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Avatar universal

The mind can really play tricks

This is for everyone worried sick, as I once was. I am a 24 year old straight male. Going into this I always believed the mind could cause symptoms, but not to the extent I experienced. I am living proof the mind can do just about anything to your body. I have been under extreme stress and anxiety before but never really experienced symptoms. My exposure was unprotected vaginal sex twice with an unknown partner. Anyways, we both went and got tested and everything came back negative. Here were my symptoms:

- 3 days after sex I got pretty dizzy / light headed. I also got fatigued a little easier. This lasted for 2 weeks.
- 12 days after the incident I started to get a sore throat. This is still present 9 days later.
- 12 days after I started to get swollem lymphnodes in my neck.
- 20 days after the incident I got sever dandruff. I have never once had dandruff in my life, then all of a sudden out of no where I got a really bad case of it. I started freaking out because some sites said this could be the earliest sign of an HIV infection. After this I started to really go crazy and freak out.
- 21 days after I got a fever. Anyone that says stress / anxiety can't cause a fever is wrong. My temp got up to 100.6 today. Later that day we got tested. About an hour after we found out we were negative I had 98.7.

I know you are reading this saying "my symptoms are real and I know they aren't caused by stress / anxiety, anxiety cant cause the symptoms I'm having". I promise you I had the exact same mind set. As soon as I started to get a fever it kept going up because the more it went up the more I stressed. The same goes with my other symptoms. Over the course of 3 - 4 hours I literally watched my temperature go from 98.6 to 100.6. All that I was doing during this time period was sitting on a plane. I took my temperature about 20 times on the plane ride. After I found out I was negative my temp went from 100+ to 98.7 in about an hour.

Just hang in there and realize that symptoms really don't mean anything and what matters is your exposure and your test results. Hope this helps someone.
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Avatar universal
That is great news,

My question to you, and to others.....   after the beating you took from anxiety...   did your body instantly correct itself, or has the anxiety hard-wired itself in?
Helpful - 0
79258 tn?1190630410
What a nice change from yesterday afternoon, when you were so convinced that your *dandruff* was a sign of HIV, you were on the verge of a complete meltdown.

Congrats on the negative results. I'm curious, though; how has this changed things for you? I hope that you (and others here) won't just drop it until the next time. I hope you'll give some thought to the underlying causes of your anxiety, and address them so that you don't have a huge freakout all over again, next time you have sex with someone. And use a condom and lube...
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you Dr. Teak and Professor Mike...Thanks again for all the help you have contributed to the forum and myself.  Without you guys help I won't know what to do these past three months.  I got my test done on 98th days and all HIV and STD come back Negative.  Teak and Mike you guys are a great.  Could you recommend any  group that I can donate to help HIV.  Thanks

Jimmy,
What did you use to cure Burning Mouth Syndrome?  I have a white tongue and I still can't get rip off.  Thanks
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I did not use anything to cure it, it just went away. There are moment when I can feel it comming back, but it has never come back as fierce as it used to be.

But something else happened, Every morning for the past 3 weeks or so, when I would wake up my hands and feet would feel kind of swollen, and stiff. Well they felt swollen, but were NOT, just had that feeling.  Then it got to the point that they tingled (hands and feet) felt swollen, bruised & hurt all day. It even hurt to type. That went on for a couple of days. But it seems to have subsided.

So, that is why I asked you, how did your body respond to the news that everything is find now?  You see the soldiers that return from Iraq suffer from CFS (Chronic fatigue Syndrome) because of the stress they are under. There is no cure, some take certain meds to combat the symptoms. But the syndrome does seem to go away after some time. (a long time)

I think a lot of us floating on this forum go through the same issues. Meaning too much adronolin, too much anxiety, stress, depression.  Not to compare, but the reality is the soldiers to have moment of safety, for 3 months straight we do not.  

We worry about it 24/7. I know I have, I even dream about it. Fibromayalgia has been linked to CFS as well as BMS. My mother has fibro. and there is a corelation with family members. I am way too young to have to deal with fibro.  So I am trying to be strong and beat this.

Heck I am scared to have sex with a condom.  Yea, folks say it is safe...  I would like to know more about that. To me it is kinda of like walking along the ledge of the 20th floor. Technically it is safe, if you do not fall.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Ahh, the power of the net.

I just figured out why I have been getting the hands and feet issues.....  it was due to an antibiotic i was takeing.

That is good news.

you folks take care,

and wear a jimmy
Helpful - 0
79258 tn?1190630410
I'd recommend you see a sex therapist. Your fears of having even protected sex seem to be getting in the way of your living a normal, healthy, happy life. And it sounds like you were brought up in an anxious family; therapy can also help you learn new, more effective ways of dealing with anxiety yourself. You may need meds, too. But honestly, isn't it all worth it to have a fulfilling life?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
monkeyflower

You are correct in the assumption that there is a lot more to me.....

a lot more than just sex causing the anxiety and depression.  but those issues can not be resolved without me losing a tremendous amount of money, and other things that are dear to me.

so I go on....

therapy could not help my situation...

but I appreciate your help & observations
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you for all the informations.  I do have tingling on my toes or hot spot on my body once in awhile for a second or so.  As far as stress, I don't worry or think about it anymore compared to the first three weeks when I was very naive about HIV.  I will test again in six month just for peace of mind.  I guess I'm not that young anymore (late thirty) so it will take a year or so to clear all the symptoms.  Good luck to everyone else...Take care
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Not all of my symptoms just went away, the only thing that has went away was my fever. My symptoms are not near as severe anymore though. I even caught myself right after not believing the tests. I was so convinced I had it. I was thinking of how I was going to tell my parents / friends. I was so caught up in worry that I seriously had not had anything to eat or drink all day. I have never been so sure about something in my life. I even got an ulcer in my mouth this morning. I have a headache right now as well. After I got my negative results I was exhausted. You don't realize how much of a toll your body takes from anxiety and stress. My anxiety has gone away but not all of my smyptoms. Tests don't lie. Statistics have more of a role that symptoms. Although I do have a whole new perspective on protected sex and controlling my alcohol comsumption. I also realized that in times of high anxiety / worry I would probably be a good idea to listen to someone with a level head, like monkeyflower.
Helpful - 0
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