Unusual Situation..Possible Multiple Exposures...

My main worry stems back from a visit to Thailand at the end of June. I was out with friends on a night out in Bangkok at a well known club on Kho San Rd. I went to pick up a bar stoll to move it and when doing so felt a prick in my index finger. I immediately dropped it and looked at my finger; there was no blood so i just sucked it and went to the toilet to wash it but i thought nothing of it. Anyhow, as the night went on and as anyone who has been to Thailand knows, the local women generally throw themselves at you, especially if you are western. I ended up going back to my hotel with a local Thai girl (Non CSW) and had protected vaginal and unprotected oral with her. However i also fingered her slightly for a few seconds during "proceedings" on the same finger where i had been pricked. I woke up in the morning and where i had pricked my finger earlier  it was stinging and I began freaking out. There was a small needle/pin sized break in my skin so I immediatly began to worry about being exposed to hiv, and for the first few weeks after was anxious beyong belief. When i got home and explained the situation to my Dr. she dismissed me being pricked by a needle and said i was "zero risk". I then went to the GUM clinic and got tested for everything apart from HIV (due to the 3 month time scale) which came back negative.

Literally the next day i could feel sensations in my glands, including armpits and groin although could not tell if they were swollen. I also had an upset stomach the first week when i got back to England as well although I think this may of been caused by anxiety.

Could i ask for some opinions on the following please?

A) If it was a needle under the stool what are my chances of being exposed? No blood from finger
B) As my finger was stinging where i got pricked and had briefly fingered her, am i at risk?
C) Reading this website it states that unprotected oral is "zero" risk, especially by moderators "teak" and the likes...however on the body it states that unprotected oral is a risk, see the follwoing http://aids.about.com/cs/safesex/a/oralsex.htm

I am so worried..I know the only thing to do is get tested but does anyone think i had a genuine risk of exposrure? I would appreciate your thoughts, i'm freaking out and my my life has stalled massively.

[avonelle38]

Hey there. You definitely never had a risk from this scenario. Fingering and oral sex are never risks for HIV transmission. Even with the prick on your finger from earlier, this still was not risky because such a small opening is simply not significant enough to pose as a portal of entry for HIV. Your sex was protected and oral sex is definitely not a risk for HIV transmission, either.

Bottom line is- you never had a risk, even with the prick on your finger. Your symptoms are not indicative of HIV infection because you were never at risk for it in the first place. No need to test! Relax you are just fine :)

[Teak]

You never had an exposure.

[WorryWort2010]

Thank you Teak for your prompt reply. So even though my finger was "stinging" from where i had "fingered" this girl, this would not be a means of transmission as i did see a "small break" in the skin from whatever was under the stool?

I'v been obsessing over this for a couple of months now and really appreciate your opinion because of your background. You wouldn't recommend testing then? Thanks again.

[Teak]

No need for testing.

[WorryWort2010]

Thankyou Teak. Maybe i'm just obsessing over the thought of being infected, however what happened genuinely scared me. Am i right in assuming that even if i did get pricked by a needle there is no chance of infection as nothing was injected into my bloodstream?

[LIZZIE LOU]

correctomondo ! ! !

(gosh...wasnt it the ninja turtles that used to say that?)

[WorryWort2010]

Ha ha i beleive it was..or was it cowabunga?!

On a serious note, i really appreiate the work you guys do on this site, it really helps people like me who like my name suggets, maybe is a bit of a worrywort, but who genuinely has been freaked out by their experiences. There is so much mixed information on the internet, so it's great to know that you are there for advice. Thank you.

[WorryWort2010]

Hi avonelle38...

I would like you're thoughts as well please? Like i said i have been worried about this experience.

I felt my glands literally the next day in my groins, neck and armpits and as mentioned before when i got back to england i had loose stalls for about a wek. I'm not sure if these symptoms were anxiety related but reading this sight they seem similar to ars?

Thanks in advance...

[avonelle38]

Hey there. You definitely never had a risk from this scenario. Fingering and oral sex are never risks for HIV transmission. Even with the prick on your finger from earlier, this still was not risky because such a small opening is simply not significant enough to pose as a portal of entry for HIV. Your sex was protected and oral sex is definitely not a risk for HIV transmission, either.

Bottom line is- you never had a risk, even with the prick on your finger. Your symptoms are not indicative of HIV infection because you were never at risk for it in the first place. No need to test! Relax you are just fine :)

[WorryWort2010]

Hey there...thank you for taking the time to reply. I really appreciate your advice, like those who have replied. Is there any need to worry about sub-type e, as i have maybe done a bit too much worrying and surfing the net, and hear that this is more infectious? I was just worried as i read that this is more prevailant in Thailand?

Thanks again for your time.

[WorryWort2010]

I appreciate the re-assuring messages i have received back...but could anyone explain why i had symptoms? This is what worries me the most. I could feel my glands all over my body a couple of weeks after, they were not visibly enlarged from what i could tell but had sensations, and i had a loose stalls the first week back in england around a week after the event. Thank you again

[WorryWort2010]

Just an update for everyone. I got my test results today and thankfully they were negative :-). I know i was described as low risk but when you think you have been exposed, you're mind can play tricks on you, and you can convince yourself otherwise.

Thankyou Teak, Avonelle38 and Lizzie Lou. All of you are great for taking the time to put worrywarts minds like mine at ease. Good luck to all of you.

[Vance2335]

You didn't listen to a word anyone told you. You still said low risk and everyone here told you no risk.