# I am HIV negative. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 22, 2000, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098 "2000-09-22T03:13:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/1 "2000-09-22T03:13:13Z")
YAY! I had to get a bunch of pre-op blood tests before my nose job, chief amongst them an HIV test, as the surgeon won’t do elective surgery on anyone testing positive. Now, I knew there was a slim to none chance I was positive (I was tested 6 years ago and have only been with two people since), but just taking that little test sure caused a lot of anxiety! To top it off, whern I called the office for the results my doctor was out of town and I was told that only she could give me the results! Nerve-wracking! Anyway, I’m negative and my nose job is scheduled for October 12th. YAY! I’ll be in Detroit and Toledo for two days prior to the surgery to visit friends, so if anyone is up for an impromptu Dopefest, let me know! ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/2 "2000-09-22T03:36:01Z")
I am so, so glad for you, Sue. No matter how small the risk, the _question_ alone is terrifying. Know the path you walked, honestly. My Ex was an alcholic womanizer. Once I _finally_ broke free (let’s not mention denial and stupidity, m’kay?) the scariest step was getting the HIV test. Talk about obscene insanities: the fear had always been there, but unacknowledged. Sue, you’re a great contributor and voice on this board, and though we’ve never “met”, your glad news is some of the best news I’ve heard in a month of Sundays. (Carefully supressed fears are always the worst.) Hosannas, Veb ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/3 "2000-09-22T03:37:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sue Duhnym \* > **Now, I knew there was a slim to none chance I was positive (I was tested 6 years ago and have only been with two people since), but just taking that little test sure caused a lot of anxiety!** Ain’t it the truth? I was anxious and I had no reason at all to be worried–straight, no transfusions, never been in Haiti, fear of needles so no intravenous drugs, monogamous since 1976–all the usual “no worries” signs. But “what if…” scenarios still flitted through my head. But it kept my mind off the operation. ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/4 "2000-09-22T03:48:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVeblen \* > \*\*My Ex was an alcholic womanizer. \*\* That was the reason I got tested six years ago (mostly the womanizing part). What a horrible thing it was to go thru after such a horrible marriage. I’m right there with ya Veb. Thanks for the good wishes and words. {{{{Veb}}}} ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/5 "2000-09-22T03:56:48Z")
Now I’m tearing up, when comfort was intended toward you. Amazing, how this place (these people) seem to understand, no matter what. The important thing is…you’re healthy, okay and ready to rock 'n roll. To life, Veb ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/6 "2000-09-22T03:59:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dropzone \* > But “what if…” scenarios still flitted through my head. Don’t you know it! I was a basket case on the inside. The doctor left a message on my machine yesterday. It started out, “I’m calling for Sue, this is Sue’s-Doctor from Sue’s-Doctor’s-Medical-Group, I’m calling with your test results…” JUST GET TO THE RESULTS ALREADY!!! I was close to a heart attack in those 15 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/7 "2000-09-22T04:03:58Z")
Oh, God! When I got the letter from the blood service saying my blood was no longer welcome, I shat three bricks before I found out why. Hep B was anticlimactic. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/8 "2000-09-22T08:22:19Z")
I had a full-blown coronary exam last year, which also involved a blood exam. “Would you like to know the results of your HIV test or should we keep them out of the final report, mr. Coldfire?” What do you THINK? YES, I want to know the result!! Like y’all, I had a very minor risk of actually testing positive - perhaps even smaller than Veb’s and Sue’s. But DAMN, it really adds a stress factor, doesn’t it? Oh, Vebbie and Sue? Good to see you kicked the respective assholes out the door, eventually. You are both intelligent and witty women who deserve a lot more in life. ---
**Author:** ![SSgtBaloo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@SSgtBaloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSgtBaloo)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/9 "2000-09-22T09:33:35Z")
Congrats on passing your test! I presume you didn’t have to study hard? [ul][Breaks into song…] "She got a nose job, she got a nose job! It’s all turned up instead of hangin’ down! She got a nose job, she got a nose job, and now she’s the prettiest gal in town![/ul]C’mon, everybody sing! ~~Baloo ---
**Author:** ![fierra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58956e/32.png) [@fierra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fierra)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/10 "2000-09-22T10:24:10Z")
Congrats Sue.{{Sue}} Now tell me one thing, please…why can only the doctor give the results to you & so you have to wait even though the staff there would all have confidentiality agreements etc, but it’s ok for them to leave them on your answer machine when anyone with access to your house, friend that walks i with you, burglar etc, could hear those results? Mad! Anyway, grats again - peace of mind is a wonderful thing! (A friend of mine tested positive, then negative in the second corollation check & negative in the monthly double check tests for 6 months - after the first clear, it was likely she was ok, but it still was bad waiting for/opening the papers each time…) ---
**Author:** ![CanadianSue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@CanadianSue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanadianSue)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/11 "2000-09-22T12:18:11Z")
Congratulations Sue!! ---
**Author:** ![Kiki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kiki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiki)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/12 "2000-09-22T13:36:12Z")
I’m glad to hear everyone’s tests have come out negative. I hope they continue to come out negative for the rest of your lives! I was tested during both of my pregnancies and tested again this past July. I’m happy to report that all three tests were negative. I don’t consider myself to be high risk for HIV but there’s always that possibility. The first time was the worst because it was my first test since I became sexually active and I thought if it came up positive I’d have a helluva time trying to figure out where I got it. The other two tests weren’t so nerve racking because I had only been with three people between tests. Now I’m in a monogamous relationship but I’m going to continue getting tested yearly just for peace of mind. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/13 "2000-09-22T13:39:57Z")
As most ofy ou know, I was married to someone with aids. We did have sexa few times trying for pregnancy ( obviously successful), and I hated getting tested. It was a worry. But me and my son are negative for certain. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/14 "2000-09-22T13:41:01Z")
BTW, Sue I live in the Cleveland area, so lets get a doperfest going. ---
**Author:** ![SaxFace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SaxFace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaxFace)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/15 "2000-09-22T14:04:32Z")
Vanilla, if you don’t mind, could I ask you a question for clarification? > [@](#): > > As most ofy ou know, I was married to someone with aids. > We did have sexa few times trying for pregnancy ( obviously successful), and I hated getting tested. It was a worry. Did you have unprotected sex knowing he had AIDS? ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/16 "2000-09-22T14:06:35Z")
Yes, I did, simply to get pregnant and have a child, which I did. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/17 "2000-09-22T15:36:03Z")
" had to get a bunch of pre-op blood tests before my nose job, chief amongst them an HIV test, as the surgeon won’t do elective surgery on anyone testing positive. " Isn’t that illegal for a doctor to discriminate? Haven’t got a real HIV test. The first time the doctor asked why I want the test, then said I didn’t need it. Next time, they forgot to do the test, next time they didn’t do the test but thought just looking at the TCell count would suffice. Don’t really have any reason why i would have it but HPV is a whole nother thing for me to think about. Just as nasty as HIV #16 & 18 & actually more dangerous too, when you find out that 5,000 women a year have cervical dysplasia… sigh ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/18 "2000-09-22T17:13:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by vanilla \* > \*\*Yes, I did, simply to get pregnant and have a child, which I did. \*\* I had to read that a few times to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Are you _INSANE?_ You brought a child into this world knowing that, at minimum, he would watch his father die; at maximum, he would also watch his mother die while dying himself? What, exactly, was your rationale? Because it sounds like pure selfishness. ---
**Author:** ![SaxFace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SaxFace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaxFace)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/19 "2000-09-22T17:32:04Z")
Yeah, Sue, I had to re-read that as well. I’m speechless. Really. For the first time EVER on this board. ---
**Author:** ![Stella\_Fantasia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@Stella\_Fantasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stella_Fantasia)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098/20 "2000-09-22T17:43:31Z")
handy- HPV isn’t nearly as dangerous as HIV. HIV is pretty much a death sentence. HPV is a sentence to Pap smears four times a year. You only get cancer if you don’t take care of yourself. (HPV causes dysplasia first, & that can be removed.)& cervical carcinoma in situ (which is the most common type of HPV-related cancer) is quite indolent & doesn’t metastasize for quite some time. Congrats on the negative test, Sue!! Aren’t they just the most nervewracking days in your whole life, the ones when you’re waiting for the results? Why can’t they have an instant test, like they do for strep throat & UTIs? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-hiv-negative/34098.md?page=2)