Question

[N3373h3799]

Hello,
I think I developed what called HIV phobia for but after researching I cant get this thought out of my head about a dentist I when to about four years ago I think what caused me to think this was how fast he was going I stared thinking is it possible and after reading stores about offices reusing needles I just cant drop this idea I have never in my life had a problem like this I even ruining thesis what ifs if I did get the virus from a dentist how do I prove it or would it even matter I know the HIV Prevention forum would say no risk but and now I just came done whith the worst cold I have had in years that adds to the paranoia im not a therapy kinda guy and I don’t take any meds of any kind.

[N3373h3799]

ok thank you my main concern was what causes a false positive

[N3373h3799]

and would symptoms only last a couple day even if they were honorable in the begin?

[sparky43]

From what I understand about the symptoms of HIV and AIDS, they don't come on for a couple of days and then go away.  Once your immune system is attacked, your get sick and continue getting worse.

[N3373h3799]

before this i just know the basic about HIV and OCd now i understand why they could go together having some thing for years and not knowing and possabley getting it from a dentist is just a crazy hard idea to get past.

[sparky43]

Right now you are locked in on the idea of getting HIV from a dentist, but if you thought about it long enough, you could probably think of other incidents in your life that you could classify as a tiny possible exposure to HIV.   You have to think about and accept that there is a difference between possibility and PROBABILITY.  Is it possible that I may be hit by lightning today?   Yes.   Is it probable?   NO.   Almost anything is possible - which is why doctors and scientists will never say something is 100%.   Its the probability that something will happen that is important.

[N3373h3799]

thank you for youe help i pland to get a store bot test but weirdly anuf i read about false positives now im try to find out what cause a false positive

[sparky43]

The instant (well, 20 minute) saliva tests that you can buy in the store did have some quality control problems that resulted in some false positives when they first came out years ago, but those have been fixed.  The blood tests through a laboratory are more accurate than the saliva tests so you may want to consider being tested through your doctor.  There is sometimes the possibility of a false negative due to not waiting long enough after a possible exposure, but it's been four years, so that doesn't apply to you.

[N3373h3799]

thanks for the reply
i think im way to old
to have irrational thoughts like this i think i had some issues in the past but they were so miner i never had to give them a second thought and this poped up then when on the internet yes that was bad idea now im linking all thesis thoughts together to how could i prove it if i have it or have there been more then just that one time 30 years ago with that dentist in Florida no one could prov it or even thought about it.

[sparky43]

You are never too old to have irrational thoughts.   When I was younger, I never worried about anything.   It wasn't until I got older that my OCD popped up.

The chances of being infected with HIV at the dentist are extremely slim.  I'm not sure if there has ever been a recorded case of this happening ever.

If you are not open to therapy or medications, there is a simple solution to this particular worry - get tested.  There is free testing available and some tests only take 20 minutes to get results.

The only problem is that you may fall into the trap of feeling the need to get tested all the time.  Or you may drop this worry and find something else to worry about.  There are some really good self-help books out there.  Two that I like are "Worry" by Dr. Edward Hallowell and "You Are Not You Brain" by Dr. Jeffery Schwartz.

[sparky43]

Oh, and this fact may help your worry - when doctors or nurses accidentally get stuck by a bloody needle that was just used on a patient that they know is HIV positive, they only get infected 0.3% of the time.  Or in other words, 99.7% of the time, nothing happens.  That's how difficult it is to become infected.

[JGF25]

Hi there.  So  it sounds like this came on all of a sudden.  How old are you and has your stress level changed?  Is there more stress in your life right now?  

[N3373h3799]

is their a cause like could make some one think this way?
think it was the way he was acting i just don't know