worried about hiv symptoms: tingling hands and feet, sore throat, dry mouth, muscle soreness...

about 7 months ago i performed oral sex on a heterosexual man. there was no condom and he ejaculated into my mouth. recently, my throat has become a bit sore. my leg and arm muscles feel tired, my hands and feet - for lack of a better word - tingle, sometimes i feel nauseous, and areas around my neck feel strange, not too painful, but i'm assuming it's my lymph nodes. also, occasionally i get cramps around the area where my ribs are, seemingly for no reason.
also, this man had a lesion on his penis at the time, and ringworm.
i know that symptoms of hiv are often much like the flu or other ordinary medical problems, but i am still very worried.

[dobber21]

Yo,
your symptoms are very non-specific, and ARS never happens seven months after infection.
There is only one way to be sure about your HIV status and that is to test. You are well outside the window period so now is a good time. The odds remain astronomically in your favour. Let us know; the smart money is on you testing negative:)

[mncswn64]

it's still very scary to think about, and today i went to buy a home access test from the pharmacy, but they were all out.

[dobber21]

Are you in the US?
go to www.hivtest.org, where you will be able to find a site that offers point-of-care rapid testing for free. Results in twenty minutes!
I know you're scared but I expect you to test negative:)

[strata]

As dobber21 indicated, your symptoms are very non-specific. Their timing and combination is not suggestive of early HIV infection.

HOWEVER, routine HIV AND STD testing (and a checkup for ringworm) is probably warranted, especially if the man had a potentially STD-related (or ringworm) sore on his genitals at the time.

Ringworm is a fungal infection (tinea corporis). IT IS EXTREMELY CONTAGIOUS and can take weeks or months to heal, even with treatment, although it's not fatal by any means.

Just out of curiousity, why did you have sex with a man who had a visible sore on his penis? And a contagious fungal infection?

[mncswn64]

my jaw has also been really tired lately. i'm sorry i keep adding onto everything, but i'm so worried. i've never been like this before about anything.

[dobber21]

Not that dumb. Millions of people give and receive unprotected blowjobs every day!

Remember, it's extremely low risk, and I'm confident you will test negative.

Keep us posted:)

[mncswn64]

but i thought when there was a presence of lesions it meant that they were more likely to give someone HIV

and obviously people do get infected this way - it seems like on this website everyone says they're confident it's not that... even though i've had multiple symptoms.

[mncswn64]

"During what's called the "window period", which can last from 2 to 9 months, the person who is newly infected with the virus begins to form antibodies to the virus. This process is called seroconversion. It is only after a person has seroconverted that s/he will test positive on an HIV test. During the time when the person's body is forming these antibodies, some people experience a flu-like illness. This is what can be referred to as conversion sickness."
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0672.html

[mncswn64]

it was dark, so i couldn't really see him there - i felt it, and the ringworm was on his arm and it was almost gone. (he wrestled)

not as though that's any excuse. definitely amongst the dumbest decisions i've made.

[dobber21]

Two things
1. That post is dated 1995. It was written by a college agony aunt. Testing has moved on. The window period is now three months.
2. If you're so worried, test. It is the only way to give you peace of mind. I'm confident that you'll test negative.