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Stressing after 2 weeks - Teak, Lizzie, nursegirl PLEASE HELP!
Hello! I think I probably know what the answer to my question is going to be, but thought I'd ask anyway, if only for peace of mind. I was at an amusement park about 2 weeks ago. I had been sick before that, and had a thermometer on me to take my temperature from time to time throughout the day, just to make certain. I went into the bathroom where a woman was just coming out of the stall. I walked into it right after her. I hung my purse on the hook and took the thermometer out of the inside pocket (without touching the purse fabric) and inserted it into my mouth. As I took the thermometer out of my mouth, I noticed a smear (approximately 1 inch x 1 inch) of menstrual blood (I would assume it was menstrual, being that I was in a ladies' toilet) on the door of the stall, right where my purse was hanging. It was in a spot that I could've potentially touched as I walked into the stall and closed the door. So...here are my questions: 1. What if (the big question!) this was HIV-infected blood, and I had gotten some of it onto my hands, then gotten it on the thermometer when I picked it up out of my open purse, THEN, put the thermometer in my mouth? Is there ANY POSSIBLE way this could be a potential exposure? Am I at risk? Just a side note: I had 2 canker sores on my lower gums right below my teeth - could that have made a difference in transmission risk? 2. say this blood was from the lady who was in the stall RIGHT before me, so it was completely "fresh", within mere seconds of it getting on the stall door, me getting it on myself, then the thermometer, then into my mouth? Would that make a difference? I hope none of you veterans just blow me off as an idiot - I really didn't even give this much thought until someone at work told me I should go get tested in 3 months, because I had a potential exposure. Then I started researching like crazy, and found some scary sites where they made it seem this incident was a cause for concern. Anyway, thanks to Teak, Lizzie, nursegirl, or anyone else in advance for any advice that you can give me.
Thanks to everyone for putting up with me. I'm certain you all have far more important questions to address on this forum; but believe me, it is a great comfort to people like me who tend to worry over nothing. I've had unwarranted health-related fears before (and now - hello, swine flu!) and I'm beginning to think it's quite possibly related to hyphochondria or phobias in general. I think I may just mosey on over to the anxiety forum and see what advice I can receive there. All of your answers have been extremely helpful, but it's been 6 hours since I posted my initial question, and since then, I cannot think of anything other than HIV. This appears to be a slippery slope: you think you're just going on the internet to obtain a little knowledge and maybe receive some peace of mind about this disease, but then WHAM! it becomes a full-fledged obsession! I commend all of you regulars on here who deal with people such as myself everyday. I truly hope to "get over" my fright very soon - it's beginning to feel like it's taking over my life!
Much love to Teak, Lizzie & Diver!
Much love to Teak, Lizzie & Diver!
HIV becomes inactive when it is exposed to air, temp change and ph change. No HIV cannot infect outside it's HOST.
Thank you for your quick reply. So just because blood is wet, doesn't mean it could still have HIV in it? I had read elsewhere online that the only way HIV becomes deactivated is as it dries; it stated that if it's even a little bit damp, it can still infect, even outside of the host.
So even if the blood was still wet ("fresh"), that stull wouldn't change all of your answers? It would still be "no risk"?
COMMUNITY LEADER
From her to handle, then from handle to thermometer, then from thermometer to your mouth,,, Relax, HIV is not that "frequent traveller",,,,,,,, You are safe
Okay, one more, then I'll shut up (promise) - I would presume there is no risk because that's far too many environmental surfaces for potentially HIV-infected blood to go through to infect me, right? Someone's hand (I would assume) gets the blood onto the stall door; from there it gets onto my hand; then gets onto the thermometer, THEN gets into my mouth...so even if it was "fresh" blood (not dried, came from the lady who was in the stall right before me), it still wouldn't matter, correct? I just want to fully understand exactly WHY it wasn't a risk, so that I don't freak out about stuff like this in the future. Thanks, thanks, thanks!
Thanks for your response, Diver. Does everyone else agree? Is this a pretty common theory, that HIV is not transmitted in ways such as the one I described?
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