Aa
So scared for me and my Family
Hello Doctor, I hope that this gets through to you as I have not been able to find any threads with a similar list of symptoms to my own within a certain timeframe. I am a 29 yr old hetero male. I visited a Massage Parlour back on May/06, and had protected sex with a young girl working there. She used her own condom, and used a lubricant (oil/water?) on me in order to reduce friction. However I before entering the massage parlour I took off a hang nail on my index finger on my right hand which was the same hand that I used to finger her with on two occassions that lasted for approx 15 seconds ea - I'm assuming that this would be considered an open cut - That being said, the first time I fingered her, she was standing, and I was on the bed, so I had my hand inside of her (Vertically) for the entire 15 seconds, and the second time I moved my hand back and forth for approx 15 seconds, then licked my hand.
Her HIV Status is unknown though after confronting her a few months later she tells me that she doesn't have HIV.
What worries my isn't my exposure that I know is low risk, as much as it is the symptoms which I have gotten, and are still going through, along with the timelines associated with them. Please keep reading.
Approx 14 days after my exposure I had returned from vacation - Dom. Rep - and had a low grade fever of 102 for two days. During that same time I had severe night sweats which lasted approx 4-5 days - they went away then the night sweats came back 2 days later lasting for another few days with no fever (I also experienced itching on my back). Approx 19 days after this exposure - got HIV blood test - result - NEG, and felt slightly releived, prepared to get another test at 9 weeks. But after a few weeks (approx june 26) I started to get headaches, and a sore throat that went away after two weeks - though the headaches persisted. I would get slight pains in my joints, and had slightly swollen lymph nodes under my chin. Approx 2 - 3 weeks after that got a really bad sore throat that still persists today, still have slight headaches, and am now getting a slight rash on my torso, and the night sweats are coming back - have had them for the past 2 nights.
Now I do have acid reflux (but take nexium), and have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. I am also under a lot of stress at work, and am not in a very good relationship with my common law wife. That being said, I did have unprotected sex with her within this timeframe, and she is also getting sick - cold, flu symptoms.
So I AM WORRIED SICK. And though everyone is telling me to stop dwelling on the negative, I can't stop thinking about what I may have done to my wife, and the loss that my infant daughter may go through if I am infact HIV +. Please help me. What do you think???
Her HIV Status is unknown though after confronting her a few months later she tells me that she doesn't have HIV.
What worries my isn't my exposure that I know is low risk, as much as it is the symptoms which I have gotten, and are still going through, along with the timelines associated with them. Please keep reading.
Approx 14 days after my exposure I had returned from vacation - Dom. Rep - and had a low grade fever of 102 for two days. During that same time I had severe night sweats which lasted approx 4-5 days - they went away then the night sweats came back 2 days later lasting for another few days with no fever (I also experienced itching on my back). Approx 19 days after this exposure - got HIV blood test - result - NEG, and felt slightly releived, prepared to get another test at 9 weeks. But after a few weeks (approx june 26) I started to get headaches, and a sore throat that went away after two weeks - though the headaches persisted. I would get slight pains in my joints, and had slightly swollen lymph nodes under my chin. Approx 2 - 3 weeks after that got a really bad sore throat that still persists today, still have slight headaches, and am now getting a slight rash on my torso, and the night sweats are coming back - have had them for the past 2 nights.
Now I do have acid reflux (but take nexium), and have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. I am also under a lot of stress at work, and am not in a very good relationship with my common law wife. That being said, I did have unprotected sex with her within this timeframe, and she is also getting sick - cold, flu symptoms.
So I AM WORRIED SICK. And though everyone is telling me to stop dwelling on the negative, I can't stop thinking about what I may have done to my wife, and the loss that my infant daughter may go through if I am infact HIV +. Please help me. What do you think???
good luck, syg.
I would like to thank everyone who commented on my experience, and to the web MD for his/her medical opinion. I guess that if I am to be completely honest with myself, then I can say that I am a worry wort, and that I have been blowing things out of proportion. I never meant to offend anyone with my ignorance.
My worries have been centered around this "hang nail thing". I would have thought that if my skin was open, fresh, and juicy for lack of a better description - even though the opening was very small - that it would have possed a bigger risk than what everyone has been implying from this site.
To be honest - I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT - I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT I HAVE HIV, and I am sorry to be such a negative person at times.
That being said, I have gone for a test at 64 days out, and will be getting my test results back within the next 7 - 10 days. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for everyones comments.
Good Luck, and Safe Sex!!!
My worries have been centered around this "hang nail thing". I would have thought that if my skin was open, fresh, and juicy for lack of a better description - even though the opening was very small - that it would have possed a bigger risk than what everyone has been implying from this site.
To be honest - I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT - I DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT I HAVE HIV, and I am sorry to be such a negative person at times.
That being said, I have gone for a test at 64 days out, and will be getting my test results back within the next 7 - 10 days. I will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for everyones comments.
Good Luck, and Safe Sex!!!
Come on. I understand you're feeling guilty and frightened, but honestly there's no risk from what you describe. Having just "ripped off a hangnail" is completely irrelevant. But since you're this freaked, go get tested.
And regarding your other comment, I can't imagine why you'd give more credence to the unscientific, often misinformed speculation of total strangers who have NO EXPERIENCE with this at all. That doesn't even begin to make sense. But to each his/her own. If that's what you want then you're posting in the wrong place. Try Men's Health. Maybe someone there will tell you what you want to hear.
And regarding your other comment, I can't imagine why you'd give more credence to the unscientific, often misinformed speculation of total strangers who have NO EXPERIENCE with this at all. That doesn't even begin to make sense. But to each his/her own. If that's what you want then you're posting in the wrong place. Try Men's Health. Maybe someone there will tell you what you want to hear.
your sore throat is more than likely due to your reflux and probably sticking your tounge out countless times for examination also is hard on the thoat..
I don't think you are going to get any more comments from him on this, you might as well forget it.
The other thing that I didn't get to mention in my originaly comment is that along with my sore throat I seem to have multiple canker soars? in the back of my throat? is this stress related or from possible HIV transmission?
Please HELP!
Please HELP!
How can you say that when I ripped my skin open minutes before shoving it into a women vagina of unknown HIV status - and a sex worker of all people? What I would like to know from the audience is what they think of my situation.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Presumably you chose to take your chances after reading this prominent statement on the Post a Question page:
"If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives and the FAQs for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR DONATION WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids."
This is not a counseling site for worried people when the questions have been asked many times before! I didn't delete your question outright because periodically I let some through in order to make the point.
You had an extremely low risk (probably zero risk exposure), and symptoms never are a reliable indicator of new HIV infection, especially in low risk settings. That's all I have to say.
HHH, MD
"If you have not done so, please review other threads in our archives and the FAQs for questions similar to yours and Dr. Handsfield's replies. Questions that duplicate other frequent ones, for which abundant replies exist, and that have little educational value for other forum users, will be DELETED WITHOUT RESPONSE. YOUR DONATION WILL NOT BE REFUNDED. The most common examples of such questions are those about low risk exposures to HIV, such as oral sex, hand-to-genital exposure, and nonsexual contact with possibly infected blood or body fluids."
This is not a counseling site for worried people when the questions have been asked many times before! I didn't delete your question outright because periodically I let some through in order to make the point.
You had an extremely low risk (probably zero risk exposure), and symptoms never are a reliable indicator of new HIV infection, especially in low risk settings. That's all I have to say.
HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the HIV - Prevention Forum
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
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Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.
