HIV Risk and symptoms

Hi Dr.s. I'm happy to find this site.

Okay well I recently gave another male of unknown status a handjob, and he ejaculated on my hand. I though nothing of it but then realized I had a cut on my finger. It was about 8 to 12 hours old caused by a piece of skin I ripped off my finger causing a hangnail. It seemed to be raw but I don't remember it bleeding.  Semen might have landed directly on it.

Well after posting a question in the community forum, I somewhat relaxed, but then really freaked out because 3 days later, I had protected sex with my wife, but the condom broke and I didn't notice for about 10 seconds, than stopped. Well about 10 days after her and I had sex, she came down with a really bad flu or cold.

She had a fever, body aches, fatigue, head ache all day, and a constant cough with phlegm. She usually never gets this sick, even she said its weird that she can't seem to get over it. She's had this horrible cough and head ache for 5 days. Is this ARS? I'M terrified that I infected myself and her. I feel like jumping off a cliff, please help me with advice!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  I'll try to help.  As for your encounter, it was no risk  First of all, unknown status usually translates to not infected (I would still urge you to ask partner prior to encounters).  In addition, there is no risk of getting HIV from performing masturbation on a person with HIV if your partner happened to ahve HIV.  This is true even if you have a recent cut, sore or hangnail and no matter how much of his genital secretions you may get on you during the activity.

Your wife's illness is a coincidence and unrelated to your recent performance of masturbation on a male partner.  It sounds like she has had the misfortune to get one of the flu-like illnesses that folks get from time to time.  While there is some overlap with some of her symptoms and the ARS, sputum production is not part of this syndrome but it is a common feature of community acquired respiratory tract infections.

I hope this comment is helpful to you. EWH

[scaredguy928]

Thank you for your quick reply. I already felt better, but then my wife called and said she started to get a rash around her eyes and then it started moving down her face.

It might be because she is allergic to dogs and sometimes she gets small bumpy red rashes she said that her friends dog was lying next to her for a little but I don't know. I've never seen her get a rash on her face.

This is all to rare to us. I don't remember her ever being this sick and the getting a rash.

You said there was no risk but I feel this is way too much of a coincidence. I've never seen my wife this way.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Sorry, no change in my assessment or advice  I think your guilt is influencing your perceptions.  

I you have gotten HIV a standard HIV antibody test will be positive.  Get tested and you will get a negative result.  EWH

[scaredguy928]

Dr, my wife has a rash all over her body starting today what is this???

Please help!!!!!!!!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

No change in my advice or assessment.  EWH

[scaredguy928]

Hello again doc. I dont know if you'll even glance at these question, but you have been the best advice I have gotten through this misery.

Ok so about my wife, she was sick but I now believe it was just a common virus, and we're pretty sure that her rash was caused by an allerigic reaction to a cough syrup she had never tried before, because it burned and itched but she took allergy medicine before bed and the rash was gone the next morning.

Ok so I tried to move on with your advice but it kept bugging me, so i went ahead and took a few early tests:

8 Days - Early test by UCSD.
They maintain its 99.9% at detecting the virus after 7 days, with no furhter testing. I believe its a NAAT test.

5 weeks - 4th gen combo test (P24/Antibody)
At San Diego county health dep. HIV counselors said the window for this was any time after 2 weeks, and told me I was in the clear.

8.5 weeks - Finger prick rapid antibody test

All test have been undetectable or negative.

TWO things have denied my assurance:

1. All the info I find on the web stating that no test is conclusive but Antibody after 3 MONTHS.

2. The fact that my wife keeps experiencing strange things. Besides all the stuff she went through which I have already stated. She now developed a painful lesion with what looks like a little white stuff over it on the inside of her cheek that resembled thrush. Every thing I research about thrush mentions HIV infection.

You were right about my guilt influencing my perceptions, but I just need true closure and to know she is ok.

I hope you can answer this doctor. Thank you for being so helpful, this is the only place where I have been able to talk about this.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Sorry, no change in my assessment.  When symptoms and lab tests disagree, the lab tests are always correct.  Your lab tests show that you do not have HIV- there is just no doubt about this.  

You can find lots of incorrect or overly conservative "information" on the internet.  When you mix this with guilt, you start to worry needlessly.  I suspect that's what is happening to you.

That will complete this thread.  You need to believe your tests. EWH