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Corticosteroids
I am a male. 53 days ago I was in a mexican brothel in Acuna, Mexico having protected vaginal sex with a mexican female prostitute. She had performed oral sex on me without a condom (she and I were both semi-drunk), then put a condom on me. At some point, we went to change positions and I noticed that the condom was no longer on me. I don't know how long I had been exposed. She couldn't speak english, so she didn't understand the questions I asked her about disease status. I put on another condom and proceeded but did not finish due to scary thoughts and finishing with another about an hour earlier.
I freaked out. I read posting on this site and everywhere else on the internet. 2 weeks later I had a panic attack and ended up in the emergency room. The doc gave me Xanax.
I got a stomach virus 1 week later where I threw up one time at 4 am and then got sore places on both sides of my mouth where the tongue joins the body. I saw a dentist that day who said that I had apthous ulcers and gave me Lidex 0.05% gel to apply. That afternoon I had severe muscle aches, joint aches, sore lymph nodes all over my body. I then developed diarrhea for that afternoon and the next 2 days, then it dried up with 1 dose of Imodium. No significant joist or muscle aches after that evening except around groin and armpit to elbow region. Acne on face, neck and shoulders soon followed.
1 week later (at 30 days) I took the HIV-1 Qualitative Proviral DNA by PCR test. The results said "not-detected".
I still had anxiety about the results. I continued reading articles and forums seeking to convince myself that I was negative. I went to see another doc who put me on Buspar and a rinse of lidocaine, benadryl and maalox. It made my mouth feel better. Didn't help emotions. The Buspar made me feel tired all the time (another symptom).
6 weeks after exposure the doc changed me to Prozac along with a regimen of a Cipro tablet and 1 week of doxycyclene to clear up a possible chlamydia or gonorrhea infection (tested negative for both after treatment was over halfway through). 2 days later I broke out in a rash that looked liked flea bites on my love handles with a couple on my forearms and shins, but mostly love handles. Acne is completely gone. The new rash doesn't itch and is barely raised above skin. I sweat a little bit at night for 2 nights in a row. I stop all meds. Rash begins to fade immediately (even before stopping meds).
At this time, my lymph nodes under my chin and jaws still feel swelled, no ulcers but tongue still sore in the same places and floor of mouth sore. Possible wisdom tooth movement. A little bit of clear sinus. All of this since vomiting episode.
I finally convince myself that I don't have HIV, then I read on the lab's website that corticosteroids (Lidex gel) significantly reduce lymphocytes and can generate false negatives on my test.
Panicking again. Please let me know what you think about all of this.
I freaked out. I read posting on this site and everywhere else on the internet. 2 weeks later I had a panic attack and ended up in the emergency room. The doc gave me Xanax.
I got a stomach virus 1 week later where I threw up one time at 4 am and then got sore places on both sides of my mouth where the tongue joins the body. I saw a dentist that day who said that I had apthous ulcers and gave me Lidex 0.05% gel to apply. That afternoon I had severe muscle aches, joint aches, sore lymph nodes all over my body. I then developed diarrhea for that afternoon and the next 2 days, then it dried up with 1 dose of Imodium. No significant joist or muscle aches after that evening except around groin and armpit to elbow region. Acne on face, neck and shoulders soon followed.
1 week later (at 30 days) I took the HIV-1 Qualitative Proviral DNA by PCR test. The results said "not-detected".
I still had anxiety about the results. I continued reading articles and forums seeking to convince myself that I was negative. I went to see another doc who put me on Buspar and a rinse of lidocaine, benadryl and maalox. It made my mouth feel better. Didn't help emotions. The Buspar made me feel tired all the time (another symptom).
6 weeks after exposure the doc changed me to Prozac along with a regimen of a Cipro tablet and 1 week of doxycyclene to clear up a possible chlamydia or gonorrhea infection (tested negative for both after treatment was over halfway through). 2 days later I broke out in a rash that looked liked flea bites on my love handles with a couple on my forearms and shins, but mostly love handles. Acne is completely gone. The new rash doesn't itch and is barely raised above skin. I sweat a little bit at night for 2 nights in a row. I stop all meds. Rash begins to fade immediately (even before stopping meds).
At this time, my lymph nodes under my chin and jaws still feel swelled, no ulcers but tongue still sore in the same places and floor of mouth sore. Possible wisdom tooth movement. A little bit of clear sinus. All of this since vomiting episode.
I finally convince myself that I don't have HIV, then I read on the lab's website that corticosteroids (Lidex gel) significantly reduce lymphocytes and can generate false negatives on my test.
Panicking again. Please let me know what you think about all of this.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I understand your perspective. That's exactly why I take a somewhat hard line: I'm trying to discourage people from using this site as a source of emotional support. The internet and all online advice sites like this one are poor resources for that purpose. Your comment reinforces that goal!
So it isn't insensitivity, just pragmatics, in the hope people who need emotional support will seek it through proper channels. Call if tough love.
HHH, MD
So it isn't insensitivity, just pragmatics, in the hope people who need emotional support will seek it through proper channels. Call if tough love.
HHH, MD
I am not posting a question, but will post a comment. I think that what you are doing is fantastic. However, due to the volume of people that you deal with you have become calloused to the issue. The people posting questions on this site are experiencing emotional trauma. The reason behind paying $15 and asking the question isn't for medical advice so much as emotional reassurance. They can grab a medical textbook and get medical knowledge about these issues. The problem is a lack of emotional support from all levels. There are no good resources to provide this necessary support to the many people just wanting to talk about thir problems with a professional in the industry. Like it or not, that's why people come to this site. Please take a good look at this from our perspectives. Hopefully you wil no longer dismiss people on this site or respond in an unsupportive manner. These are real live people that are desperately in need of emotional help.
God Bless!
God Bless!
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Getting close to God or not, it sounds like your turnaround didn't last long. I don't know what test Quest uses. In any case, this is not an emotisnal support site. You cannot know you have thrush by self-diagnosis, and I doubt you have it. See a mental health professional to figure out why you can't let this go. Please do not continue any further follow-up questions here.
HHH, MD
HHH, MD
Dr., please forgive me if I am annoying you. I am really trying to get over this anxiety like you mentioned but I keep getting symptoms. I have had swollen neck glands for several weeks, occasional night sweats (mostly neck and groin) recently thrush (I just started using listerine which I read may cause this) and headaches that move from place to place around my head. If I didn't have symptoms, my anxiety would be gone. To get right to the point, how reliable is any qualitative dna by pcr test administered by Quest? I have heard 99.9% sensitive and am starting to think that I could be the 0.1% due to my symptoms. If it isn't HIV then what else could it be?
First of all, you are way off in terms of estimating any one-time risk. Even in Africa, where the greatest risk of HIV transmission is through heterosexual sex, the probability of contracting HIV from an infected woman, per episode, is .0063, or one in 160.
Relax. You are way overstressing about a non-existant risk. If you can't get past this on your own, I suggest seeking counseling. In the meantime, keep taking your meds. It will help :-)
Relax. You are way overstressing about a non-existant risk. If you can't get past this on your own, I suggest seeking counseling. In the meantime, keep taking your meds. It will help :-)
Well, this experience may be the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have gotten close to God and have completely turned my life around. If he sees fit to carry me through this, I will never have to go through this again and either way will serve him for the rest of my life.
Thank you everyone for your comments, it has helped!
God bless
Thank you everyone for your comments, it has helped!
God bless
Thanks for the reassurance. I just cannot understand why there are so many different opinions on the internet about a topic that should be pretty straight forward. I figured my exposure possibility to be 25% if the girl was hiv+. I have been an emotional wreck since I developed symptoms that I read about. Every time I read about a new one, I got it. That's why I've been so anxious. I also saw were you thought Quest Diagnostics is a pretty reputable company. I will attempt to move on emotionally.
I sought advice from the doctor sometime ago. He told me to relax and not worry. Easier said than done - today I have received advice of a negative test at 11/12 weeks after earlier testing negative at 7/8 weeks and ten weeks. I quite simply overtested.
I wish I had of been able to do as the doctor said - I have stressed out to the max - ( I have prayed a lot certainly believe in God ) despite people telling me 'not to worry'. I searched the net bigtime - again causing generally much concern and at times confusion.
The doctor here I think does a great job and I for one will now certainly accept the results, stop searching the net and get on with life knowing I am not infected with hiv, Praise God.
Please I suggest listen and give heed to the doctors advice thus saving yourself a lot of pain.
All the best.
I wish I had of been able to do as the doctor said - I have stressed out to the max - ( I have prayed a lot certainly believe in God ) despite people telling me 'not to worry'. I searched the net bigtime - again causing generally much concern and at times confusion.
The doctor here I think does a great job and I for one will now certainly accept the results, stop searching the net and get on with life knowing I am not infected with hiv, Praise God.
Please I suggest listen and give heed to the doctors advice thus saving yourself a lot of pain.
All the best.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You are overreacting in a major way. The risk of infection from the exposure you describe was so close to zero that it can't be measured--even if your partner had HIV, which she probably didn't. Your doctors' presriptions for Xanax and Prozac are a good indication they believe your reaction is unreasonable, and I cannot disagree with that judgment. I'm not going to try to diagnose your rash, but it has nothing to do with HIV or any other STD. Steroid creams or ointments cannot affect the HIV test results; even large doses of corticosteroids systemically (by mouth or injection) don't do that.
You didn't need HIV testing at all. But since it was done, you can rely 100% on the results. You don't have HIV, end of story.
Good luck- HHH, MD
You didn't need HIV testing at all. But since it was done, you can rely 100% on the results. You don't have HIV, end of story.
Good luck- HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the HIV - Prevention Forum
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