Hello Dr Bob

Hey doc just a few questions for you. Not satisfied with my results I went to get a second opinion. 14 weeks post exposure I've developed new a new symptom swollen lypmph nodes in neck 3 of them. Confirmed by Doctor. He ran a cbc and hiv 1/o/2. Hiv negative and now my absolute lymphocytes are at 1500. I showed him all may cbc for the last two years and he said that it is alarming. He said I don't just have a cough or pains or sweats that can be related to strees. He says you have real symptoms that are very consistent with hiv. Now he says I need to test out to 6 months. He said that non b subtypes are becoming more common and that I can't rely on the pcr. And he said that my cd4 count of 850 is low and that it should be above 1000.

Now for my questions

1. When you say 3 months is conclusive how do you know that person isn't the 3% that takes 6 months.

2. The ladies hiv status was unknown but lets just say she was positive would you tell me it was not looking good.

3. If I were your patiant would what would you do, would you be concerned of hiv.

4. My monocytes and white blood cells went up at 8 weeks and at 11 weeks on they went down and then lymphocytes started going down, I read on Dr. Holidneys forum that he would expect monocytes and white blood cells to go up and then lymphocytes to go down. Is this correct.

P.s I tested negative for everything under the sun, the doctor thinks I have a low titer infection and that's why my symptoms are mild to moderate and spaced out and I didn't get slamed with symptoms at once. Your insight please im scared to death.

Thank you

Hello,

You were "not satisfied" with your negative results???? Would you have been happier if you were told you had a terminal viral infection????

My assessment remains unchanged: "HIV is not your problem. No way. No how. No additional HIV tests are warranted or recommended."

You can get as many second opinions as you wish and continue to take unnecessary HIV tests, but it won't change the reality of your situation. You are HIV negative, whether or not you choose to accept that fact. Stop chasing an illness you do not have! I totally disagree with the assessment of your most recent doctor. Your CD4 count is perfectly normal. Your repeatedly negative HIV tests are conclusive. You do not have a "low titer infection!"

Dr. Bob

RE Big mistake in san fran.. WHO HOO able??? Oct 30, 2009

Hello Dr Bob

Thank you for answering previous question it brought me great relief. I have another question for you. My gp seems to be convinced that im infected with hiv considering my risk and my symptoms. So I went to see an infectious disease specialists her specialty was hiv. She ran several tests on me at 11.5 weeks. Cd4 was 850. Cbc normal, monocytes back down to 598, Wierd. Hiv rna non detected. She orderd a western blot because she said if my symptoms were from hiv then there's no reason why the 10 weeks antibody and rna test should be negative. So she said the western blot will sort out strains not covered by the Rna and antibody tests. Which also came back negative. Antibody negative. Now she said I am not infected and I can rest assured that my symptoms are from something else. But I am terrified that I am going to hurt someone else as my viral exhanthem and painful white tongue persist. Doc am I who hoo able. Or can I have a crf or somerhing that will make my window period longer because she was a sex worker and from vietnam crf a/e. Hopefully I hear from you soon thanks a lot Dr. Bob and if you could please post your charity link in your reply I would like to make a donation. Thanks

Response from Dr. Frascino

Hello,

Your general practitioner is unquestionably wrong. I agree with the infectious disease specialist. You are absolutely "WOO-HOO-able." HIV is not your problem. No way. No how. No additional HIV tests are warranted or recommended. Should you be concerned about "CRF a/e?" No, absolutely not. I don't agree with some of the logic used by your infectious disease specialist (for instance ordering an isolated Western Blot to "sort out strains not covered by the RNA and antibody tests"), but I certainly agree with her conclusion: You are conclusively HIV negative. Unfortunately, I cannot diagnose the cause of your symptoms over the Internet. However, I can with great certainly advise you what's not causing them: it's not HIV.

Thank you for your interest in The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation. The foundation's Web site is www.concertedeffort.org.

Be well. Stop worrying. Start WOO-HOO-ing!

Dr. Bob

HIV Testing. Big mistake in San Fran Oct 18, 2009

Hello Dr Bob.

Hi im an east coast idiot who got alittle to excited in Cali and visited an asian mesage parlor and only possibly got hiv out of the 140 dollar experience. My question for you Dr. Bob is I had protected vaginal intercourse with the lady but somehow contracted chlamydia. The condom didn't look broken but I didn't investigate to hard as I made a b line for her shower and used her bar of soap to clean my tally wacker. Another mistake. So 5 weeks later I developed small pink dot on my abdoman. 6 weeks later my tongue began to burn and taste like metal. 8 weeks post I went to the gp he diagnosed me with a viral exanthem on abdoman maculopapular. And a yeast problem of the tongue with unknown causes. My blood work was norma except absolute monocytes were high 998. Hiv 1/2 and all other stds negative. So my main question is if my symptoms developed at 6 weeks would the hiv antibody and rna test I took at 10 weeks be positive if those symptoms were indeed from hiv. I will be getting my final 3 month test in 2 weeks. I just would really like your insight please. I can't wait to hear from you and I think you are a really cool down to earth guy. Thank you

Response from Dr. Frascino

Hi,

An Asian "mesage" parlor? Hmm. OK, if you say so.

Protected sex is indeed protected, assuming you used the latex or polyurethane condom properly and it did not break.

Chlamydia is much easier to contract than HIV.

A negative HIV-antibody test plus an undetectable quantitative HIV plasma RNA viral load test are strongly indicative that you are HIV negative. I'm extremely confident your definitive three-month HIV-antibody test will also be negative.

Good luck.

Dr. Bob