IN need of help

[reassurance]

Hello doctor and thank you in advance, 10 weeks ago I had sex with someone who was hiv positive and condom failure. 5 days later with some hot penis pain I developed a rash on the tops of my hands feet and knees. This followed with high fever and night sweats for about 5 days and then just feeling hot for the next 3 weeks. I went to a std clinic in the middle of this and they found spread out hpv, never had seen it before, still very small. At the same time another rash developed on my back and abdomen of pink papules. On my neck three other wart like things were there that an hiv specialist just said that it was molluscum. I have had a sore throat for this entire time (ENT said tonsilitis), it is almost completly better, as well as an ear infection with an enlarged lymphnode that started at about day 25 that has been antibiotic resistant(both ears also).I also have a yeast rash on my arms. I tested herpes 1 and 2 negative at 50 days. I also tested bdna undectable and no antibodies at 6 1/2 weeks, normal cd4/cd8 count and ratio, then negative with oraquick at 10 weeks. The Hiv specialist was intrigued and told me to test out to 6 months. I am scared worried depressed. Your advice recommendations, help advice is greatly appreciated. Could I still have HIV, am I not in the clear could I be a LNTP

[peekawho]

It wasn't me!  I swear!  It seemed to be a joke from another poster.  

But not me.  Although I think it was pretty funny.  

[monkeyflower]

Good post. You might go back and suggest that person fashion him/herself a lovely tinfoil hat. So stylish, yet practical ;-) I love it. Did peekawho post that by any chance?

I just went over there to see if I could find that post, and all I saw were titles like "Please can you tell me if I can get HIV from hand shakes sharing Showers, Washing up bowls etc" (seriously). You know, I was soooo in favor of that board; I even lobbied MedHelp for its addition. I've, uh, changed my mind...

[gates85]

Hello Doctor. I thought you should see this post that someone made over on the HIV support forum. A pretty hilarious exaggeration of how people come in here with unreasonable concerns sometimes:


I'm absolutely freaking out over having possibly contracted HIV. What happened was, a couple of days ago I was having lunch downtown near where I work, and I went outside and this one guy looked at me for like 5-10 seconds. I'm thinking he was probably gay, which means he probably had HIV!! And it was a really hot day, so I think there's a high likelihood that his glare was giving off high levels of HIV radiation which almost certainly infected me by piercing the gel coating of my pupils and went directly into my bloodstream. Anyway, now I have a cough so I'm pretty sure I've contracted HIV from this exposure. I can't eat or sleep and I've really fallen into a deep state of depression over this. I posted this question to Dr. HHH but for whatever reason he deleted it and told me to never connect to the internet again. What a dik! Can you guys help me? I'm freaking out!

[eaman]

Anxiety can cause a variety of symptoms that affect one's handeling of issues.  Not to mention the  few coincidental symptoms between ars and anxiety.

Including:

Excessive, ongoing worry and tension
An unrealistic view of problems

from http://www.medicinenet.com/anxiety/article.htm

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Brian123 is right and you are wrong that "you just can't have stuff like this happen in coincidence".  Of course you can.  In your original question, you said "Your advice recommendations, help advice is greatly appreciated."  Then pay attention to it, accept it, and move on!  More imortant, trust your own HIV specialist provider.

[Brian123]

Hence your screen name.....

It seems like you are searching for reasons to "assure" yourself that you are HIV-

Searching the Internet, as said numerous times before.....is indeed a "fool's errand".

Go ahead...search all you want, as many of us have in the past....it will only increase your anxiety...thus making you more paranoid.

[reassurance]

I wish i was as certain as you all, but I have read of erythema multiforme presenting as seronconversion rash . It is called "acute human immundeficiency virus infection with erythema multiforme". If you google that and go to the journals website you can read it. It mimicks some of my symptoms and rash. The only difference which i keep telling myself is she had detectable virus, which I don't and was still feeling real sick the whole time and serology was positive for cytolomegalovirus as well, which was probably the reason for prolonged seroconversion illness. She also had low cd4, mine are normal. and my theory with the hpv, was that i had it, just initial hiv infection brought it out. But i still have this ear infection a little. The whole thing still scares me, you just can't have stuff like this happen in coincidence. Also for Dr. H. i got it wrong it is LTNP, which is long term non progressors, those who hiv cannot destroy thier cd4's quickly, and some other stuff i don't understand. I greatly appreciate everyones help.

[dobber21]

I would say, with your history of testing that you're in the clear. I think the six month advice is more for your own anxiety than anything else.
I expect you to continue to test negative:)

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your negative HIV test result show with virtual 100% certainty you did not acquire HIV.  I don't know what LNTP means, but the context suggests something about late seroconversion.  That really doesn't happen any more, with modern tests.  'Intrigued' or not, your HIV specialist is just being conservative and cautious to recommend further tests; if you ask directly, I'm sure s/he will tell you s/he really does not think you have it and expects later test results to also be negative.  But you should follow his/her advice.

I cannot comment well on your symptoms.  None particularly suggests HIV; sounds like you had a viral upper respiratory infection plus some skin symptoms.  There is no way you developed visible HPV or molluscum lesions from an exposure only 5 days previously; either one of those takes several weeks to show up.

Bottom line:  Relax.  I'm sure you did not catch HIV during your broken condom episode.  Follow up with your provider(s) for any continuing symptoms or questions.

HHH, MD