I have a few questions and concerns that I hope someone can answer for me dealing with HIV.

The reason I'm asking is because I gave blood awhile back, and when they sent me my tests back the HIV antibody test was "inconclusive". So..taking the necessary precautions, I went to my doctor's office and gave them another sample of blood to test. When I called the doctor about my second HIV antibody test(also called the ELISA test I think?)..he said that is was a "false-positive" or something like that and that it had the same results as the first test. So they are now performing the Western blot test on my blood to see if I actually have HIV.

I haven't done anything in my life that I could get HIV. I'm 17, haven't had sex, and have never done anything with needles. Is it possible to contract HIV from fingering my girlfriend? That's all sexually i have ever done. However, after i did give blood and before i was told i might have it, i did breifly give my girlfriend oral sex. i mean very..very briefly. But that was AFTER i gave the blood which showed i might have HIV, and I'm almost sure she doesnt have it..so i really dont think i have HIV from her, since that was AFTER i gave the blood they tested the first time. Both of my parents have been tested and my dad regularly gives blood, so I couldnt have inherited it from them. Should I be worried here? I have heard that it can happen that the first two tests can show up positive and the possibility that you have HIV, but the comfirming Western blot test will come up negative. Is this a common occurence for the first to tests to falsely show up positive and the confirming test to be negative? I just couldn't believe that there was the possibility i might have HIV, because i've done nothing to get it unless you can get it from fingering a girl. I'm just really hoping that the ELISA tests were a false-positive, and that the Western blot test will show i dont have HIV. My doctor told me that I shouldnt worry...but im still very concerned

I gave my blood on Nov. 30, and I first fingered my girlfriend about a week before that...to give you sort of a time-frame as to when this all started. Can anyone please lend me any insight here? If you need any more information or i didnt explain something good id be more than happy to elaborate. thank you very much in advance


-Chris

I'm sorry to hear you're so on edge. But I think you're pretty darn safe and should relax. Sounds like you're very low risk for having HIV. The chance of you having contracted HIV from fingering your girlfriend is pretty much non-existent. Let us know how the results come back! I'm sure it'll be good news.

thanks for the support! i do understand im at low risk...its just the two positive ELISA tests really freaked me out hehe. but here's hoping for the best..i was told id have the results by the end of the week

This topic has come up a lot latley and i thought i would gather some respected info.

The most common test for AIDS is the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), which is performed on a blood sample. This test is very sensitive and detects almost all persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) except during the first few weeks of infection.

HIV breaks down the body's immune system, its natural defense system against foreign substances and invading organisms, such as bacteria that cause disease.

The ELISA test tests the body's immune response to HIV. The Western blot test determines the body's immune response to specific HIV-related proteins.

To be reported as positive by the ELISA test, at least 2 of 3 tests on the same blood specimen must react positively. In a small number of cases, people may have a false-positive test; the test may show presence of infection but the test result may be caused by rheumatoid arthritis or an unidentified factor, not HIV infection.

Thus, positive ELISA specimens are confirmed with another more specific test, usually the Western blot test. The Western blot test is less sensitive than the ELISA test but it hardly ever gives a false-positive result.

Of every 10 million people in the U.S. tested for HIV infection, approximately 25,000 (0.25%) repeatedly test positive by ELISA, but only 10,000 (0.1%) are confirmed by Western blot. In high-risk groups where HIV infection rates are as high as 30% to 70%, a positive ELISA test is almost always confirmed by Western blot.

Anyone with a positive test for HIV infection should seek follow-up medical evaluation, interpretation of the results, counseling, and advice for possible lifestyle changes. A negative HIV antibody test implies that you probably have not been infected with the HIV virus.

If the results of the same test done 6 months later are still negative for HIV antibodies, it is highly unlikely that you have been infected with the virus or that you will develop AIDS. This assumes that in those 6 months you have not engaged in any high-risk activities.

Your doctor will use the findings of these tests to determine your degree of risk and whether you have been infected with HIV. He or she will discuss with you how to proceed, what precautions to take, and what follow-up steps are important.


***some other points of interest that i read was that the ELISA test has to be diluted to 1:400 for testing regiments. apparently, if you do not dilute the blood, everyone will react positive to the ELISA suggesting HIV infection. the ELISA is just looking for reactive cells- they may be cells reactive to other agents-
western blot looks at HIV SPECIFIC antibodies that confirm an infection

i guess it is kinda like you get a CBC when you go to the doctors for a checkup and if they should find something then they run more sensitive tests to confirm a possible problem.
if it makes you feel better a ton of pregnant women test+ but they are neg on a western blot. a guy just had the same experience here.

thank you so much for the imformation. I should get the western blot test results back today or tomorrow, so ill let you know how that goes. thanks again!