Hi Drs
I'll try and keep this short.
I was overseas(Usa) and ended up chatting to a gay guy and drinking excessively.We eventually went to a gay bar for a drink and the the next thing i can remember is waking up the next day in my hotel room.(minus my belt)
I may have been drugged,but i know i drank excessively and that is probably the cause of my memory failure.I realise i have a problem with alcohol and am taking steps towards a remedy.
My immediate worry is if something did happen and my potential exposure to hiv.
I am a straight man and have never had sex with another man(as far as i know!)
I have been to see you in the past and been tested negatively with Duo test.
I am so frustrated and angry with myself at being in this position again and the thought of going through another 28 days of waiting is torture.
My questions are would you recommend a Pcr test without actually knowing what my exposure was?
How high is its reliability after 13 days?
If i came in for the test on a weds when in your experience would i get my results back and how would these be communicated?
There is alot written on false positives,whats your take on that?
I know these tests are very expensive but i seem to have more money than sense...and i dont have much mioney! Speaks volumes about me!
Your reply would be appreciated.
Thanks
An Idiot
Hello,
Thank you for your post.
I honestly think it is unlikely that you had penetrative sex with this man without you knowing; certainly if you had had receptive anal intercourse for the first time, you would know. And if you were so drunk, I think it would have been very difficult for you to do anything. Therefore we can possibly conclude that nothing much happened, even without having been there, and you did not put yourself at risk of HIV. In any case we do not know the status of that man and you should not assume that he is positive simply because he is gay. You probably do not need any tests
If you yourself do not even know if there was a risk, I cannot give you advice about testing. The only justification for a test would be for your peace of mind. Having a test would be entirely up to you. If you decide to have a test, the PCR RNA Multiplex test has a reliability of 99.98% at 7 days and could be considered conclusive in your case. Results take 4 to 5 days to be ready; you would get result the following Tuesday if you had the test done on a Wednesday. There is an incidence of less than 2% of false positives, which we do not see very often, and it is more a technical issue rather than a practical one, because any initial reactive result would be further screened for confirmation. Therefore this issue would not affect you.
All in all, I honestly doubt that you need a test.
Best wishes,
José
Hi Dr Jose
Thanks for the prompt reply.I know you are making perfect sense but the mind can be a powerful enemy!
I will come in for a duo test for peace of mind as it will be just one week after the Pcr results in my case.
I'm afraid to say i'm becoming a bit of a regular at Harley St,your receptionist already knows how i like my coffee!
Best regards
Hi Doctor
I will be going away on a long trip 27 days after possible exposure.I would like to come in on 26 and a half days post incident.would you say this would be conclusive with todays technology or should i wait till i come back? Thanks.
I will not bother you with any more posts after this.
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