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arc3506
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Reged: 04/29/06
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Dispute over how long to wait 3 months or 2 weeks
#188566 - 04/29/06 05:02 AM
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Hi, its been awhile since I've had to worry about getting tested for HIV. Well, did something stupid and now I'm going to. Can't believe what a dumb *&% I am. My doctor, who is a specialist in infectious diseases, told me that now getting an HIV test after only 2 weeks will yield results that are 99% accurate. I read on these forums that generally people wait 3 months and that is what I've always thought was the standard myself. Who is correct? This doctor is a gay man who serves a largely gay community in New York.
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I have read that there are new generations of the the tests that look for different proten or material of the virus that are present early in the infection. How true that is is unknown to me. But the state of MA uses the test and they state that there testing protcol is conclusive at 6 weeks. But the CDC still suggest 3-6 months. There is alot of information out there that do confict with each other. Ask him what test he is using to confirm the generation. No much help I know, good luck.
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AIDS2HIV
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Legend
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Reged: 12/19/05
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Posts: 2161
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its your personal health, you decide how long to wait, how many tests to take,etc...No one else is gonna have to face the consequences or rewards of your actions. We all have our that we face*
Everyone, (doctors included) are gonna tell ya differently.....maybe because they havent yet found a few hundred-thousand negative people willing to be injected & infected to closely monitor and research the actual affects in human hosts, the numbers are all lab based results, lab born virus, in lab hosts...nothing more* by the time the get anything from an actual positive person they are already past the initial infecting stage, hence an educated GUESS.
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Massachusetts does not use any special test for HIV. They use the regular Elisa test for HIV that is used all over the US. I already checked with them about that.
The CDC states that getting tested 41 days after a potentially risky encounter has a 95% confidence rate.
See this link, go to page 7.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/RR/RR4502.pdf
See another CDC link here.
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pubs/faq/faq9.htm
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I live in MA and we use the same tests everyone else does. the MA Dept of Health says that the test is conclusive at 6 weeks.
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arc3506
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Newbie
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Reged: 04/29/06
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Posts: 3
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True enough, I accept that I will need to deal with the consequences of my actions. I guess, like everyone else on these forums, I would like to know what those consequences are as soon as possible. The person I had my little tryst with last night insisted he did not have HIV and had been tested just 2 1/2 weeks ago. Being the cynical guy that I am, I know that such statements from men you don't know aren't worth much. Nevertheless, it was I who made a dumb choice. It actually perplexes me, because in all other areas of my life I'm such a careful person. On my way over to this guys place, I said to myself not to forget to have him wear a condom, yet when I got there and things got going I just went with it. I wish I could blame it on drugs, but I don't do drugs. I had a few cocktails, but I wasn't drunk. I have to figure why I do these things.
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Don't be so hard on yourself!!! I felt the same way. I'm always careful too, but I think we tell ourselves "just this once" and it feels so good, but regrets always seem to follow.
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Your Doc. would be correct if he is talking about a DNA/PCR or a RNA/PCR test. Real good @` two weeks. The CDC and the so-called gold standard of three months is bolonga!! A 6/8 week test is all you need if you are a normal healthy person.
As far as your friend goes, get his butt down and take a twenty min. test Monday it will ease your mind if he is indeed NEG. If he is not ,you most likely will still be ok for as you know this virus is a weak little bastard thank God for that. DJ
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dj1979
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Guru
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Reged: 03/02/06
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Posts: 276
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Loc: rural upstate NY
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I can only tell you that my tests at 4 weeks after exposure were inconclusive - ELISA positive, Western Blot indeterimate. At 7 weeks post exposure, both were positive. I had ARS at about 2 1/2 weeks post exposure, by the way.
--Donna
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The choice is yours to test at 2 weeks 6 weeks or 13 weeks. why not do all 3 if that makes you feel comfortable. i volunteer at a clinic in florida and we use 13 weeks(3 months) never believe anyone saying there status is especially when it comes to sex.love and peace
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I must agree with a previous post that mentioned that you will have to make the decision on how long to test. I myself have tested at 9 weeks 9negative. Today will make the 12th week. Because I think that I'm experiencing symtoms I going to continue to test until 6 months of symtoms resolve. I have monitored alot of the the postings in on this site and have gather that most responses to testing questions are by mass default. Because someone else said it it must be true. What i have not noted are comments for many individuals who tested positve and can honestly state how long it took for them to test positve. Remember that there is no golden rule to when someone will test positive everyone is different. Be safe.
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SteveR
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Legend
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Reged: 07/19/05
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Posts: 576
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Two weeks seems a little early to me. (But then again, I'm not a doctor.)
The stats I've seen say average time to serconversion is 22 days (three weeks) with three months being the definitive test.
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