I went to see an HIV doc w/25 years exp. I was told that you must test out 12 months, that is what is reccommend in the medical field. Why do you say 6 months is for sure? She told me that there have been cases of people that have turned pos after 6 months. Can you tell me other than the people that have gotten stuck by a needle such as yourself, as well as others that have gotten the virus this way,which you would have known the exact date, what kind of medical testing have they done to be so sure of the window period? Since most people really had no idea when they were infected or that they even had the virus. I told her that my exposure was high risk and that I had had the pcr qual at day22, as well as testing all the way out 6 months. She said that was not enough. I feel like the cases that someone took longer than 6 months to show pos, are the cases in which someone knew the exact date they had been exposed, and the cases that the cdc has of those such as the one nurse stuck by a needle took her 18 months to turn pos. I just really wanted to know if you feel if the cdc really know when you are really in the clear. How long did it take for you to test antibody pos? If you don't mind me asking. And, in your expierence have you ever known someone to take longer than 6 months? Please answer this question has not been asked, i don't think. I felt kind of ok, but have really bas symptoms, that I was in the clear, don't really feel to good about the news I got yesterday. Coming from the state of Ohio, you know we have goon docs here, so I'm sure she didn't say that for no reason. Please respond.

All physicians, including HIV/AIDS specialists, give their opinions and advice based on their interpretation of the medical literature and information available. Certainly extremely rare things happen extremely rarely. That's why we call them "extremely rare things"! For instance, when walking in a rain storm, a person could get zapped by a lightening bolt or squished by a falling asteroid, but these events would be "extremely rare." Using today's HIV testing techniques, testing positive after testing repeatedly negative out to six months, including a negative qualitative PCR at 22 days, would be, in my opinion, an extremely, extremely rare event. (I have never personally seen such a case.) Personally, I would consider you to be definitively HIV negative and advise no further HIV testing is warranted. However, as always, the choice to have a follow-up HIV test is always yours. I cannot offer an explanation as to why your physician recommended extended follow-up testing. I can tell you that currently published guidelines and the very vast majority of HIV/AIDS physician specialists would agree with my recommendation.

So whether your doctor is a "goon doc" or not, I can't say. But I do think she's being perhaps over cautious. How does she feel about rainstorms and asteroids?

Good luck.

Dr. Bob