Okay - now i COULD have aids? wtf!

[Peter Thomas]

Right about now the Australian Health Care system is beginning to really displease me.

I found out a little while ago, but I just didn't mention it because I was so confused. And now I'm over the confusion and just damn pissed off.

Got a phone call (whenever it was) asking me to come back to the clinic where I had the original blood sample drawn from, where I had a "no obligation" meeting with the head doctor. First off he asked me how I'd been, if I'd been feeling ill at all, if I'd had any side-effects to possible medication I might have been taken? "Good, no and no".

He then apologizes for the original screw up where they somehow contaminated my blood sample, and so had to do a redraw. "Yeah, that's fine. But I've got my result now - that's all I'm worried about." He gave me that sort of look a five year old might give you that says "Please don't hit me for being a bad boy. I really didn't mean to spill all that chocolate sauce down my mouth, and flush the car keys down the toilet - although it was a great hoot, you must agree."

I said "Wassup" (not quite like that), to which he replies,
"We may have given you some misleading and/or confusing results."
"Wtf?"
"The results we gave you for your blood sample weren't actually yours. It appears your sample was somewhat delayed, but your processing number did not, and so it got attached to the incorrect sample. We've just found the right sample, and the results have come back to say INCONCLUSIVE."

"What does that mean."
"It may mean you have HIV and our machine just can't pick it up at this point, or it could be just a false reading. We'd like to do another redraw to be on the safe side."
"What if it's another inconclusive result?"
"Then we'll take another sample later. And keep on doing so until we get a conclusive reading."

At this point I'm about to fall off my chair - not out of terror or anything, just because this stupid system is so screwed up, and I'm thinking CRAP CRAP CRAP - could I have passed it on to someone else in the meantime? I keep remembering every single time I've cut my finger recently, trying to figure out if anyone could have been in contact with my blood - crap like that. Crap I wouldn't have to think about if things hadn't got effed up this badly.

I've decided to wait until the six-month mark before I do another blood sample. By that stage, there's a 99.99% probability that I will get a definitive result one way or the other. I just don't want to keep giving blood only to get an inconclusive result.

And so in the meantime I'm trying to not kill any person affiliated with our health system.
I feel like I'm being quite generous...

[Helm]

I have no idea how you'll be able to stand the waiting time. Good luck with the definite results.

[HillBilly]

Wow. Let's hope you haven't had too much wild sex then.

Good luck on the actual results.

[Kinoko]

Yes, stay away from those cultish blood orgies for now.

Seriously though, I imagine this must be terrible for you. I'd be beyond furious if this happened to me, it seems extremely unprofessional. I have a friend that works in these labs and I've heard already SO many stories of big mixups and people having to be retested, and when you think of a situation like this... it REALLY shouldn't happen as often as it does. I can tell you though, this does happen a lot so you're not being singled out by the cosmos.

Try to look on the bright side, you may still be 100% fine, despite all this. ^_^

[SSH]

Obviously, you need to shag someone who works at the testing lab... that gives them a vested interest in getting your result done properly!

Seriously, though, looks like you'll need some serious distraction until test 2 results get in. And even then, you wont be sure that in a few weeks after that they they wont come back and say "we screwed up again"

Its amazing how bad health professionals are at getting blood tests done. When both of my daughters were born, they did various checks on them, including taking some blood. Both of them they had to come back and take the blood again (i.e. wake up the sleeping baby we had just calmed down after last time and stick a needle in their foot) becuase they hadn't taken enough blood fo r a reading to be taken. And I've heard of this happening to lots of other babies. It's amazing that (a) these doctors and nurses who do these tests every day on lots of babies can't get it right (b) they don't have a little mark on the vials that they put the blood in which indicates when there is enough.

[Peter Thomas]

Obviously, you need to shag someone who works at the testing lab... that gives them a vested interest in getting your result done properly!

Aaah, SSH, you always have a way to make me smile

I'm actually not as angry as you might think. I get a bit riled up when I actually go through the whole story in my head, or if I write the whole thing down (like I did here), but from moment to moment, I'm dealing with it pretty well.

I've been extremely careful ever since my initial scare. No blood orgies or anything, as fun as it might be...

This is all rather strange, y'know? I mean, I see those girls on tv who say "we only had unprotected sex once - I never thought i could get pregnant the first time!" and I think "you poor, mislead girl. What makes you think the first time is any different to the 100th time?" And now here I am in pretty much the same shoes, thinking "this is not something I thought would happen to me."

I don't know how double-standard-ish that is... Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Looking back, I'd have given myself a crapload of warnings and told myself not to be so stupid. But here I am now, regretting what may have come to pass, wishing I hadn't been so naive.

Yeah, I could still be clean. That's what I'm hoping for.
But it would be nice if - ONCE IN A WHILE - the medical profession got it right. For a change.

[Estaog]

I wouldn't worry much if I where you, it would only make things worse. Just look at the bright side, there is a good chance you are clean. I'm just wondering how they didn't invent HIV resistant condoms yet  .

[shbaz]

I'm just wondering how they didn't invent HIV resistant condoms yet  .

I have some, but I call them pants.

You can catch it many other ways though, so that's really no quick-fix.

[HillBilly]

If everyone just STOPPED HAVING SEX, we wouldn't have these kind of problems.

Who's with me?!

[Helm]

I'm with whoever thinks you should stop making totally inappropriate comments.

[Ishmael]

I'm with whoever thinks you should stop making totally inappropriate comments.

That would be me, atleast.

[Stickieee]

If everyone just STOPPED HAVING SEX, we wouldn't have these kind of problems.

Who's with me?!

As stupid as it sounds, if everyone had sexual intercourse with only one life-time partner, the whole AIDS-thing along other STDs would, if not disappear, at least reduce dramatically. Of course there are still other ways to get an infection, but still.

Abstinence and all ain't as bad an option as it sounds. You just have to get your life-time partner at ripe 13 years of age Ã, 

I know, this doesn't have much to do with PT's possible HIV.

[Ozwalled]

Ugh. Why is it the older I get, the less and less confidence I have in Healthcare? I swear, if someone ever wanted to be the ruler of their country, all they'd have to say for their campaign speech would be:

"If you ever go to the hospital and they fuck up, you get to kick the person responsible and someone who assist them in the crotch."

People would ask, of course, why that assistant gets the kick to the 'nads too, and it's just so they keep the people who are supposed to be responsible for helping you on their toes.

[Renal Shutdown]

Pete, personally, I'd recommend you pay to have a test done.  They're not too expensive.  And here are the reasons why:

1. Peace of Mind.  Deep down, you might not realise it, but something like this will bother you over time.  It'll start nagging at you, and get worse the longer you wait. 
A friend of mine is a more extreme case, since he's a hypochrondiac but the basics are the same: He reads about an ailment, thinks to himself that it's possible that he could get it, panics and asks everyone for info, researches it himself, finds the worst case scenario, convinces himself he's got it, panics some more, goes to the doctor a few times, convinces himself the doctors are wrong, panics more, irritates others around him, goes to the doctors again, moans that they don't have a clue what they're doing, panics more, makes himself genuinely ill from stress related issues, then finally realises that he hasn't got post natal depression.
Basically, it's better to no for sure than to have doubt.

2. Assuming it's a good result, you can get on with your life.  Until you know for certain, it's not wise to get funky with anyone, just in case you are infected and as a result, they get tainted too.  Just imagine how you'd feel if this actually happened.  I'm not saying you can't keep your pants on for more than an hour, but I'm saying it's better to know you're in the clear in case that special someone comes along and grabs your ass.  "Sorry, not for the next few months, I might be the death of you" doesn't make a very good first impression.  If it does make a good impression, I'd suggest against a relationship with aforementioned ass-grabber.

3. I'm guessing that the healthcare system down under is free, like in Britain.  If it is, then it's probly crap, like in Britain.  I, and some others I know, have had bad experiences with free healthcare.  Most of the doctors in private clinics are making a small fortune every pay day, so they take they're jobs very seriously.  One malpractice suit and they're back to shining shoes on a street corner for beer money*, so they make sure everything is done properly, first time around.

At least look into getting a private test, for instance, the cost and the likelihood of a conclusive result.  You might find that it's a more preferable option.

*(I'm assuming the said malpractice suit pwns them hard).

[Peter Thomas]

If everyone just STOPPED HAVING SEX, we wouldn't have these kind of problems.
Who's with me?!

No harm done, HillBilly. It made me smile [somewhat wryly..], although thanks to Helm and Ish for standing up for me, too.

Iqu - I am still tossing up the idea of paying for a test. I guess I overlooked saying that in my original post because I was getting a little riled up.
But I probably won't go for it. I know this will probably niggle at my brain until i DO finally get the '6 month test' done, but I've already thought hard about how I'll deal with it if I come out positive. And  in all honesty, I think the waiting would be a thousand times LESS stressful than the awkwardness and confusion I've been feeling with these endless screw ups. Of course I'm going to have to be extra-cautious in the meantime, but I'm not the sort to let it ruin my life, and anyone who needs to know will know.

But, who knows. I may still go for it if the stress gets out of hand...

[Afflict]

Yeah like the others said I wont worry too much about it.

Lets talk about this Aids thing. Have you had any unprotected sex with any untrusted partners?
Have you had blood gushing from your wounds and had another blood spilling into yours...
I say this cause getting infected takes alot of blood. You need a direct source into your blood stream and
then to get the virus into your stream. The virus dies within seconds of leaving the body as it is a
HUMAN virus and cant survive in other circumstances and other bodys. Like a mosquito... ect.

Anymore questions on this? ask them cause if you havent expierenced any funny situations where you could of
gotten it dont worry... too much. The period the doctor is talking about is the "window" period the virus hides within
the body and cant be traced. Sure you can google this stuff anyway but I dont mind answering questions.

Oh by the way, it can be a couple of months ago cause the window period is effective for three months.. about.

Anyway stay safe guys. Like mr miyagi says "best way to avoid punch... not be there!"