Risk and symptoms of Hiv

Hi Doctor:

I had insertive oral sex without protection with a sex worker and 2 days after i got a sore throat that went away after 3 days and fatigue that lasted for a week. Im really scared and i dont know what to do..I tested 26 days after the exposure and it was negative.

My questions are

1) Can i get ars symptoms such as those after 2 days and whats the earliest?
2) do you think i should get tested after 6 weeks or 3 months?
3) How many ppl from your experience were positive after insertive oral sex?
4) should i be comfortable atleast with my test results?

Its just very wierd that i got a sore throat after 2 days of the exposure and felt fatigued.

i hope u can answer my questions

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I'm glad you got in with your question.  Sorry to have to stick to the rules.  Posting will get easier in a week or so, when Med Help starts charging $10.00 for new questions; the expectation is that this will reduce the number of attempts so that those willing to pay will have an easier time.

You can relax about your HIV risk from the exposure you describe.  We all get viral infections all the time; there's no reason you couldn't have caught a cold about the time you had sex.  In fact, maybe you caught a cold virus from your partner; anybody close enough to have sex with someone of course can get a respiratory virus from him/her.

1) ARS symptoms do not start within 2 days.  I'm not sure the earliest possible time is known, but it certainly is rare before 7 days.

2) The risk of infection from a single oral exposure is so low that you really don't need to be tested at all.  However, as I have said many times on the forum, many (most?) people will be more reassured by a negative test result than by any verbal assurance I can give.  So get tested.  If you want to be really compulsive, get tested at both 4-6 weeks and 3 months.  But if my verbal reassurance seems sufficient to tide you over until 3 months, get tested then.

3) Transmission to the insertive partner in fellatio has never been specifically documented, to my knowledge.  It probably occurs, but so rarely as to almost be ignored as a risk.

4) Modern HIV test results are extremely reliable.  You can be comfortable with the negative result when it comes.

Best wishes--  HHH, MD

[report96]

Dr.,

Maybe you can answer my question since it is along the same lines and I have been unable to post. A week ago I was at the gym and was using an exercise machine. A young man who looked questionable (I hate to stereotype) was using it before me. I started using it and then realized I had a scrape on my arm that hadn't scabed over yet and I was rubbing it into the elbow pads. As soon as I realized it, I washed the scrape throuoghly with water and soap. Assuming the worst case scenario, the person before me was + and had a similar non-bleeding, but open sore (I didn't see any blood on the pads), is it at all possible that I could have caught it, or is this totally impossible (probably a minute passed after he finished and I started using it).

About 4-5 days after, I developed a mild sore throat with a white/yellow coated tongue in the back (with a bump), which is just starting to go away. Is this symptom too early? I don't have any other symptoms other than paranoia. Any scientific explanation you could provide regarding the ability of the virus to survive outside of the body and leave through a non-bleeding cut, mix with sweat, and re-infect another person a few minutes later would be very helpful in aleviating my fears.

Thank you.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Sorry, have to stick to the rules about new questions as comments.  But you don't have anything to worry about in regard to HIV.

HHH, MD

[titotito]

Thanks doc for the answer i really appreciate you taking the time to do so. I just have one more question in regards to that:

1)If i didnt notice any blood on my penis and i didnt have cuts or sores does that eliminate the risk of transmission. I mean it was less than a minute of oral sex. And can i say testing after 6 weeks with a negative result will lead to a negative in 3 months?

Thank you very much

[No-name2]

Dear Dr. HHH
Sorry to bother you, but I am extremely scared right now. I got french kissed by a "gay" guy at a party. Even though I realized that it was risky to kiss him, and I spit out some of my saliva after kissing, I still developed a blister on my lipe the next day, which might be herpes. However, I'm more concerned about the transmission of HIV. If that guy had herpes outbreak when he kissed me (since the light was dim, I did not see if he did), and if he was HIV+, what were my chances of catching HIV? I believed that I did not have open cuts in my mouth that day.
Also, I got HIV test about 40 days after the incident had happened, and the result was negative. But I heard that the virus may not be detectable within 3 months. So I'm wondering if my test was valid, and should I get a re-test? Thanks for replying my questions, and again I apologize for occupying your time.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

TT:  The risk is so low anyway that presence or absence of blood or sores makes no additional difference.  Almost everybody who has HIV will have a positive test at 6 weeks.  Although the official advice and the recommendations of the manufacturers is to wait until 3 months to be sure, it is very rare for it to take that long.

NN2:  See above; you can rely on the negative test at 40 days.  Your risk was zero; nobody has ever been documented to catch HIV by kissing, regardless of oral herpes.  For a more detailed response, ask your question in a new thread.

HHH, MD

[titotito]

Hi Doc:

I have just one more question. Say i was experiencing ARS symptoms after 2 days that lasted 2 weeks which makes it 16 days in total and after 10 days (26 days in total) i get tested for HIV and the result is negative. Does that mean the ARS symptoms are not due to HIV?

Thank you

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Your symptoms are not due to ARS, period.  The vast majority of people with sore throat and fever due not have ARS.  So it doesn't matter when you are tested for HIV; the results will be negative.  A negative test 26 days after exposure will be further reassurance.

Your attitude seems to be "Don't bother me with facts, my mind is made up."  No further questions, please; I will not respond.

HHH, MD

[titotito]

Ok Doc..i just wanted to know out of curiousity but i wanna really thank you for your time answering my questions.

My best wishes

[josepo]

i had sex with my friend a few days ago, we had unprotected oral sex and protected anal sex ,24 hours later i started to develop sympthoms like swallen lynphnodes, sore throat some nausea some diareha, im scared about my health but i want to know what this thing may be  can u help mean is not normal to develop these in less than 24 hours

[MAR28]

I have had a slight sore throat almost constantly for at least a year. I went to the doctors and the prescribed medicine and it didnt help then they gave me zithromax with did help a little but it haas never really fully gone away. Well it comes and goes. Does this mean I have Hiv? Thank you