Aa
doc please help! worried about swollen nodes
dr. h -
I really need your advice since i'm so scared. 33 days ago i had protected sex with a CSW. i may have had a small nick on the base of my penis from my zipper, but i honestly don't remember. 14 days afterwards i had a 2 night sweats. at day 23 post exposure i had swelling of one lymph node under 1 arm, and then it went away within 3 days later. at day 27 post exposure i had swelling in the node under my right arm, a stiff neck on the left side, and pain in the right groin. These symptoms lasted for a few days and coincided with 2 days of constant and heavy sweating and on/off chills.
At day 31 all symptoms gone.
so here's the deal: i had a negative HIV test at day 25 (before my 2-day sweats and sore right arm/groin happened). i've seen you write condom protected sex is zero risk, so i continued to have sex with my wife up until i got the sweats. i was 100% HIV negative before this incident, and this was my only potential risk.
1) do you recommend an additional test? (othern than to calm my fears)
2) other than ARS - what could cause these symptoms? I never had a swollen node under my arms before.
3) from what i've written - do you still believe my chances of infection are zero or essentially zero?
Thank you so much and g-d bless you. i just don't want to be the guy who has been struck by lightening.
I really need your advice since i'm so scared. 33 days ago i had protected sex with a CSW. i may have had a small nick on the base of my penis from my zipper, but i honestly don't remember. 14 days afterwards i had a 2 night sweats. at day 23 post exposure i had swelling of one lymph node under 1 arm, and then it went away within 3 days later. at day 27 post exposure i had swelling in the node under my right arm, a stiff neck on the left side, and pain in the right groin. These symptoms lasted for a few days and coincided with 2 days of constant and heavy sweating and on/off chills.
At day 31 all symptoms gone.
so here's the deal: i had a negative HIV test at day 25 (before my 2-day sweats and sore right arm/groin happened). i've seen you write condom protected sex is zero risk, so i continued to have sex with my wife up until i got the sweats. i was 100% HIV negative before this incident, and this was my only potential risk.
1) do you recommend an additional test? (othern than to calm my fears)
2) other than ARS - what could cause these symptoms? I never had a swollen node under my arms before.
3) from what i've written - do you still believe my chances of infection are zero or essentially zero?
Thank you so much and g-d bless you. i just don't want to be the guy who has been struck by lightening.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You are focussing on only part of my response. Read the whole thing, in particular the start of paragraph 2. The additional information does not alter my opinion or advice. Since you provide no evidence you have HIV or any other STD, there is no reason not to continue sex with your wife. The praying part is your business, not mine.
Dr. H,
i beg you to please respond to this... i do not want to annoy you, and i really respect you, but I want to be sure you carefully read my post. YOU WROTE: "ARS does not cause a single enlarged lymph node; if there is any lymph node enlargement at all, it involves several nodes all over the body. Night sweats in the absence of fever are meaningless."
TO BE CLEAR, i did have at least two nodes swollen. Started under my left arm at day 21 (for 3 days and went away), and then I had one under my right arm a few days later (lasted for 3 days). Also - my neck felt stiff/swollen on one side for ~5 days and i had groin pain for ~3 days at the end of this whole episode. lastly, i was feverish (had chills on and off, but i didn't take a thermometer reading) and i had almost constant sweating for 2 days straight before everything returned to normal at day 31. .
Doc - 1) do you still believe i'm ok after re-reading my description? 2) my wife is wondering what the heck is wrong with me - you think i can resume sex with her?
thank you and please pray for me.
i beg you to please respond to this... i do not want to annoy you, and i really respect you, but I want to be sure you carefully read my post. YOU WROTE: "ARS does not cause a single enlarged lymph node; if there is any lymph node enlargement at all, it involves several nodes all over the body. Night sweats in the absence of fever are meaningless."
TO BE CLEAR, i did have at least two nodes swollen. Started under my left arm at day 21 (for 3 days and went away), and then I had one under my right arm a few days later (lasted for 3 days). Also - my neck felt stiff/swollen on one side for ~5 days and i had groin pain for ~3 days at the end of this whole episode. lastly, i was feverish (had chills on and off, but i didn't take a thermometer reading) and i had almost constant sweating for 2 days straight before everything returned to normal at day 31. .
Doc - 1) do you still believe i'm ok after re-reading my description? 2) my wife is wondering what the heck is wrong with me - you think i can resume sex with her?
thank you and please pray for me.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Your exposure was zero risk, for practical purposes. That would be the case even if you had an obvious bleeding cut, and certainly a possible nick that you aren't even sure about is meaningless.
To repeat the mantra of literally hundreds of replies on this forum: Symptoms NEVER are a reliable indicator of new HIV infection, no matter how classical they are for HIV/ARS. That's because many conditions cause the identical symptoms and almost all those conditions are more common than ARS. And your symptoms do not suggest ARS anyway. ARS does not cause a single enlarged lymph node; if there is any lymph node enlargement at all, it involves several nodes all over the body. Night sweats in the absence of fever are meaningless. None of the other symptoms you describe sounds at all like anything seen with ARS. To your specific questions:
1) Based on all you say, you really didn't need HIV testing at all. However, among newly infected people, probably only 70-80% have positive antibody tests at 25 days. So if it will make you sleep better to know for sure your test is negative, have another one 6 weeks after your commercial sex adventure.
2) Many viruses and other medical conditions. In my experience, most people who think their lymph nodes are enlarged are wrong; self diagnosis by medically untrained persons is highly unreliable. If you are convinced your nodes are enlarged, see a health care provider and follow his or her advice.
3) Yup, that's what I think.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
To repeat the mantra of literally hundreds of replies on this forum: Symptoms NEVER are a reliable indicator of new HIV infection, no matter how classical they are for HIV/ARS. That's because many conditions cause the identical symptoms and almost all those conditions are more common than ARS. And your symptoms do not suggest ARS anyway. ARS does not cause a single enlarged lymph node; if there is any lymph node enlargement at all, it involves several nodes all over the body. Night sweats in the absence of fever are meaningless. None of the other symptoms you describe sounds at all like anything seen with ARS. To your specific questions:
1) Based on all you say, you really didn't need HIV testing at all. However, among newly infected people, probably only 70-80% have positive antibody tests at 25 days. So if it will make you sleep better to know for sure your test is negative, have another one 6 weeks after your commercial sex adventure.
2) Many viruses and other medical conditions. In my experience, most people who think their lymph nodes are enlarged are wrong; self diagnosis by medically untrained persons is highly unreliable. If you are convinced your nodes are enlarged, see a health care provider and follow his or her advice.
3) Yup, that's what I think.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
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