Sorry to bother you again . However i have noticed a few symtoms post my exposure which was the bite on the nipple .

1. 10 days after exposure i had pain in my upper throat mainly while swallowing or drinking anything .

2. had a fever of about 99 to 99.5 coming and going for about 2 days . Today ir was 98.8 a few times and then went away in its own 

3. it’s been 4 days and mu throat is still not improving 

4 . i did a combo test 13 days posy exposure and about 48 hours since the start of my symtoms . it was NON reactive .

5. also did a cbc and esr . my cbc had slightly elevated wbc , about 9200. and neutrophils were on the higher side , 72 percent whike lymohicutes we’re just 20 percent .

6. my worry is whether this is the ars ? I have no headache , no fatigue and have been going to the gym and work as well .

7: if my symtoms were due to ars would the combo test be positive ? In other words does the negative combo test prove that my symtoms are not due to ars ?

plz

advise . thanks again 

Your temperature is not the high temperature which is characteristic of recently acquired HIV and your sore throat while one of the symptoms of the acute retroviral syndrome (ARS) is not the severe sore throat which is also typical of this syndrome. The fact that you had a  negative 4th generation, combination HIV antigen/antibody test two days after the onset of your symptoms proves that your symptoms are not due to HIV. When HIV cause the symptoms, fourth generation tests are always positive.

Your CBC and ESR tests are only modestly approaching the abnormal level and are entirely non-specific tests. These tests provide no information whatsoever regarding the presence or absence of HIV.

Bottom line, as you have heard three times in the past 18 days, the exposure you described was a no risk event and the symptoms that you are detecting are unrelated to HIV. You are really worrying entirely too much and I am concerned that your inappropriate focus of non-specific symptoms and anxiety may be deleterious for you. If you cannot control your anxiety, rather than additional testing, I strongly recommend that you speak with a professional counselor who can help you dress you were inappropriate anxiety. I say this out of concern for you, nothing more. 

EWH

Thanks for your detailed responses . 

1: My worry has been the sore throat . it’s been 4 days and it hasn’t improved at all . My upper throat hurts everytime i eat or drink anything and there is no improvement at all , hence was a bit concerned .

2. I have been following you and dr hands field on the medhelp forum as well : I read a post there where one of you’ll mentioned that hiv tests are positive one week after the onset of symtoms . 

In my case i did it about 2 days from the onset of symtoms . Does that prove that hiv isn’t the cause of my symtoms ?

3. Is a slightly elevated neutrophil count a sign of a bacterial infection ? 

Request you to please clarify the above points please . Thanks again for all your support .

1.  A sore throat is a non-specific finding and more often than that is caused by strep or every day community acquired, non-STI viral infections. Scientific studies have shown that when persons seek medical care for flu like symptoms which include high fever (which you don’t have), severe sore throat, and diffuse muscle or joint aches (which you don’t have) less than 1% of those individuals have recently acquired HIV (the ARS).  Further, as you have also been told before, when symptoms are present fourth generation tests are always positive. The symptoms are the results of interactions between high viral counts and antibodies, both of which are detected by fourth generation test. Your fourth generation test is negative. You don’t have HIV!!! 2. You have read previous responses selectively. Both Dr. Handsfield and I have repeatedly informed other clients, as well as you, that when symptoms are present, fourth generation HIV tests are positive. There is no one week cut off for positivity. Testing after two days of symptoms would show a positive test if you had HIV, which you don’t!!! 3. This, like both of your two earlier questions is repetitive. Read my previous response. An elevated neutrophil count is a nonspecific finding which is in no way a clue to the presence or absence of HIV. You wasted your time getting the test. The same is true for haven’t gotten an ESR. You need to get a grip on yourself. Clearly you have unwarranted and what appears to be pathologic anxiety. You do not have HIV, your symptoms do not suggest HIV, your test prove that your symptoms are not due to HIV. EWH---