Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
1156883 tn?1262427756

hiv transmission

Hi,
I am 26 married with two kids.  I have ocd and extreme anxiety over contracting hiv.  I am terrified a cashier will have an unnoticed papercut and get a small amount of blood on a bag or receipt and hand it to me and I will have a small microscopic tear or cut and get hiv from their blood.  I just moved to St. Lucie county Florida which has the highest hiv rate in the state.  1 in 35 black people here have hiv. The scenario in question is as follows.  I went through the dunkin donuts drive through to get coffee.  When I got to the window the cashier was black.  I'm not prejudice just relying on statistics here regarding hiv.  I was nervous immediately when I pulled up to the window and almost drove off.  Trying to overcome my ocd I told myself I would be fine and nothing would happen.  I had my hand soaked with hand sanitizer when I grabbed my debit card and receipt from him (enough to get the receipt wet with sanitizer).  On my right thumb which I don't think I grabbed anything with I had a almost healed line wear my thumb had cracked open a few days earlier.  It did not burn when I poured alcohol in it so I don't think it was open.  When I pulled away my debit card had a wet spot on it (most likely sanitizer).  I rubbed it with a dry baby wipe and a small amount of residue maybe slighty red was on it.  But not enough for me to hardly see.  When I got home I couldn't see anything on the wipe.  My receipt had two very small red spots on it smaller than a pin dot and not smeared or anything.  I could only see these spots by closely examining the receipt.  It could have been anything.  two days later I got a slightly sore throat.  No swollen glands.  Today I had diarrhea possibly because I drank last night on new years eve at home.  I don't drink regularly so maybe it upset my stomach but the diarrhea was later today after I ate dinner.  Only one time.  My biggest question is how do I know if a cut is "open" on myself.  Does it have to be bleeding to be open?  What do you think my risk is of contracting hiv in this scenario?  If i'm not at risk please don't tell me to get tested to ease my mind.  I get tested almost every two years because of stupid stuff like this that doesn't really put me at risk and the level of anxiety involved is unbearable.  If someone got blood on a bag or receipt and handed it to me would the virus still be active once passing through the air? I'm hoping your answer will be enought to ease my mind and make me let go of these intrusive thoughts about the dunkin donuts incident.
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
186166 tn?1385259382
WoW WeE WoW WoW...all of that for getting a receipt?

hiv is transmitted through...
unprotected vaginal/anal intercourse
sharing iv drug works
mother to child

hiv is NOT transmitted from inanimate objects...environmental surfaces..."paper".  hiv becomes inactive when exposed to air.

NO RISK...

any further ocd/anxiety riddled concerns should be addressed in the ocd and/or anxiety forum.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Take it to the OCD/Anxiety Forum. This is not an HIV concern.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the HIV Prevention Community

Top HIV Answerers
366749 tn?1544695265
Karachi, Pakistan
370181 tn?1595629445
Arlington, WA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.