Expert: John Thai, M.D. - 1/6/2008

Question
hi i have written to you before asking a question and thank you for the response. Hopefully this will clear things up for me. I had sex with a sexworker in amserdam(big mistake i know) i have been hitting myself over the head now for about 2 years. i got test at 3 months after the incident with an elisa test. It came back negative. then i got tested at 4,6 months with a rapid test. Then i got tested again at 7 months with an elisa. Then i got tested again at 9 then finnally 12 months. they all came back negative. the reason why i was so worried was becuase the first time when i met my gf all we did was make out(i know its not a big risk) but a few weeks after we made out she got enlarged lymph nodes along her jaw and then i instantly thought hiv. she got tested 3 months after that and her results came back negative. recently i read about hiv 1 and hiv2 , and how most  of the time when someone gets tested they just get tested for hiv1. i know that i got tested for both with the rapid tests but i am worried the last couple  of tests that i took did not test for hiv2. do elisa tests test for hiv1 and hiv2?   should i be worried or am i being silly?   i forgot to mention it was protected sex.

Answer
Hi Robert,

I have answered your question at least twice in the past. If your physician has tested you over the past year with the results being negative, the chances of you infected with HIV from that particular incident is zero. If you continue to have anxiety regarding this matter, I highly recommend that you have a long chat with your physician regarding your worries and/or concerns.

A consultation with a sex therapist would also be beneficial to ease your worries.

Regards,

John Thai, MD