Aa
Rash- worried sick
Hi, I recently had an unprotected sexual encounter on July 3,2010. I am a man and it consisted of vaginal intercourse about 2 or 3 times. I do not know the background of the woman and I am very concerned of HIV and other std's. I know what I did was a huge mistake. About a week ago(2 1/2 weeks after the encounter) I developed a rash directly under my left eye(I'd say less than an inch in length). The rash was slightly redish with raised bumps but not too noticible. It itched when the shower water hit it( I never really touched it, didn't want to mess with it). It went away in 1 1/2 or 2 days. I applied betamethasone valerate cream to the rash, and I'm thinking that helped. I am really scared that this rash could be HIV related. I have not had any other syptoms of HIV other than headache(stressed to the max, I'm not doing very well with the anxiety! I have been taking xanax to help with the anxiety.). Does this appear to be HIV? I'm scheduled for an HIV test next Tuesday(4 week mark, I know I'll have to follow up after that if negative), I'm terrified. Please help, thank you!
I'm still trying to get through this, I've been having a hard time. Besides the initial rash I discussed in my first post, I have come down with some more symptoms that concern me. On 8-3-10, I begin to have a slight sore throat, but it has seemed to go away by 8-05-10(very slight). During this time I also developed a cold(stuffed up nose), and had a migrane headache. I've also been noticing quite a bit a canker sores in my mouth lately(and a very dry mouth), I'm not sure what this would be related too, but they are normal canker sores(not very painful), I hope they are not possible mouth ulcers that I have read about? My lymph nodes are now sore/swollen(they have been for the last 2 days (8-8-10, 8-9-10), but I was messing with them, constantly touching and feeling them- so I may have caused this irritation??? My biggest concern is the problem I've been having with my throat. I've been having this problem for the past two weeks or so, I found it on the internet to be called Cricopharyngeal spasm. Does anyone know about this? Could it be something else I'm not sure about? Can it be related to HIV? I've never had this happen to me before this encounter. It feels like something is stuck in the back of my throat. I am hoping it is not a sore I can't see in the back of my throat, its not painful just really bothersome. Could this be ARS? It seems like one thing is happening to me after another, I've been having anxiety issues pretty bad. I'm very stressed out, it's affecting me at work and everything. I'm hoping it's just stress and anxiety related but I thought I'd run it by the panel. I was just tested at a Planed Parenthood location on 8-3-10 for HIV & Std's, but the results shouldn't be ready for 2 weeks or so, so I'm trying to hold it together while I wait.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated, I am terrified. Thank you.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated, I am terrified. Thank you.
Your "rash" sounds nothing like ARS symptoms from HIV. It sounds more like simple think skin irritation, which frequently happens beneath the eyes because skin there is so fragile. This is why people often get shadows, bags, and dark circles. The skin there is very sensitive and fragile because it is so thin. Under eye irritation is fairly common.
The chances of you getting HIV from a one-time exposure which consisted of unprotected vaginal sex (with you being the male) is about 1 in 1,000. This was indeed a risk because you did not use protection, but it is on the lower end of risks regarding HIV. The chances that a heterosexual, non-IV drug user woman in the United States has HIV is around 1 in 10,000. This makes your chances even smaller.
Regardless of the level of risk, the risk is still there and you will need to test 3 months after July 3 so that you can get a conclusive result. If you test before then, at around 6-8 weeks, this will give you a VERY good indicator of your status.
Your headache I would most definitely attribute to stress and anxiety. Headaches and upset stomach are the #1 symptom of stress and anxiety attacks. Unhealthy mental states take a huge physical toll on the body.
Try to relax and distract yourself until your test. I wish you the best of luck.
The chances of you getting HIV from a one-time exposure which consisted of unprotected vaginal sex (with you being the male) is about 1 in 1,000. This was indeed a risk because you did not use protection, but it is on the lower end of risks regarding HIV. The chances that a heterosexual, non-IV drug user woman in the United States has HIV is around 1 in 10,000. This makes your chances even smaller.
Regardless of the level of risk, the risk is still there and you will need to test 3 months after July 3 so that you can get a conclusive result. If you test before then, at around 6-8 weeks, this will give you a VERY good indicator of your status.
Your headache I would most definitely attribute to stress and anxiety. Headaches and upset stomach are the #1 symptom of stress and anxiety attacks. Unhealthy mental states take a huge physical toll on the body.
Try to relax and distract yourself until your test. I wish you the best of luck.
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