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Ask the Experts about Mixed-HIV-Status Couples
a painful problem
Apr 11, 2003
DEAR MR.Robert H. Remien,
I AM LINDA AND I AM A CHINESE GIRL.PLS TAKE YOUR A MOMENT.
I WANT TO KNOW IF THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT SOMEONE NEED ONE YEAR TO DEVELOP ENOUGH HIV ANTIBODY TO BE TESTED? IF SOMEONE IS VERY STRONG,THEN HER WINDOW PERIOD OF HIV TEST WILL BE MORE LONG(NEED 1-2 YEAR)?
I HAD AN UNPROTECTED SEX IN AUGUST LAST YEAR,AFTER THAT I FEAR VERY MUCH AND HAVE NOT ANY SEX WITH ANYBODY UNTILL NOW,AND I DID HIV TEST FOR 3 TIMES,THE LATEST ONE WAS ON 15TH,MARCH THIS YEAR,ALL RESULTS ARE NEGATIVE.BUT IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR I STILL HAVE SYMPTOMS RELATED HIV INFECTION,SUCH AS SORE THROAT,HEART BEAT FAST,RED RASH ON LEG SKIN,AND ETC.THE LATEST TEST IS ON 15TH OF MARCH THIS YEAR,AND IT HAS BEEN NEARLY 7 MONTHS AWAY FROM THAT UNPROTECTED SEX,THEN THE RESULT IS SOME EXACT,BUT HOW TO EXPLAIN MY SYMPTOMS?
DEAR DOCTOR,PLS GIVE ME ADVICE ABOUT MY PROBLEM,DO YOU THINK IF I NEED DO HIV TEST AGAIN? IN FACT I THINK SO. YOUR REPLY WILL BE VERY APPRECIATED,THANK YOU,
LINDA FROM CHINA
Response from Dr. Remien
While I am not a medical doctor, I do not think that you need to be tested again. The symptoms that you had in December could have been from a large number of conditions. It is extremely unlikely that you could be infected with HIV and not have tested antibody positive within the time frame you are talking about. While it is understandable to feel anxious about these things, you need to trust the medical professionals that have given you the tests.
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