Dear Doctor,
I am currently waiting for the result of a HIV combo test (I will get the result on Wednesday), and the wait is killing me! I have no idea about what kind of a result to expect.
The reason why I took the HIV test is because I feel that my immune system has become a bit strange / overactive over the last few years, and I thought that might be indicative of HIV. I've experienced the following during the last few years: chronic allergic rhinitis (diagnosed), bursitis that doesn't go away (1 1/2 years +, diagnosed), chronic anal fissure (after constipation, diagnosed and under treatment), strange new allergies, skin rashes / hives, eczema on the face (was told it was either fungal or allergic in nature, quite possibly seborrheic dermatitis), increasingly dry skin on face and hands every winter, a flare up of my asthma (had it as a child).
As a man in my 20's living a relatively healthy life, I became extremely worried that something else might be going on, i.e. HIV.
The thing is, though, that I can't think of any high-risk incident. I've ALWAYS used protection. The only unprotected event I can think of is some years ago where I used the same sex toy (artificial vagina) as another man I knew at the time of unknown status. It hadn't been cleaned between uses, but he used it about 7-8 hours before me. The person who took my HIV test thought it was a very low risk incident, but still a risk!
Any other "risk" would have been in a healthcare setting which I know is EXTREMELY unlikely as I live in the western world.
1) If that is my only risk, would you think that I could have gotten HIV from that incident?
2) Are the symptoms I described generally indicative of HIV?
Thanks,
Jack