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HIV exposure(?)
Disclaimer: Please excuse the florid language I use to describe certain people in this post...
Alright! So, I hope all of you can follow my logic here:
I've read about a *supposed* (clearly not proven and probably inauthentic) case of HIV transmission via open-mouth kissing between an HIV+ man and an HIV- woman. I do remember reading, however, that the woman made out with and had protected sex with the HIV+ man directly after he had BRUSHED HIS TEETH (possibly a key link?).
WORRY: I am worried (probably for no apparent reason, hopefully) because of the fact that I was, for two weeks, a go-go boy at a gay club here in New York, NY. Oh, and btw, I'm a gay male/MSM. Allow me to elaborate on this in the "problem" section.
HISTORICAL DENTAL ISSUES: History of gingivitis, bleeding gums, and gum disease (especially after I've brushed my teeth)
PROBLEM: Being the flirtatious male that I am (and for the sake of making tips), I stupidly decided to make out with several men, including 2-3 drunk older men, an inebriated blond beauty, a beautiful Adonis visting from out-of-town, a cute guy from the West Coast, and a gorgeous young professional. Now, I don't remember any visible blood coming from any of these men, but I do remember that, in the past few weeks, I had experienced bleeding of the gums after brushing and that the gums in the areas where my two dentures were put in would get deeper the less often I brushed. I also have three fake teeth that slide on and off broken teeth that lie underneath--well, they're glued onto my gums, but there's still that occasional slippage. Now, my worry is that all of these exposures could have passed minute amounts of blood into my system without me being aware, as the club was clearly very dark. I had not brushed my teeth that night, as I had a very, very, very safe hookup with a gentleman from the West Coast (and I assure you that it was very safe). It's been about 2 weeks since that incident, and I have been incredibly paranoid (and I will tell you why soon...)
SYMPTOMS: Aphthous ulcer (I believe) on the roof of my mouth that began about a week afterwards and lasted for about a week and painful swallowing for about a week as well, especially when I would swallow sweet or sour foods. I also experienced a swelling and possible inflammation of the back of my soft palate where I had pain whenever I swallowed. I noticed that the middle of my soft palate was slightly more swollen that the sides were. Now, there are little dots on the back of the soft palate (perhaps they're normal? I don't see the dots, but feel them when I touch the back of my soft palate with my tongue). I have not, however, experienced a fever (or at least I think I haven't), nor have I experienced many of the symptoms associated with acute HIV infection.
SPECULATION: The aphthous ulcer may have resulted not from this incident, but a previous incident the weekend before when a male forcefully pushed my head down to deepthroat his penis while I performed oral sex on him. I have read in many places that an aphthous ulcer can result from physical trauma. Or, it might not be related at all to either incident, as my dentist speculated that it was nothing but an infection from an ingrown tooth. Nevertheless, I can never be too sure.
THE PLAN: (1) HIV DNA-PCR test coupled with ELISA (antibody) test at 4 weeks
(2) ELISA (antibody) test at 8 weeks
(3) ELISA (antibody) test at 12-13 weeks.
QUESTION: Can you tell me how much at-risk I was for HIV exposure (I know you're probably gonna say, "VERY LITTLE" or "MINIMAL")? Also, can you tell me what a negative DNA-PCR and ELISA at 4 weeks will mean, especially in my situation? If you could help me out, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks!**
BRIEF BLIP OF THE ARTICLE: "In 1992, after obtaining informed consent from the HIV-infected man and his uninfected female sex partner, they were enrolled in a study in which couples with one HIV-infected partner and one non-HIV-infected partner were extensively counseled, administered questionnaires, and tested periodically for HIV infection. Blood drawn from the woman on July 19, 1994, was HIV-negative by both enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, serum specimens obtained from the woman on July 24, 1995, and September 11, 1995, were positive by both EIA and immunofluorescent assay. During the interval from the month before her last HIV-negative test (June 1994) to the month of her first HIV-positive test (July 1995), the woman denied known risk exposures for HIV (i.e., other sex partners; noninjecting- or injecting-drug use; sexually transmitted diseases; blood transfusion; artificial insemination; occupational exposure to HIV; or acupuncture, tattoos, body piercing, or other percutaneous injections)." --Source: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00048364.htm
Alright! So, I hope all of you can follow my logic here:
I've read about a *supposed* (clearly not proven and probably inauthentic) case of HIV transmission via open-mouth kissing between an HIV+ man and an HIV- woman. I do remember reading, however, that the woman made out with and had protected sex with the HIV+ man directly after he had BRUSHED HIS TEETH (possibly a key link?).
WORRY: I am worried (probably for no apparent reason, hopefully) because of the fact that I was, for two weeks, a go-go boy at a gay club here in New York, NY. Oh, and btw, I'm a gay male/MSM. Allow me to elaborate on this in the "problem" section.
HISTORICAL DENTAL ISSUES: History of gingivitis, bleeding gums, and gum disease (especially after I've brushed my teeth)
PROBLEM: Being the flirtatious male that I am (and for the sake of making tips), I stupidly decided to make out with several men, including 2-3 drunk older men, an inebriated blond beauty, a beautiful Adonis visting from out-of-town, a cute guy from the West Coast, and a gorgeous young professional. Now, I don't remember any visible blood coming from any of these men, but I do remember that, in the past few weeks, I had experienced bleeding of the gums after brushing and that the gums in the areas where my two dentures were put in would get deeper the less often I brushed. I also have three fake teeth that slide on and off broken teeth that lie underneath--well, they're glued onto my gums, but there's still that occasional slippage. Now, my worry is that all of these exposures could have passed minute amounts of blood into my system without me being aware, as the club was clearly very dark. I had not brushed my teeth that night, as I had a very, very, very safe hookup with a gentleman from the West Coast (and I assure you that it was very safe). It's been about 2 weeks since that incident, and I have been incredibly paranoid (and I will tell you why soon...)
SYMPTOMS: Aphthous ulcer (I believe) on the roof of my mouth that began about a week afterwards and lasted for about a week and painful swallowing for about a week as well, especially when I would swallow sweet or sour foods. I also experienced a swelling and possible inflammation of the back of my soft palate where I had pain whenever I swallowed. I noticed that the middle of my soft palate was slightly more swollen that the sides were. Now, there are little dots on the back of the soft palate (perhaps they're normal? I don't see the dots, but feel them when I touch the back of my soft palate with my tongue). I have not, however, experienced a fever (or at least I think I haven't), nor have I experienced many of the symptoms associated with acute HIV infection.
SPECULATION: The aphthous ulcer may have resulted not from this incident, but a previous incident the weekend before when a male forcefully pushed my head down to deepthroat his penis while I performed oral sex on him. I have read in many places that an aphthous ulcer can result from physical trauma. Or, it might not be related at all to either incident, as my dentist speculated that it was nothing but an infection from an ingrown tooth. Nevertheless, I can never be too sure.
THE PLAN: (1) HIV DNA-PCR test coupled with ELISA (antibody) test at 4 weeks
(2) ELISA (antibody) test at 8 weeks
(3) ELISA (antibody) test at 12-13 weeks.
QUESTION: Can you tell me how much at-risk I was for HIV exposure (I know you're probably gonna say, "VERY LITTLE" or "MINIMAL")? Also, can you tell me what a negative DNA-PCR and ELISA at 4 weeks will mean, especially in my situation? If you could help me out, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks!**
BRIEF BLIP OF THE ARTICLE: "In 1992, after obtaining informed consent from the HIV-infected man and his uninfected female sex partner, they were enrolled in a study in which couples with one HIV-infected partner and one non-HIV-infected partner were extensively counseled, administered questionnaires, and tested periodically for HIV infection. Blood drawn from the woman on July 19, 1994, was HIV-negative by both enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, serum specimens obtained from the woman on July 24, 1995, and September 11, 1995, were positive by both EIA and immunofluorescent assay. During the interval from the month before her last HIV-negative test (June 1994) to the month of her first HIV-positive test (July 1995), the woman denied known risk exposures for HIV (i.e., other sex partners; noninjecting- or injecting-drug use; sexually transmitted diseases; blood transfusion; artificial insemination; occupational exposure to HIV; or acupuncture, tattoos, body piercing, or other percutaneous injections)." --Source: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00048364.htm
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