. I stopped drinking the flu meds because i dont want to go over it but i will drink again tonight just to be sure. I am back to my normal routine. And that includes spending the entire day online looking for answers and finding someone to help me give a real assessment of my risk with the given exposure.
As of today, I have plotted a clear cut plan of how i will get tested:
Day 10- I requested for an HIV RNA test from my doctor but she is still deciding on whether or not it is a wise decision as it will just be a waste of money if i decide to get the hiv duo combi test at day 14. Although this limits the window period but its very expensive.
Day 14 or 17- I will get an HiV duo combo test at the health center. They advised this to me because i kept bugging them about it. And because the 3 month window period is too long for my life.
Day 21- I plan to get another test. Maybe an antibody test or elisa test.
Day 28- i will get another hiv duo combo test for the confirmatory test.
Having said all of this, here are my questions (please forgive me for having so many)
1. Based on the exposure i described, can someone give me a personal risk assessment? Please? I really need to be enlightened in this area. It might help me calm my nerves.
Also, if the guy claims to be hiv negative at the time of the exposure, what are the odds of contracting hiv? He is a nurse that and he says that hiv testing is part of their company policy and that he is negative.
2. Do you think that i maybe developing a case of ocd and severe anxiety? Should i seek for medical help as well?
3. With the given rundown of events, would you associate the flu that i had on Day 7, possible ars symptoms. Am i overreacting to all of this? How soon does the ars symptoms appear? Am i imagining symptoms? Could this be of another viral infection? How long do ars symptoms appear? What specific symptoms or changes in my body should i be worried about that is directly related to hiv?
4. Given the course of action that i have planned for myself, can someone suggest a better action testing plan? Is the duo test 14/17tj day accurate? Will there be hope? Should i still pursue the hiv rna pcr test? What other tests are available that limits the window period to the shortest time possible?
I hope someone would be kind enough to answer my questions. I know its a long read but i hope there will be a kind soul who would be willing to share the information to help me go on with life.
Thank you Medhelp guys!
God bless us all.
Best Answer
Hello friend I have gone through the same time as you are going. Just stop thinking about this cause I am being treated for OCD now and have led myself into anxiety disorder don't let this happen to you. Even I lefty job as a senior at a big MNC That made my life worse keep your self occupied and don't think much get tested at6 weeks with a duo test and again at 3 months
You will go nuts if you continue reading all the possible answers you need have been given in the post and for your 28 day and 42 day test every negative you revive is a good sign but conclusive result will only be at 3 months.
No it isn't close to accurate and you have been advised multiple times when you can advise your conclusive test result.
Hi there! Thanks for your input. Im glad i have someone here who i can relate to with what im going through, anyway, i couldnt resist the call so i took the hiv duo rapid test today (13 days) and it came out negative, i will again seek for another testing at 28 days and 42 days. I will still do the 3 month antibody, but would you say that an hiv duo test at 13 days or 2 weeks is close to accurate or at least gives me an idea of my current hiv status? I havent been able to do anything basically, just reading and reading stuff.
Hi anxious we all are humans and we all make mistake don't we.... getting courage and getting yourself tested is the best thing you are doing don't think about the incident the more you think the more you freak out my doctors here advice be a 18 day and 42 day test 4th gen duo and advices me a 3 month test so just to rule out even a little chance of infection not being detected but again diagnosis is India v cheap free at govt hospitals and about 20 us dollar in pvt medicare center so it's upto you when you want to get tested. Depending upon your pocket because only a 3 month test is conclusive
You don't have a choice in not doing an antibody test. There are no tests marketed or sold that will give a conclusive negative test result earlier than 3 months post exposure. DUO tests cannot give a conclusive negative test result any earlier
Hi teak! I know that but the earliest please and the shortest. I dont want to do the antibody tests.
Hi there! Thank you for emphatizing with me. It really helps that someone understands what we are going through. I do think i have developed an anxiety disorder as well. I havent been able to sleep for many nights now, ive been feeling lost all the time. At one time, i was driving and completely spaced out, i almost got into a car accident.
When did you get tested the earliest? I have a schedule at our local health center on my 2nd week mark to get the duo test. I really want to secure a test at 2 weeks, thats the earliest window period they have,
I am being sucked into a depressed state, please help.
When did you get tested the earliest? I have a schedule at our local health center on my 2nd week mark to get the duo test. I really want to secure a test at 2 weeks, thats the earliest window period they have,
I am being sucked into a depressed state, please help.
Hello latchu thank you for that. Would you say that a duo test at 2 weeks would be a good indication of my status? Then i will get another test at 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks.
Please enlighten me on this one.
Please enlighten me on this one.
Even though modern day antibody tests shorten the window period .An additional HIV test should be offered to all persons at 3 months (12 weeks) to definitively exclude HIV infection
What do you suggest I do? The earliest time frame I can get tested is 2 weeks which is on April 22. I dont think I can wait that long, I am going crazy with anxiety.
Please help me.
Please help me.
I got tested the day after.
When do you suggest i get tested?
All responses would be appreciated. Please help me,
When do you suggest i get tested?
All responses would be appreciated. Please help me,
Additional information, back in Dec 2012, i was treated for gonorrhea. Does that increase my chances? Given the exposure? Pleaee help me!
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