my risk

I am a 30 year old male and have been with the same girl for 8 years and married for 3. All years faithful with no stray whatsoever. Over these years I have not experienced any symptoms of hiv. I recently got what I think was ringworm and treated it with a cream over the counter. It has gone away almost completely and this took only about a week or a little less. I do work with people and have a terrible habit of putting random things in my mouth. I have since been trying to stop doing this. In my past I have had sex with three girls unprotected which were not high risk. I was about 20 years old and they were about the same age. Since this ringworm thing I have been all over the internet and paniced myself into complete histeria which is consuming my life. I have also around the same time had protected sex with 3 sex workers, no oral, no touching or kissing. I did not experience any syptoms (symptoms) weeks after. AM I PANICING. PLEASE HELP ME THIS IS DISRUPTING MY LIFE AND ALL CAME OUT OF NOWHERE.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Welcome to the HIV forum.

The response from Lizzie Lou on the community forum was correct.  You are at no risk for HIV.  The chance any of your partners had HIV was near zero.  And of course HIV cannot be transmitted by the other habits you mention, such as "putting random things in my mouth".  That's a good way to catch a cold, influenza, or infectious diarrhea -- but not HIV.  Almost all cases of ringworm occur in people without HIV; and ringworm isn't a sign of HIV anyway.  Anyway, don't know you actually had ringworm or some other rash, since you apparently didn't get professional advice about it -- and lots of different rashes will respond to the same over-the-counter treatments.

It is inappropriate (indeed, quite abnormal) for you to be in a "panic" about HIV.  If the sexual exposures you describe are your only potential risk, it is exceedingly unlikely you are infected.  But if my reassurance won't completely settle your fears, visit a clinic for testing.  You can expect a negative result.  I will be happy to comment further if and when you return to report your HIV test result, but not until then.

HHH, MD