Aa
Getting Worried
Good service, thanks Dr.
My Facts (all very stupid and won't be repeated):
Day 1: Protected sex with a sex worker in the Caribbean who may have been from Haiti. Received unprot oral sex.
Day 2: Protected sex with a different sex worker in the Caribbean. Received unprot oral sex. Was rather drunk but found used condom on floor next morning. Very stupid activity that I won't repeat.
Day 3: Noticed friction abrasion on penis about 3mm diameter probably from Day 1. Diarrhea starts, probably from bad ice cubes.
Day 4: Returned to USA, went to urgent care and PA said highly unlikely the abrasion was herpes. He thought my HIV risk was low. Diarrhea continues.
Day 7: Woke up with mild flu like symptoms. Felt like head cold. Possible fever, but was able to work and function that day. Diarrhea worsened. No effect on hunger.
Day 8 (today): Slept in very late. Flu symptoms worse. Very fatigued. 101.3 fever. Diarrhea not as bad. I never get sick and very surprised how fatigued I am.
My questions:
1. I understand that starting retrovirals during the acute HIV period can improve your overall prognosis if infected. As a precaution should I request this?
2. Would a polymerase chain reaction (PCT) or other direct test be useful now? If this is HIV I want to absolutely jump on it.
3. Where would you put my odds of exposure? I also fingered and french kissed these girls and probably had small cuts on hands, but understand from other posts that risk is negligible. Is exposure from the abrasion on my penis and small cuts on hands accumulative? Probably no data on this.
4. Does the fact the flu started in less than a week make it more likely its from another source? If so, how good should I feel about that fact.
5. If the flu symptoms go away in less than 5 days is that also an indication its not HIV? Could all this be related to the Diarrhea?
Many thanks.
My Facts (all very stupid and won't be repeated):
Day 1: Protected sex with a sex worker in the Caribbean who may have been from Haiti. Received unprot oral sex.
Day 2: Protected sex with a different sex worker in the Caribbean. Received unprot oral sex. Was rather drunk but found used condom on floor next morning. Very stupid activity that I won't repeat.
Day 3: Noticed friction abrasion on penis about 3mm diameter probably from Day 1. Diarrhea starts, probably from bad ice cubes.
Day 4: Returned to USA, went to urgent care and PA said highly unlikely the abrasion was herpes. He thought my HIV risk was low. Diarrhea continues.
Day 7: Woke up with mild flu like symptoms. Felt like head cold. Possible fever, but was able to work and function that day. Diarrhea worsened. No effect on hunger.
Day 8 (today): Slept in very late. Flu symptoms worse. Very fatigued. 101.3 fever. Diarrhea not as bad. I never get sick and very surprised how fatigued I am.
My questions:
1. I understand that starting retrovirals during the acute HIV period can improve your overall prognosis if infected. As a precaution should I request this?
2. Would a polymerase chain reaction (PCT) or other direct test be useful now? If this is HIV I want to absolutely jump on it.
3. Where would you put my odds of exposure? I also fingered and french kissed these girls and probably had small cuts on hands, but understand from other posts that risk is negligible. Is exposure from the abrasion on my penis and small cuts on hands accumulative? Probably no data on this.
4. Does the fact the flu started in less than a week make it more likely its from another source? If so, how good should I feel about that fact.
5. If the flu symptoms go away in less than 5 days is that also an indication its not HIV? Could all this be related to the Diarrhea?
Many thanks.
Would swollen lymph nodes be obvious to identify or could you possibly have them and not know it?
"To my knowledge there has also been claim reports of people saying they got hiv from deep kissing"
Some people also claim they've been abducted by aliens. No one ever got HIV through kissing, tongue or no. And the risk of contracting HIV through receiving oral is infinitesimally small.
Some people also claim they've been abducted by aliens. No one ever got HIV through kissing, tongue or no. And the risk of contracting HIV through receiving oral is infinitesimally small.
To my knowledge there has also been claim reports of people saying they got hiv from deep kissing. Would you also consider these? Is there more evidence for recieving oral sex? Just a little concerned since most doctors that i talk to say they would be about the same risk.
Thanks Dr. H, very reassuring.
Woke up this morning and the fever had broken (day 3) so feeling much better about things. Throat hurts more for some reason, but I'll just get the HIV test at 6 weeks and stop worrying.
Woke up this morning and the fever had broken (day 3) so feeling much better about things. Throat hurts more for some reason, but I'll just get the HIV test at 6 weeks and stop worrying.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Please read many other threads that ask virtually the same questions. Use search terms "HIV transmission risk", "oral sex", "fellatio", "ARS symptoms", "HIV diagnosis", and "time to positive HIV test". I will be using most if not all these terms as keywords for this thread.
As you will see in much greater detail, I would rate your risk of acquring HIV, even if one or more of your partners was infected, as extremely low, almost zero. Although there have been occasional claims of acquring HIV by receiving fellatio, to my knowledge no such cases have been proved. The presence of a penile "abrasion" might increase the risk slightly, but too little to change the basic risk assessment. Ditto for cuts on hands.
You also will see that no symptoms ever are a reliable indicator for or against HIV early HIV infection. Test results count in assessing whether or not someone has HIV; symptoms do not.
Going to your specific questions:
1) You absolutely should not take antiretrovirals at this time.
2) PCR testing is not recommended. It is sometimes used in persons with far higher likelihoods of infection than you have, but there is a fairly high risk of a falsely positive result--which can be truly frightening when it happens, and unnecessarily so. If you want early testing, have a P24 antigen test. But I don't recommend this either, except perhaps the combo antigen/antibody test.
3) Virtually zero. See above.
4,5) The diarrhea definitely started too soon, and the other symptoms also were on the early side to be due to HIV. Typically the symptoms of acute retroviral syndrome (ARS) start around 10 days after infection, although a week is possible. And they generally last 10-20 days; resolution in 5 days indeed is evidence against HIV as the cause. It is by far most likely that these symptoms are due to some ohter infection, most likely a garden variety respiratory virus.
Given the nature of your exposures and your concerns, it is reasonable to have routine HIV testing, but nothing more. The negative result will be reasonably reliable if done 4 weeks after exposure and virtually certain at 6-8 weeks.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
As you will see in much greater detail, I would rate your risk of acquring HIV, even if one or more of your partners was infected, as extremely low, almost zero. Although there have been occasional claims of acquring HIV by receiving fellatio, to my knowledge no such cases have been proved. The presence of a penile "abrasion" might increase the risk slightly, but too little to change the basic risk assessment. Ditto for cuts on hands.
You also will see that no symptoms ever are a reliable indicator for or against HIV early HIV infection. Test results count in assessing whether or not someone has HIV; symptoms do not.
Going to your specific questions:
1) You absolutely should not take antiretrovirals at this time.
2) PCR testing is not recommended. It is sometimes used in persons with far higher likelihoods of infection than you have, but there is a fairly high risk of a falsely positive result--which can be truly frightening when it happens, and unnecessarily so. If you want early testing, have a P24 antigen test. But I don't recommend this either, except perhaps the combo antigen/antibody test.
3) Virtually zero. See above.
4,5) The diarrhea definitely started too soon, and the other symptoms also were on the early side to be due to HIV. Typically the symptoms of acute retroviral syndrome (ARS) start around 10 days after infection, although a week is possible. And they generally last 10-20 days; resolution in 5 days indeed is evidence against HIV as the cause. It is by far most likely that these symptoms are due to some ohter infection, most likely a garden variety respiratory virus.
Given the nature of your exposures and your concerns, it is reasonable to have routine HIV testing, but nothing more. The negative result will be reasonably reliable if done 4 weeks after exposure and virtually certain at 6-8 weeks.
I hope this helps. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the HIV - Prevention Forum
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.
