ok so i been trying to get a exact clear answer form multiple nurses and drs and they only thing they keep saying is retest in 6 months. i keep asking when i can have sex again and they didnt give me a answer, a shoulder shrug and a 6 months i guess, is what i got. one person said call the cdc. i tried that and coul not undertand the broken language the people were speaking. one person hung up on me after waiting 10 minutes i said hello, and then click.
ok so here we go
jan - had sex
feb - got a sore
march - got tested
march results
rpr screen - reactive
syphilis total w reflex - reactive
i know this means i had syphilis at that point. but i do not understand the difference between what a rpr test does, and what a syphilis total w reflex does?
when i google search them, it seems both tests search for antibodies?
and so thats why they said retest in 6 months. but that concerned me waiting so long because you can have antibodies for life. so i could wait 6 months avoiding women and still test reactive essentially. as this happened they gave me 2 weeks of 500mg doxycycline.
i took the 2 weeks of doxy, and a week after i had a dermatologist appointment. while there i asked if i could get rechecked. i said im aware that the test may put out a false positive because of antibodies (i think). but will it put out a false negative? she said good question, i suppose we can test again and see what comes up.
so we tested again and this was the results
syphilis total w reflex - reactive
treponema pallidum ab, igg - positive
RPR - Non reactive
after that i had a dr appointment for a allergy shot so i then asked again to explain my results. they basically didnt tell me anything but keep retesting and said i took so much doxy it should be gone. the dermatologist said i was on the right path. this sounds good, but im being over cautious because not just because i want sex, but most importantly i dont want to give this to anyone.
i do not understand what those 3 tests look for. sinc my RPR is negative am i cured? and the syphilis w reflex and the treponema pallidum ab, igg going to just be reactive and positive possibly for life?
do the second 2 tests being positive mean that i have the antibodies so i "had" syphilis. and the RPR test is the icebreaker that tells me if i "have" it currently?
i know thats alot but im trying to be specific as possible. this has been driving me insane since february. the fact you have to wait 6 months for a retest that can come back as false positive in todays medicine and just not know for sure if you still have it and not have a more simple answer is a bit mind blowing. the way they make it seem is dont have sex for 6 months, get tested (but they dont tell you it will prob be false positive or reactive still) test in another 6 months. and before you know it you havent had sex in 2 years and youve been locked in your room writing on the walls lol