Negative at 29 days; should I take the PCR test?

[sweetfunkystuff]

Hey, y'all.

I know that there are knowledgeable people here, so I'm sure that you folks can help me out.

On July 17th, I bottomed for a man who wore a condom.  When we were finished, he didn't stick around (not that I expected him to, since we were in a bathhouse), leaving the room quickly, so I didn't get a chance to perform my usual visual inspection of the condom to make sure that all was well.  You know--that it didn't break or anything like that.  I wasn't overly concerned about this, though.  (He also said that hadn't ejaculated, but heck, men say a lot of things.)

A couple of weeks later, I began to develop symptoms--pain all over my body, fatigue (well, more fatigue than I'm used to, given my grueling schedule), and minor sore throat (if it's relevant, I do smoke).  These symptoms lasted for approximately a week and a half.  There was no rash, fever, or, as far as I could tell, swollen lymph nodes.  As you might imagine, I thought back to my not having a chance to inspect the dude's condom, and I became concerned that I might be experiencing seroconversion.  (Oh, in case this is relevant, I have type 2 diabetes.)

I didn't want to wait for the three-month window period before being tested, so I got tested at 29 days post-incident (at my university's health center; they drew blood and ran the test in their lab).  The test came back non-reactive.

The counselor told me that I am more than likely negative, but that if I still felt anxious, he could arrrange for me to have a PCR test.  I agreed to see how I felt after a few days and then to let him know.

My question to you out there:  At 29 days out, how likely is it that a non-reactive result is true and accurate?  I mean, should I take the PCR test, or do you think that I'm fine and should wait out the rest of the window period?

I would appreciate any information that you can give me.  Thank you very much.

[sweetfunkystuff]

Thanks for responding, Teak.  Yours is one of the names that I'm familiar with in this forum, so I appreciate it.

I am aware that 29 days is not conclusive, but I've heard so much about most people developing detectable anti-bodies within 20-some-odd days, and I'm not sure what that's all about, and I guess I was trying to obtain more definitive information (if it exists) before deciding whether or not I ought to take the PCR test.

I'm feeling more and more as if I should have this test done.  Best-case scenario:  It's negative, and I can know for certain.  Worst-case scenario:  It's positive, and I can immediately see an ID doctor and find out where I am exactly and what my options are.

I hate this.

[RainLover71]

Like i said if you have any doubts then test at 3 months post-exposure for peace of mind,your the only person who know what happened and what didn,t happen.It,s up to you.

[sweetfunkystuff]

Thanks for your response, and thank you so much for your well wishes.

I understand what you're saying, but my thing is this:  Given (a) that I developed these symptoms a couple of weeks after I bottomed (during the timeframe within which someone infected with HIV would develop symptoms), and (b) that I didn't have a chance to inspect the condom post-activity (no matter what the guy said about not having ejaculated), and (c) that we know that condoms do sometimes break, I can't help but be concerned that my situation is not so no-risk (or even low-risk).

[Teak]

Had you had a risk 29 days is not conclusive.

[RainLover71]

You never had a risk and never required any testing.Protection was used and it didn,t fail you.Non-reactive means negative,so thats even more proof that your safe, a negative test result.We do not advise testing for no risk situations but alot of people test anyway just for peace of mind and to reduce stress levels.At 3 months post-exposure you will receive a conclusive result.All the best.