Worried Sick?

[bubbyworry]

Hi Doc, I am a heterosexual male that had unprotected sex with a 19 year old woman 6 weeks ago .  Two weeks after the possible exposure I felt a very tender lymph node in my neck which went away after 3 days.  I then began experiencing aching pain in groin, neck, back of head, arm pit, and abdomen.  This ache could last from several seconds to a few minutes.  Sometimes the pain would feel like a pinch and disappear only to reoccur at a later time.  No noticeable swelling of lymph nodes.  Tired eyes have been ongoing also.  No lack of energy.  My eyes just feel tired. No fever present.  This has been going on now for a little over 4 weeks.  Last night I developed a painful soar throat. It woke me up throughout the night.  I understand that symptoms are no way to diagnose early HIV and I am in fact being tested later today.  Results should be in 3 days.  I have read so much on here I have worried myself constantly.   My question is do my symptoms sound like early HIV infection?  Also can lymph nodes ache and not be swollen?  Are intermittent aching lymph nodes a symptom of early HIV?  Thank you.

[bubbyworry]

Thanks Doc,  I got my test back.  As you expected, it was negative.  WOOOOHOOO!!!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your illness can best be described as what health care professionals call "a flu-like illness".  The reason this sort of terminology is used is because so very many things can cause these sorts of symptoms including influenza as well as many, many other viruses, including HIV.  The illness you describe has some but not all (or even most)  characteristics of the acute retroviral syndrome (ARS) which has been described for persons with recently acquired HIV and is far more likely that you just picked up a virus somewhere in your normal activities.  

Also, to put this in perspective, remember that HIV is present in less than 1 in 1000 women in the U.S. and that the chances of getting HIV from an infected partner if she did have HIV is only 1 in 1000 as well.  Thus, just on the numbers alone, your risk of HIV form a single unprotected exposure is less than 1 in a million.

I am confident that your test will be negative.  When you get the result, also appreciate that if the illness you describe were HIV, your blood test would certainly be positive by now.

I hope this helps.  Take care.  EWH