HIV - Do I need mental help?

[worriedwell250]

I am having this life threatning anxiety for past 5 months due to an HIV "exposure" I had. I basically had a one minute protected intercourse with a sex worker. I looked at the condom after the sex and remeber seeing semen in that. Since than I have have been under sever anxiety. Not sure if I had symptoms but I had skin burning/ Allegry like Rhinits, few acne like lsisons on my head etc. I finally got some courage and decided to get tested a month back with the oraquick oral test which thankfully cam back negative. I was very happy with that and thinking of having another baby but then I read I need to go through another HIV test for parenting. Do not know why it drove me nuts and I panicked badly and was back to the same position. Few days back my 3 yr old son had 3 bite like rashes (No fever, 1 on face two on feet) seeing which I panicked like hell thinking that not only I have HIV but passed it to my son too. We went to the doctor and the doc said they look like bug bite (I was in no position to share my panic). The rashes eased up in two three daays but are still fading. Today I read that HIV can be passed to small kids py giving pre-chwed food. I have not given any pre-chewed food but I do feed my son and at times we eat together. I am having severe situation, cant say if it is panic attack. Am I behaving irrationally? Is this OCD? Is this GAD? What is this. Life was never so difficult.  What should I do?  HELP!

[silverberg]

NO HIV !  YOU need to work on letting it go! YOU need to learn from what you THOUGHT about your sons BUG BITES and how your worked yourself up and how you can also work your son up, (I AM NOT TRYING TO SOUND MEAN, I JUST WANT TO HELP)  kids pick up on others anxiety and Panic feelings.

As for the pre-chewed food, one who would do this? two, this is FALSE!  I would ask you go to your social worker and ask for the next class on HIV EDUCATION, not HIV prevention.

I hope you let go of this and move on, because the facts and what you are writing about do not match, so you are only working yourself up over FALSE facts.

[worriedwell250]

This is not false. Please check http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0631284520080206. I also thought it to be false. But reading this drove me crazy. Sorry but this is what I read. Do I need pro mental help?

[silverberg]

THis is what I am saying, when you post things like that (chewed food from mother to baby caused HIV) you only make the FEAR of HIV to yourself and other worse, 1) if you read the whole article you will see:
The researchers said HIV transmission appears to have occurred when the children ingested pre-chewed food that contained blood from the bleeding gums of HIV-infected women, and this entered the children's bloodstreams through a cut, sore or inflammation of the mouth or digestive tract.

and if you check with other research, you will find this FINDING TO BE DISPUTED BY MANY SCIENTIST.

aS FOR getting help, yes , NOT for HIV, but for thinking something is wrong with you and now your child, when it simply is NOT! this only makes your life hard for you and your children.

Please NOte: to anyone how reads this: please have facts straight before writing in open forums as this only adds to the Anxiety.

p.s. what is weird there is another post in Anxiety forum , all most verbatim , posted under another user name here? what a coincidence?

[worriedwell250]

Can ypu point me to the other user please? Thanks for your advise.

[worriedwell250]

I dont know what to do. Seems like I have spoiled my life. Cant get thru it. Sometimes i feel if i know for sure that I have HIV then I will run away from every body very far. But in my heart somewhere i feel that i dont have it this is just anxirty getting me to react like this. I pray this is anxiety only. No one wants to listen to me in the HIV forum. I cant speak to anyone in my daily life. It was never so difficult. I have made a real mess of my life plus people around me.