HIV exposure

Hi,

I'll start with my exposure. I've been have receiving unprotected oral sex from several different asian prostitutes once or twice a month for roughly 8 months with the last exposure last week on Thursday. I live in Sydney Australia. After each oral encounter I had protected vaginal and anal sex with most of them but always with a condom.

Starting monday this week I had some symptoms which really made me worry as I am very fit and healthy.
1. Scattered rash but only a few bumps here and there on arms legs.
2. Fever and night sweats.
3. Muscle aches and head aches
4. I have white coating on the back of my tounge I've never had this before I'm assuming its thrush.
5. Fatigue very bad it's slowing me right down my arms and legs are very heavy.

I'm kinda concerned that I'm having ARS symptoms I had a antigen and antibody test on tuesday came back negative. I've never felt like this before I have a gut feeling something is not right.

One thing to note it that on the weekend I had a massive bender drank all night friday night, worked saturday, then drank all night saturday night I actually drank 10 cans of jim beam and cola thats over 20 standard drinks and went dancing on sunday.

My question: I'm finding it difficult to match my range of symptoms with anything else. Are there any other viral infections that can cause the same symptoms I'm having? Would drinking excess alcohol make me feel this way and cause thrush?  

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the forum.  However, you had accurate replies on the community forum, including several quotes from me and Dr. Hook on this forum and Dr. Garcia on the HIV international forum.

As you learned there, you had essentially zero risk exposures.  Further, my understanding is that HIV is uncommon in commercial sex workers in Australia, including immigrants from Asia.  In addition, we have innumerable times on this forum that symptoms are never useful indicators for or against a new HIV infection.  It is true that some of your symptoms are typical for HIV.  But they also are typical for at least a hundred other conditions that are much more common than acute HIV infection.  White coated tongue occurs in almost any viral infection and any number of other disorders; most cases are not thrush (yeast infection).  And yes, your illness could be related to your recent alcohol binge.

Anybody with the symptoms you have had ought to get them checked out professionally -- especially if you truly are having fever (meaning you have measured your temperature and found it to be consistently over 38C/100F) and drenching night sweats, i.e. wet enough you have to change the sheets.  Whatever the cause, these indicate potentially serious health problems.  I suppose it could be HIV, but only if there was a lapse in safe sex during the exposures you describe above.  As discussed on the community forum, if you should have it, most likely it did not originate with oral sex.

Of course the answer to your concern about HIV is to be professionally evaluated and tested for HIV.  Australia's health centres comprise probably the world's best network of STD?HIV clinics anywhere in the world, and Sydney's and Melbourne's are the best of the best.  I strongly recommend you visit the Sydney SHC for their evaluation and advice.

Please return and let me know the outcome.  I very much doubt you have HIV.

I hope this helps.  Best wishes--  HHH, MD

[Shaneo2]

Thank you Doctor,

I have been to see a doctor and I had a antigen and antibody test on monday it came back negative. The doctor also seemed very confident I would not be infected.

One other thing to note is although I didn't get the doctor to confirm this my lymph nodes don't appear to be enlarged and inflamed in any way.

Well hopefully I don't have HIV but I'm still really worries about my symptoms because If I don't have HIV I may very well have something equally as bad or perhaps worse.

Thank you for your response I shall keep you posted on my 3 month test results

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

The duo test (antibody plus p24 antigen) is 100% reliable at 4 or more weeks, and is probably always positive when someone has symptoms due to HIV.  So your result proves HIV isn't the cause of your symptoms and that in the event you are infected, you acquired it within the month before the test.

Three month testing is not required following a duo test.  The recommendation for testing that late is for antibody-only testing -- and even there, 6-8 weeks actually is sufficient.  But follow your doctor's advice.