[Question #6495] Questions about tests after my exposure over a year and a half ago
67 months ago
|
Hi it has been a while since I posted about my exposure that happened almost two years ago
EXPOSURE- Unprotected sex four times with a guy that wasn't monogamous. Pull out except on of those occasions
I got in contact with him recently he told me he does not have anything and has had two babies since the last time we had sex and if he had something he is sure his kids would and their mother would also
Anyway, using the advice I got from Dr. Handsfield, I decided not to worry about my risk being that it was not too risky, so instead of testing right, then I waited until I was due for an annual, and that was today. I have had no symptoms since my last exposure, but I still went in and got tested for a full std panel ( Gono, Chlamydia, HIV Syphilis. The bad news is that it takes 3-4 days to process.
The nurse gave me a swab, and I told her about my feeling of yeast or BV or perhaps bad soap, and she also looked at my vagina and reassured me it does not look infected, and the discharge looked a little like yeast and not overly concerned. However, she prescribed Diflucan and Flagyl. Anyway, I began to worry about the things I was reading online and asked her is it possible to have chlamydia for two years and not show symptoms. She told me, no and that I would be in so much pain during the swab exam, and she does not believe I had Chlamydia from an exposure two years ago.
I also decided to pick up an Oraquick Oral swab test instead of waiting for the lab results, and my test was negative. Still, when I first stuck the swab test into the solution it did not work, so I adjusted it while it was still in the solution, and it began to work.
My questions are
Should I trust the OraQuick oral swab test? Is it possible I had a false test? Will my blood test show anything different?
Is it possible I have chlamydia for two years and do not know?
What is the likelihood my other tests would be negative? Should I worry at all?
I am entering a new relationship, and we both want to be safe.
67 months ago
|
I also forgot to mention that my exposure was vaginal sex and no anal and one time where he escalated in me. All other times were protected except those 4.
I also gotta CBC done before my STD panel and it was normal. Would that be a good indicator that I am ok?
![]() |
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
67 months ago
|
Welcome back yet again -- your 10th question, most if not all about this single exposure. While I appreciate your confidence in our services, I don't quite understand what you expect. You've been tested and are waiting for test results. For all the reasons discussed in your previous threads, your past partner's current history of apparently fine sexual health, and your doctor's exam, it is obviously unlikely you have any active STD. And in a few days you'll have the test results to prove it. But [*sigh*] here are my replies.
---
1. I haven't reviewed your previous 9 questions in detail, but I think you've already had conclusive HIV testing. You can trust your current negative result.
2. Chlamydia is rarely carried for two years, and you've had negative tests previously, right? You can expect the new test to also be negative.
3. I expect your other tests to also be negative.
4. A normal CBC says nothing at all one way or the other. The CBC is almost never abnormal as a result of STDs, not counting advanced HIV/AIDS, which we know you don't have.
If you'd like another comment after your test results are in, feel free to let me know what they show. I'll have no other comment or advice until then. But I hope these initial thoughts are helpful.
HHH, MD
------
67 months ago
|
Hey Dr! Just to clarify this is my first testing I have done after that exposure. Would you still say that I am ok?
67 months ago
|
This isn't the exposure that I contracted Trich this is the one after that
![]() |
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
67 months ago
|
OK, thanks for the clarification. But it sounds like your partner is unlikely to have HIV or an active STD, so you can expect your tests to be negative. As for HIV, the oral fluids test is the only HIV test that misses a few infections; 1-3% of infected people have negative results. I would recommend a lab-based blood test, preferably an antigen-antibody (AgAB, 4th generation) test. You can expect a negative result on that as well.---
67 months ago
|
Thanks so much
Also a few more questions
Regarding the Oraquick test I was chewing gum before taking the test would this cause the test to give a false negative?
Is it possible to have trich for 3 or 4 years even when cured or perhaps I was reinfected from the 2nd guy and did not know? What if I have mistaken BV for trich? The nurse prescribed me only a few days of Flagyl instead of the 7-day course that would cure trich
I am in a new relationship and want to make sure I am not passing along anything. I am so terrified
67 months ago
|
I am referring to this question- Question #3893- I waited a year or so to test after this encounter. It was unprotected 4 times and one-time causing ejaculation. The other times were protected.
![]() |
H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
67 months ago
|
I see no reason to suspect chewing gum would have any effect on test reliability.
Trich can be carried for many years, but short courses of Flagyl (including single dose treatment) cures it. In fact, you have it backward: BV requires more prolonged treatment than trich does. In any case, you can have a vaginal swab PCR test for trich, which is highly accurate; the old test (looking for trich under a microscope) misses half of all cases.
That completes the two follow-up questions and replies included with each original question, and so ends this thread. I hope the discussion has been helpful. Please try to get out of the habit of asking about every new partnership. If you're concerned about STDs, get tested; we're never going to be able to reassure you completely simply on the basis of your exposure history. You are almost a record holder on the forum, one of only 3 or 4 users over all the years who has found it necessary to post 10 or more questions.
---