some symptoms freaked me out

[clayton18996]

Hi, I've read almost all the posts related to my concern and they have made me feel a lot better. Thanks. I'm posting my question to clear a few things up and may be get a second opinion.
I had performed unprotected oral on a woman on the 14 of October 2005. She told me she was negetive. It was one night stand kinda thing. Almost 36 hours after the exposure I noticed a small 2 cm ovoid non-itchy rash above my foot. It looked somewhat like a ringworm. I'm in a committed relationship, so out of guilt and fear I started searching the net for HIV SYMPTOMS and found a RASH to be one of the main ARS symptoms. That was it...the fear and anxiety set in. I started freaking out. There were no other symptoms at this time.
After another four days or so I thought I might get sore throat 'cause it happens to me once or twice a year. To avoid getting a sore throat I started taking Amoxicillin 500mg, 3 times a day. By this time I got severely depressed and started crying as well. I live all by myself and so it was pretty hard on me. With my self prescribed Penicillin I started taking Tylenol 3 With CODEINE twice a day to doze my self out. My stomach got slightly upset and that same night I started getting night sweats. I didn't get a sore throat.
Another two days and I felt slightly feverish. I'm not even sure whether there was a fever or not. I kept on taking my medication anyways. Instead of Tylenol 3 I started taking Paracetamol 500mg. I had read most of the information about Acute HIV infection and it seemed that I had all the symptoms.
I didn't want to loose weight so inspite of my upset stomach I started eating more and specifically heavy and spicy food.
It had been almost a week since the apperence of that small rash, if at all I had fever it was for a brief period of time for these two days. Mild fever for may be two hours each day. I felt tired too. I was almost certain of my HIV status by now and I had lost hope. I stopped taking Penicillin and started taking normal Tylenol cold. Since then I haven't had any fever.After two days I stopped taking any medication.
Then I came across your forum and read all the questions and answers. From all the information I gathered that ARS SYMPTOMS come abruptly, not one by one. You have also described the kind of rash one gets in ARS. My rash doesn't seem to fit in that catagory. I didn't get any swollen lymph glands either.

I started looking for other answers. Even before the exposure, a week or so before, I was having weired feelings of not being well.My rash looks exactly like a Hearld Patch in PITYRIASIS ROSEA.After three weeks it's still there but is fading away.
After two weeks of the apperence of the rash I started getting HIVES, one or two small mosquito bite type of bumps which will appear and then disappear in an hour or so.

HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS.

1. DO MY SYMPTOMS SOUND LIKE ARS?
2. DOES MY RASH FIT IN THE CATAGORY OF ARS?
  (small single rash above foot without fever)

THANKS

[clayton18996]

Thanks a lot Doctor. I'm not gonna go for HIV testing. Many many thanks to everyone else for the kind responses. Joeworried, I read the article and it made me feel better. ben_uk, christie2004 and yoy---- you guys are doing a great job---cheers-------
regards--
clayton

[joeworried]

The doctor will tell you that your symptoms do not sound like ARS, but also that symptoms are a very poor way of determining your hiv status.  The only way to know is to get an hiv test.  Your risk was essentially zero, so in my opinion you do not need to be tested.  But that is your decision.

The first symptom of ARS is a relatively high fever (102 or higher).  Without this fever, you do not have ARS.  But note that only about half or so of the people with hiv get ARS.  And you can have every ARS symptom in the book and not have hiv.  

If you insist on reading up on ARS, the best article I have seen is at www.patients.uptodate.com.  It is written by two Harvard Medical School doctors.

Best of luck.

[Christie2004]

He's going to say a big NO to both your questions, I think.

[BenG]

Hi, I recall Dr H saying that there hasn't been a single reported case of HIV transmission from performing oral sex on a woman.
Whatever symptoms you have, there are related to something else. Perhaps go and see your primary care physician.

[monkeyflower]

Cunnilingus is the safest possible sexual activity you can have with a partner in general. From what I've read, both here and on other reputable sites, there's never been known transmission of HIV through cunnilingus.

I think you may want to seriously consider counseling to help you move past this. It sounds like the anxiety and guilt you're experiencing as a result of this is putting your life and possibly your relationships in jeopardy.

[yoy]

I'm not a docotr, but i beleive a rash associates with ARS would be widespread and not at one site.  Also, the time period of 36 is too short.  The ARS symptoms do not begin within hours or days of infection.  It was my understanding that if there was an infection that the virus is first increasing in number it takes time for your body to identify the virus and then to develope antibodies which would then begin to attack the virus.  That is one reason a test for antibodies cannot be done within hours or days of a potential infection.  Likewise a test for the virus itself could not be done within hours or days as there would not be a sufficient level of virus to result in a reliable test.  
You had a simple rash- which could be from any number of things-you then have worried and self-medicated-who knows what these medications could do for you symptom wise-
The risk is very low-however, if you need peace of mind get tested and that will move you forward, also, speak openly with the docotr- if you are worried about all std's and not just HIV then say so so you get the right informaiton and tests to help you move on-you do not want to get a negative HIV test to then shift your worry to a different STD and then worry more-make a plan of action, follow through and you will see how you improve

also do not go back on line and keep searching for something that fits your suymptoms this will only make it worse-counseling is a great idea as well-

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Several STD Forum regulars already responded (below).  Although I haven't read their responses in detail, on quick scan they have it right, and you can relax.  The risk of getting HIV from cunnilingus is zero or close to it, and the chance your partner was infected is almost zero as well--both on general principles and because she gold you she is HIV negative.  And no, if you came to my office, HIV/ARS would not even enter my mind as a cause of the symptoms you describe.  So the answers to your questions are 1) no and 2) no.

I recommend against HIV testing, against looking on the web for further answers, and against losing any sleep over the possibility of HIV from the exposure you describe.

Good luck--  HHH, MD