If they want to be sure of what they're working with, then aside from the ELSA, they'll also want to run what is known as a "Western Blot"… There are two different kinds of tests for the Western Blot... One tests for HIV type 1 (most common within North America), and the other is for HIV type 2 (most common within Africa).
As for living with HIV, I've been dealing with it now since 2009 and I can honestly say that once you get the right medications, there's really nothing to it. As for side effects to the liver, kidneys, etc, I am pleased to say that most of the newer medications have minimal to no impact on these organs. 
In terms of living with HIV, this is nothing new to me... So if you need someone to talk to about it or to give you pointers on how to deal with it, don't be a stranger... I'm more than happy to provide whatever assistance that I can. I will tell you this though... No matter how educated you are on the subject, there is NOTHING that can prepare you for when the positive test result comes back (assuming that it does come back positive). I know this from first hand experience. What concerns me though is the "pimples" that you speak of, as this is not usually something associated with HIV. Generally, symptoms of HIV are very much like the symptoms of the flu. This would lead me to believe that there is something else going on in your body, which may not even he HIV related at all. Also, the other thing to take a look at as a "tell-a-tale" sign is to run a CD4/CD8 test. This will measure your absolute CD4 & CD8 levels, saturation, ratio, etc. If these numbers are low (below 700, but even worse below 200), then you may have reason for concern. Most often, newly infected people will have a rather low CD4 count, due to the way that HIV attacks the immune system.
As for proper confirmation, I would strongly recommend the Western Blot, as this will tell you quite quickly what is what, and if it is HIV, will tell you whether you're dealing with Type 1 or Type 2. They both work very much the same way, although there are a few minor differences between them.
