Nodes all over?

[jacobs]

Hi. I will get right to my questions:

1. With hiv, do lymph nodes spread throughout the body, or can they stay in a fixed area ? I have some nodes on either side of my neck; I noticed them about 3.5-4 years ago, and they are non-cancerous. They do not increase in size, and they are painless; also, you cannot see them; you have to feel them. I was sexually active at the time, and wondering, if I did catch hiv, would they come about like this and hang around in just this one spot?

2. Would there be other symptoms to go along with the swollen lymph nodes, or can they be the only symptom? I should also mention that I have mild gum disease, psoriasis on my scalp and face, and had my thyroid removed in 1996 due to thyroid cancer.

3. About 4 weeks after a potential exposre:
    chills for 2.5-3 days (not sure if there was a fever, but don't think so)
    weakness for 2.5-3 days
    night sweats for 3-5 days
    headache for about 5-6 days
    productive cough for about 2-2.5 weeks (not dry)
    no problems peeing, no penile discomfort, no discharge, no diahrrea (sic ?)


My question(s) for 3. ;

-Is it usually chills or fever you get with hiv? Is a fever always present with the chills if chills are a symptom of hiv?
-I have heard the symptoms typically last for 1-2 weeks; with the fairly short duration, does it sound more like a I caught a cold of sorts, or hiv?
-do you typically get a dry or productive cough with hiv?
-and do the symptoms come and go all at once usually, or spread/linger such as mine sort of did?

IAlso, I should mention that this happened a few days after getting over strep throat; the doctor said I probably caught this due to having a weakened immune system from the cold. It was also the high point of cold and flu season here; however, what strikes me is that I do not usually get affected with symptoms; actually I can't ever remember getting afftected like that, so I am freaked out.

I realize that I am making myself out as a major pain on this forum, with some repetitive questions, but haven't really found any answers in the posts I have made. Sorry if I am doing wrong by posting this.
    
    

[Teak]

You do not get hiv from receiving a blowjob.

[jacobs]

Well, my risk isn't giving a blowjob. It is about four years of female sex workers, receing protected and unprotected oral, giving a few, (not many, cunnilingus), and always with protected anal/vaginal sex (never know when a condom problem may have occured and you aren't aware).

Regularjoey, you say that ARS usually comes with fever (usually high fever, or not necessarily? ), but are chills and fever the same thing?

Also wondering if it is typically a dry or productive cough, and if my symptoms lasted long enough ( or in the case of the cough, to long) to probably be hiv?

I had a test four days ago, so time will tell.

Thanks.

[regularjoey]

1. ARS includes fever almost by definition.  So no fever=no ARS.
2. Symptoms are very unreliable for HIV diagnosis.  Some people have lymphadenopathy all over, some don't.
3. If you are that worried about HIV you should just go for a test to ease your mind.  If your only risk was giving a blowjob, don't lose any sleep over it.  You got a higher chance winning a lottery than getting HIV from that incident.