lymph nodes

hey everybody, i know i am probably just crazy but my swollen lymph nodes are making me totally paranoid and i was hoping to clarify a few things.

first of all and most importantly, how big would swollen lymph nodes from hiv be?  should they be big enough that you can see them without even looking? or could they just be small bumps under the skin that you only feel when you look for them?

at 3 weeks post exposure, i had about 24-48 hours of fever, nausea, and vomiting.  i went to the doctor who said i didn't have any swollen lymph nodes at the time.  a few days later, i developed a swollen lymph node in the front of my neck (doctor confirmed it was swollen).  now it is 8 weeks post exposure and i have a few more: one behind my right ear, and a few along the jaw and collar bone.  currently, that is my only symptom.  i have no idea whether or not this is consistent with hiv/ars and i am really worried.  can anybody help me?

[mike_no]

hey mate, you just cant rely on symptoms, symptoms mean nothing testing does, if you search this forum i'm sure you'd be taken aback to see people experiencing all the symptoms the text book reads and yet they turn out to be negative, these symptoms can be caused due to so many other common viruses and moreover you are already at the 8 th week, all you gotta do is simply get a test done which would be definite , Regards , mike

[hellothere123]

i know symptoms mean nothing and you can have every single symptom and not have hiv, but that doesnt help much to someone who is experiencing symptoms and is panicking.  what i really need to know, is whether my symptoms are consistent with hiv.  then i need to muster up the courage to get tested...

[mike_no]

Thats not the right approach, buddy

Get tested firstly, that'll solve all your problem, why would you unnecessarily want to think about symptoms, when you know that it means nothing !!!

[zulufool]

Because each person is different, they will have differences in the symptoms of any illness. Simply put people can be put out for a week with the flu and some people will hardly even get a fever. Any body who has been at risk for HIV should get tested (in my opinion). Just to relieve the stress of thinking of having it.

Know the chances of you having it is very slim, odds are with you not the virus.

Think about what you did to make you panic about it and never do it again.

And pray pray pray and pray some more.

[shiblee101]

so some people (what percentage) never have a fever or any symptoms?