Getting those sex health checks

[Olddaddy]

Today I went to a sexual health clinic,which was Government run here in Australia so no fee involved.

I had originally planned on seeing just a private GP at a medical centre but a poster mentioned on here about sexual health clinics in Australia so thought I would ring my local one this morning.

They quizzed me so much first on the phone as they said they had a certain maximum qouta and some patients they refer to their GP .

On hearing my answers how I had been in Asia the last 2 Months etc I was top of the list for a appointment.

On arrival I was given a rapid antigen test , negative and sit in the waiting room , unfortunately there was 2 screeching Thai ladyboys in there as well one wearing a school dress mini skirt,I imagine they were ,"working boys " to put it nicely.

Anyway 5 minute wait and the doctor calls me in , I told him of my throat being sore after sucking around 50 cocks in Asia the last few months 

He was fantastic and I whilst I was embarrassed I imagine he sees patients like me all day.

He said I will test you for everything,

With my throat he done a swab test where they use a swab and run it around the mouth ,I think and I can't remember but I think it was for chlamydia?

Does that test for HPV too?

The next one I had to go into the toilet and ram a swab up my bum 3cm and put it into a tube , problem is , 😅I got a little excited and...it went further than the 3cm...and...omg..broke off 🤨so had the get the doctor,(so  embarrassed) to take the swab out !

I'm not sure what the anal swab test is for ,he did mention it but I was embarrassed so wasn't listening.

Next was a blood test I guess for HIV ,and then a feel test looking at the testes and the areas on the side under your balls , 

All in about 20 minutes and results in a few days 

He kept encouraging me to go on PREP , bottom guys are higher risk he said 

But one thing he mentioned to me is...which I was surprised to know...is if someone is on medication for HIV they cannot ...cannot pass the virus onto you !!! I had no idea of that ! 

Guys I think it's important when we get old to have these medical tests,and I'm not only talking about sexual tests,but prostate tests as well .

A lot of us wait until we get symptoms before we go for medicao tests,whether that be because we get lazy or even financial reasons if there's a cost involved.

I think the next one will be a prostate test 😂😂with the glove finger,but seriously I think a yearly PSA& Full blood count test yearly is the least you should do .

Of course colonoscopy every 5 years or so if you have a history of bowel cancer,other than that well life's a risk I guess

 

[floridarob]

27 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

problem is , 😅I got a little excited and...it went further than the 3cm...and...omg..broke off 🤨so had the get the doctor,(so  embarrassed) to take the swab out !

OMG ....are you joking or serious 😵

 

28 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

I'm not sure what the anal swab test is for ,he did mention it but I was embarrassed so wasn't listening.

chlamydia and gonorrhea

 

29 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

Next was a blood test I guess for HIV

Should be HIV and syphilis.....maybe potassium too after having all those bananas 😉

 

[Olddaddy]

Is anyone here on PREP?

How are you finding it?

Any side effects?

[spoon]

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

if someone is on medication for HIV they cannot ...cannot pass the virus onto you !!! I had no idea of that ! 

Only if taken the medication as prescribed and have been tested with undetectable few times (cant recall how many times in a row) that you would be clasify as undetectable, U. Then, yes, u wont be able to infect others with HIV. 

35 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

Is anyone here on PREP?

How are you finding it?

Any side effects?

Many here have been on prep and my own experience, i started with daily prep and the first week, i got mild chills/fever, but thats it. The more serious side effect i believe is bone density and kidney impact, making every 3 month screening crucial on top of other STIs.

Since covid, ive switched to on demand prep though, which save me some money, and if u are having side effects, this would be a better option, granted that your sexual activity isnt as active. Going this route wont force u to do the screening every 3 month though, as your supply will last longer, so u will need self motivation to go for your routine screening hehe.

[colmx]

3 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

Is anyone here on PREP?

How are you finding it?

Any side effects?

Farang friend and I both got Descovy at the pulse prep clinic in Silom back in January 

Made us both nauseous as hell and both had to discontinue (I caught Covid at the same time so this was another reason to discontinue)

I tried it again in April and has the exact same effect. After 7 days I was forced to give up.   

[Olddaddy]

2 hours ago, spoon said:

Only if taken the medication as prescribed and have been tested with undetectable few times (cant recall how many times in a row) that you would be clasify as undetectable, U. Then, yes, u wont be able to infect others with HIV. 

Many here have been on prep and my own experience, i started with daily prep and the first week, i got mild chills/fever, but thats it. The more serious side effect i believe is bone density and kidney impact, making every 3 month screening crucial on top of other STIs.

Since covid, ive switched to on demand prep though, which save me some money, and if u are having side effects, this would be a better option, granted that your sexual activity isnt as active. Going this route wont force u to do the screening every 3 month though, as your supply will last longer, so u will need self motivation to go for your routine screening hehe.

"On demand" PREP?

I will ask the doctor about this when I see him on Thursday again ,it may be a better option.

So you just take it like 24 hours before sex? 

[vaughn]

3 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

Is anyone here on PREP?

How are you finding it?

Any side effects?

It has been good for me.

They do a blood test to check for liver function the first time, then every 6-12 months after that. AU$30 for 30 tablets available at any chemist in Aus with a prescription.

The on-demand method is an option for times when you're less sexually active, 2 tablets at least 2 hours before sex then continue with 1 tablet a day for at least the next 2 days. When I travel or at times when I am very sexually active I just take one tablet daily, starting a week before and ending a week after.

The only side effect I've ever had is an upset stomach on the 2nd or 3rd day of taking it for the first time, other than that no problems.

[Riobard]

Try not to get too excited and snap the physician’s finger off or create a vacuum sucking in his jewelry during the prostate DRE. 

[Riobard]

Regarding on-demand HIV PrEP and refills, at least in Canada. Pharmacies will not issue a new supply if 90 days has elapsed from the previous dispensing. For example, if you fill a 30-day supply on Sept 1st and use it sparingly over 3 months but run out and wish a new supply you must provide proof of a recent negative test if you wish to receive a new bottle following Nov 30th.

It is possible to work around it. For example, if you are willing to pay for 3 months at once, receiving 90 tablets that might last you a year, you would need to arrange testing that makes sense for your own peace of mind because the pharmacy would only require the negative test when you try to obtain a new supply a year later.

PrEP is not at all a good treatment option for anybody HIV-infected whether they are aware of having HIV or not.

Pharmacies here are able to access your test results on their computer systems, at least in Quebec. I don’t bother to check for possible renal toxicity because I consume PrEP on-demand and so infrequently. I am often tossing out unused expired tenofovir/emtricitabine tablets. Kidney problems would likely be flagged in my annual medical exam unrelated to PrEP. 

[Olddaddy]

"Prep is not at all a good treatment option for anybody HIV-infected whether they are aware of having HIV or not."

I was quite surprised when the Doctor mentioned anyone HIV positive &  taking HIV medication cannot spread HIV ,I had no idea of  that .

 

 

[Riobard]

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

I was quite surprised when the Doctor mentioned anyone HIV positive &  taking HIV medication cannot spread HIV ,I had no idea of  that .

To reiterate what someone else posted above, they must have an undetectable amount of virus on top of taking the medication. That is, the accumulation of studies has found that in 130,000 acts of condomless penetrative sex nobody acquired HIV from a poz partner that consistently had undetectable viral load. It is not absolute zero viral load but it is an amount of virus that the tests that count viral particles cannot measure because they are too low, generally viewed as less than 200 copies per one millilitre of blood sample for purposes of the research conducted. The average body contains 5+ litres of blood. Therefore, the overall unknown number of viral particles present in a poz person can theoretically be quite high but nevertheless that amount is statistically incapable of transmission. Actually, most tests are now currently accurate at less than 50 copies per ml, even 20 copies per ml.