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HIV TEST RESULT- RAPID HIV DUO TEST

Dear Hiv anxiety group,

Im glad there is a group out there to help each other out.

I have this recurring anxiety about a recent exposure ive had.

My story is posted here:

I hope you would take the time to read it. And give me your two cents.

Anyway, just an update, It has been 13 days since and no other symptom came up after the 7th day which went away in less than a day.

But because my anxiety is giving me a heart attack, i decided to rush out and get myself tested.

I took the Rapid Hiv Duo Combo Test using the SD Bioline HIV Ab/Ag Test Kit.

Let me give you a rundown of what happened:

The nurse who gave me the test briefed me about it- its a new test that detects the antigen present in the antibodies at an average of 11 days. Before giving me the test, he did some physical exam on me, checked my lymph nodes, and my skin and asked questions like: fever, sore throat, chronic headaches etc. to which I answered truthfully.

After that, he took out the kit and pricked me on the finger. Dropped blood on the kit and added this fluid that made the result visible.

During this time, he was doing some counselling on me, reassuring me that the 5 minute encounter i had was low risk and that he is expecting a negative on this first test.

After a few minutes, he showed me the kit and it read NEGATIVE. i dont know whether to feel relieved or not because tomorrow is officially my 14th (2 weeks) since the encounter and im still logging every change, feeling every lump or bump in my body, acting like a crazed man every single day.

Somehow, i am happy that the first attempt was negative. I will wait 7 more days for another duo test, then a week after that until ive given myself peace of mind.

But i still have questions which i hope you would all willingly answer:

1. Attached is a photo of the actual kit with my results- has anyone seen an actual kit? Is this the right one? I looked it up online and couldnt find an actual sample of the kit, can someone please confirm? The Brand is Standard Diagnostics Bioline HIV Ab/Ag Kit

2. What is the accuracy of an hiv duo test at 13 days? Ive seen people take duo tests at 3 and 7 days. And then retake it again a couple of days after. If i could, i would take the test every hour.

3. The doctor said that this is the same test that blood banks use- in that case, because i am running out of options and places where to get tested, im thinking of donating blood just to get tested. Is this unethical? I do want to donate though.

4. What other tests can you suggest? Should i just take another test at 28 days?

5. Is an HIv Antibody Test at 4 weeks a good indication of my hiv status?

6. For the ocd and anxiety stricken people here, how do you cope with this kind of problem? Please help me. My friends are suggesting to seek psychiatric help but i dont want it to come to that point.

I will be waiting for your replies.

Thank you all and lets keep supporting each other! No one has to be alone in this!
4 Responses
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Avatar universal
Hi joggen, thanks for that boost of morale. I needed that. This morning, i saw some red patches on my chest, and started to panic again. It goes away after sometime though.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your insight, i will keep that in mind. I pray that everyone here who goes through the same thing as us would find the strength in each other.

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Avatar universal
I would say that your negative result is a good sign. Have another DUO at 4 weeks- at that point it will be close to 100% accurate. Expect another negative.
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Avatar universal
hi. i can only really reply to point 6. i'm just someone who had what they feel was a risky encounter, like you (you'll see the thread i started if you scroll down on the group page).

the anxiety we feel can't really be rationalised in my opinion. if we feel we had a risky encounter, and have had symptoms but have not been fully tested, then we can only hypothesise about what's wrong with us. we need wait for the final result which will give the fact of our conditions. this will naturally cause anxiety.

it seems to me that there are 2 options. you can either face the facts of what might happen to you, and accept them to some degree, or try to ignore the situation til the day of the test. one or the other approach might suit you more depending on what you're like, and what your critical assessment of your risky encounter is.

in my case i've flung from one to the other of the options. at this point though, 4 weeks since the encounter, and seemingly having been clear of symptoms for a couple of days - i have partly come to terms with the idea that my life will be shorter, i won't have any romantic relationships, there will be difficult talks with my family. PARTLY come to terms with this. the upside is - we are not on death row. we can still live functional lives to some degree, and can probably enjoy them at times. more broadly, everyone has ups and downs in life and will die one day... thinking these things through over the past couple of days has steadied my anxiety a bit. might have fatigued me more though.


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