HIV or a very strange coincidence of symptoms????

[REMAN]

I had a bachelor party 2 months ago.  There I made the dumbest decision in my life and had vaginal intercourse w/ a call-girl (Vegas).  I never ejaculated, but the condom did break.  She was young and swore to be clean.  Anyway, Since then I have had a strange chain of events.  I have a history of groin pulls and right now have one I think I got at the gym.  My family doc confirmed this and said my glans weren't swollen down there.  I also have lower abdomin (abdomen) pain on the same side (he says these are related......RIGHT SIDE ONLY / not left).  I also recently was involved in a car accident.  Now my groin hurts worse along with my neck and my back.  I do have a history of severe back pain though, but my neck never hurt like this.  I have had frequent flew like symptoms since and have been to the doctor for swollen glands in my neck and some nausea.  I have been tested for the gonnerhis, chlamydia, etc.-all negative-and never had symptoms of herpes except that I went to the doctor 4 times to make sure as I never stared at my penis so much!  Now, my neck and back pains persist, I am now feeling a bit ill again, and I have what looks to be a white-head pimple forming on the inside of my upper lip.  Is this a sign of HIV?  Is my groin situation?  I can't narrow my groin injury down to a specific moment at the gym?  My cousin tells me I am nuts.  My therapist tells me I am not his first patient to think these toughts.  I love my girl more than life itself, have never, ever cheated otherwise, and have only been with about 8 girls in 25 years of life.  PLEASE HELP!!!!!!   I am most concerned about the sore in my mouth as I have never had one like this before.  Also my previous groin injuries (two in college) never resulted in lower abdomin (abdomen) pain and some minor testicle pain.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

"Nuts" probably is too strong a word, but your cousin probably is on the right track.  Presumably your doctor has reassured you as well.  The title you chose for this thread suggests you are mostly concerned about HIV, but the message itself seems to emphasize herpes.

Your symptoms clearly do not suggest HIV.  More important, as I have said many times on this forum (including at least 3 threads in the past 2 days), symptoms are never a reliable indicator of HIV.  Have an HIV test; 2 months is plenty of time for it to be positive if you were infected.  It will be negative.

The lesion of your mouth doesn't sound like herpes; and if it is, you probably didn't catch it during your Las Vegas encounter.  Anyway, you can have a blood test for both type 1 and 2 herpes simplex virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2) to help sort it out.  But if you have HSV-1, you need not assume you got it during the exposure you describe, nor do you need to explain it to your fiance on that basis.  Half the population has it, so no big deal.

Your groin pain does not suggest any STD of any kind, especially since there obviously are other, more likely explanations.  Rely on your doctor's advice, and discuss the blood tests with him/her.  And listen to your cousin.

Best wishes--  HHH, MD

[WG1003]

Relax, eveything's going to be okay.

I went through a similar situation as yours and found that I was freaking out
the same way. That you're negative for other STD's is a great sign. Female
to male transmission of HIV is very difficult to achieve as there is not a great
quantity in vaginal fluid. That you had a condom on for most of the time also
bodes well for you.

I don't know how long it's been, but at six weeks you can get a reliable HIV
test. Most people will turn negative to positive within four to six weeks (most
by 22 days). If negative, you should still test at 13 weeks.

I'm betting you'll be fine. During my window period I had thrush, so you can
imagine how I freaked out. I tested out negative at 13 weeks. Remember,
most calls girls take extreme measures to protect themselves. Chances are,
regardless of her job, she was clean.

[REMAN]

Thanks for your answers.  I guess I don't have the receeding gums either I keep looking for daily.  It has been a freaky chain of events that has served me well.  I can honestly say, I will NEVER do anything so stupid again.

[gotherpeslifeisover]

I know how you feel homie..your symptoms actually sound a lot like mine. I recently got over a herpes scare, now I'm terrified of HIV. I have groin pain on both sides, what appear to be swollen nodes in my groin and neck, and an aching back from Hell! I've been frantically trying to come up with an explanation that would tie all these symptoms together, but I am at a complete loss. I don't know of any disease/virus other than HIV that would cause all these symptoms to occur simultaneously and be ongoing for months at a time. I am going to the doctor tomorrow because somethings gotta give. The agony of wondering, along with the aches and pains are just too much to continue to bare. Good luck to you, and hope everything works out well.


PS..if any of you "regulars" dont mind me asking, WHAT THE F*** ELSE CAN CAUSE LYMPH NODE SWELLING TO OCCUR IN THE NECK AND GROIN AT THE SAME TIME BESIDES HIV? Any help would be appreciated

[monkeyflower]

The aching back, well, pretty much everyone experiences back pain at some point. It could be caused by lifting something too heavy or lifting something awkwardly, a fall or other injury, poor posture... I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Most of the time you'll never isolate the specific cause. And for reference, even I have episodes of low back pain sometimes, and I'm probably far more conscious of my body mechanics than most people, do yoga, and get regular bodywork.

As for the lymph nodes, you may not be actually feeling enlarged nodes. You could also have fairly prominent lymph nodes if you're very thin.

You might notice how your focus keeps shifting as you find out you don't have (whatever) - first you were SURE you had herpes, then when you found out you didn't, now you're SURE you have HIV. I tend to think your concerns about STDs may be preventing you from actually dealing with the real issues in your life. I would encourage you to seek counseling, to help you figure out what's really going on for you.

[gotherpeslifeisover]

Monkeyflower..I find that a little insulting, but I won't take it personal because I know you're only trying to help. The symptoms I describe to you all are NOT coincidental, nor are they "all in my head." I feel them..without even looking for them, I know that they are present. The back pain is very debilitating..it's not mild by any stretch of the word. I've had mild back pain before, but this is a whole different story. As for being thin, I'm 6 ft tall, well over 300lbs so that's not an issue. The fact that these things all manifested right after an encounter I had (protected) with a woman I didn't even know naturally further adds to my anxiety. It just doesn't add up, but I know that God throws these kind of things at you periodically to heighten your sense of awareness, and to teach you a lesson in the process. I ended up postponing my dr. appt. til tomorrow, but I guess he'll run some tests and I'll know something in a week or 2. Thanks for your help, and I will keep you posted.

[Frank White]

Your problem sounds alot like mine, I have been suffering for 8 years with sores in my mouth and swollen lymph nodes. I have taken 3 Hiv tests over a 9 year period and have always been negative. I have been to 3 different doctors and none of them can tell me whats wrong. Good luck with your symptom's, If you find any new info please respond.

[slash45]

A related discussion, symptoms of hiv positive? was started.