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)
hiv seroconversion illness and wbc count
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.
hiv seroconversion illness and wbc count
by k1978, Jan 28, 2007 12:00AM
Hi and thanks for trying to look at my case.
I went to an asian massage parlour in the first week of January this year, where I had a risky exposure.
The next day onwards I had constant burps expecially after meals. After seven days, I began having chills(no rigors though) very often, but no fever. I also had exactly two chicken-pox-like boils on my arm and abdomen. Boils appeared on my scalp which my doc dismissed with a 2.5% selenium sulphide shampoo. The boils on my body went away (with scar tissue) after few days but continues on my scalp.
After two weeks post exposure, I had severe acid reflux, nausea and gas and rumbling in my stomach and pain in my abdomen, along with fatigue. But still no diarrhoea. Then one evening I had muscle ache, malaise and a fever for one night for 100F and a itchy throat. The fever never came back but my throat is hoarse though not sore. But no diarrhoea, no headache, no rash, no sweats, no vomiting,no photophobia. But I lost about 5 pounds in a week.
I respect my doctor but he is not an HIV expert. He gave me Nexium for acidreflux. HIV antibody tests were -ve at 2 different labs. Acid reflux and burping after meals still present. And fatigue continues with hoarse throat. Doctor says I am having a random viral infection in the flu season.
My bloodwork says 4900 wbc/cc. Doc says that even if I had hiv seroconversion illness going on, my wbc count would rise up. I am not so sure if this is true. (i can post the full bloodwork details in a comment later if you permit)
My questions:
=============
--is a "normal" wbc count consistent with HIV seroconversion illness ?
--could my stomach/eosophagus problems a manifestation of CMV/HSV/HIV causing gastritis and eosophagitis?
--what is the HIV confirmatory test before 28 days post exposure?
Please please help,
thanks,
k1978.
p.s. my risky exposure was that I performed oral sex on the woman at the massage parlour and i definitely felt her fluids in my mouth.
I went to an asian massage parlour in the first week of January this year, where I had a risky exposure.
The next day onwards I had constant burps expecially after meals. After seven days, I began having chills(no rigors though) very often, but no fever. I also had exactly two chicken-pox-like boils on my arm and abdomen. Boils appeared on my scalp which my doc dismissed with a 2.5% selenium sulphide shampoo. The boils on my body went away (with scar tissue) after few days but continues on my scalp.
After two weeks post exposure, I had severe acid reflux, nausea and gas and rumbling in my stomach and pain in my abdomen, along with fatigue. But still no diarrhoea. Then one evening I had muscle ache, malaise and a fever for one night for 100F and a itchy throat. The fever never came back but my throat is hoarse though not sore. But no diarrhoea, no headache, no rash, no sweats, no vomiting,no photophobia. But I lost about 5 pounds in a week.
I respect my doctor but he is not an HIV expert. He gave me Nexium for acidreflux. HIV antibody tests were -ve at 2 different labs. Acid reflux and burping after meals still present. And fatigue continues with hoarse throat. Doctor says I am having a random viral infection in the flu season.
My bloodwork says 4900 wbc/cc. Doc says that even if I had hiv seroconversion illness going on, my wbc count would rise up. I am not so sure if this is true. (i can post the full bloodwork details in a comment later if you permit)
My questions:
=============
--is a "normal" wbc count consistent with HIV seroconversion illness ?
--could my stomach/eosophagus problems a manifestation of CMV/HSV/HIV causing gastritis and eosophagitis?
--what is the HIV confirmatory test before 28 days post exposure?
Please please help,
thanks,
k1978.
p.s. my risky exposure was that I performed oral sex on the woman at the massage parlour and i definitely felt her fluids in my mouth.
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Jan 28, 2007 12:00AM
, Jan 28, 2007 12:00AM
Cunnilingus is zero risk for HIV transmission, or close to it; at least no such transmission has ever been documented. Your symptoms do not suggest HIV or the other conditions you mention (not even a hint!), and in any case HIV or CMV symptoms cannot start in less than 7-10 days after being infected. On top of that, the odds are very high that your partner doesn't have HIV anyway. I disagree with your doc about your WBC count, which doesn't mean anything one way or the other.
Because of your obvious anxiety, you should have an HIV test a few weeks after your non-exposure event. But you can count on a negative result. (In fact, if it were to be positive, my first approach to counseling you would be to look you in the eye and ask you to tell me about your other HIV risks. Because there is no way you caught it during the cunnilingus exposure you describe.)
Mellow out. You don't have HIV. Good luck--
HHH, MD
Because of your obvious anxiety, you should have an HIV test a few weeks after your non-exposure event. But you can count on a negative result. (In fact, if it were to be positive, my first approach to counseling you would be to look you in the eye and ask you to tell me about your other HIV risks. Because there is no way you caught it during the cunnilingus exposure you describe.)
Mellow out. You don't have HIV. Good luck--
HHH, MD
thanks,
k1978
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/HIVSupport/messages/56.html
It gives detailed discussion of the risk of HIV and other STD transmissions during cunnilingus. It should put your mind at least a little bit at ease.
Doc: I will test myself again in a few weeks time. I still have malaise symptoms and might have some slight swollen glands in the neck.
My exposure was was exactly what i described. I have nothing to hide. Never did drugs or participated in unprotected penetrative sex.
Thanks again,
k1978.
I knew that and wasn't suggesting that you did. I only was emphasizing that you could not have acquired HIV by the exposure you describe. Your follow-up HIV test will be negative.