Aa
I think I'm infected with HIV
Doctor H.H.H, or Doctor Edward W Hook
I'm from Toronto, On, Canada. I've been dating this girl for 2 months and on April 20, 2012 as well as April 26, 2012 we had unprotected vaginal sex. About 10-14 days later I had a sore throat and joint(knee and elbow) and muscle pain and tongue kinda pale and white with one sore blister on the left side of inner mouth. I got a bit scared and the went into the walk in clinic as my family doctor was not available and the doctor in the walk in said I had mild swollen glands. But, when I went to my family doctor the very next day he's like I can't feel anything like swollen glands. He did a chlamydia and gonorrhea test, which both came back negative and gave me pills to take also for the chlamydia and gonorrhea just in case it came back positive. Mind you I heard your suppose to hold the urine an hour in before you pee in the sample cup, but, I probably only held it for half hour or so, do you think maybe that's the reason it came back negative? I asked both the doctors if I there was a high chance that I had caught HIV and they both different occasions they smiled and said they highly doubt it as it's very hard to catch. My question is my sore throat took two weeks to go away as it only takes 4-7 days usually, and I still have muscle and joint pain. And these are all the symptoms of acute HIV as I've read online. My family doctor said in one month I can do Hep A, B, and C and syphilis test but have to wait 3 months for HIV testing. I'm so paranoid! I asked the girl if she had anything she said she's recently been tested and her doctor said that if she had anything they will contact her, but, they haven't so far, And its been over a month and half, I mean I'd like to believe her but, I dunno why I just don't! Cause even our first time she wanted to do it without a condom. She has 3 kids with three different fathers and just by this behaviors she sounds promiscuous! I know I shouldn't say that, but, wow, I don't just sleep with anyone. Plus her kids are not with her, their with the fathers so it kinda made me think why doesn't she have custody of them. Anyways, I know that it's like 1/2000 from female to male or 1/1000 from male to female but, what if she was in the HIV window period and she didn't know? My chances are like 1/5 then because it's much likely to infect in the window period as it is to do after! Oh I hate myself right now! It's been almost a month since my last unprotected exposure and I haven't had any rash that I can tell, although my skin is a bit itchy and oily, and NO fever, my heads been a minor hot when I felt it here and there and then normal again, and now when I sleep I have minor night sweats. Maybe due to the weather change. I think I might have an enlarged spleen, because my left lower abdominal pains me here and there. Am I going crazy, I dunno! I read that most of your symptoms go away after two weeks. My sore throat and glands are gone, after 2 weeks. However, my family doctor confirmed that there were no swollen glands just sore throat. Mind you my friend had a cold and I could have very well caught it from him as I was eating at his place, but 24-48 hours later I caught a cold? And that was right at the 10-14 day mark after the unprotected exposure with the girl friend. I dunno how likely that is for a cold to come on that fast. Never the less, please help I'm driving myself nuts!
I'm 27 turning 28 and straight(heterosexual), don't do any IV drugs or any drugs for that matter, and I asked her and she says neither does she and she's 24 years old by the way. I asked her if I should be concerned she's like your just being paranoid! Then why do I have these symptoms, and they feel real! I apologies once again if I'm blowing this out of proportion. The only reason we had unprotected sex was because she told me she had gotten checked out and that she was clean!
I feel like crying right now! Wow! I can't believe I felt for the "I'm clean line!". I'm so scared that my results are going to be positive when I do my test in 3 months. Someone help me!
I'm from Toronto, On, Canada. I've been dating this girl for 2 months and on April 20, 2012 as well as April 26, 2012 we had unprotected vaginal sex. About 10-14 days later I had a sore throat and joint(knee and elbow) and muscle pain and tongue kinda pale and white with one sore blister on the left side of inner mouth. I got a bit scared and the went into the walk in clinic as my family doctor was not available and the doctor in the walk in said I had mild swollen glands. But, when I went to my family doctor the very next day he's like I can't feel anything like swollen glands. He did a chlamydia and gonorrhea test, which both came back negative and gave me pills to take also for the chlamydia and gonorrhea just in case it came back positive. Mind you I heard your suppose to hold the urine an hour in before you pee in the sample cup, but, I probably only held it for half hour or so, do you think maybe that's the reason it came back negative? I asked both the doctors if I there was a high chance that I had caught HIV and they both different occasions they smiled and said they highly doubt it as it's very hard to catch. My question is my sore throat took two weeks to go away as it only takes 4-7 days usually, and I still have muscle and joint pain. And these are all the symptoms of acute HIV as I've read online. My family doctor said in one month I can do Hep A, B, and C and syphilis test but have to wait 3 months for HIV testing. I'm so paranoid! I asked the girl if she had anything she said she's recently been tested and her doctor said that if she had anything they will contact her, but, they haven't so far, And its been over a month and half, I mean I'd like to believe her but, I dunno why I just don't! Cause even our first time she wanted to do it without a condom. She has 3 kids with three different fathers and just by this behaviors she sounds promiscuous! I know I shouldn't say that, but, wow, I don't just sleep with anyone. Plus her kids are not with her, their with the fathers so it kinda made me think why doesn't she have custody of them. Anyways, I know that it's like 1/2000 from female to male or 1/1000 from male to female but, what if she was in the HIV window period and she didn't know? My chances are like 1/5 then because it's much likely to infect in the window period as it is to do after! Oh I hate myself right now! It's been almost a month since my last unprotected exposure and I haven't had any rash that I can tell, although my skin is a bit itchy and oily, and NO fever, my heads been a minor hot when I felt it here and there and then normal again, and now when I sleep I have minor night sweats. Maybe due to the weather change. I think I might have an enlarged spleen, because my left lower abdominal pains me here and there. Am I going crazy, I dunno! I read that most of your symptoms go away after two weeks. My sore throat and glands are gone, after 2 weeks. However, my family doctor confirmed that there were no swollen glands just sore throat. Mind you my friend had a cold and I could have very well caught it from him as I was eating at his place, but 24-48 hours later I caught a cold? And that was right at the 10-14 day mark after the unprotected exposure with the girl friend. I dunno how likely that is for a cold to come on that fast. Never the less, please help I'm driving myself nuts!
I'm 27 turning 28 and straight(heterosexual), don't do any IV drugs or any drugs for that matter, and I asked her and she says neither does she and she's 24 years old by the way. I asked her if I should be concerned she's like your just being paranoid! Then why do I have these symptoms, and they feel real! I apologies once again if I'm blowing this out of proportion. The only reason we had unprotected sex was because she told me she had gotten checked out and that she was clean!
I feel like crying right now! Wow! I can't believe I felt for the "I'm clean line!". I'm so scared that my results are going to be positive when I do my test in 3 months. Someone help me!
Phewww.. Doctor called me in today and I was like Uh-Oh! Turns out my syphilis results came back faster than my hep B, C and mono! I was all scared that he would have bad news for me, turns out it was negative for syphilis and it was a follow up to just let me know. I was like man!!! You scared me! Waiting on my other results.
So yesterday I did my test for Hep B and C, Mono, Syphilis. Now, just waiting on the result. Doc wants me to wait another 2 months for HIV testing.
Terk: Maybe you do know people that have gotten stuff the first time, but, what was their risk type like? Like anal and IV drug users?
The odds are in your favor, just let this be a learning lesson about condoms!
Yes, I've been on MH since 2008. I'm a Community Leader in the Anxiety, Depression and Phobias communities, and have worked with a lot of HIV patients and infection control at a prior job, so HIV is a subject near and dear to my heart.
Now, shut your pc off, and keep busy....update us when you get your test. If your anxiety gets out of control. you can take a DUO test at 8 weeks, that will be an EXCELLENT indicator of your status and very unlikely to change.
Hang in there!
Yes, I've been on MH since 2008. I'm a Community Leader in the Anxiety, Depression and Phobias communities, and have worked with a lot of HIV patients and infection control at a prior job, so HIV is a subject near and dear to my heart.
Now, shut your pc off, and keep busy....update us when you get your test. If your anxiety gets out of control. you can take a DUO test at 8 weeks, that will be an EXCELLENT indicator of your status and very unlikely to change.
Hang in there!
Damn, and here I was single for 4 years and finally decided to try dating and another sour taste in my mouth! Well, thank you very much. Hope I'm ok! I guess only the test will show plus dr Hhh states in 30 years in this line of work he hasn't seen a case with just one or two exposures, lets hope he's right. Now, do you volunteer on this website?
WHO can you trust? Yourself, that's about it. Sadly, even people in committed relationships get burned.
Yes, I am an RN, going on 19 years now.
Yes, I am an RN, going on 19 years now.
Thank you nurse girl. ;-D Your the best. I'll just bother my family doctor. I mean if I get it I get it, it was me who put myself in that risk! Yes, stupid I should say, but, who can you trust nowadays! Why would she say she's clean of STD! I hope she is. And dumb question your a real nurse correct? RN or RPN?
TRUE ARS almost never occurs without a very high fever (over 101), and the swollen lymph nodes that are associated with ARS are present in several locations, not just one, and the swelling is significant.
A study performed in the US among thousands of people going to the ER thinking they were experiencing ARS yielded results of 99% of them being HIV negative, with their symptoms being related to common, every day illnesses.
Of course it is hard not to worry, you put yourself at risk, but the facts remain that 1. HIV IS a very hard virus to transmit, 2. Most people don't have HIV (especially among hetero females) and 3. Your geographic location has a low number of overall cases of HIV.
I think you'll be okay, but to be sure, you'll have to wait to get tested. If it will make you feel better to ask the docs, by all means do so, but I really don't think their answer is going to be much different. It's up to you, it may help ease the anxiety a bit.
A study performed in the US among thousands of people going to the ER thinking they were experiencing ARS yielded results of 99% of them being HIV negative, with their symptoms being related to common, every day illnesses.
Of course it is hard not to worry, you put yourself at risk, but the facts remain that 1. HIV IS a very hard virus to transmit, 2. Most people don't have HIV (especially among hetero females) and 3. Your geographic location has a low number of overall cases of HIV.
I think you'll be okay, but to be sure, you'll have to wait to get tested. If it will make you feel better to ask the docs, by all means do so, but I really don't think their answer is going to be much different. It's up to you, it may help ease the anxiety a bit.
Thanks nurse girl. Now, what do you mean nothing I described is consistent with HIV symptoms? I could swear that google web pages stated that those were acute HIV symptoms. Yes, your right, I should only worry about my symptoms. My doctors are pretty awesome, so you don't think I should refer this question to doctor H.H.H or dr hook, and I should save my money? ;-D. I'll honestly try not to stress, but, I can't help it! I've never had these kind of messed up symptoms before after exposure. And why would one doctor say minor swallow glands the other says he can't feel a thing the very next day?
While you had a risk, you didn't have a big one. Most people do NOT have HIV, especially heterosexual females. Even her promiscuity only increases the risk slightly.
Nothing you've described are consistent with HIV symptoms. Symptoms are never a good indicator anyway, the only way to know if you're infected or not is to test, which you already know a conclusive result will be at 3 months. Don't even worry about her result, YOUR result is the one that matters.
You're going to be anxious, but if you stay busy, and stop searching the internet, your anxiety will improve a bit. Overall, your risk is not that high. Don't get overly worried at this time.
"I asked both the doctors if I there was a high chance that I had caught HIV and they both different occasions they smiled and said they highly doubt it as it's very hard to catch. "
This bears repeating. You're dealing with doctors who know their stuff!
Nothing you've described are consistent with HIV symptoms. Symptoms are never a good indicator anyway, the only way to know if you're infected or not is to test, which you already know a conclusive result will be at 3 months. Don't even worry about her result, YOUR result is the one that matters.
You're going to be anxious, but if you stay busy, and stop searching the internet, your anxiety will improve a bit. Overall, your risk is not that high. Don't get overly worried at this time.
"I asked both the doctors if I there was a high chance that I had caught HIV and they both different occasions they smiled and said they highly doubt it as it's very hard to catch. "
This bears repeating. You're dealing with doctors who know their stuff!
Have an Answer?
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