Blood situations?

[sleep1]

I had a box of chocolates delivered to me by a delivery man in an open carrier bag. 1 hour later I opened them up & ate them. Then after I ate them I went straight onto my PC & I was picking at my fingers & I looked at my fingers & I had blood on them which was runny & blood all around one of the finger nails which the finger nail was quite far picked down I think. I couldn't figure out if it was my own blood from picking at my fingers or somehow blood from on the box of chocolates that I hadn't noticed from maybe the delivery driver (who’s HIV status I have no idea) or someone else. Then I rinsed off my hands & put soap on them & my finger stung from the soap, so it seemed that I had a cut on my finger so the blood could have come from that. If it was blood from the box of chocolates then the blood was on the exact finger and on the cut itself where it stung with the soap. I also used a Bidet right after noticing the blood & touched my anus with my fingers

The next day I picked up a tissue that had blood on it from a guy whose HIV status I do not know & he said he had just cut his hand about a few seconds/minute before I picked up the tissue & that was his blood on the tissue. I think that the cut on my finger (which I don’t think was bleeding but not totally sure) may have touched the blood on the tissue & I also have very dry and peeling hands & fingers which touched the tissue of course. A second or two after I touched the bloody tissue I had an itch in my ear & nose so put my finger in both my left & right ear canal & in my right & left nostril too so don’t know if maybe some of his blood on the tissue got on my fingers then into my ears/nostrils when I put my finger in them. Also I was worried from both incidents if when washing my hands blood might have splashed from off my hands into my eyes or 1 of my other mucous membranes

So into perspective Doctor was I at risk of HIV from these two situations? Do I need to test for HIV from these two situations?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Please re-read the original answer.  The situations you mention above are not associated with risk for HIV,

There will be no further answers to these sorts of unrealistic, anxiety driven questions.  If you are truely concerned about such things, my sincere advice is to seek the services of a trained mental health professional who can help you to overcome these unrealistic ancxieties.  EWH

[sleep1]

Hi Dr, it does seem like I have situations like this sometimes.

In relation to that for instance, I went to the supermarket today and I walked passed a shop worker while he was cutting open food boxes with a knife, in fact I was so close to him as he was cutting open the boxes that our clothes brushed. I was worried that as I was walking past him as he was cutting open the boxes that maybe he cut himself with the knife and maybe he flung his hand or whatever part of his body that he might have cut and blood may have flown out of his cut or some other way and into one of my mucus membranes such as my eyes, nose , or some kind of skin opening etc or into my shaving cut I had or maybe blood may have squirted out from his cut or some other way into one of my mucus membranes or the cut I had. I don’t think he cut himself though but I wasn’t looking at him the whole time he was cutting open the boxes. Of course I have no idea of the HIV status of this guy. I did have an itch in my ear after walking past him and put my finger in my ear and when I pulled it out on my finger was a little red dot, not sure if it was blood though,I was worried it may have been his blood?

Then I got home about 20 minutes after walking past that guy cutting up boxes and I was putting my shopping away and something flicked off the plastic off one of the items I bought and went into my eyes and it was an item that was in the trolley as I walked past the guy who was cutting up boxes, I am not sure if it was water or blood or what it was that went into my eyes. I became worried that maybe he had cut himself as I walked past him as he was cutting open the boxes and maybe he had flung his injured hand or wherever he might have cut himself and the blood flew onto that item or blood might have squirted out from him or some other way onto that item which was in my shopping cart as I walked past him if he cut himself. So was worried that maybe it was a bit of his blood that flicked onto that item and it was his blood that went into my eyes.

Also I was at a party and a lady kissed me on the cheek and it was an awkward kiss as I think our eyeballs touched. I have no idea of the HIV status of the lady but know her ex boyfriend injected drugs.

Dr would you say that all of the situations I mention in this comment and the situations on my 12th of December 2011 post, that I was not at risk of HIV and do not need to test for HIV?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

These questions suggest a lack of understanding in the way that HIV is transmitted.  HIV is spread among adults through penetrative ano-genital sex an through injection of infected material deep into tissue.  It is not spread by causal contact or surface contamination, even if there are scrapes, cuts or other wounds present.  There is no risk to the situations you describe. I would add that the first one is hypothetical and probably I not occur in the manner you suggest.  

Please do not worry an there is certainly no reason to test for the situations you have described. EWH