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nursegirl i need your help please
Nursegirl please help me..no one is answering me properly....please i will be very greatful to you....after my hiv exposure on 13th june....i have got really fed up of muscle and joint pains all over my body from last 2 months....I know u guys will tell you its because of stress and anxiety....but i have done blood tests in which my esr and crp values are very high it means i got inflammation in my joints and muscles due to infection...Pain is constant in all joints and muscles of my body :(..persistent pain 24 hours....m.really fed up of this pain..i havent slept from last 2 months....i have tested for hiv after 6 weeks by 4th gen elisa..then i had done my hiv 1 proviral dna pcr test after 47 days..it came back negative at less than 100 copies per ml..i again did elisa test after 63 days it came back negative..i wanna ask that do muscle and joint pain with hiv initial infection lasts this long?Is there any connection between hiv infection and arthralgia...and any other stds cause this much of chronic muscle and joint pain?in my 27 years i have never experienced this kindof pain.... :(..m a sports person and now i cant even do my daily activities properly....i m sead sure this arthralgia pai. Started after my sexual exposure with that street prostitute..
Thanks nursegirl for the advice..but my symptoms are real very painful..i have even talked my dad about it..and m sure the symptoms i am having are not anxiety or stress related....i have not slept because of this pain from last 2 months :(..i have taken so many pain killers loadz of antibiotics anti inflammatorz but none worked so far :(..have u looked at the above link i pasted about rheumatology and hiv infection?this pain is 24 hrz constant..m sure anxiety or stress will not cause persistent pain....and i was hospitalized for 2 months last year as i have gotten severe pancreatitis my bile duct got blocked got pus and all....that time i was Given very high dosed steroids and antibiotics for 2 months..and after that i am continuing my medicines till now.i again did my surgery this month for my gall bladder removal after exposure..my previous surgery and hospitalisation and current surgery can delay my test results?as my immune system must be highly compromised right?do i have to test at 6 months for that?and that csw had many african and arab clients..m worried if that girl would b having hiv2 or any rare strain which isnt detectable in my tests?m sorry for long msg but i truely believe that u ll give me percect advice and i rrspect u..
Seriously. Stop wasting your life away over nothing. You're fine. You are wasting your life away. Everyday we have is a gift and you're destroying that by having anxiety over nothing. First off. You never had a risk. Second. Tests proved you're fine. Move forward and focus on getting help with your anxiety. I have anxiety as well. It's awful, once I focused on beating my anxiety it got better. I still get anxiety but I am MUCH BETTER. You'll get there too.
But nursegirl my condom was expired and ultra thin..m sure it must have been broken or wont been effective thats y m facing such horrible pains :(..i thought atleast u will listen to me and help me out
This is an anxiety forum, we're not going to keep discussing HIV, especially since you never even had a risk to begin with:
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/HIV-Prevention/scared-with-consistent-symptoms/show/2266035#post_10899297
We'll be glad to help you discuss ways to decrease your anxiety.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/HIV-Prevention/scared-with-consistent-symptoms/show/2266035#post_10899297
We'll be glad to help you discuss ways to decrease your anxiety.
Nursegirl you are experienced in this field..have u came across any person with hiv or any other stds experiencing persistent joint and muscle pain from this long after exposure?and m worried about rare strain and hiv2 because that sexworker got many african nd nigerian clients also..as i live in arab country there are loadz of africans over here..is there any other virus which is unheard of till now and causing this much of pain after sexual exposure?
Thanx for the reply brother....if m all clear then y my arthritic pain all over my body still isnt going :(..is there any unknown std virus that hasnt been in lights yet?my pain is real...it is constant..it is not like coming and going...from more then 65 days its constant 24x7....that is what freaks me out....pain killer sleeping pills nothing are working :(
The pcr test for hiv 1 is conclusive after 15 days as they say,so your pcr combined with your negative antibody test its conclusive.At 9 as the doctors on the experts forum here say...99.99% of the tests will be conclusive.On top of that as the statistics say hiv 2 can be found only in aftica..and it is rare too.But 9 weeks antibody test is for hiv 1 and 2.So you are free to go.Don't let your self panic over something like this.The real problem is to clear the doubts in your mind.
Thank you nursegirl for advicing....how are my tests conclusive?i havent crossed 13th week mark yet.... i have tested at 6th week mark and 9th week along with hiv1 dna pcr on day 47th......are these conclusive or i have to test finally at 3 months?
.if according to you its not hiv than is there any other std which can cause this much of joint and muscle inflammation? No, not indicative of any STD
and what about my surgeries and my 2 months hospitalisation?wont it affect my test result? Not at all.
i was given very high dosed steroids and antibiotics....will my immune system be producing enough antibodies? Yes, your system would have produced enough detectable antibodies to test +.
":(....he said this seems some kindof rheumatic disease....m freaked out now....what to do nursegirl :'(..m literally crying....i wish my seroxonversion doesnt take long time or my body Isnt producing antibodies because of my low immune system because of my severe pancreatitis and other surgery?m stumped really :( "
You're stumped because you have tunnel vision about HIV. There's no other way I can say it....you have tested conclusively negative. If you were infected, your HIV tests would have been +. I'm not sure what kind of doctor you saw, but I would wonder about his knowledge regarding HIV. He should know that it's not a concern for you. He should be looking into other possibilities.
The only other thing I can tell you is that you need to start addressing your anxiety with a professional. Whatever medical issues you're having aside, your anxiety is off the charts and needs dealt with.
and what about my surgeries and my 2 months hospitalisation?wont it affect my test result? Not at all.
i was given very high dosed steroids and antibiotics....will my immune system be producing enough antibodies? Yes, your system would have produced enough detectable antibodies to test +.
":(....he said this seems some kindof rheumatic disease....m freaked out now....what to do nursegirl :'(..m literally crying....i wish my seroxonversion doesnt take long time or my body Isnt producing antibodies because of my low immune system because of my severe pancreatitis and other surgery?m stumped really :( "
You're stumped because you have tunnel vision about HIV. There's no other way I can say it....you have tested conclusively negative. If you were infected, your HIV tests would have been +. I'm not sure what kind of doctor you saw, but I would wonder about his knowledge regarding HIV. He should know that it's not a concern for you. He should be looking into other possibilities.
The only other thing I can tell you is that you need to start addressing your anxiety with a professional. Whatever medical issues you're having aside, your anxiety is off the charts and needs dealt with.
Hey nursegirl i showed one diff and ezperienced doc right now..he saw my hands knees everything..he listened carefully..he told me that mild swelling is there in fingers and swelling is also there in knees..he asked me that have i done my hiv test ?i told yes....he told me to do it again :(....he said this seems some kindof rheumatic disease....m freaked out now....what to do nursegirl :'(..m literally crying....i wish my seroxonversion doesnt take long time or my body Isnt producing antibodies because of my low immune system because of my severe pancreatitis and other surgery?m stumped really :(
My docs arent able to findout which infection is causing me this much of chronic pain..if according to you its not hiv than is there any other std which can cause this much of joint and muscle inflammation?and what about my surgeries and my 2 months hospitalisation?wont it affect my test result?i was given very high dosed steroids and antibiotics....will my immune system be producing enough antibodies?
When you experience extreme anxiety your immune system weakens and its more open to infections.I can't tell you fi you have an infection or not,only I can tell you is that after all those tests it is proven that you have not hiv.I haven't felt that kind of pain but I had other symptoms. If doctors can't find anything wrong with your joint pain then you should try a psychologist,if this is due to anxiety and fear then he will help.
ThaNx broda..but your esr and crp tests all would have been normal right?have u felt the same joint and muscle pains which i am having 24 hours?
If you think that it will help you,you can allways take a pcr for hiv 2 also.But after 3 months the test is conclusive for hiv 1 and 2.I am not a doctor so I dont know much about joint pains and infections.I know that psychosomatic problems can go on for months.I know because after 10 months I still have psychosomatic issues.Maby talking to a psycologist will help you.It really helped me.Dont give up,you are hiv free.
Thank u broda....m worried about hiv2 also..the pcr test i did was for hiv 1..are there any rare strains which modern elisa test could not detect?i have tried each and every doctors medicines znd antibiotics for my joint and muscle pain..nothing is working :(..they arent able to find out my infection?i havent heard any viral illness causing this much chronic joint and muscle inflammation
The same sience that tells you that allmost every new hiv infections will get some kind of rheumatic disease it tells you that after 3 months negative is 100% conclusive.Why don't believe that one too? And even if your immune system was wear and the antibody test would need 6 months to show...your negative pcr prooves your negative status.Because if your immune system was weak and it couldn't handle the virus making you having health problems for so long then the viral load in your body would be very hight.That means positive pcr.You are free of hiv. :)
Thank u for the advice brodA....tell me 1 thing can stress and anxiety make esr and crp levels high?i just jad throat infection and low grade fever aftrr exposure..and this joint and muscle inflammation..apart from that i havent experienced lymph node swelling or rash and other things..i dont want to think about hiv but this pain makes me to think about it:(..Have u seen the link which i have posted above?it clearly mentions that almost all new hiv infections will get some kind of rheumatic disease..
All the tests that you had indicates that you ar hiv negative. I think that a pcr test after 47 days is colnclusive.Combine it with a 60 days antibody test you are free of hiv.If you had unprotected sex you should also check for other std's like hepatitis and syphilis.I have been there my self..experiencing anxiety for a very long time.I know how you feel.Don't relate everything to hiv.When you search for symptoms you will allways find them.Mind is the most powerfull dsp...and it can make you believe everything.Acute hiv infection does not last for 2 months.
Dude, you need to chill out. I'm not on the forum 24/7. No need to post multiple messages AND send a message. Relax.
HIV related anxiety is VERY common. You can see that by browsing through the HIV forum, this forum, and our OCD forum.
Test results ALWAYS ALWAYS outweigh symptoms, which btw, yours are not at all consistent with acute HIV infection anyway. You're conclusively negative.
You'd be surprised at how many very real physical symptoms can be a result of anxiety, which you clearly have. The best thing you could do is start addressing the anxiety with a mental health professional, and soon. IF indeed the things you've been experiencing are anxiety related (even some of them), once you get the anxiety under control, the symptoms will resolve.
"..but i have done blood tests in which my esr and crp values are very high it means i got inflammation in my joints and muscles due to infection.."
Actually, those labs can often be kind of non-specific. Having elevated ESR and CRP levels isn't uncommon at all, and there can be many causes. ANY kind of inflammation (even if mild) can cause those values to be elevated. Those labs are not concerning at all, and certainly are not indicative of HIV.
Get yourself some help.
HIV related anxiety is VERY common. You can see that by browsing through the HIV forum, this forum, and our OCD forum.
Test results ALWAYS ALWAYS outweigh symptoms, which btw, yours are not at all consistent with acute HIV infection anyway. You're conclusively negative.
You'd be surprised at how many very real physical symptoms can be a result of anxiety, which you clearly have. The best thing you could do is start addressing the anxiety with a mental health professional, and soon. IF indeed the things you've been experiencing are anxiety related (even some of them), once you get the anxiety under control, the symptoms will resolve.
"..but i have done blood tests in which my esr and crp values are very high it means i got inflammation in my joints and muscles due to infection.."
Actually, those labs can often be kind of non-specific. Having elevated ESR and CRP levels isn't uncommon at all, and there can be many causes. ANY kind of inflammation (even if mild) can cause those values to be elevated. Those labs are not concerning at all, and certainly are not indicative of HIV.
Get yourself some help.
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