Legitimate concern?

[col719]

First, I want give you many thanks for taking the time to answer the many and often repeated questions in the forum.  The internet has become my worst enemy recently.  I am a 37yo heterosexual male that had a recent encounter on June 3, 2006 where I had unprotected oral sex and brief unprotected vaginal intercourse (~30sec) without internal ejaculation.  The girl was Thai with unknown status (although I asked her repeatedly if she had any diseases and assured me that she did not).  Since the exposure I have searched the internet looking for answers but all they do is make me think I have every disease known to medicine.  I want to add that I have been in a monogamous relationship for the past 5 years and this encounter is one I deeply regret caused by loneliness and too much alcohol consumption.  So, on to my symptoms.  I developed a cold about 4.5 weeks after the incident with the usual sore throat and stuffy head with post nasal drip.  That in and of itself did not worry me too much.  Recently I have woken up a few times while sleeping with my hands going numb.  This could be due to an awkward sleep position but with all that I have been reading I am starting to worry.  I also awake in the mornings with a damp t-shirt but not sweating profusely.  I have not been running a fever at any time during the day.  Now here is the part that has me perplexed and concerned.  I have been experiencing an uncomfortable bloated feeling in my stomach.  I do not have diarrhea but my stool has been soft and more recently I am slightly constipated.  My doctor says I feel bloated and thinks I may have acquired a parasite from traveling so he ordered some tests.  My blood work came back normal but my stool results are still pending receipt from the lab.  I often wake up in the mornings with a dry mouth and feel dehydrated.  I had a canker sore in my mouth about two weeks ago and I seem to be getting another in the same place (I have gotten them before and this one seems to be located directly in line with a sharp tooth which could be the cause).  

I have ready every post in the forums and I suspect you will tell me that my risk of infection is low but I have not seen any posts describing the abdominal pains I have.  From what I have described, is there any insight you can give me?  Should I get tested and if yes, is now a good time period or should I wait.  I am very embarassed by this whole episode so I have not discussed it with my doctor.  I was considering getting a full std panel and paying for it on my own.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and (hopefully) respond.

For whatever it is worth, reading this forum has helped to put my mind at ease

[Ronnie99]

If you don't want to ask your doctor for an HIV test you have a few alternatives, as follows:

1) Depending on your state you likely can get a test done for free at a state-sponsored public health clinic. Some states use the rapid tests that do not require a blood draw and results come back in 20 minutes. This can be anonymous.

2) You can arrange a test with an online testing company. They will arrange a blood draw and test that will be performed by a fully certified laboratory in your area. The internet testing company only orders the test and gives you the results over the phone. They give you a code for anonymity.

Best of luck to you.

[Stupidme32]

Currently, donors of blood and plasma are tested for antibodies to HCV, antibodies to HIV and HIV-1 antigens, which are the virus

[tailao]

take xanax,it sounds like anxiety

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I would be a nonsensical waste of energy, time and money to have all those tests based on the exposure you describe.  I don't reommend any of them.

Although anonymous HIV testing at one time made sense in certain circumstances, it no longer does.   Just being tested is not evidence of risk and has virtually no risk of stimulating discrimination.  Almost half the US population has been tested at one time or another.  And if positive, it is impossible to maintain anonymity and still get health care for the HIV infection.

But we agree on one point:  this is also my last post on this thread!

HHH, MD

[col719]

Thank you for the response.

I did not have an HIV test.  I would prefer to do this anonymous and confidential.  Here is the panel i found I can get done locally...even today:

Hepatitis B Surface Antigen with Confirmation by Neutralization Methodology: Enzyme immunoassay (EIA)  

HIV-1 Antibody Screen With Reflex to Western Blot Confirmation  
Methodology: Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA)  

Syphilis - RPR (Diagnosis) with Reflex to Titer and Confirmatory Testing
RPR Methodology: Agglutination; FTA-ABS Methodology: Immunofluorescent Assay (IFA)  

Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2 IgG, Type Specific Antibody (HerpeSelect

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

If you have read "every post" in this forum, you know how often I have said that symptoms never are a useful predictor that someone has early HIV infection.  That applies to all symptoms, including abdominal pain and canker sores.  And indeed your risk of HIV was low from the encounter you describe, even if your partner had HIV.

You don't say whether your blood tests included HIV.  Presumably not, or you would have mentioned it.  The big question in my mind is why not??  If you're anxious about it, that's the way to ease your concerns.  You can expect a negative result.  And if you have been tested and negative, you're already home free.

Good luck--  HHH, MD