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(More customer reviews)Taking an HIV test isn't easy, I know. I've taken three HIV tests in my life, all with the same result: HIV positive. Why take an HIV test when I already know that I'm HIV positive? As the author of a book, The First Year: HIV: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed), I was curious about this product.
The test I chose was the Home Access Express HIV-1 Test System. I appreciated its selling points: FDA approved, accurate, timely results (1-3 business days), anonymous but with a "live person" for questions about the results.
The test arrived in a standard Amazon box. If you're worried about being discreet, it's just fine. When you open the box, you'll find some instructions, advertising, envelopes, bandages, and two little blue things called Lancets.
I found the instructions to be a little confusing. It's not as easy as you're first led to believe. Honestly, I was so confused by the "pre-registration" process that I lost my motivation and put the test away for a few days. I imagine many people lose motivation to follow through.
When I finally got inspired, I washed my hands, studied the blood sample collection card, and pricked my finger with the Lancet. It felt like a paper cut. I had a hard time squeezing out enough blood to fill the dime-size circle on the collection card. When I finished, I sealed the card into the provided envelope, put that envelope into the pre-paid FedEx package, and shipped it off.
Home Access delivers on their promises of being accurate (100% for me) and FDA approved (other unregulated HIV tests can be found online; avoid them). The test certainly is confidential and anonymous. When I called to get my results, the phone counselor was to-the-point, sincere, and helpful.
The problem is the waiting period. From ordering the test to getting results technically can be three days. But in reality, figure two weeks or more. For me, it was well over two weeks: from ordering the test from Amazon, understanding what to do, struggling with motivation, squeezing blood, shipping the sample to Home Access, waiting through a weekend and a holiday, and then getting my results. Even for the Express Test, waiting and wondering is the hardest part.
If you can wait it out, the real value of an HIV test is in knowing your results. If you test HIV negative, carry on. If you test positive, relax. It's not the end of the world. A positive test result means you've been exposed to the virus, that's all. It doesn't mean you're a bad person or God is punishing you. And it doesn't necessary mean that you'll need medicine any time soon.
Of course a positive test result can still rock your world. But remember, the reality is that -- in 2008 in the developed world -- there is excellent medicine to keep the virus at bay indefinitely. I've been positive for over 20 years and today I have a pretty good life. In fact, the knowledge focused my attention to maintaining good health, not just with HIV, but with all areas of my life.
Home Access offers a fine test, but it requires patience. Ultimately, the test offers you knowledge. Knowing your results can save your life. Knowing is better than not knowing; it gives you the power to take control of your health and make better choices. In my opinion, it's money well spent.
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