Aa
Follow Up on Advice
Recently I asked your advice and opinion as to my HIV risk from licking the pubic area of a CSW. You stated I did not need to worry about HIV exposure. To refresh your memory, 2 weeks ago I received oral sex from a CSW while I had a condom on and also had very brief intercourse with the condom on. I removed the condom so I know it was intact. The only other activity was that I licked her labia a couple of times, but I never was near her vaginal opening and never inserted my tongue inside her. I have had a headache for most of the last 2 weeks plus pain in my neck. I also woke up this morning with a sore throat and have been running an off and on temp of around 99.4. I have also been having dizzy spells for the past 2 days. The course of symtoms have been, headache within 3 days of exposure, neck pain within 4-5 days of exposure, sore throat and slight fever today. I went to my MD today and saw his PA and told her everything. She stated I did have an HIV risk but that there was no reason to do an HIV or STD screening for another 6 weeks. She examined my throat and said it was red but looked like it could be a mild virus. She also checked my lymph nodes and said they were not swollen.I was not running a fever at that time. She drew blood and was going to do a CBC. The office called me and left a message to call them this afternoon but I did not get the message in time. My suspicion is the CBC test must have indicted a problem. Can you please answer the following additional questions:
1) If the CSW had a high viral load could enough HIV survive on her, what felt very dry, labia to infect me?
2) I am scared to death that I am having ARS, do the symptoms and timeline I have had indicate ARS?
3) How do ARS symtoms normally present? Is their a normal progression or can it be different in every case?
4) If you have certain symptoms of ARS will you have swollen lymph nodes as well?
Thanks.
1) If the CSW had a high viral load could enough HIV survive on her, what felt very dry, labia to infect me?
2) I am scared to death that I am having ARS, do the symptoms and timeline I have had indicate ARS?
3) How do ARS symtoms normally present? Is their a normal progression or can it be different in every case?
4) If you have certain symptoms of ARS will you have swollen lymph nodes as well?
Thanks.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
This still doesn't sound like HIV. As for timing with respect to the sexual exposure, look at it like this. Let's say a million people a week in the US have a new casual sexual encounter. And another million a week get new symptoms of a garden variety viral infection. By random association, there will be several thousand people who experience both things, i.e. persons in whom such symptoms occur a week or two after the sexual event. You're just one of those people. By contrast, there probably aren't more than 10 new HIV infections every year in people like you, say one a month.
I don't know if these numbers are anywhere near right, but you get the idea. The probability that your symptoms and your sexual exposure are simply random events in time is very much higher than the chance it's HIV.
Finally, as a quadriplegic you are at much higher risk than the average non-disabled adult for a variety of infections that could cause low-grade fever -- as you probably know. The chance of something like that, if you have anything serious at all, is much higher than the likelihood of HIV. It might be different if you had a sexual exposure that had some measurable risk to it, but you didn't.
Sorry hear about your disability, but being unlucky once doesn't predict another low-risk event. Of course continue to work with your PA and clinic about your symptoms if they continue. But really, HIV is simply not a likely possibility.
That will have to end this thread. Take care.
I don't know if these numbers are anywhere near right, but you get the idea. The probability that your symptoms and your sexual exposure are simply random events in time is very much higher than the chance it's HIV.
Finally, as a quadriplegic you are at much higher risk than the average non-disabled adult for a variety of infections that could cause low-grade fever -- as you probably know. The chance of something like that, if you have anything serious at all, is much higher than the likelihood of HIV. It might be different if you had a sexual exposure that had some measurable risk to it, but you didn't.
Sorry hear about your disability, but being unlucky once doesn't predict another low-risk event. Of course continue to work with your PA and clinic about your symptoms if they continue. But really, HIV is simply not a likely possibility.
That will have to end this thread. Take care.
I saw my PA again and was told I had a normal CBC test result. I still have a sore throat, pain in my neck, temp swings up to a little above 99, dizziness, hot flashes, fatigue, and generally do not feel well. I am scared to death. I know that this could just be one of the many non-HIV viruses, but the timing of the sore throat around 2 weeks post incident is really bothering me. How long do viral symptoms normally last? Do HIV viral symptoms last longer than the other viruses? Also, how long can the HIV virus survive exposed to air in a woman's genital region? I noticed the day after the incident that the corners of my mouth were slightly irritated\cracked. Could the HIV virus migrate to the corners of my mouth and enter that way? Sorry, it is not my intention to harass you or continuosly ask dumb questions. I think the fact that I became a quadraplegic, with odds of like 1 million to 1, makes me worry more that given my luck I will be the first person to be infected through this activity.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
That's not high enough to be considered a fever; less than 100 usually isn't abnormal. Still probalby not HIV. See my advice about seeing a health care provider in person if you remain concerned; neither this nor any other online forum is a substitute for personal medical care. I'll be happy to comment further after you have seen a doctor or clinic and report what is found -- but will have no further comments until then.
I have had a fever of around 99 today.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
This question could (and should) have been asked as a follow-up comment in your thread 3 days ago. And you would have saved the posting fee.
Including a question a little over a year ago, this is the third time you have asked questions about zero to low risk exposures. Please educate your self about sexual transmission risks for HIV. The quick reply, and the basis of my replies below, is that if there is no unprotected insertive intercourse -- that is, if a penis unprotected by a condom does not enter a partner's vagina, rectum, or mouth -- there is little or no HIV risk, even if one partner has HIV. Second, the large majority of women in the US and other industrialized countries, do not have HIV, and your partner probably did not. Third, we have pointed out innumerable times that symptoms never are useful signs of new HIV infection, because the identical symptoms occur far more often because of minor, garden variety infections.
1) Other things being equal, higher viral load increases transmission risk. But nobody is known to have ever been infected by cunnilingus and you are not likely to be the first.
2) No, your symptoms do not suggest ARS. Your risk history is a far more useful indicator of the likelihood you caught HIV, and that risk was zero for practical purposes.
3,4) ARS almost always causes fever, often but not always associated with sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes in several areas of the body, and sometimes a generalized, non-itchy skin rash. Absence of fever is strong evidence against ARS. Dizziness is not a symptom.
If your symptoms continue or you remain concerned, visit a health care provider for diagnosis. But HIV remains exceedingly unlikely.
HHH, MD
Including a question a little over a year ago, this is the third time you have asked questions about zero to low risk exposures. Please educate your self about sexual transmission risks for HIV. The quick reply, and the basis of my replies below, is that if there is no unprotected insertive intercourse -- that is, if a penis unprotected by a condom does not enter a partner's vagina, rectum, or mouth -- there is little or no HIV risk, even if one partner has HIV. Second, the large majority of women in the US and other industrialized countries, do not have HIV, and your partner probably did not. Third, we have pointed out innumerable times that symptoms never are useful signs of new HIV infection, because the identical symptoms occur far more often because of minor, garden variety infections.
1) Other things being equal, higher viral load increases transmission risk. But nobody is known to have ever been infected by cunnilingus and you are not likely to be the first.
2) No, your symptoms do not suggest ARS. Your risk history is a far more useful indicator of the likelihood you caught HIV, and that risk was zero for practical purposes.
3,4) ARS almost always causes fever, often but not always associated with sore throat, enlarged lymph nodes in several areas of the body, and sometimes a generalized, non-itchy skin rash. Absence of fever is strong evidence against ARS. Dizziness is not a symptom.
If your symptoms continue or you remain concerned, visit a health care provider for diagnosis. But HIV remains exceedingly unlikely.
HHH, MD
You are reading content posted in the HIV - Prevention Forum
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.
