Freaking out!!

[justjazzy]

I am a 20 year old African American with a lot on
my plate these past 3 months. May of 2009 I had unprotected sex in Trinidad with a guy I barely knew, and tested negative for HIV in Novemember, makin me conclusive. I am a known hypochondriach. Ive had sex twice since then, both times protected. Ive had six negative hiv tests since my may incident...and i know protected sex is no risk, so to the point: im trying to put Aids behind me,  but my body has gone crazy these past 3 months. I have some kind of skin infection on my arms that is now widespread. my mother says its definitley ringworm, but i swear it looks more like Kaposi Sarcoma and im SCARED. It is a cluster of bumps, now they are more like scabs some that resemble a circle/ring. They itch from time to time...the newer ones are red the olders dark. Its gross. Im afraid to go to the doctor & they tell me its KS. Ive been putting anti bacterial cream on them, it doesnt help. any insights?

[justjazzy]

thank you all.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
I cannot confirm anything without examination but it can be granuloma annulare, ringworm, sweat dermatitis or infected hair follicles. It will be better to get it examined from a dermatologist and get a skin biopsy done to confirm the diagnosis.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your dermatologist. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[willy856]

I would stop looking up every imperfection on the internet. You will never get back to living your life. The fact that protected sex is safer doesn't mean it's no risk. There is no such thing as safe sex.
Your mother is probably correct about the rash, but your anxiety is probably causing it.
I get those rings occasionally and I just ignore them. They go away eventually.
I would stop applying anti bacterial cream as it will not help.
Ringworm is caused by a fungus, you are killing the bacteria that typically keeps it in check. There are some OTC fungal creams that are designed for fungal infections.