Am I at risk voor HIV?

[Tuinman]

Hello doctors,

I need some advice on a matter that is really freaking me out. I hope you can help.
This weekend I went to an BDSM mistress to play doctor. She played the doctor. Everything looked ok and hygienic. She performed everything with latex gloves and I even had to put on a latex glove before touching her. So far so good, one would say.
But... during the session she took a pinwheel (wartenberg wheel) to test my sensibility and roled it over my skin. I did'nt like that and used te safe word and she stopped.
When we finished the session, she put this wheel back on the table. Without cleaning it! And that is why I am really freaking out.
Assuming that the wheel was not cleaned after her previous "patiënt", what are my risks??? The wheel looked clean but I will never know if it was clean..... I was in the room about half an our before she used the wheel. The room was airconditioned, I think 18-20 degrees Celsius.
I am worried about HIV. Hepatitis B is no concern because I am vaccinated.
On the internet I learned that HIV becomes inactive very quickly.
Please provide me with some advice what to do. I can't sleep, shoult I get tested or what should I do?
Thanks a lot in advance for your help.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the forum.

I had to google Wartenberg wheel to remind myself what it is.  Obviously you are concerned that its sharp points could be contaminated with other clients' blood and consistuted an HIV risk.  I would encourage you not to worry; there is no HIV risk here.  

First, HIV is rarely transmitted by solid-point needles or other sharp instruments; virtually all needle-transmitted HIV infections (in drug users and rarely in health care personnel) involve hollow needles normally used for injection or blood drawing.  Second, of course the wheel would have to be used vigorously enough to break the skin.  Did you bleed after it was used?  If not, no risk.  Third, even hollow needles have to be contaminated with wet blood; if your sex worker's wheel had been contaminated, within minutes any blood on it would have dried and HIV would be dead.  It probably would have had to be used on someone else within a minute or two before it contacted you.

I would encourage the sex worker to decontaminate her wheel after each use, e.g. with alcohol -- just common sense hygiene.  But even without it, the actual risk of HIV (and other blood borne viruses, like hepatitis B or C) is zero for practical purposes unless and until used in rapid succession (a minute or two) on different clients, and with sufficient vigor to break the skin.

So my advice is that you not give this another thought.  You don't need testing for HIV or any other STD, and if you have a regular sex partner, you can safely continue nor normal sexual practices without fear of transmitting anything.

I hope this has helped.  Best wishes--  HHH, MD

[kikibaby1030]

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[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

You correctly understand:  while I doubt the wheel broke your skin, there was no risk for HIV even if it did -- for exactly the reason you state.

Thanks for the thanks.  I'm glad to have helped.

[Tuinman]

Thanks a lot doctor for your quick response.
I don't know if I bleeded because she rolled the wheel on my back....
But if I understand your answer correct that doesn't matter, because (assuming the wheel was contaminated) there was too much time between two cliënts to cause infection even if I would have bleeded?

I think I am also scared because this was my very first experience with this kind of sex and there will not be another because I am way to stressed for this stuff....

Thanks again and keep up the good work!