Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
HIV Prevention (Expert Forum)
Scared and confused
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
This forum is limited to prevention of HIV and to safe sex in general. If you believe you might have been exposed to HIV and want help to judge your risk, would like advice about HIV testing, or have questions about the effectiveness of condoms or the risks associated with specific sexual practices, this is the site for you.
IMPORTANT
No questions will be accepted on the treatment of HIV/AIDS or its complications, viral load, and similar topics. If you have questions about a specific STD other than HIV/AIDS, please visit the STD Forum. Questions that do not pertain to the above topics will be removed from the forum.
If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR PAYMENT WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, condom- protected intercourse hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids as well as symptoms of early HIV infection.
No questions will be accepted on the treatment of HIV/AIDS or its complications, viral load, and similar topics. If you have questions about a specific STD other than HIV/AIDS, please visit the STD Forum. Questions that do not pertain to the above topics will be removed from the forum.
If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR PAYMENT WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, condom- protected intercourse hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids as well as symptoms of early HIV infection.
Scared and confused
by Sarahde, Sep 13, 2006 12:00AM
TIMETABLE
* April 2005 - Started to get small lumps under my arms. No previous symptoms - flu or anything. No risk of STD present I don't think at this time, ..but unsure now as to what they may have caused the small lumps and tenderness??
* May 2005 - Met new partner (this is who I'm concerned about). Started with protected sex, then unprotected shortly after. Ridiculous I know.
* July 2005 - Felt very nauseas one day. Thought maybe morning sickness it was that bad. no vomiting. Then I came down with the flu - nauseas, loss of appetite, vague - confused some days, fever, muscle aches, chills, and an outbreak on my thigh near groin - nothing on genitals. Seemed like a herpes kind of outbreak - but could have been a cluster of bad rash?. Still had the same tenderness under armpits as before I met this man, no prodimnent large swollen glands though. No sore throat, no cough.
Not long after I got a bad ear infection also. This went away with antibiotics. Was very painful and persistent.
* August 2005 - The man I was with got shingles. He got cream and tablets etc. Didint get a blood test.
* December 2005 - A gland under my arm swollen, it was painful and very, very large.
* April 2006 - Two smaller swollen glands under the right arm and tender armpits (similar to what I had before meeting this man), and a few in my neck. I also got a rash on both sides of my breast - but think that could be stress rash, I also had a swollen gland come up on my neck (occipital chain) that I woke up with one morning (left hand side), was then gone by the end of the day, but quite large and noticeable - people at work noticed it. Also started to have increased floaters.
* July til now (September 2006). Still tender armpits at times, smaller rubbery lumps at times, and another swollen gland come up on my neck cervical chain gland - right hand side this time) that I woke up with one morning, was then gone by the end of the day again. Have always had floaters,but since the increase I now see them everyday, not just when on a white background or looking up to the sky. They have definitely increased.
Have also had joint pain especially in my hands and fingers and a lot of allergies and itchy scalp and skin at times.
Everyone I know has had this bad yearly flu (Australia) but I didnt get it.
My questions
* Isnt there a longer asymptomatic period than one year? Why have I had all these symptoms from around 3 - 4 months after maybe seroconversion?
* The spot on my neck? What else could that be? Seems risen around the edges, but scaley and flat on the inside, been there two weeks, no increase or decrease, no spreading or itch. I feel fine. Been there for two weeks. Size of the top of a thumb,slightly bigger.
* Does a herpes infection cause intermittent symptoms like these, or only with outbreaks?
* Does this sound like hiv? Would like your advice doc before testing, maybe to prepare myself. Any other info on things this may be?
Very frightened....
* April 2005 - Started to get small lumps under my arms. No previous symptoms - flu or anything. No risk of STD present I don't think at this time, ..but unsure now as to what they may have caused the small lumps and tenderness??
* May 2005 - Met new partner (this is who I'm concerned about). Started with protected sex, then unprotected shortly after. Ridiculous I know.
* July 2005 - Felt very nauseas one day. Thought maybe morning sickness it was that bad. no vomiting. Then I came down with the flu - nauseas, loss of appetite, vague - confused some days, fever, muscle aches, chills, and an outbreak on my thigh near groin - nothing on genitals. Seemed like a herpes kind of outbreak - but could have been a cluster of bad rash?. Still had the same tenderness under armpits as before I met this man, no prodimnent large swollen glands though. No sore throat, no cough.
Not long after I got a bad ear infection also. This went away with antibiotics. Was very painful and persistent.
* August 2005 - The man I was with got shingles. He got cream and tablets etc. Didint get a blood test.
* December 2005 - A gland under my arm swollen, it was painful and very, very large.
* April 2006 - Two smaller swollen glands under the right arm and tender armpits (similar to what I had before meeting this man), and a few in my neck. I also got a rash on both sides of my breast - but think that could be stress rash, I also had a swollen gland come up on my neck (occipital chain) that I woke up with one morning (left hand side), was then gone by the end of the day, but quite large and noticeable - people at work noticed it. Also started to have increased floaters.
* July til now (September 2006). Still tender armpits at times, smaller rubbery lumps at times, and another swollen gland come up on my neck cervical chain gland - right hand side this time) that I woke up with one morning, was then gone by the end of the day again. Have always had floaters,but since the increase I now see them everyday, not just when on a white background or looking up to the sky. They have definitely increased.
Have also had joint pain especially in my hands and fingers and a lot of allergies and itchy scalp and skin at times.
Everyone I know has had this bad yearly flu (Australia) but I didnt get it.
My questions
* Isnt there a longer asymptomatic period than one year? Why have I had all these symptoms from around 3 - 4 months after maybe seroconversion?
* The spot on my neck? What else could that be? Seems risen around the edges, but scaley and flat on the inside, been there two weeks, no increase or decrease, no spreading or itch. I feel fine. Been there for two weeks. Size of the top of a thumb,slightly bigger.
* Does a herpes infection cause intermittent symptoms like these, or only with outbreaks?
* Does this sound like hiv? Would like your advice doc before testing, maybe to prepare myself. Any other info on things this may be?
Very frightened....
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Sep 13, 2006 12:00AM
, Sep 13, 2006 12:00AM
Your symptoms don't suggest HIV. Symptoms never are a reliable indicator for or against HIV infection in people at low risk (ie not gay men, injection drug users, etc). NEVER. And anyway, your symptoms don't sound like HIV, herpes, or any other STD.
If you are concerned about HIV, herpes, or other STDs, get tested. All else is just wild speculation. Australia's network of Sexual Health Centres are, collectively, the best STD clinics in the world. There are SHCs in all the large and mid-sized towns. (If you go to the ones in Sydney, Melbourne, or Adelaide, say g'day for me.)
Good luck-- HHH, MD
If you are concerned about HIV, herpes, or other STDs, get tested. All else is just wild speculation. Australia's network of Sexual Health Centres are, collectively, the best STD clinics in the world. There are SHCs in all the large and mid-sized towns. (If you go to the ones in Sydney, Melbourne, or Adelaide, say g'day for me.)
Good luck-- HHH, MD
dont know if that helps?
From reading posts on this site it sure is evident how scared humanity really is of this disease (virus). I think anyone who has posted on here due to fear should donate money to the cause.
just my two cents
Some quick questions of it's ok...
* Isnt there some form of pain and spreading when getting shingles?
* If he had shingles, then a year later I get shingles and never had them before is that not a good sign?
* Is shingles ever present in original ARS symptoms?
* If he used needles and I didnt know or was hiv, would these symtpoms then be a concern for hiv so early?