Hi.
I once volunteered to donate a blood for a friend who is about to give birth. After the screening process the medical transcriptionist informed me that I failed the test and is HIV positive. It took me awhile to process what she said and was evidently shocked with the result. She told me that I have been infected 3 months ago (somewhere around May) I tried to recall any sexual activity that took place on that time frame and results to none. I informed her about this and she said that there are instances that I have it over a year but only shows at a later time (she was referring to the 3 months she initially said) being someone who always believes on consistency I doubted her arguments.
I went home not disappointed at all, I searched the web for symptoms of the said viral infection and found out that none of those showed up. Except for the swollen lymph nodes and the feverish feeling I had on that day.
My confirmatory result for the test was due last October I didn't go back to the medical institution because I feared that the results may show positive.
- do you agree onto what the medical transcriptionist said?
- I wanna ask, is it possible that the feverish feeling I felt that day may have resulted to them finding a virus similar to that of HIV?
- is it possible to be diagnosed with Hepatitis B and HIV at the same time? Do they have the same viral component? Could it be possible that I have Hepatitis B and not HIV?
- I only felt the feverish feeling for a day, could that be considered as a symptom already?
I understand that the questions asked above can be best answered by medical practitioners, but I want to hear your thoughts about it first.
Thanks for spending sometime reading this.
Happy New Year
XXX
CONTRIBUTOR'S RESPONSE
Good day XXX,
Thank you for sharing your story. There are a lot of good reasons for knowing your HIV status. So, let's answer your questions one at a time.
- do you agree onto what the medical transcriptionist said
First, let me tell you that HIV antibody test tells whether or not a person have been infected with HIV and it cannot tell when the infection happened. From what the medical transcriptionist said, I assume she is referring to the 3-month window period from the time a person infected with HIV to develop detectable antibodies to get a positive result. A person infected with HIV may give a negative result during this period (which may take three weeks to six months between the time of HIV infection). So, when your screening came out positive she must be referring to that window period for you to get an approximate idea of when you have possibly been infected.
- I wanna ask, is it possible that the feverish feeling I felt that day may have resulted to them finding a virus similar to that of HIV?
Every time we get infected with a specific disease, our body releases specific antibodies to fight that specific infection. Most of the tests done to detect HIV infection checks for the presence of that antibody and not the virus itself. Most of the time, specially for screening purposes, ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) test is being done. It has a high sensitivity and can be 90% accurate (this is based on what the doctor told me when I had my screening result).
- is it possible to be diagnosed with Hepatitis B and HIV at the same time? Do they have the same viral component? Could it be possible that I have Hepatitis B and not HIV?
Yes it is very likely that you can acquire both disease at the same time. This is due to the fact that both are sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, if you are infected with HIV, base line test for other infections would include testing for Hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Though both can be transmitted sexually, HIV and HBV have different viral structures. Again, HIV testing is specific to the antibody that fights off the infection and not the virus so it is very unlikely that HBV infection would result to a false positive HIV test.
- I only felt the feverish feeling for a day, could that be considered as a symptom already?
Within a week up to about two months of HIV infection, acute symptoms may include, but not limited to, fever, flu-like symptoms, rashes, diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes and weight loss. However, many people do not develop these symptoms after being infected with HIV. Some people may never feel that they have been infected within several years depending on the progression of the disease.
I hope my answers to your questions help. I don't want to give out unsolicited advice but I hope you try to check your confirmatory test as this may give a more accurate result on your HIV status.
Stay healthy,
SurvHIVor
Philippine Contributor
"WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
NO PLHIV is alone with his or her struggle with HIV!"
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