Blood test distinction...

[Jemahi]

I have OCD. Therefore, any circumstance or "fear" I stick to mentally, becomes obbsessive and distructive. One of my inner demons is an undying fear of HIV. I developed pain in the vaginal area about 6 years ago. I underwent every test in the book. I was diagnosed with HPV, treated, and still suffer from it from time to time. However, I am past that...I continued to have pain that the doctors did not believe was the HPV. I has several HSV blood test that came back negative, then finally one day I had 2 tiny red bumps that tested positive for HSV in a culture test. The test was not type specific. It took a long time to get over that, but I did. Before I got pregnant with my first daughter I really hit a bout of OCD. I became terrified of HIV. I had 4 test in a year (all negative), then 4 more over the course of the next year, one during my pregnancy (all negative). I was concerned about the HPV and HSV so I asked my doctor to test for the HSV again, considering I had had like 6 negative blood tests for HSV and one positive culture. He said if the culture is positive, then you have HSV.

So here goes, 2 years later...I still wonder...How come when you test for HIV you use a blood test that looks for antibodies and when you test for HSV you use a blood test that tests for antibodies...however, I have HSV with negative blood tests, but I do not have HIV because my tests were negative. How do I know that I can trust the HIV tests to be true? And how come the HSV blood tests didn't detect the antibodies to the virus? I had the HSV test done over the course of a year, so the virus had plenty of time to develop and exist. I just worry that perhaps I cannot trust the accuracy of HIV test.

All I really want to know is that I CAN trust the 8 HIV blood test that I have had, rapid and vein draw, and that there is no such thing as having HIV with no antibodies, over a period of time this long ( I know about the window period).

Thanks

[gracefromHHP]

to have that many hiv tests done and to be actually positive would be very rare. It's time to stop worrying about hiv from your college days.  Continuing to test for it is just adding to your ocd about it all.

are you sure your hsv culture was hsv2+  or just hsv+ and assumed hsv2?

grace

[Jemahi]

I have had several. I was at one time with a lot of different partners in college. I think when I finally met someone, settled down and new those crazy days were behind me...I started to realize the risks I had taken and the possible consequences. I have been with my husband since 03. Most of my test has occurred since we have been together.

I have had:

06/02 HSV 1&2 IGG Herpes simplex type 1     0.35
                              Herpes simplex type 2     0.10

10/03 HSV II IgG, Type Spec       Result  0.1

03/05 HSV I/II IgG     6.6 H index, also HSV culture without typing, just says POSITIVE

4/06 HSV 1 and 2-specific Ab, IgG and HSV IgM I/II combination... reported negative, I don't have the results.

So, all my tests were negative except the 03/05 culture? That is what is wierd. It just seems if I have it, at some point through all this testing it would have shown up in the blood tests and it didn't.

These tests are what caused me to be so afraid of HIV. Once I went through all this testing (I did all the testing bc I have chronic pain on the right side of the vaginal wall) I thought the test would be clear and give me a diagnosis. I never thought they would be inconsistent. Once they were, I thought what else could I have that I don't know I have and I went and got a rapid HIV test...then another, another...a vein draw...so far, all negative. But I am so scared that I can't trust the reliability of these tests because of my experience.

Could you have HIV for more than a 3 month period or 6 month period and the tests for HIV not detect the antibodies?

Any clarity?

[gracefromHHP]

It's your ocd that is the issue here, not the testing you are having done.  Do you have a therapist for that?

Why all the testing? Have you had new partners that many times? Are you having unprotected sex with all of them? Are they high risk? ARe you high risk?

I'm not sure what testing has been done on you with the blood tests to comment on your last test results. There is a small percentage of folks who the tests we currently use won't test + consistantly for herpes on them.  You might be one of them. No reason to suspect that your hiv test results would fall into the same category though.  

grace