Desperate for advice please!

[Jerry2055]

I have a long (over 9 years) history of having HIV HA and recently it has stepped up a gear (if thats possible).

My question is can a full blood count give an indication as to whether a person has HIV? I have read some people say that although a FBC cant look for the virus it can see anomalies caused by HIV in your red and white cell count. And one person on here said that they had spoken to an aids foundation worker and a doc who said that a full blood count could pick up abnormalaties that would then prompt them to investigate further, even as early as 3 months after exposure, is this true?

The reason I ask is because I have had an enormous battery of different blood tests done to me over the last year (i cant imagine a HIV test was included) while looking for something completely unrelated, including many FBCs. As far as I'm aware all of these test were normal and I know that at least my last 3 FBC were normal, including the white cell count.

My HA and stress are in overdrive, epecially as I cant seem to shrug off the simplest of infections at the moment. Friends tell me that stress/anxiety can lower your immunity, but I refuse to believe it can to an extent where I struggle to get rid of a staph infection in my armpit (4 months and counting).

Im at the end of my tether, please help!

[Taffy]

Do You know you can go to your local GUM clinic and request a specific blood test for HIV?

I know this because a while back I had an urinary infection (not an STI) and the nurse asked if I'd like a blood test for HIV and Syphillis. Even though I knew I definitley didn't have either I thought I may as well as it'll be one less thing to worry about in the future.

The results took a fortnight to come back and were all clear..as I expected.

So to put your mind at rest why don't you make an appointment with your local clinic, the number should be in the Yellow Pages. You don't need to go through your Doctor to get one either. Tell them your worries and get a test done to put your mind at rest.

[Jerry2055]

I know there is a specific test to check for the virus, but I am curious to know if a regular FBC gives the docs a suggestion that there is something that needs further investigation?

Like I said all my blood tests have come back normal, all my full blood counts had normal red and white cell counts, plus the miriad of different test I had previously have not showed anything of concern as far as I know. I think the HIV test was probably the only one not done!

Would something have shown up if I had the disease?

Plus can stress/anxiety cause infections to keep coming back as I seem to be unable to get rid of mine!!

[macc noodle]

FBC test results would indeed show any abnormality in cell counts which would prompt further investigations - so you need not worry if you have had normal ones for the last 3 tests.

Anxiety can make you really ill !

[Jerry2055]

I've often wondered if the hospital would have tested me for HIV after spending over a week in hospital and I had a huge number of tests done. But arent they supposed to ask you for permission or can they just take it when investigating you?

[blueangel]

As far as I know in the UK, HIV tests have to be done with permission (unless of course, you're seriously ill and unconscious), as a component of the test is counselling before the test is done. Therefore I suspect it's extremely unlikely you will have been tested for it routinely.

However, maccnoodle is right when she says that a FBC would show up abnormal cell counts, which would then be further tested for a likely cause if a doctor was concerned about them.

Try not to worry about the other infections (although I know that this is easier said than done), as stress really does seem to lower resistance to infection. Also, staph infection on the skin can be notoriously difficult to get rid of and can go on for months (someone I used to know had one and it took him ages to get rid of it).

[Jerry2055]

Thanks blueangel

I've read different things regarding FBC and how it may or may not show the effects of HIV. One person on here said that she had spoken to someone who works for the aids foundation in the US and he said that a FBC could pick up the changes due to HIV as early as 3 months after exposure and that the FBC is one of the main ways that it is found in people that dont know they have it.

Now i'm not sure how much of that i believe as it seems a bit too easy. However i can believe that if you have the desiese then it can show the changes in your white cell count due to years of them being destroyed.

After having so many FBCs done as well as a huge number of different other blood tests, I would have thought that if there was anything to worry about regarding HIV making other results show out of the norm then they would have found it right??

[WorryMan]

I'm no doctor but I would have thought that something somewhere would have been out of whack in all the tests you had which would have made them question why the result was the way it was. So the fact that nothing was said or followed up I would have thought that there was nothing to worry about.

Most people on here seem to think that a FBC would indicate some kind of infection if you had one, especially something that actually kills your immune cells so I would take this as a good sign.

Please correct me if i'm wrong though.

[Jerry2055]

Thanks WorryMan

As usual there are people who say it can affect your FBC and some that say it cant, obviously I would like to think it can but there is always that doubt.

I am fighting the urge to google it as I know what I find will probably scare the living hell out of me. I wish I lived with a doctor :)