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VDRL Positive TPHA Negative

I had unprotected sex and got tested around 3 weeks later. I had VDRL Positive (neat/weakly reactive) and TPHA negative. Dr. prescribed me cifran-d 1g for 15 days. Went back and got tested again for VDRL and it was the same result as before. Also, I had taken TDPA and Flu immunization shots around the time I had unprotected sex. I'm very concerned that as TPHA was negative, I don't have syphilis, but as VDRL is weakly reactive I might have something else, like HIV. I did get tested for HIV around that 3 week period and it was negative/non-reactive, but I don't know if that counts as people are telling me I have to wait for around 3-6 months. I don't know what to do and am very mentally stressed out. PS: I had HEP B immunization in 2003, and I've been told that I'm immune to HEP A based on where I grew up and blood tests.
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101028 tn?1419603004
I'd go back for additional urine testing and also a manual exam of your prostate.
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Avatar universal
Thank you, both. It's been about 40-45 days since the encounter. I went back to a DIFFERENT lab and go retested for HIV, VDRL, and TPHA. This time, everything came negative, which is a big relief. As advised, I will retest HIV in 3 months time and believe that should be it. I do have a nagging feeling that how is that one lab shows negative reaction for VDRL but another shows weakly positive (neat).

Grace, I also had burning/uncomfortable feeling after peeing and sometimes during the day. There is also a single tiny white papule on my penis, which doesn't pop or anything. I think the antibiotics were prescribed for that, but that symptom still exists. At this point, I am not taking an medicine, except that the dr has prescribed a cream to apply and drink a lot of fluids. I think he was a bit surprised that the uncomfortableness did not go despite taking the antibiotics. As you can imagine, I kept thinking these were all related to the positive VDRL test as well. Plan right now is to apply cream, drink fluids for 1-2 weeks and hope the uncomfortableness and papule disappear, and retest for HIV in the 3 month period. Any other opinion will be really appreciated.
Helpful - 0
101028 tn?1419603004
not sure why you were put on oral antibiotics for your test results. did you have something else going on?

the vdrl being falsely positive is a frequent issue which is why we always follow up to confirm with additional testing. really no reason to think that a positive vdrl means you had to have contracted something else from the encounter!!

follow up with full std testing at the proper times. when to test for what is listed in our read before posting post on the forum.

grace
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Avatar universal
I'm not really sure what you are looking for. I can give you testing times but your not clear on what you want.
Syphilis-6 weeks
HIV-3 months
Helpful - 0
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