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Minor skin abrasions
I'm sure you've heard this before, I'm incredibly anxious about this to the extent I'm googling for hours. My girlfriends and I were having major problems, she told me she was moving out. During that period I got very drunk and had a one night stand, oral, and penetrative sex. My concern is about 8 hours before the event I shaved my downstairs and nicked myself, this was on the base of my penis, a tiny spot of blood appeared.. I'm really unsure if the condom I used covered this nick and as such I've been massively stressed about HIV and other stds, due to no doubt getting vaginal fluids in this area.
My partner and I decided to make things work and I went and had some urine tests for chlamydia and gonnorhea.. About a couple of months later, my girlfriend developed a really really sore throat to the extent she went to the docs, she had no raised temperature, rashes or swollen glands, just a horrible sore throat. As you can probably tell I've begun to link all of these situations and have convinced myself I've contracted HIV and passed it on to my girlfriend.
Any advice or reassurance you may be able to give would be hugely appreciated..
My partner and I decided to make things work and I went and had some urine tests for chlamydia and gonnorhea.. About a couple of months later, my girlfriend developed a really really sore throat to the extent she went to the docs, she had no raised temperature, rashes or swollen glands, just a horrible sore throat. As you can probably tell I've begun to link all of these situations and have convinced myself I've contracted HIV and passed it on to my girlfriend.
Any advice or reassurance you may be able to give would be hugely appreciated..
Thank you Dr Handsfield, I appreciate your honesty and replying again, i'll seriously consider your advice and try and get my head straight, all the best,.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Nobody can ever say that any particular sexual exposure is absolutely zero risk for HIV. The risk is low enough so you shouldn't be at all worried -- the same judgment I would give in regard to the chance you'll be struck by lightning or a meterorite someday.
In any case, I have no patience with not being tested for HIV for fear of the result. Research and clinical experience both show that when someone delays testing for that reason, anxiety and stress decline after the result is available, even if the result is positive. The same is true for mammography in women with breast lumps, or checking up for any potentially serious medical condition.
I stress that you truly are at essentially zero risk for HIV, and i'm sure the result will be negative. But that's exactly why you should do it.
In any case, I have no patience with not being tested for HIV for fear of the result. Research and clinical experience both show that when someone delays testing for that reason, anxiety and stress decline after the result is available, even if the result is positive. The same is true for mammography in women with breast lumps, or checking up for any potentially serious medical condition.
I stress that you truly are at essentially zero risk for HIV, and i'm sure the result will be negative. But that's exactly why you should do it.
Hi,
Thanks for the reply, could I ask something for clarification, from your response I understand this was low risk and not a realistic concern. I've read rather foolishly many different web sites, where some suggest risk and others suggest no risk at all.. Can you confirm, for me, if this is low, some or absolutely no risk. I'll explain why, unfortunately I suffer with health anxiety and have been under a psychologist to try and help me overcome it, I tend to pick up and overly focus on words and take literal meaning, so to me low risk, means some risk....
Due to this anxiety I proposals has avoided testing as I am at risk of quite a bad mental episode through the waiting process. I'm trying to work out whether based on advice like yours that I need to worry, I hope this makes sense? I wanted to also thank you for taking the time to reply in such a lengthy way
Thanks for the reply, could I ask something for clarification, from your response I understand this was low risk and not a realistic concern. I've read rather foolishly many different web sites, where some suggest risk and others suggest no risk at all.. Can you confirm, for me, if this is low, some or absolutely no risk. I'll explain why, unfortunately I suffer with health anxiety and have been under a psychologist to try and help me overcome it, I tend to pick up and overly focus on words and take literal meaning, so to me low risk, means some risk....
Due to this anxiety I proposals has avoided testing as I am at risk of quite a bad mental episode through the waiting process. I'm trying to work out whether based on advice like yours that I need to worry, I hope this makes sense? I wanted to also thank you for taking the time to reply in such a lengthy way
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.
We indeed get a fair number of questions about HIV risk in relation to nicks, cuts, scratches etc that may have been exposoed to a partner's genital secretions or blood. Our reply is always the same, and fits your case: superficial wounds and cuts carry little risk of HIV, even if exposed to HIV infected secretions. Within hours (even minutes), such wounds are pretty well sealed by the blood clotting system. In addition, I would add that the chance your single casual partner had HIV probably is very low (for sure under 1 in 1,000 and usually a lot lower than that in the US and most industrialized countries).
Your girlfriend's symptoms are not suggestive of HIV. Almost certainly she has a garden variety upper respiratory viral infection, nothing more. I doubt they have anything to do with your other sexual contact.
But I'm a little surprised by one aspect of your question. Since you're worried about HIV, why haven't you been tested? (I assume you haven't since you don't mention testing.) Enough time has passed for definitive testing, so I suggest you do it. This does not mean I believe there is actually any realistic chance you have HIV; I definitely do not. But a negative test result probably will be a lot more reassuring than anything I can say based on probabilities and statitistics.
Feel free to let me know the test result. But speculation seems pointless when a firm answer is so easily available, so I won't have any other comments or advice until then.
Really, HIV is not a realistic concern here. Stay mellow while you wait for a test result.
Oh and by the way, don't have an oral fluids HIV test, i.e. the home self test. That's the one test that may require waiting 3 months for a conclusive result. Have a blood test, either rapid or lab-based; the results will be firm at this time.
I hope this has helped. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
We indeed get a fair number of questions about HIV risk in relation to nicks, cuts, scratches etc that may have been exposoed to a partner's genital secretions or blood. Our reply is always the same, and fits your case: superficial wounds and cuts carry little risk of HIV, even if exposed to HIV infected secretions. Within hours (even minutes), such wounds are pretty well sealed by the blood clotting system. In addition, I would add that the chance your single casual partner had HIV probably is very low (for sure under 1 in 1,000 and usually a lot lower than that in the US and most industrialized countries).
Your girlfriend's symptoms are not suggestive of HIV. Almost certainly she has a garden variety upper respiratory viral infection, nothing more. I doubt they have anything to do with your other sexual contact.
But I'm a little surprised by one aspect of your question. Since you're worried about HIV, why haven't you been tested? (I assume you haven't since you don't mention testing.) Enough time has passed for definitive testing, so I suggest you do it. This does not mean I believe there is actually any realistic chance you have HIV; I definitely do not. But a negative test result probably will be a lot more reassuring than anything I can say based on probabilities and statitistics.
Feel free to let me know the test result. But speculation seems pointless when a firm answer is so easily available, so I won't have any other comments or advice until then.
Really, HIV is not a realistic concern here. Stay mellow while you wait for a test result.
Oh and by the way, don't have an oral fluids HIV test, i.e. the home self test. That's the one test that may require waiting 3 months for a conclusive result. Have a blood test, either rapid or lab-based; the results will be firm at this time.
I hope this has helped. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
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