ARS Symptoms ... nevrous reck

Hell Doctors,

Last month, October 2009, I have two potential exposures.  The first week of October, I visited an Asian Massage Parlor and received a "hand job" till ejaculation, no oral or vaginal sex.  Fast forward to the October 20, 2009, I met a sex worker from the Internet at a Sauna / Spa.  Received protected oral and vaginal sex.  I had a tiny cut on a finger from breaking an ampluee which was bandage up from earlier in the day, it was bandage up for the most part until near the end of the exposure where I think it may have slipped off from the water in the Sauna.  The girl told me there were tiny blood spots on my shirt as we were getting dressed, I noticed the bandage had came off and the cut from earlier in the day was slightly bleeding.  I also noticed at the end that the girl's tongue was very white, not a good sign.

Roughly four days later, October 24 or 25, I woke up with back pain and noticed both of my legs are numb, especially the left side calf.   This numbness persisted for about three to four days with 2 days of diarrhea.   Also notice muscle/joint pain on arms and legs.   The front right side of my neck feels a little swollen but you couldn't tell from looking at it, only by feeling on it.  

About October 29-31, I get constant nausea and the past couple of days in November, I have been getting this constant tingling and occasional needle poking pain all over my body including hands and feet.  It's not painful but more annoying.  

For the most part, all the symptoms came and went after a couple of days, seems like one after the other but I am scared as hell after getting these constant tingling and needle poking type pain all over my body.  I have never experience anything like these before.  

I have no fever, no white tongue.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to our Forum.  It is my please to tell you that there is no risk of HIV from the two exposures you report.  No one has ever acquired HIV from taking part in masturbation, even i f they have had cuts or sores on their fingers.  Similarly, condom protected sex is safe sex and HIV is not transmitted in this way either, so even in the very unlikely circumstance that either of your partners had HIV, there is no reason to be concerned about risk for HIV.

Your symptoms really do not match the ARS syndrome well.  Even if they did, the symptoms of the ARS are TOTALLY non-specific and when people experience "ARS symptoms" they are much more likely to have something else, usually some other, more typical virus infection.  When this has been studied in the US, less than 1% of persons seeking medical care for "ARS symptoms" are found to have HIV, the remainder having symptoms due to other processes. In contrast, over a given year, there is almost no one who has not had a viral illness, night sweats or both (sometimes on multiple occasions). For a person to try to judge their HIV risk based on "ARS symptoms" is a waste of time.  IN your case it is far more likely that you had the "flu" or some other community acquired viral illness.

You do not have any medical reason to even pursue testing.  Please try not to worry.  

I hope my comment is helpful to you.  EWH

[billy325]

Thank you Doctor for your response, it has helped me "mentally” a lot.  Seeing the girl's WHITE TONGUE near the end at the sauna/spa session and getting these strange symptoms a few days after has just scared the crap out of me.   I have never been so scared in my life.

I still get this constant tingling all over my body and this occasional sharp pain.  I forgot to mention but another symptom I was feeling along with the episodes of nausea was fatigue, it has gotten better but again this constant tingling and occasional poking pain has scared the crap out of me.   I hope it's nothing serious.

Thank you for your assuring words doctor.  I am sorry if you have to break down certain paragraphs to carefully understand it, I have just been a total wreck these parts 10 days after getting these strange symptons but your words are assuring.  

[Edward W Hook, MD]

No change in my assessment and really not much to add either.  Your partner's "white tongue" could have been due to any number of causes.  I suspect that you are concerned that because she had a "white tongue" she might have had thrush (candida infection) and therefore might have HIV. This is faulty thinking.  For starters you do not know that she had thrush. There are many casues of persons appearing to have white tongues.  In addition, while some peole who have advanced HIV infection do get thrush, most people who have thrush do not have HIV.  The most common health issues associated with thrush are having recently taken antibiotics for something or diabetes.  

Nothing more to say.  I know of know STDs, including HIV which would explain the tingling you are experiencing and would recommend that you work on this with your regular health care provider.  Take care.  EWH

[billy325]

Post 4 weeks+ (from 10/20):  

Just took a Oraquick Advance test today (swab), result came back negative.  This has helped a lot but I have a full stds test (including HIV blood draw) scheduled for next week because the body feels better but just doesn't feel right.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Glad, but not suprised to hear your result.  Any future tests will be negative as well.  Take care.  EWH

[billy325]

Post 5 weeks, lab test from LabCorp shows non reactive hiv test.
Post 6 weeks, Oraquick Advance (Swab) non reactive

However, from the 4th week on, which is now almost 3 weeks, I have had constant diarehea (sometimes hard, sometimes watery) and yellow stool (food passing through the system too quickly from the constant diarehea).  

I took the liver exam test and alt/agt was in normal range, so that rules out a infection in the liver.  The doctor give me a 5 day course of Cipro (post 4th week), helped some but but the problem still persist.  With the liver exam test being normal, I asked the doctor if it was HIV and he couldn't give me a answer.  I am again scared helpless ...

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your diarrhea is not a reflection of HIV.  You have no reason to be concerned about HIV and your negative tests prove this. EWH