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Testing Results
Dear Doctors,
I am writing in hopes of closing this chapter as it has been a long six months to say the least. I have gone the distance in terms of antibody testing, testing more than 17 times over the last six months. In short, I had a DNA PCR done at 20 days, 2 Blood Drawn Elisa's (3rd Gen Through Labcorp) done at week 3 and week 13 respectively, and 14 rapid tests done out to 26 weeks / 182 Days. All the test results were negative.
The reason for the excessive testing is simply because virtually every time I get comfort around my negative status, some annoying symptom shows up that brings me back to being concerned. Over the last month or so, I have had repeated canker sores that do not seem to go away. My exposure was six seconds of unprotected oral sex from a CSW, something i have never done before, and something I deeply regret. I came to my senses and stopped the act.
Is my testing 100% final at this point? I desperately need to move on, however the strange set of symptoms over the last six months keep bringing me back to this awful place of being concerned about HIV. I have read that testing trumps symptoms, and I wondered if at this point my testing would in fact "trump" my symptoms? I have also read that six months does give you the "absolute" level of conclusivity, but I have also read "rarely" people take longer than six months. It is also worthy of note that through this process I was diagnosed with a moderate IGA difficiency, but normal IGG and IGM.
Any insight you can lend would be warmly appreciated and desperately needed.
Thank you -
I am writing in hopes of closing this chapter as it has been a long six months to say the least. I have gone the distance in terms of antibody testing, testing more than 17 times over the last six months. In short, I had a DNA PCR done at 20 days, 2 Blood Drawn Elisa's (3rd Gen Through Labcorp) done at week 3 and week 13 respectively, and 14 rapid tests done out to 26 weeks / 182 Days. All the test results were negative.
The reason for the excessive testing is simply because virtually every time I get comfort around my negative status, some annoying symptom shows up that brings me back to being concerned. Over the last month or so, I have had repeated canker sores that do not seem to go away. My exposure was six seconds of unprotected oral sex from a CSW, something i have never done before, and something I deeply regret. I came to my senses and stopped the act.
Is my testing 100% final at this point? I desperately need to move on, however the strange set of symptoms over the last six months keep bringing me back to this awful place of being concerned about HIV. I have read that testing trumps symptoms, and I wondered if at this point my testing would in fact "trump" my symptoms? I have also read that six months does give you the "absolute" level of conclusivity, but I have also read "rarely" people take longer than six months. It is also worthy of note that through this process I was diagnosed with a moderate IGA difficiency, but normal IGG and IGM.
Any insight you can lend would be warmly appreciated and desperately needed.
Thank you -
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You're asking me to repeat what I already said, in different words. I haven't changed my mind. You should never have stopped being sexually active on account of the exposure described.
Thanks Doctor for how precise an answer you gave. I have not had any other exposures outside of what was mentioned (six seconds of insertive oral).... So I can resume being sexually active and completely be assured that I am HIV Negative right?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
That was a zero risk exposure, for all practical purposes. HIV is very rarely if ever transmitted by oral sex (from the oral to genital partner). You can use the search link and enter "oral sex" or "fellatio" for innumerable discussions about it. No testing was required at all, if that was your only risk.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum.
You have worried excessively and without reason. Your compulsive testing needs to stop. Test results ALWAYS overrule symptoms and exposure history, as long as testing is suffiiently long after the last possible exposure. The negative PCR test at 20 days and negative antibody test at 3 months provved without doubt that you were not infected. No matter what symptoms you had or may have in the future, they can be ignored in relation to HIV.
As for reading that testing occasionally takes 6 months or more, that's an urban myth, especially with the current, routine tests in regular use. It might have been a rare problem in the old days of HIV antibody test, i.e. more than 15 years ago. But not now. Also, such delayed testing only applied to the antibody tests. The combination of negative antibody plus negative viral testing (PCR and/or p24 antigen) resolves any residual concern about this issue.
So it is time to stop testing and stop worrying about HIV. It is impossible you are infected (assuming no more recent exposure.)
Regards-- HHH, MD
You have worried excessively and without reason. Your compulsive testing needs to stop. Test results ALWAYS overrule symptoms and exposure history, as long as testing is suffiiently long after the last possible exposure. The negative PCR test at 20 days and negative antibody test at 3 months provved without doubt that you were not infected. No matter what symptoms you had or may have in the future, they can be ignored in relation to HIV.
As for reading that testing occasionally takes 6 months or more, that's an urban myth, especially with the current, routine tests in regular use. It might have been a rare problem in the old days of HIV antibody test, i.e. more than 15 years ago. But not now. Also, such delayed testing only applied to the antibody tests. The combination of negative antibody plus negative viral testing (PCR and/or p24 antigen) resolves any residual concern about this issue.
So it is time to stop testing and stop worrying about HIV. It is impossible you are infected (assuming no more recent exposure.)
Regards-- HHH, MD
Not sure if this makes a big difference but the insertive oral sex referenced above, was me receiving a blowjob - not sure if that makes a huge difference or not....
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