What kind of test? - HIV Prevention Message Board

PaNik5717 · 07-23-2003, 03:09 PM

Please bear with me. I want to be informed, but I really am not. I am trying to decide what kind of test to have done. I live in a small town so my options are limited. I am trying to decide if I should just let me regular doc test me or if I should look for an anonymous testing center or a confidential test. I really would prefer to keep this out of my medical records, but it will end up there if I end up positive, right?

My exposure was exactly a year ago. I was assaulted by a relative stranger. I managed to fight him off before he ejaculated and it seemed like I could walk away without really being bothered. I was wrong. About a week later, I had lesions that looked like HSV and my annual pap six months later ended up abnormal and it turns out that I have HPV, now, too. (I tested negative before.) They tested me for what they could in the ER and everything came back negative, but they still treated me with two kinds of antibiotics to be safe and because it looked a little infected.

So, it turns out this short encounter was very high risk, not to mention what he did to my mind and my soul. And I guess it makes sense for someone with that many infections to have trouble convincing hsi partners to consent. I'm nowhere near coming to terms with this or starting a new sexual relationship, but it seems like the right thing to do to find out if he gave me anything else.

Where would you get it done?

anyone · 07-23-2003, 03:25 PM

PaNik, I'm sorry you had to go through this horrible experience. Most of us here are concerned about things taht we did of our own will, and there you are, being put at risk without your consent. You have several options regarding testing.

You could go for a Home Access EIA test which you can buy at any drugstore in the US or you can buy it online (IMPORTANT: Not to be confused with the Discreet Home Test which is ABSOLUTELY UNRELIABLE). Home Access is a collection kit that alllows you to draw your own blood sample to be sent to a certified lab for examination. All this with an anonymous number which you register. You can get your results in as little as 3 days with The Home Access Express kit, or in 7 business days with the Standard one. Results are given by phone, and there is even counseling.

Or you can choose to do it anonymously at services like ehivtest which uses Quest labs for their assays. Although in this one you actually have to go into a collection center and talk to real people (qualified phlebotomists) who draw your blood. But results are not added to your medical history if you do not wish to do so.

And the third, well that one you already know...a doctor's visit. This one is not anonymous, but if the doctor is a professional with understanding of HIV, who could give you counseling, you'd be better off with the doc.

Addittionally, if you have not done so, you should seek some psychological counseling to help you out with the trauma of this horrible experience. If you don't do it, it may be years before you come to terms with it.

There is nothing like me as an individual could tell you regarding you particular experience, all I can observe and suggest is that as hard as this year has been, try to think positive about the outcome of this situation. Having been infected of HPV does not automatically mean you also have HIV.

When you get your results, if the result is negative, remember taht a year has gone by, therefore you should trust the result at a 110%, and focus on the trauma part of it. OK?

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Best wishes.

maybe helpful · 07-23-2003, 03:40 PM

Just because there was an HPV infection does not6 mean the risk of contracting HIV is also high. STDs such as HPV are easier to transmit through sexual contact then HIV is. The chances of catching HIV do not change because you were infected with HPV. (The chances would greater if you had already been infected PRIOR to exposure of HIV, because of the lesions some STDs cause, but not due to infection at the same time.)

I know exactly where you are coming from. It has been just over a year since my non-consencual date rape, from a man I barely knew. I am STILL frightened. But dont let the worry take over. Take control of your life back, be tested and rest easy.

Home Access is reliable and private. DO NOT buy Discreet!!! A local clinic in your area might could test you with a low fee, results could take a week or more. Im not sure about the reporting. You may be able to find a Dr. or clinic who can use the Orasure to test. Re****s are pretty fast.

Whatever you decide, you can trust the results since it has been a year since the encounter. I read on the San Francisco Aids board (title may not be correct exactly, but it was within the site) that in 1989 NO cases of HIV had been reported from rape. That the single one time and usually ill-preformed act (such as in your case, and mine) was of little risk. Please let me know how things go for you. Your not alone.

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Good Luck and Be Safe

PaNik5717 · 07-23-2003, 04:22 PM

Thanks so much for the responses. Please don't think that I assume any kind of correlation between HPV and HIV. I still think my risk is low since we didn't exchange any fluids. But, I thought the risk was low when I first walked out of there and I ended up with two viruses. I don't think it is unfair for me to think that the chance of this man having HIV is probably higher than that of the general population since he was obviously infected with other stuff.

And I am not an angel either, so please don't place your own concerns below mine just because this encounter wasn't consensual. I have placed myself at risk before and the odds were simply in my favor back then. These are still huge concerns even if you "got yourself into it" and no one should treat you differently as long as you react responsibly now that you know more.

Thanks for the advice and the concern. I have had some counseling and I think I know what I need to do. This is part of it. I really have to put myself into situations where I force myself to confront these things and to feel the pain. Knowing exactly what I am up against will help. And getting a negative result won't hurt anything either.

(P.S. I am in NM, too.)