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Avatar universal

so worried im making myself sick?

hey guys, i posted here earlier in the week concerned about a situation that occured ten days ago. i am a 20 year old white female who gave and recieved oral sex with a 28 year old white male whose status was unknown.  i cant remember if i mentioned it before, but on the evening this occured, my roommate and i had brought the guy and his friend back to our house from a bar. while i was in my room with the guy, my roommate woke up to his friend having sex with her. this made both of us nervous and skeptical of both guys, although the guy i was with didnt pressure me and when he offered to have sex mentioned he had condoms, leading me to believe he was trying to be relatively safe. we didnt have sex though, actually i am a virgin.

earlier i posted in the expert forum asking questions about my initial exposure and was told that there IS a risk of contracting HIV from unprotected oral if the person is infected but it is very low (1 in 10,000). and that the risk of a heterosexual male in north america having HIV is less then 1 in 1000. these stats made me feel a little better, but i was still nervous so i went to my doctor on tuesday and got bloodwork done (only 6 days after exposure) which came back negative..though that result didnt really ease my nerves because i know a test at 4-6 weeks is much more accurate.

after my doctor told me i had to wait five weeks to get another test, i kind of flipped out.  i have severe anxiety over this and waiting that long would kill me. i couldnt eat, sleep, or live my life so yesterday i went back to the doctor and they perscribed me xanax to take to calm my nerves.

up until this point ive felt totally fine, but last night i noticed that a gland on the right side of my neck was slightly swollen and rather painful..it hurt in my jaw as well.  i woke up today and now the other side of my neck feels the same way. i feel tired, some muscle weakness, dizzy and a little out of it but i attribute that to the xanax. what worrys me are these swollen glands..i guess i feel a twinge of something like im about to come down with a cold or something like that, but right now its just these neck glands and the general blah feeling i have that is making me nervous. i guess i should also mention that i have inner ear problems where the fluid in them doesnt always drain properly which can cause discomfort below my ears, but not this tender.

anyone know if xanax can cause swollen neck glands? (i had never taken xanax before yesterday, when i took my first dose) i read that symptoms of ARS can include fatigue muscle weakness and swollen glands, but that the glands are usually not isolated to one area but become swollen throughout the body.  also, is it possible that these swollen glands could just be a product of my overactive mind? yesterday i was thinking "oh well its a relief i dont have any physical symptoms then i would REALLY freak out" and i wake up today...and here they are. but they really do hurt and are annoying!

any light people could shine on this would be much appriciated.

14 Responses
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Avatar universal
You did not have a risk of contracting HIV and painful lympth nodes are not symptoms of HIV. If you are ill see your doctor.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
woke up today feeling pretty much the same...although my ears are very sore..i have a history of ears problems and am beginning to think that my swollen glands (which actyally huuuuuurt qhite a bit) are due to this...i feel fine otherwise...no fever, no rash as far as i can see...no night sweat
Helpful - 0
186166 tn?1385259382
the doctors in the expert forum are speaking from a scientific point.  they state that it is a theoretical risk...meaning it "can" happen.  the reality of it is that it never happens.

all the latest studies done on serodiscordant couples...where one is negative and one is positive...prove that hiv is not transmitted through oral sex.

again...you did not have a risk.
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Avatar universal
i dont mean to continue to be obsessive, but it bothers me when people say that unprotected oral sex is not a risk... the docs in the expert forums say that there is a chance...though it is very low..
Helpful - 0
186166 tn?1385259382
since you were never at risk of contracting hiv...you might be better served on the anxiety forum.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
its not so much the fact that i think they are swollen...its more that they are painful that is worrying me. also, i have no other symptoms indicating a cold or something else...i get painful glands sometimes when im sick but they come about with other symptoms..its just weird that these things literally sprouted up over night. i actually think the xanax isnt helping much because its making me feel fatique and a general feeling of being out of it..more symptoms of ARS that i do not have. im sorry, i dont mean to be like another one of these people obsessing....im coming to realize it is common to obsess when in this situation. my rational mind knows these things, but the nervous part just wont quit. i truly wont feel total relief until i can get another test and have it be negative...i guess i was just confused about swollen glands versus painful glands
Helpful - 0
480448 tn?1426948538
This is the kind of thinking you need to stop!!!!  First of all....have you had your "swollen lymph nodes" diagnosed by a professional?  If not...you cannot know for sure they are truly swollen.  MOST lymph nodes are easily palpable in their normal state.

And, even IF you DO indeed have swollen lymph nodes....it could be a result of ANY cold, bug, any communicable illness you caught in the community...certainly not HIV.

I know our words are not sufficient enough for you right now...so again...all I can tell you is to keep taking the Xanax to try to control your anxiety until you have your negative test results back,so that you see we really were right all along.  Not much else we can say at this point.

You really are going to add to your anxiety by overanalyzing every physical sensation you have, and by searching the web...there is soooo much misinformation out there...it is enough to scare anyone!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i thought that swollen painful lymph nodes were a symptom of ARS..?
Helpful - 0
480448 tn?1426948538
You do not have a risk.  Since you are anxious about it...taking a test to reassure yourself is fine...but until then, quit searching the web, and most importantly...quit overdramatizing every physical sensation you may have.  NONE of them are related to HV.  Swollen glands can only be diagnosed by a health care provider...and there are about a bazillion reasons one could have swollen lymph nodes...the LEAST possible being HIV.

Keep taking the Xanax as prescribed until you get your negative results back.
Helpful - 0
783139 tn?1236333735
http://****************/question/index?qid=20071201170350AAsmRcB

Go onto this link, it shud settle ur nerves a bit...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i also cant tell if i have a fever or not...i feel hot but i dont have a thermometer so i cant take my temp right now..dont really have a way to get to the store.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
im trying to think positive but its just strange to me because the time from the exposure up until now is the time frame where ARS symptoms can occur...i just dont see how me feeling so crappy/tired/out of it/sore swollen glands can just come out of pure nerves.
Helpful - 0
783139 tn?1236333735
hey hun, seriously i think ur getn worked up over nutin... i suffer from anixety tho aswell i no how bad it can get... but just try to calm urself the chances of u catchin the virus is so low threw oral sex.... its all to do wit bodily fluids mixing with each other... orally its just goin straight to ur stomach... try not to worry to much, id really say u'l be fine... ur throat cud very wel be a reaction to the tablets.. or it cud be just ur mind playin tricks on you... fact is tho there ar no real sign if u have the virus. people can have it in there body for ten years and not know without a test...

so relax... and take it easy
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
UGH i wish you could go back and edit your post instead of having to add a comment to it if you forgot to mention something. anyway i forgot to mention that he did not ejaculate in my mouth, and we were going down on eachother each for three minutes at the most. i didnt notice any cuts or blood in either of our mouths, his penis, or my vagina.
Helpful - 0
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