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HIV Risk assessment. (I"m scared)

I'm a gay male and almost 2 weeks ago, I had a sexual encounter with a man, who a week later told me he had just tested HIV+. I had a rapid test shortly thereafter & came back negative. Granted, this did not include my recent experience, but covered a spectrum of my past sexual history. With this guy, he "dipped" me for a very brief moment (unprotected) by inserting his penis in me briefly (less than1 minute overall). Some lubrication was used and the situation changed when I became the top *unprotected). From what I know- he doesn't pre-cum and there was no bleeding involved or any of his bodily fluids that came into contact with me.

Yesterday, I went to go get an STD screening and the man called & told me he had tested positive for chlamydia & gonorrhea in his rectum. He seemed pretty convinced I gave it to him and he was not symptomatic at all. However, my urine exam came negative for both Chlamydia and gonorrhea. Nevertheless, I was preemptively treated for both. The HIV counselor seemed to think if an STD was involved the risk is ostensibly higher for acquiring HIV transmission. However, he still told me that he thought my odds would be pretty good that "I would likely test okay" and that my odds were good for testing negative. I have to go back in 2 weeks, (which will have made it just over 3 weeks of my initial encounter). I'm read various things on medhelp that HIV is actually not as easy to transmit and get as people say it is. I'm wondering what my chances might be, the odds are given the situation. As a top, I've read that the odds are somewhere like 1 in 500- though how much that would that change if an STD was involved in the mix?

I'm deathly afraid. I've been in a constant state of anxiety. I want to believe in my heart that my chances are probably good and I want to be able to take comfort in that, but I want as many expert opinions as I can get. I want to know what I'm up against. I'm so scared even now I'm palpitating pretty bad. Can anyone offer me any information? I need some solace. I've never been more anxious in my life.
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Avatar universal
I agree, suggestion was only for reassurance purposes before 3 month antibody test.

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Avatar universal
Early detection is not the same as a conclusive result.
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Avatar universal
I haven't made your odds out to be anything. All I'm saying is that the statistics that you quote are averages and that there are other factors that could influence the probability that somebody in your situation could be infected. You have already identified one of them- your partner's STD status, and I mentioned the possibility that your partner may have been recently infected as another possible factor, and to emphasize the difficulty of assigning a probability to this specific situation. And you apparently missed my statement that I agreed with your counselor that "you would likely test okay". I did not make out your chances to be anything different than what you were told in your clinic, I have only declined to be specific about them given your circumstances.

And you're missing my main point: you aren't going to figure this you on the Internet- the only way you will know whether you were infected or not is through the testing process. And I referred you to some testing options (RNA and 4th generation tests) which are used in early detection that would give you much more reliable information than some ballpark number on an internet forum. Either of those would be more accurate than an antibody test at 3 weeks, and I don't see why you would need to wait any further to get an RNA test.

I'm sorry that my post scared you but I don't sugarcoat things when somebody has had a high risk exposure and don't quote odds when I'm not comfortable doing so and think there is a chance that the person will use that as an excuse to go out and have another high risk exposure.
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Avatar universal
Thanks for the helpful Russian Roulette comment. That REALLY is helpful to a frightened person. Because don't you know? I just love putting my life at risk. It's a hobby of mine and all. What is your area of health expertise?
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Avatar universal
Well, from talking to the clinicians who see this sort of thing day in and day out (in San Francisco, I might add), a nurse at another clinic who also sees this day in and day out and from what Dr. Handsfield from medhelp itself says my odds are much better than you're making them out to be. I also have an anxiety disorder and now, it will probably take me a few hours to recover from reading your comment. I'm not faulting you for it per se. What is your area of expertise anyway? Don't you understand I am terrified? Which is why doctors themselves (and I should have listened) tell you never to do these stupid health forums, they just serve to scare you more. Since most posters are not qualified health professionals.

I should probably delete this thread. Since I have an anxiety disorder... I can't just go LA LA LA and just take my mind off it. My life's at stake. And unless you've been in a similar situation or had an anxiety disorder... I'm probably just wasting my time typing further.
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Avatar universal
PCR-RNA tests are not standalone tests and have to be used in conjunction with an antibody test.
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Avatar universal
Again, if your partner was recently infected it could be much higher than that. Your best bet at this point is to stop reading up on statistics and keep your mind off of HIV until you get your next test. If you can't wait, find a clinic that administers an RNA test.
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Avatar universal
Would you play Russian Roulette? That first time could be your last.
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Avatar universal
I've read (from doctor's opinions) that topping with out a condom has a ballpark figure of 1 in 500 for HIV infection. I've read on medical sites that having an STD increases those odds anywhere from 2 to 5 times as much. So, mathematically, if I was exposed to a fluid at worst, it should be somewhere around 1 in 250. (Assuming my math is right). I know that this is not a game of probability, but I don't see why doctors would bother posting these things if they weren't true, especially doctors who specialize in STDs.(on this site to boot!)

Is there any truth to this to your knowledge?

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Avatar universal
"With this guy, he "dipped" me for a very brief moment (unprotected) by inserting his penis in me briefly (less than1 minute overall). Some lubrication was used and the situation changed when I became the top *unprotected)"

You apparently both bottomed and topped somebody who was HIV positive without protection. It's difficult to quantify the chances that you were infected because if your partner was infected with other STDs AND was recently infected with HIV, they would be considerably higher than the ballpark estimates that you have read. While I agree with what the counselor told you, the bottom line is that you had a high risk exposure and the only way you're going to be able to figure this out is through the testing process. If they are telling you to come back 3 weeks after exposure, then they likely will be testing you with an RNA test or 4th generation test (Ab + Ag). A negative result on either would be highly reassuring, but would need to be followed up with an antibody test at 3 months.



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366749 tn?1544695265
COMMUNITY LEADER
I agree that not everyone catches HIV from an isolated single event of unprotected sex with a poz patner. However it is also a fact that sometime (not always) just a single contact is enough for the transmission to occur. Therefore I doubt if anyone can apply a probability very accurately for a particular case/individual.

If I refer estimates from another website, it states 15 out of 1000 for anal sex (bottom) which is significantly higher than vaginal sex where probability for a male is 1:2000. Never the less, chances of escape are always there even from the riskiest situations.

I am extremely sorry if my response catalyzed your anxiety. I honestly did not mean that, I only wanted share the facts and truth.
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Avatar universal
While your advice may be true- there have been doctors on this site that have given ballpark percentage odds of infection based on activity, granted it is not 100% accurate by any means. Also, they're telling me to come back 3 weeks after exposure. I also never thought that dipping was a risk free activity. I went to a clinic in San Francisco where they see HIV and other STDs day in &day out. I would hope they would know what they were talking about. However, this comment I can't say is very comforting. I'd implore you to try to "relax and just calm down" and while waiting is apparently the only thing I can do. I'm looking for some sort of comfort and assessment of my odds. I know at least a ballpark figure has to exist. If medical experts that people pay to give you odds and have stated "It is a biological fact that HIV is not easy to transmit" then there must be something someone can tell me.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but telling me what I certainly understand about risky activities and to chill out isn't going to help someone whose heart is palpitating at least 20 hours a day, and is more afraid than I'm guessing you can imagine.
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366749 tn?1544695265
COMMUNITY LEADER
HIV transmission is not a game of probability and numbers. Nobody can predict it with accuracy. What is known to us, risk of HIV in unprotected anal sex is higher than unprotected vaginal sex. In anal sex, bottoms are on a higher risk than tops. However, chances are always there for an escape.

Keeping this risk in consideration, if you want to continue with this kind of fun, never even think of unprotected penetration either way (being a bottom or a top).

Dipping is not a risk free activity, therefore what I can suggest, relax , calm down and wait for at least 6 weeks after the exposure and get your AB test done, with a follow up test after another 6 weeks to get your conclusive status.
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