Hello all

A little freaked out now and need some advice.

Last week I had a little drunken fun and had unprotected sex with a girl I'd only met the week before. The next morning, it really didn't hit me until I was driving home: I know for a fact that "she's no angel."

I myself am very inexperienced but I've made sure to wear a condom for those handful of times I've had sex. I mean, after the foreplay, she disappeared into her room and emerged a minute or so later and we proceeded to have sex. I really couldn't tell if she was wearing a diaphragm or was using another form of protection...and I didn't ask. (Remember, alcohol and inexperience are a bad mix) I don't THINK she was wearing a diaphragm since there was oral involved throughout.

So now I'm freaking out and I want to get tested; I guess I can be considered a hypochondriac but the overall stress of the situation is making life really intense right now. I will be making an appointment with my doctor tomorrow and besides any other advice/insight, how can I go about requesting the test from my doctor? Will going in and saying, "Just want a yearly check-up and bloodwork done" be suffice? Or do I have to let him know I am specifically looking for an HIV test?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. ANd God knows I have learned my lesson....

i'm in the same boat as you and i also feel horrible after giving a girl oral...yes i'm a girl too, anyways i've asked about this question at the STD board, but it's like no one cares and haven't answered, i'm also freaked out, i'm more freaked out about getting an STI on my mouth since that was the only thing I used...i have learned my lesson and now i'm just trying to live with it, it's been 5 days since this happened, so i'm going to wait until 10 days and see if i can get tested. i'm so nervous about it because i don't know how to go about it. did you only give her unprotected oral?

You guys should go to a nearby clinic. They can test you for STD's and HIV. If your going to your doctor you have to ask them specifically for an HIV test. Also an HIV antibody test should be done more or less three months after exposure for a conclusive answer or you could do other tests that detect the virus itself, earlier. Both of you had low risk enounters so i'm sure you'll both be fine. God bless.

did you only give her unprotected oral?

No, it was unprotected intercourse. I was merely pointing out that I didn't think she was using a diaphragm because of the oral throughout the...session.

You guys should go to a nearby clinic. They can test you for STD's and HIV. If your going to your doctor you have to ask them specifically for an HIV test. Also an HIV antibody test should be done more or less three months after exposure for a conclusive answer or you could do other tests that detect the virus itself, earlier. Both of you had low risk enounters so i'm sure you'll both be fine. God bless.

Unfortunately I read that in one of the "stickies"...wait 90 days to get tested. Those 90 days are gonna be a nightmare. Should I still go within the next few days anyway? Is there something like a prelim-test or something? Or is the test after 90 days the most accurate or can you get a good understanding of the situation a few days after?

Thanks for the advice so far...!

i read in the STD board that you can take a test as early as either 3 or 4 weeks (i think it might be 3) after the encounter, which is an early preliminary test, and those can be pretty accurate, also you would have to test 6 weeks later. and then just to really make sure 3 months later i think. but pretty much with the 3-4 wks and 6 weeks if they come out negative it'll pretty much be accurate. thanks for replying worried guy, and it gives me more hope that these are low risk activities, i only started to freak out bad because 3 days later i ate some chinese crispy noodles and i think i might have hurt the roof of my mouth, and i ate some acidic food and omg did my mind start going off....but i still want to be on the safe side anyways, i know the mind can be really bad sometimes and make you feel things that aren't really there. i did the same thing when i thought i was pregnant, i wasn't but i still felt symptoms, so i'm trying to do other things to distract my mind, so you do the same Anony123.

You can take a viral load test, after a few weeks after possible exposure. But if you want to take an ELISA the rule is 3 months for a definitive answer. MOst people will show antibodies within 4-6 weeks so you may choose to test during this time, which will give you a fairly correct answer for your 3 month outcome.

dear worried: what do you mean "you can take a viral load test"?

By viral Load test i am talking about the PCR test.

PCR TESTING................
A (PCR) test is used to measure the (VIRAL LOAD) in a person that is already infected with the hiv virus .
A pcr looks for the (VIRAL PROTIENS) directly . In the case of some 1 using a (PCR-TEST) as an early warning for hiv detection after 4 weeks of exposure the (VIRAL PROTIENS) should be detectable .
In the case of a positive (PCR) testing will still need to have follow up test with the (ELISA) and (WESTERN BLOT) test at the 3 month mark just to confirm the (PCR) test.
In the case of a negative result on the (PCR) test chances are you are negative but I would still strongely recomend a follow up with the (ELISA) and (WESTERN BLOT) just to make absolute sure you are in fact negative and leave nothing to chance.

ANoni and sayuri at the top of this forum you can find this and other information about the HIV tests.

dear worried guy: here why asked: I'm not sure that the PCR and a viral are synonymous. For example, when I have my blood work drawn quarterly, among the issues eval'd are my t-cells, percentages, and viral load. Since you seem to be suggesting the a "viral load test" is a mechanism for determining diagnostic information as in whether or not a person is HIV positive or negative, I suggest that this is erroneous information. For example, if a person's viral load is "undetectible" (meaning that is less that 75 units; and there are other tests that can measure a viral load to withing 25 units) is does not mean that they are HIV negative. A person can be HIV + and still have an undectible viral load. ANd, someone who is HIV+ wants, among other things, to have an elevated t-cell count and low viral load. Therefore, a viral load is not at all a decisive test to determine HIV status. chris

Hi I think you should get tested in 6 months time. Meanwhile try to think positive, enjoy life the way you can. Try not to have unprotected sex ever again with somebody you don't really know. I mean, not everybody walking around there is HIV positive, remain calm, and this will hopefully be a learn lesson!
Joe