Extremely worried, please respond ASAP
One month back, I had a sex encounter with a sex worker in Germany. It was mainly unprotected Oral sex and handjob. During the sex I was heavily drunk. The next day I saw some dried blood in my genital area and I suspect maybe her hand was bleeding. I started to have symptoms such as mouth ulcers, fatigue, knee and muscle pains and lots of pimples all over my body one week after the exposure. I got a test yesterday and the results was as follows ( I do not know about the generation of this test, please let me know which type of test this is)
ELISA
---------
HIV 1/2/O Ag/Ab Negative
Which was negative. Please let me know about my risks of my exposure and also the generation of the test that I had. This test was taken 31 days after the exposure. When should I take the next test. I am extremely worried and my whole life has been ruined.
Hi there,
Thank you for posting on www.aidsvancouver.org for your source of HIV/AIDS related information.
Handjobs (or any non-insertive masterbation) is considered no risk for HIV transmission. Recieveing oral sex is considered negligible risk for HIV transmission because there has never been a reported or confirmed case of transmission this way & because saliva is not a fluid that can transmit HIV. Giving unprotected oral sex considered to have a potential but low risk for HIV transmission because it is an unlikely way for HIV to enter the blood stream because saliva actually contains an enzyme which inhibits HIV from entering into a person's cells. If HIV can't get into the cells in your blood, then it actually dies off in the plasma.
Symptoms are unreliable and we cannot diagnose an HIV infection from symptoms. The only way to know your status is to get tested & its great to hear that you did that! According to international standards, most HIV tests will bring you accurate results after a standardized 4 weeks to 3 months window period. For 4th Generation tests, like the one you had (Ag/ab), test results at 30 days are actually quite accurate. This is because it is a combonation test that actually looks for both antibodies and antigens at the same time. P24 antigens (ag) are acutally detectable in your blood immediately after infection and are in high concentrations for the first few weeks post infection (approx 3-4 weeks). Typically, a person develops antibodies to fight an HIV infection in 21-25 days so getting this test run at 30 days (4 weeks) is a good indicator of your status.
While several HIV specialists and doctors agree that a 4th Generation test is conclusive at 6 weeks, international testing guidelines recommend re-testing at 12 weeks to confirm your status. If you have tested negative with this test at just over 4 weeks, it is a good indicator but it might be a good idea to re-test at 6 or 12 weeks.
In the meantime, please try to avoid using your symptoms as indicators- they are not and can not be used to tell you what your status is but that test result can.
Please feel free to ask us if you have more questions.
Tina
AIDS Vancouver Helpline Volunteer
604.696.4666, Monday-Friday 9am-4pm
helpline@aidsvancouver.org
Disclaimer
The AIDS Vancouver Helpline is a volunteer-driven information, referral and support service related to HIV and sexual health. Volunteers are trained in active listening, HIV and sexual health information, and local resources and services. Volunteers are not doctors, nurses, or other licensed professionals. Volunteers do not give advice, and strive to provide service-users with adequate information and appropriate referrals.
Helpline volunteers uphold the agency’s confidentiality and privacy policies. Your calls, forum posts, and emails are anonymous. We welcome you to use a pseudonym or “fake name” when using Helpline services. We will not ask for or track your personal information. To ensure that the Helpline program is providing quality services, the Helpline Coordinator regularly monitors online content (forum posts and emails) and supervises volunteers who are receiving calls.
The Helpline Program should not be used in replacement of medical examination, diagnosis, advice counseling or follow-up care. We strongly recommend routine testing (HIV and STI tests) and discussing your healthcare directly with a physician.
We would love to hear from you! If you have feedback or questions related to the operations of the Helpline, please contact David at helpline@aidsvancouver.org or by calling 604.696.4666.
Add new comment