I have been getting tested every 3-6 months for the last couple of the years and I am always clean. My last test was 2 weeks ago and was also clean. Is it possible that someone could contract AIDS and have it show up on a STD test somewhere way down the line, if so, how common is this? I only ask because the girl I am seeing is a fucking nutjob and worries about such things!
Fri, 06/08/2012 - 22:20
#1
AIDS showing up later?
Gee, I wonder how long this relationship will last with talk and thoughts like this, regardless of your health.
-doc
P.S. We try not to use expletives that should be deleted, and, we try to treat others with respect.
Yes, there can be a latency period but with frequent testing, it will be discovered. Consider the stages: A week to a fortnight after exposure (infection), flu-like symptoms appear and are often disregarded or not diagnosed. They disappear in a few weeks in a healthy person. The disease is detectable during this stage for modern testing techniques. Again in a healthy person, the disease will then enter a latency period without symptoms that may last from several weeks to several years. The disease remains detectable and lymph nodes may become swollen. The disease then enters full blown AIDS and will usually be detected by various secondary diseases that travel with AIDS.
Generally, then, you can expect that HIV can be detected a fortnight after exposure to development of full blown AIDS.
If there is need for testing as often as you report, either or both of you is playing fast, loose and risky with your genitals. The entire relationship, as do indicates, is in need for review.
The thing is, actually there is there is no need or concern for testing. I am an ex IV drug user, but have never shared a needle in my life. My significant other is neurotic to say the least, and believes that AIDS can be undetected with frequent testing for over 15 years! She also believed that you can be a carrier of AIDS and not actually be affected by the virus. She gave up on that irrational thought yesterday though lol!
Your g/f is functioning with some half-truths from the earlier days of HIV testing and diagnosis. Take her to the center with you; both have the testing and ask the technician or nurse to explain to both of you how the test works, its' dependability and required frequency for the nature of your relationship. Or, at least, read up on it at Wikipedia. Yes, there is a "window" mentioned which is, in most cases, irrelevant. Key to many people's misunderstanding is that the HIV tests do not identify HIV directly but, rather, measure other markers that accompany HIV presence. If the two of you are in a monogamous relationship with neither presently engaging in risky behaviour (used needles, unprotected outside sex), the testing is unnecessary. Back to doc's comments: reexamine why the relationship exists in the first place.
Why aren't you using condoms????