Hey everyone. I could really use some support. How did you cope or are copeing with waiting the 3 months to get results?Im a male and had unprotected sex with a female for a minn, realized what i was doing and stopped. Its only been 3 days and its been really bothering me.Ive got a doctors appointment wednesday to talk about testing and get some information. Im gonna bring up pcr testing, i dont know much about it but i guess it looks for viral load and is pretty accurate after 28 days.It would be great to wait a month and not three.Anyways, im just looking for some support and what you guys did to keep positive and productive during the waiting time. Im trying my hardest not to sink into a obsessive depression about this whole event.

I'm gonna tell you my story.First off, it doesn't matter if it was for a minute or 2 seconds Alright!!! I got my test done overseas. The test results took a month to come back. What did I do??? Exercise and listened to some pretty hard music and then thru in some Stan Getz(jazz) and some Dizzy(jazz as well). I didn't get the results I wanted,BUT your not me ALRIGHT!!!!!...You just need to pass the time with things you like to do and things that interest you. Don't go into your room and sulk or not tempt to give one of your buddies a call.And for Gods sake stay off the damn internet HIV symptom sites. It will help you pass the time. I read a really interesting story from someone who was HIV Pos. Ask yourself questions??What will I do if I do find out I am positive? What will I do if I find out I am Negative?? Will I change my habits or lifestyle if I am Negative and even if I am Positive??No, I am sayin you will end up Positive okay, just Chill.... alright...read some of the other posts too :cool:

Joe,
There is some stuff you can do.
I don't know where you are based so don't know what tests you can get where you are.
I went for a 6 week test - this is supposed to be a good indicator - so try that for some relief.
Also, in the UK at least and in London you can have a "duo" test.
This tests for the antibodies and for the virus itself in a "P24 antigen" test.
Again its not 100% reliable but at 6 weeks its supposed to be pretty close.
I rang 3 clinics and the Terence Higgins Trust and they all said this test was as good as it gets. I don't believe that - which is why I am being tested again - but it might help you.
You have to pay for the duo test - its £100 - but to me that was a small price to pay for the peace of mind I got from it.
Dunno if this helps - but the point is, you don't have to wait 3 months to start getting tested - you just have to wait 3 months to be 100% certain you are clear.
Keep your spirits up and as Chadster says - STAY AWAY from looking for symptoms on the internet - it will do your head in !

thanks for the replies. Went to the docs the other day and it was reassuring. Very unlikely i contracted it from my expierence, but im still getting tested. Doing a 6 week then a 3 month. My doc said only a test 6 months from now would be 100 percenet, but i was under the impression 3 months is conclusive. Anyone know?

From what I have gleaned from here it seems that in the UK 3 months is considered conclusive but in the States its 6 months.
Also, both of these figures are to make sure it catches 100% of people.
This is because a very small percentage of people will not test pos until this stage.
However, most people (80%) will test pos at 4 weeks and this rises to 90% at 6 weeks.
I was given those figures by a doctor at a sexual health clinic. I can only summise that the relationship between the time and the percentage remains fairly constant and therefore you can see why 6 months would be stated as conclusive - if you were one the 0.01% of people who would test pos at that time but not before.
The whole thing is very scarey and the mind can play a big part.
As I said before - go get an intermediate test.
As for coping - I kinda resigned myself to the fact that I would be and started planning on what I'd do.
The one thing I realised was that life wasn't going to stop - things would carry on exactly as they were but I would have a disease.
So please don't worry yourself and do as Chadster has said - busy yourself up a bit and watch the world cup !!

yes thats one thing ive learned from this experience is that life dosnt stop. I have bee in the slums a bit since this happened but ive realized theres nothing i can do but keep positive,busy and hope for the rest.Regardless of whether or not ive got it life goes on right.Buy anyways, 80 percent of people show by 6 weeks huh. well, at least when i go for my 6 week test i can take some sort of comfort in the results. I was just always under the conclusion that 3 months is conclusive, but i suppose there is a small amount of people that dont show to 6 months.

Depends if you're a Brit or a Yank :D