Hi Dr. Handsfeld, I am scared out of my mind about HIV. Here's my story...about 8.5 weeks ago, I had very brief
sexBuccal smear
Causes of sexual dysfunction
Child abuse - sexual
Delayed ejaculation
Erection problems
Female sexual dysfunction
Inhibited sexual desire
Orgasmic dysfunction
Puberty and adolescence
Rape
Safe sex with a guy of unknown status (I'm gay). I was the receptive partner, and it was my
firstFirst progesterone mc10
First progesterone mc5
First-progesterone vgs 100
First-progesterone vgs 200
First-progesterone vgs 25
First-progesterone vgs 400
First-progesterone vgs 50
First-testosterone
First-testosterone mc time being penetrated. We used a
condomCondoms
Female condoms, but the damn thing broke. As soon as my partner realized it was
brokenBroken bone
Broken or knocked out tooth he pulled out right away. He did not penetrate very far and he definitely did not ejaculate. Still, I'm scared about infection through precum. He told me he was negative, but his
sexualCauses of sexual dysfunction
Erection problems
Female sexual dysfunction
Sexual problems overview history was rather scary, and I don't know if he really knew his status. Well, I know symptoms are not used to diagnose disease, but I've had so many obvious ones, I can't help but feel that there's something wrong. About 4-5 days after exposure, one of the lymph
nodesLymph node biopsy
Swollen glands
Swollen lymph nodes in the groin
Swollen lymph nodes under arm under my jaw became swollen (like a miniature egg)..it was round and hard. It has remained that way to this day. Also, some of the lymph nodes around the left side of my collar bone are hard (feels like a hard wooden plank is around my collar bone). They've been this way for a while. About 4.5 weeks past exposure, I had a really obvious bout of neurological symptoms. It felt like my limbs, hand, and feet were burning and tingling pretty much continuously. It was not extremely painful but it was very noticable and strange. These nasty sensations lasted for a week and then disappeared. I have lost a lot of weight for no discernible reason...my rib cage is showing which is strange...I feel like I've lost a lot of muscle and fat all around my body...I don't think my diet has changed much and I'm not exercising much more than usual. Also, a maculopapular rash has been on my back for a while...my back is splotchy with dark spots of skin here and there and little red and white bumps here and there. Lastly, I had a nasty fever/flu occur exactly 8 weeks past exposure. My temperature was a little under 101 and my body felt like ****/achy all over. This lasted for about a day (I took some tylenol PM that night and the next day the fever was gone and I felt a lot better). If I had ARS associated fever, could the Tylenol really make it disappear that quickly? Could an ARS fever last such a short period of time? I actually went to my doctor and asked him about all of my symptoms minus the fever (which came on the day after the visit). Anyway, he felt around for swollen lymph nodes and didnt seem overly concerned. He said that the node under my jaw was in fact mildly swollen but nothing to be concerned about and the ones aournd my collar bone seemed shotty. Well, if they're swollen, isn't that cause for concern? He made it seem like only nodes that were grossly swollen were of importance. He couldnt explain the neuro symptoms (thought it was quite strange) and sort of shrugged off the weight loss. He didn't know what to make of the rash. I'm scared. Please help...I'm almost positive I'm positive. Should I get tested now or just wait another few months?
How can I be so certain? I'm not certain at all; the only thing I can do is cite probabilities. It will be surprising if you have HIV.
But all this talk is a waste of time compared to being tested. Do it.
HHH, MD
I'm actually curious as to what you think about this question he asked:
"Lastly, I had a nasty fever/flu occur exactly 8 weeks past exposure. My temperature was a little under 101 and my body felt like ****/achy all over. This lasted for about a day (I took some tylenol PM that night and the next day the fever was gone and I felt a lot better). If I had ARS associated fever, could the Tylenol really make it disappear that quickly? Could an ARS fever last such a short period of time?"
What are these bugs that people get that feel like the flu and cause a spike in body temperature but eventually resolve in just several hours?
HHH, MD