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I am getting really concerned and need some advice please. Took my test waiting on results, need to know if I should go to ER. Let's forget all my other symptoms (rash, diarreah (diarrhea), no REM sleep, headaches, hairy tongue, one swollen lymph node under left jaw, muscle spasms,etc) i have gingivitis now. The gums surrounding my teeth are inflamed and bleed in the morning. I brush, floss, listerine every day and have NEVER had gingivitis before. I know this is a sign of advanced not acute but given my auto immune disorder should I go to ER as gingivitis can cause bacterial infection, heart disease, stroke, etc. Also I am going to the bathroom less frequently and need to know if I may be a rare case where the disease progresses more rapidly than in others. I have an appt with an infectious disease specialist mon, but should i seek medical help before that? please advise.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your questions were answered and your irrational anxieties addressed in both this and the STD forum a week ago.  Since you are concerned about your symptoms, follow through with your appointment with the ID specialist next week.  I see no need for more urgent evaluation and certainly no reason to visit an emergency department.

This forum has nothing more to offer you.  And please note the MedHelp policy about a maximum of 2 questions every 6 months in the professionally moderated forums (see Terms and Conditions).

HHH, MD

[help450]

So I tested negative (blood test) for every major std at 32 days. Can you assess my risk and put that into a numerical perspective for me given my situation? I am still going to see doctor next week and get retested, that will be 37 days. I just dont understand, Im not seeing things, I have exprienced stress before in my life and none of these symptoms have occurred. I don't get how everyone on this website has symptoms that coincide with the timeline of their risk yet rarely does it turn out to be anything major. What gives?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Why no more careful assessment?  First, your test was negative.  Second, you're about to see an ID specialist, who will be in a far better position to evaluate your symptoms and other aspects of your health than a distant online source, no matter how expert.

Most symptoms described in forum questions in fact do not suggest a high likelihood of HIV, despite what anxious people think they have learned by online investigation.  And over 95% of questions on this forum describe low risks for catching HIV.  Finally, the symptoms of HIV are the same as those of many other conditions, mostly far more common than HIV.

Smallpox has been eradicated.  A child shows up with symptoms that look pretty much like smallpox, but also are consistent with chickenpox, which can look quite similar.  The parents are worried their kid might be the first case of smallpox to reappear in 20 years.  Do you reinforce their fears?  Or reassure them that it's probably not smallpox (even if you're not sure about chickenpox)?

Feel free to return one more time to tell us what the ID doc says. But not until then, please.

[help450]

My PCR test was negative. Can I find any comfort in my results?
32 day non reactive antibody test
37 day negative PCR test

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

You do not have HIV.  The results are definitive.  No more comments on this thread.

[help450]

When I went to the ID specialist he told me that we would do this test for HSV adn HIV and then for me to come in a month later for one final test where he would restest me for HIV and also syphillis (syphilis) which I tested negative on my origial std panel test at 32 days. Why? The test they submitted is FDA approved and was measured on a scale of less than 50 copies per but why does he want to test me one final time? Im supposed to go in June and cannot bear going through this process again. Is this neccessary?

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

It sounds like you have a very knowledgeable but conservative ID specialist and I'm not going to second guess his judgment.  That's the person who you should be asking this question, not a distant online forum moderator.  But I remain confident you do not have HIV.  You can mellow out and stop worrying as you wait for the last test.

That's definitely the end of this thread.  Take care.