[Question #12690] UK RNA 11 day

6 months ago

Hi. Firstly thank you for your help. I recently visited a strip club and had 3 separate dances and I in a drunken state so bit of a fuzz. I never felt that I my trousers and boxers came off and pretty sure no penetration. I am confident nothing of my result I took I think 11/12 days after the night which started on 24/1 to early hours of 25/1.

How confident should I be with my RNA test 11/12 days after, can I say it is conclusively negative. The lady at better to know says 96% accuracy and no one has ever after this time come on to then become positive.

Is it my stress and anxiety that's causing my tension headaches over the past week.

Am I 100,% safe to resume sex with my partner and put this behind me?

I am based in the midlands of the UK. I appreciate your guidance and help which will help to stop stressing and move on. I was considering of having a follow up test, but is it necessary?

Thanks

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

6 months ago

Welcome. Thank you for your confidence in our services.

Neither HIV nor any other STI can be transmitted through clothing; the fabric filters out all STI bacteria and viruses, to a level that cannot transmit infection. I've never seen nor even heard of anyone acquiring an STI by contact such as you have described. And no STI causes tension headaches: your worries about the event are the only possible explanation for your headaches.

So I really would not have advised testing for HIV or any other infection. However, you negative RNA test is 100% conclusive. The HIV RNA PCR test technology and methods are identical in all settings, and negative results are conclusive by 11 days. Even if the risk of HIV had been high, you could be confident you were not infected. I see no need for any further tests. On the other hand, some experts would advise also having an antigen-antibody HIV blood test (i.e. AgAb or "4th generation") after a few weeks. But truly I would not consider it necessary.

In case you're not aware, the NHS genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics by and large are excellent -- even if challenged in recent years by funding support etc. You could consider calling or perhaps visiting your nearest GUM clinic. I'm confident they would have the same advice as above.

I hope these comments are helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

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6 months ago

Thank you so much for the reassuring words which have calmed me very much.

I assume UK sex worker or strippers are considered to be at low risk to no risk of STD's. I also guess they would also want to protect themselves too and look after themselves.

I also got similar response as in zero exposure on the poz forum. Also the better to know person I booked the RNA test through also confirmed that it won't be worth doing the antigen test as no one ever has changed from negative to positive if taken at 11 days or more the RNA test. I guess this is something you are in agreement to.

Am I 100% safe to continue having sex with my wife without fear.

It's just nerve racking and coincidental with the headaches that are happening. I read their some post which confirm that with ARS it's not a singular symptom but there would be a lot more and would be severe.

Again thanks you for your help and guidance and expert advise which helps reassure me. I guess guilt is a big part of my headaches.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

6 months ago

Thanks for the thanks.

UK sex workers "low risk"? Undoubtedly too much variability to speculate about any particular case. But your exposures were no risk even with guatanteed infected partners. Glad to hear the advice was similar from POZ. I agree no need for antigen testing in addition to RNA. If I were somehow in your situation, I would continue unprotected sex with my wife with no worry about infcting her with anything.

Headaches are not a common symptom of ARS. In any case, ARS symptoms almost never are helpful in judging possible new infection. Most people with new HIV do not have most ARS symptoms; and most with even the most typical symptoms don't have ARS. (The same symptoms occur with maybe a hundred different health problems.) only testing can tell; considering and analyizing symptoms is a waste of time and emotional energy.

As for guilt or other stresses, of course that's always a strong possibility for headaches. The very phrase "tension headache" tells the story.

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6 months ago

Thanks for your response.

Sorry I asked about the sex workers in the UK as I found in other threads I have read some statistics or an idea that most would not have sti or std. My apologies.

It was just the fear of something happening as I was drunk on the night, but I guess I would have felt any such thing even if drunk.

So just to reassure myself that my RNA hiv test at 11 days or more is conclusive and that I can continue my sexual activities and just to move on with my life and put this non existing concern behind me.

Sorry if I am baffling on and appreciate it might be repetitive for you to reassure me, but you have been massively helpful to start to step forwards and put this behind instead of lingering on with it. So my sincere thanks.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

6 months ago

Nothing to apologize for. I wasn't as clear in my response as I might have been.

Indeed you can "reassure myself that my RNA hiv test at 11 days or more is conclusive and that I can continue my sexual activities and just to move on with my life and put this non existing concern behind me."

That concludes this thread. Thanks for the thanks; I'm glad to have helped.

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