Yay for making sure I'm healthy and stay that way. Peed in a cup and some blood drawn. The whole thing, including the intake, only took half an hour. I've been meaning to do this for a while and just kept putting it off. I'll get results by Friday but I'm not worried, tbh. Get tested, kids! It's quick, easy, and only mildly painful.
Is a blood draw absolutely necessary? If so that could be an issue... I plan on my partner and I getting tested before I have sex with anyone new. Once I actually have a partner that is. I hate needles.
You can decline any test, of course. The blood test was for HIV, and I believe a blood test is more accurate?
I take blood a blood thinner so I'm supposed to get tested every 2 weeks. I usually go longer, not because I'm afraid of being stuck by a needle, it just seems like I'm doing something else and put it off until "tomorrow". Most places use butterfly needles now to draw blood. They're not much thicker than a hair. You hardly even feel them and if you do it's only for an instant. A family member is Diabetic and I stuck myself with an insulin needle just to see what it felt like. The needle goes right in with hardly any pressure as soon as it touches the skin. Same thing for the little finger poker they use to test blood sugar. Go for it. After it's all over you'll feel silly, wondering what you were afraid of.
Right. Good point about drinking water beforehand. It makes a difference. "The Vampire", as I affectionately call her, i.e.; the woman at my PCP's office who does the blood work tells everyone to drink lots of water before coming in.
Always drink a lot of water and have a snack before you go to the clinic. I have been tested 50+ times out of fear of STI's. Also, getting blood drawn is the best way of testing for HIV. I would get over my fear of needles for something that would change my outlook on life and everything I knew and loved about my life.
Actually, you get get a 97% accuracy HIV test I believe with just a finger prick blood test. That's how I turned up negative on mine. :3