HIV Anxiety and RNA Tests

[Comeintomygward]

Hi All,

I have had irrational anxiety for about a year now regarding exposure to HIV. The last 3 "exposures" were so absurdly non-risk, I don't even feel like mentioning them. Regardless of how much I acknowledge this, I can't seem to let them go. So my first question would be:

1) Clearly there are tons of people who suffer from the same type of anxiety I do. Professional help is my next step, but are there any personal success stories of people being able to shake their irrational fears of contracting it?


The next question I have is in regards to an RNA test. The following sites seem to provide them:

https://www.stdcheck.com/

https://www.stdtestexpress.com/

Has anyone had any luck or experiences with these. STDcheck seems to want credit card information pretty early on, so I'd like to hear personal stories anyone may have regarding this sites.

Thank you anyone and everyone who my answer in advance.

[RubyWitch]

Perhaps if you told us what your risks were, we could save you some anxiety as well as a good deal of money.
You appear to know more than the average person writing to us, and you said yourself............"The last 3 "exposures" were so absurdly non-risk, I don't even feel like mentioning them."
Why not let us help you make that assessment and put your mind at ease.

I am still uncertain in my feelings about the home DNA/RNA/PCR test. I've simply never heard of them and to the very best of my knowledge, they are NEVER mentioned on this forum. You have to ask yourself why that is. While it is somewhat reassuring they are both accredited by the BBB and use well known labs like LabCorp, I would still do some substantial research before I sent them a whopping check. I would still urge you to have an HIV specialist do the test. But that's me............if YOUR comfortable using the home test kits, that is obviously your choice.

I wish you the very best, not only with your testing, but your therapy.
Regards,
RubyWitch

[Comeintomygward]

Thanks so much for the thoughtful, detailed response. I've probably spent enough sleepless nights on these forums to be a moderator myself, so I'm very aware of types of tests and window periods. I'm also very aware of levels of risk associated with certain types of exposures. Maybe knowing too much is what has driven me to the point of insanity. Whatever the case, I just have trouble relaxing and playing the odds, even if the risk was immensely low, or in the opinions of the expert forums, essentially nonexistent. I just can't help but revert back to thinking, "I'll be the first one to get it this way," or, "I'll be the unlucky one," or, "I suffered the rare 2nd window period with this 4th generation test," or whatever nonsense you can insert there. Thank you so much for informing me about experts who specialize in sexual phobias though. I honestly had no idea that was a thing, but it certainly makes sense given all the people on here who seem to suffer from similar mental issues.

As far as those websites go, they're BBB accredited and they are middle sites for labs like Quest Diagnostics or LabCorp. They clearly send the samples to top level labs, however I was just curious as to what it was like dealing with them as middle men. It is a wonderful idea to post another question regarding those to see if I can hear about personal experiences.

Again, thank you so much for the kind and thoughtful response, you have helped me greatly.

[RubyWitch]

I know of quite a few people who have overcome very severe phobias about HIV with the help of a good therapist, so that would be an excellent next step for you.There are therapist out there now who deal almost exclusively with sexual based phobias. If you live in a large enough city, I'm sure you will be able to find someone.

As for the two links you sent regarding online RNA/DNA/PCR tests, I have never heard of them and would not be inclined to trust them. Have your doctor do this test or recommend an HIV specialist doctor. These tests are expensive and most HIV clinics do not provide them. If you have your doctor or a specialist do this test, you can be certain a certified lab will be doing the tests and you can rely 100% on the results.

I have never heard of a home PCR test and there are only two home testing kits for HIV that are approved by the FDA. Those tests are OraQuick and OraSure.

You might want to start a new post and put the names of those two online sites in the title so people who may know anything about them will see them easier. Just be careful. There are many disreputable people out there playing on people's fears about HIV.

If you have further questions, please write again.
RubyWitch