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HIV Prevention Community
If you believe you have been exposed to HIV and want help to judge your risk, would like advice about HIV testing, or have questions about the effectiveness of condoms or risks associated with specific sexual practices, this is the site for you.
Low risk, high risk or no risk?
by earthzero, Jun 14, 2008 03:48PM
Hello,
2.5 weeks ago, I had sex with a woman who was of unknown HIV status. We used a condom, but during intercourse it slipped off somewhat, and the lower half of my penis was exposed. No fluids were exchanged as niether of us climaxed. I recieved tests at the local Planned Parenthood roughly 4 days ago. I took the oral swab test for HIV, which my doctor said was 98.5% accurate. The test indicated that I was HIV- negative, and other tests indicated I was negative for other STDs, including Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphillis, and Herpes.
I have been very anxious and stressed while experiencing rapid weightloss (1.3+ lbs a day) since the test, and I recently developed a cold with diarrhea, but I feel that it coud all be related to some changes in my life (I now work 14+ hours a day and eat only 2 meals due to time constraints. I also sleep in the basement since it is much colder and get roughly 7 hours of sleep per night).
I am going to return to Planned Parenthood in about 4 weeks or so to make sure that it wasn't a false negative, as I recently read that rougly 6-8 week suffices the time window as opposed to the 3 month time frame. I am also going to request the blood test in addition to the oral swab. I guess the question I am asking is, what is my risk level? I know that a condom makes it effectively zero, but what about it my case where it was only halfway on and no sperm was exchanged? Furthermore, are these symptoms synonymous with my lifestyle changes, HIV, or just the good ol' common cold? Any responses would be greatly appreciated to sooth my suspicions and slake my curiosity.
2.5 weeks ago, I had sex with a woman who was of unknown HIV status. We used a condom, but during intercourse it slipped off somewhat, and the lower half of my penis was exposed. No fluids were exchanged as niether of us climaxed. I recieved tests at the local Planned Parenthood roughly 4 days ago. I took the oral swab test for HIV, which my doctor said was 98.5% accurate. The test indicated that I was HIV- negative, and other tests indicated I was negative for other STDs, including Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphillis, and Herpes.
I have been very anxious and stressed while experiencing rapid weightloss (1.3+ lbs a day) since the test, and I recently developed a cold with diarrhea, but I feel that it coud all be related to some changes in my life (I now work 14+ hours a day and eat only 2 meals due to time constraints. I also sleep in the basement since it is much colder and get roughly 7 hours of sleep per night).
I am going to return to Planned Parenthood in about 4 weeks or so to make sure that it wasn't a false negative, as I recently read that rougly 6-8 week suffices the time window as opposed to the 3 month time frame. I am also going to request the blood test in addition to the oral swab. I guess the question I am asking is, what is my risk level? I know that a condom makes it effectively zero, but what about it my case where it was only halfway on and no sperm was exchanged? Furthermore, are these symptoms synonymous with my lifestyle changes, HIV, or just the good ol' common cold? Any responses would be greatly appreciated to sooth my suspicions and slake my curiosity.
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I also have another quick question. If I had a small cut near the base of my penis from shaving, would that change my risk factor significantly? Oh, and is 5 weeks enough time to get a reliable result?
I guess that's more than a quick question, but thanks in advance!
Would you reccomend getting retested then if there was no risk? Also, I recently discovered a small cut on my penis in the same area that was exposed. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't around when I had sex with the girl, but if it was, once again, does it change my risk factor?
Remind me to buy you a pint for all your troubles Teak, I really appreciate your responses.