PLEASE HELP ME

[robert231112]

i have a friend that i know for a fact is hiv positive normally i dont mind shaking his hand but today after i shook his hand i noticed he had cuts on his hands, why he shook my hand with this cuts I don’t know?

but afterwards I noticed I had small stains of blood on my hand I wiped it on my pants and now im freaking out. I posted by accident on the living with forum but I didn’t get an answer since yesterday so I posted on the prevention side now. I also talked to teak on the free side and he told me not to worry but i got a very generic answer but it answered the question so did nurse girl but she recommended that I should post here with the professionals.

Should I go to the hospital and try and get prep or not worry about this I didn’t have a visible cut on the part with the blood but my cuticles are in bad shape from dry hands and I started wondering when I was washing my hand what if the blood got in my damaged skin there when I poured alcohol on my hand the cuticles were stinging so this worried me..

could you please explain in some type of detail why I should or should not worry or should I go get prep to be safe its only been about 24 hours now at this time of the new post on the prevention forum. I don't want to end up sick with hiv when I have the chance to prevent this with meds.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Yes. that is what I said.  There as never, in the entire history fo the HIV epidemic, been a case of HIV due to the sort of needlestick injury you suggest.  Not ever.  anyd you will not be the first.  EWH

[robert231112]

yes i am being paranoid im not even going to lie, im on high alert since i got blood on me,

so you would say is some crazy person planted a needle in the movie hypothetically and i got a needle stick in the hand i should not worry about it.

just to be clear because yes I'm freaking out and being paranoid but i call it being couscous and safe because it happened yesterday.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You are now being paranoid.  HIV is not spread by punctures with inanimate objects like needles or pins.  EWH

[robert231112]

hello I  don't mean to bother you again I have one final question. I know this might sound a little strange but I was in the movies yesterday and something pricked my hand and it was a small dot like mark like a needle sized pin hole in the side of my hand. I know my fears from before have made me a little shaky about my fears if there was a HIV needle planted in one of the other seats would that be a major cause for concern. I am very fearful after my last problem and would like to know if you like I could pay again to have this question answered.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  I'll verify the advice you have already received on the HIV Community site. This was a no risk event and there is no reason for concern, for testing or for PEP.  HIV is transmitted in adults only through unprotected penetrative sexual exposures or injection of infected material deep into tissue.  As Teak told you, the HIV virus is quite fragile and becomes non-infectious virtually immediately upon exposure to the air and room temperature.  The virus does not penetrate normal skin or even skin with cuts and scrapes that have stopped bleeding.

I hope this comment is helpful.  EWH