HIV Testing results

[tgraham123]

So I'm a 42 yr old male and over the last 10 years, I've had what I would call pretty "normal" sexual lifestyle for a single guy.  

For the most part I've been pretty safe with protected encounters, but can think of at least 3-4 times over the last 10 year period where I've had unprotected vaginal intercourse with females of unknown status.  I don't THINK these were "high risk" individuals, but who knows right, if they are allowing unprotected sex with essentially a stranger you can never tell.  Shame on myself as well for not really doing an testing over this last period of years.

Anyways, I decided around 6 months ago or so I was going to settle down and kind of stop the dating routine and maybe wait for something more long term.

I've been celibate for about 6 months now.

My questions are about HIV in particular....

I did some testing after some weird symptoms I would say (about 3 weeks after last contact, however symptoms could be from something else I know)  however, I won't go into all the symptoms because they are much the same as others report or here, and i know diagnosis has no bearing on symptoms alone from my reading.

At 16 Weeks I took a 10-Test panel from STDCheck.com that was performed by Quest Labs. HIV test was 4th Generation test.  All tests negative.

Since I still had some symptoms, I tested again at 20 Weeks just 4th Gen HIV only, again negative.  

I met someone about 24 weeks from last encounter and to be absolutely sure I wanted a final test.  I think I've become more "nervous" about my past behavior now that I want to make sure I keep this person safe because I'm not really and anxious person and haven't been my whole life.  

I asked a friend of mine (who is a doctor, but not an ID doc or STD Doc) about a "final" HIV test and he said it wasn't necessary.  I told him of my doubts still and wanted to be sure.  I was actually worried about being a "sero-negative" case and having it, but not making anti-bodies.  He told me this was EXTREMELY rare and to forget about it, but if I could not, go get a final 4th Gen test and back it up with an RNA test as well.  Basically his theory was you will either have antibodies or if you really are one of those RARE individuals who don't your viral load would be "sky-high" and the RNA test would be positive for sure.  

So I did that and both tests were negative at 27 Weeks.    Want to make sure I'm good to move forward with what I hope to be a long-term partner, and don't want to put her at ANY risk for sure.  I've never, ever worried about these things before in my life, but looking back on my behavior in the past 10 years (all the running around and not being careful all the time), its like feel like I "deserve" to have something, so its making me doubt the testing, when both my GP and my Doc Friend told me to "forget about it, your good to go".

Thanks!

T

[GuitarRox]

I'm going to agree with your doctor.  First, you had some unprotected episodes in the past 10 years but few and far between.  A single unprotected exposure of unprotected sex poses a very low risk if the other person has hiv.  Less than 2 percent.  And you've conclusively tested negative!  I would let this go and move on.  You don't have HIV.