Question
What can I do whilst I am waiting for my confirmatory test?
15 October 2010. Related: All topics, HIV testing, HIV transmission.
Hello,
I had protected sex with a woman who I paid to have sex with me on 5th Sept. 2010 and I used 2 condoms at the same time. I am not sure if any of the condoms broke or not. Then I read online that 2 condoms should not be used together as double tagging can cause breakage of the condoms. Now I am experiencing some symptoms like sore throat, pain in legs.
I got myself tested for syphilis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV 1 and 2 after 3 weeks, it came back negative. I am going to retest after 6 weeks. I am very worried, I cannot sleep or pay attention at work. Please advise me what should I do? How accurate is an ELISA test after 6 weeks?
Thanks a lot in advance
Answer
Thank you for your question.
I’m afriad there is nothing you can do but wait and make sure you do not expose yourself to HIV again before the second test. If you have had one negative test then that is a good sign that you are not infected.
Worrying about the test and not sleeping will not help. Stress can make you feel bad and can worsen symptoms such as sore throats. It is possible the symptoms you are experiencing  are not related to HIV and so you should see your doctor so they can investigate the cause of your sore throat.
The ELISA tests are 99% accurate 6-12 weeks after an exposure. If your second test is negative then you do not have HIV and you do not need to test again.
For more information about HIV testing please follow this link