Regarding acceptance of medical test results, my problem

[JeraldB]

Hello, about 1.5 years ago I had an incident in which I received oral sex from a girl I knew and later realized doing this was a big mistake. After a year after the incident I had a general STD screen and the results came up negative on all of them. My main concerns were HIV and Hep C and especially passing it to my family members by touching something that they touch even though most people say you can't spread the viruses this way (especially not HIV).

The HIV test is said to be over 99.5% accurate and I think the Hep C lab test is similar and for many months after this I was happy and satisfied and I moved on with my life. But recently I stated thinking what if the test was not right? It has consumed my thinking heavily and I'm trying to figure out what should I do. Should I get another test or a different kind of one? Should I try to change my thinking and accept my results?

I have my exams coming up and its really interfering with my study.

I really need help on this. Thanks so much!

 

[Yuray]

Should I get another test or a different kind of one?

Yes, if it will give you peace of mind.

 

[JeraldB]

I don't know if it will for sure because then I will just doubt that test too. Maybe I won't I don't know.

 

[Yuray]

Then get 5 different tests from five different sources..... Whatever it takes to settle your thoughts.

 

[Daniel E.]

especially passing it to my family members by touching something that they touch

Sounds very OCDish to me. Have you ever seen a therapist?

But recently I stated thinking what if the test was not right?

It seems you are either prone to anxiety and/or you don't fully realize how rare it is to get HIV as a male in a heterosexual relationship, especially if there was only one "incident." Considering the facts that your HIV test was negative, that you were having sex with a woman rather than a male, that you tested negative for other STDs, that it was receptive oral sex, and that there was only one sexual encounter: The odds are greater you would be in a fatal car accident on the way to the doctor's office than having HIV.

Similarly, regarding hepatitis C:

Regarding heterosexual transmission, the weight of evidence is that there is no increased risk of sexual transmission of HCV among heterosexual couples in regular relationships.

Is sexual contact a major mode of hepatitis C virus transmission? - Tohme - 2010 - Hepatology

 

[JeraldB]

Thanks Daniel yes I agree it does sound a bit OCD-ish. I think maybe I have some kind of slight paranoid personality disorder or OC personality disorder rather than full blown ocd... but no I have not seen a therapist.

The problem is I crave absolutes. I want someone to tell me there is a 0% chance you have either condition, not 0.0001% or what have you. But I guess this is not possible.

 

[Yuray]

I want someone to tell me there is a 0% chance you have either condition, not 0.0001% or what have you.

Is it possible to ask the girl whom you were inimate with what her status is regarding STD's?

 

[JeraldB]

Unfortunately no.

 

[Daniel E.]

The problem is I crave absolutes.

I would suggest seeing a therapist, then. It seems your worries are mostly due to an underlying mental health issue that has not been adequately addressed.

As you may know, most universities provide mental health counseling to students at no additional cost. If you live in the US and have health insurance, your insurance probably pays for therapy as well.

Also:

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/resource...-worry-mastering-your-worries.html#post172700

---------- Post added at 09:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:16 AM ----------

BTW:

See SFCC :: Ask Dr. K : HIV/AIDS - HIV from oral sex?

---------- Post added at 12:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:02 AM ----------

Estimated adult and adolescent HIV diagnoses in 2008 by transmission route and gender:

Source: AIDS & HIV statistics by transmission route and gender

"The term high-risk heterosexual contact is used to describe persons who report specific heterosexual contact with a person known to have, or to be at high risk for, HIV infection (e.g., an injection drug user)."

 

[lammers1980]

Like the others said, let me reassure you. Getting HIV from receptive female to male oral sex is almost unheard of. Do you know for sure that this woman is HIV positive? Also, since you tested yourself a year later I would accept the results as accurate. I believe your feelings may be rooted in some sort of OCD-style obsession (no judgment). Do you often worry about HIV? I used to be plagued by fears of HIV that would consume most of my days for several years. In the end, all the obsessing was completely needless and a waste of my time. Eventually I was able to overcome my obsessions, I can't remember how.

The biggest mistake you can make is to validate your fears at this point, especially since you have been tested already. You worry that the test might not be completely accurate and that another test might help to reassure you. I will tell you that it won't. In fact if you get tested again, your axiety will grow stronger and you will find a way to question the accuracy of the second test. Thus a negative feedback loop will begin that will be very difficult to get out of. By giving in to your need for absolute reassurance you are only reinforcing the the power of the obsession. What you need to do is accept the possibility of uncertainty, the fact that maybe you are not in control of everything in your life and that uncertainty is not only inevitable but in fact desirable, as it will liberate you from the prison cell of your anxiety.

In short, accept the test results. Accept that they may be inaccurate and there is nothing you can do about that. Accept that fears like these will only get stronger if you validate them. If you can practice these principles, eventually you will overcome fear. Believe me, I speak from experience. I was exactly where you were at one time.