Dear Christine,
I decided to resume an old relationship from years back and the woman was agreeable on terms that I had to take the AIDS virus antigen test.
As there was not the slightest chance of my having been exposed, as I am 57 and have been all but celibate for the past seven years, I felt the cost and inconvenience would be ridiculous. All that was needed was to put her mind at rest.
I decided to photocopy my doctor’s letterhead and fake a letter stating that I had passed the test. The fake looked good to me as I previously dabbled in commercial art.
However, I relented, tore up the fake letter and had the test. This is worth mentioning in your column, because it shows how easily a clean bill can be faked. Anyone taking up with a new partner, or resuming with an old one, should accompany him or her to a doctor and get reassurance for both of them.
They should also agree to get any results while in the doctor’s office together, so there is no chance of fake tests being circulated. You can say that I learned from my own selfish motives, which thankfully, I did not pursue.
– L.L.
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Dear L.L.,
Thanks for your letter. I am sure that it has opened the eyes of all readers who must also be informed that they need to follow the doctor’s orders about practising non-transmitting sex for the period between the two tests. Readers also need to bear in mind that both partners need to take the test.
– CHRISTINE
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