Testing

[summerdreams]

hey everyone,

I just wanted to post this because I have been very paranoyed lately...well, I recently saw this show on tv about a girl who got HIV from a bf she trusted but he cheated on her...and now i don't know it has made me very paranoyed since in the past i have been with a partner that had multiple sex partners before me and he said he was tested but i heard there is a special test only for hiv....and i don't know if it was for that. Anyway i don't even talk to him anymore...and now, i'm just a nervous wreck. I want to get a test done just to make sure but it scares the heck out of me...i hate tests and i hate that THAT test determines if you're on your journey to the afterlife............should i only get tested for HIV if i have symptoms??? cuz i have none........or should i just go???? Is there a lot of ppl here that have gotten tested for that?? How does it work....do they call you and tell you over the phone?? how long does it take?????...and when a guy is tested........does that usually mean he is tested for everything???????? or does it just mean that the gyno looked at it....................................................just answer with anything i'm so freaked out since i saw that show.

[jecht]

from what i learn from a movie in school u shouldn't just be worried bout hiv but all other std i'm not trying to scare u but i do recemenned getting test cause it can take awhile before u get symtoms

 

good luck

 

hope u get a good answer

[summerdreams]

what would be some symptoms???

[Amannamederic]

a friend of mine was diagnosed with HIV after a party like 6 months ago

 

this WILL scare you so psych yourself up

 

HIV infection is often mis-diagnosed as the flu

 

Symptoms take a few months to show up but when they do a few common ones are extreme diarrhea, weakness, fatigue (usually extreme almost like mononucleosis) oral thrush (a white coating of the tongue that often looks furry) repeated cold sores on the mouth or genitals. Forgetfulness and loss of coordination, a high fever that sticks for a week or so (usually about 102 degrees) unexplained weight loss, usually 10-20 pounds in a month or so.

 

These are just a few, and while it is impossible to discern the flu from HIV without a test this is the frightening part...

 

My friend had NONE of those symptoms, he got tested 3 months after that party and got his news with no prior symptoms at all.

 

He now takes somewhere close to 50-75 pills a day known as the "cocktail" that just makes him feel like complete crap, however his viral load has reached undetectable levels so he isn't close to developing AIDS

 

In short, symptoms cannot be used to diagnose HIV infection, if you've had sex that you are skepticle about go to a doctor, bite your lip, and do the test. Its called an ELISA test and the results can take anywhere from 2 days to 10 (the most miserable time of your life if your scared of it) if you're positive there are dating services and support groups filled with people that are in the exact same situation and just want to make whats left of their lives ok, it isn't a disease to be stereotyped...its a real problem that only keeps growing and growing, its just sad that i had to learn it all because a friend had one night of fun

 

Good luck, you have no idea how much im pullin for you,

 

-Eric

[Amannamederic]

im sorry, the number of pills a + person must take is actually closer to 20-30 with most of them being pills that counter-act the toxic properties of the base HIV medications.

 

-Eric

[kskm]

link removed

 

 

Yes you should get tested for HIV and all other STD's everytime you change sex partners.

[Empathy]

Ok...now I'm REALLY paranoid. I have to get tested too because of a one time "incident" (if that's what you want to call it ). I still have another 7 or 8 weeks to go. God! This is the most miserable time of my LIFE! I just know it's going to come back positive. I know it!

[summerdreams]

how long should I wait prior to the last time I had sex before getting tested?

and to the last post...........why are you absolutely sure you have it??????

[kskm]

Summerdreams-

 

It doesn't matter how long ago you've had sex- you could have sex three minutes before going to your doctors appointment for all it matters. It is done through blood testing.

[Empathy]

There is something called "the window period". You should wait 3 months after your last sexual encounter to get tested for HIV. For example, if you had unprotected sex a week ago, you could go ahead and get a baseline test to see if it comes back negative or positive. The baseline is just supposed to be done to make sure that you weren't already positive. Then you'll have to wait another 11-12 weeks and take another one. Some say you should get tested again at 6 months since a small number of people will seroconvert (develop antibodies to the virus) late. Most people will seroconvert about 6-8 weeks after initial infection.

[summerdreams]

thanks for the responses.........empathy, why are you sure it'll come back positive for you?

[Empathy]

Because I feel like I would deserve it... That's just one reason. Another being is the guy that took advantage of me has been with around 20 or 30 people. He's had sex with strippers, and ammature porn actresses, and he also told me once, and I quote "Protection isn't that important, all I have to do is the check the girl out and if the witch (with a b) is nasty...then I'll use something."Doesn't seem too promising to me...

[imagi]

I agree abou getting checked every time you switch partners. And if you're really nervous about it, there isn't any harm in being tested just to be sure and calm your nerves down a lot. I know one of my friends gets tested once every six-ten months, but he sleeps around quite a bit.

[Empathy]

Oh, yeah. That's another thing I should add. The guy never gets tested either.

[Amannamederic]

nobody deserves that disease, nobody did anything to warrant catching that disease and it doesn't only infect people who have had sex, it doesn't discriminate.

 

Your weird ex-lover certainly has an interesting way of looking at sex but hey, id been with a girl who used to sneak out and give random college guys blowjobs and have sex with them because of some complex she developed from her dad touching her intimatley (only found out AFTER we had completed the act...thank you very much for tellin me!)

 

I was scared to death, thought i had all the symptoms, i got tested because i thought i might as well get my life over with since i deserved to die and it came back negative at 4 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks.

 

Funny thing is with my mindset, i didn't care about dieing in the least, i thought dieing was too good for me, i only worried that id possibly infected other people and that would make me a murderer.

 

This paranoia went on a little bit after i got tested even though i was gaurenteed negative, so if that happens to you just calm down, stare at that little piece of paper until it hits ya that you have nothing to worry about...then jump online and find as much info on safe sex as you can

 

-Eric

[summerdreams]

so it's a little paper that they give you???/ do they call you in to come and get it???

[RayKay]

so it's a little paper that they give you???/ do they call you in to come and get it???

 

Most places require that you come in to see them to discuss the test results - positive or negative, as they will also load you up with information in either scenario.

[Empathy]

Amannamederic, if you don't mind telling me, did your friend have a heterosexual encounter? I have a reason for asking. I'll gladly explain if you want.

[Amannamederic]

yep he did it was completely straight, i know that heterosexual males are on the low-end of the transmission percentage but he got it anyway...

 

The only theory i could ever offer for that was that the semen just sits inside a woman, thereforeeee the virus has all the time in the world to absorb through the walls, same with gay men.

 

However i am curious as to what your reasoning was so lay it on me!

 

-Eric

[Empathy]

You pretty much hit it dead on...Now I'm really scared.