shaving cut and worried sick!

[peoplez]

Three weeks ago I had protected vaginal sex with a female friend but the night before I cut myself shaving at the base of the penis and it wasn't covered by the condom the sex didn't last long but now i'm very worried about it and I felt my lymph nodes swollen in the throat and a couple of red spots on my chest and hot flashes! What are the chances if vaginal fluid got into the cut? The cut was cuased by a trimmer and the bleeding didn't last long!

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I have no more comments or suggestions.  You came here for reassurance and I gave it.  Accept it or not, but you may not keep returning with every additional anxiety-driven worry that comes to mind.  Read my replies above and concentrate.  This thread is over.  And do not be tempted to start a new thread with similar questions.  It would be deleted without reply (and without refund of the posting fee).

[peoplez]

Thanks Doctor!

I guess i've just been so worried and have been feelin a slight pain from the lymph nodes on my neck, hip and knee on my right side and I woke up today with a bit of a sweat, nothing major but my forehead sweating and my legs. Does it sound anything  like ARS?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Yes.

[peoplez]

Thank you for your reply.

I just have one last question if I decide to test and I do so at 6 weeks can I be confident about the results?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

HIV doesn't cause symptoms like this.  The lymph node enlargements associated with new HIV infections are painless and just about always accompanied by fever.  Your symptoms undoubtely are unrelated to the sexual exposure you described above.  Of course see a health care provider if you remain concerned about any of this.

That's all for this thread.  I won't have any further advice.

[peoplez]

Thanks for the reply Doctor!

I'm also worried about some pain I've been feeling in some parts in my neck and behind my right knee i don't know if there lymph nodes or not. Should I be concerned?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the HIV forum.

Questions about HIV risk from pubic area shaving are fairly common on this forum.  Our standard reply is this:  this has never been known to increase HIV risk; cuts might increase HIV risk if fresh and deep, but superficial scrapes from shaving are unlikely to do so; and in any case, HIV is so rare in most women and heterosexual HIV transmission so uncommon (assuming you're in the US or other industrialized country) that you really shouldn't be having any worries about it.

We have also repeatedly pointed out that symptoms almost never are useful in judging whether or not someone has a new HIV infection, since the same symptoms occur in so many minor, common infections that are much more common than HIV.  Anyway, your symptoms don't sound like HIV anyway.

Since you're nervous, you're always free to have an HIV test if this reassurance doesn't settle your fears.  If it were me, knowing what I know, I certainly would not get tested.  But if you do it, you can expect negative results.

Regards--  HHH, MD