[Question #1479] So MANY symptoms--ALL negative tests--TRUST the tests?

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93 months ago
Hi Doctor, I will try and again make as short as possible.  Now going back over six years, I continue to have medical symptoms that are not explained and continue to occur.  I had many high risk sexual experiences going back to 2009.  Starting back in 2009 I stopped the behavior and started testing.  I had MANY hiv tests including rapid, 3rd and 4th generation, HIV-1 DNA/RNA, HIV-2 DNA.  I also have had slews of syphilis and other testing.  All various forms of testing done and negative up until early 2015 when I got ONE positive FTA., along with negative TPPA and RPR.  Also at that same testing time i received a negative 4th generation test.  I repeated the RPR and FTA then one week later, one month later, 9 months later, and now most recently 11/2016 received negative RPR and FTA-ABS.  I know experts will say that there is NO WAY that either of these could still be in play, but I myself continue to battle strange illnesses, and now wife is getting strange symptoms with out known cause.  I most recently have got a small irritation on the side of my tongue that has been there for nearly two weeks.  Not a patch of anything, just extrememly sensitive and wont go away.  I understand that the tongue can signal a degree of your overall health.  So if you would please answer these questions
1)is there ANY chance that ALL of the various types of hiv tests could have missed HIV at all?
2)Is there Any chance that the hiv tests have missed some sort of HIV clade/subytpe and tests are not sensitive enough to detect it?
3)How good are all the HIV tests at pickup up clades(non-b, etc)?
4)Can I ABSOLUTELY rely on the results of the syphilis tests?
5) Can you have syphilis a long time and either a non or trip specific test will show you both negative(false neg on both kinds of tests)
6)SO FINALLY,  AND I MEAN FINALLY, CAN I ABSOLUTELY AND WITHOUT QUESTION, DISREGARD EITHER OF THESE TWO DISEASES AS POSSIBLE?

I only want to ensure my familys safety as well as getting to the bottom of my hea
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
93 months ago
From my last reply:

"Repetative anxiety driven questions are not permitted on the forum. This is your last thread. If you ask another, it will be deleted without reply, and without refund of the posting fee. This policy protects people from themselves (not wasting money on questions with preivous or obvious answers), and also other users, who gain no educational benefit, one of the main purposes of the forum."

HHH, MD
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93 months ago
I understand your policy and therefore respect it.  But to be truly honest, I am genuinely physically ill and we cannot find a cause.  I just hope you will entertain at least putting all the questions into one summarized answer.  Thank you.  i would be very gracious.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
93 months ago
Your test results prove that neither HIV nor syphilis are the cause of your symptoms. You'll have to continue to work with your doctors for a diagnosis. Good luck with it.

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