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Extremely worried about HIV. Please help?
Hello Doctor,
On the 7th April I had unprotected sex with a Cambodian girl. She insisted that we don't need a condom,and said she didn't have hiv. I also said I'm clean to. She was young,19 and works as a waitress/bar maid in a quiet bar.
Turns out she was a Virgin (she told me) and sex didn't last very long. At most 3-5mins. We had sex twice that night,and 4 times on the 10th April. I withdrew before cumming.
I have since left Cambodia and now in Thailand. Here is the new year,so lots of drinking,water fights (it's how the celebrate new year). And of course street food.
I have developed symptoms over the past few days.
•acute sore throat. (I have had a sore throat for over a year,just got very bad yesterday and today. Coughed up a lot of stuff).
•ingrowing hairs on my legs,turning into spots. (On my thighs,22 on side,12 on other. Hair not shaven,just foniniles become infected and ingrown? Are raised into spots)
•swollen glands (again,these have been swallow for a year on/off)
•tiny rash just under my armpits.
•intense ear ache on Rh ear. (Saw a doctor today,turns out to be an ear infection. Infected inner membrane)
•slight fever and keep sweating. (At doctors fever measured 37.7 under arm)
•diahorea on/off 4-5days.
Now I'm very worried. Because many of these are hiv symptoms. I looking at flying back to England maybe tomorrow,my anxiety is making me feel worse.
Need some advice? What's the likely hood of contracting hiv,and also advice on my symptoms? Thank you
On the 7th April I had unprotected sex with a Cambodian girl. She insisted that we don't need a condom,and said she didn't have hiv. I also said I'm clean to. She was young,19 and works as a waitress/bar maid in a quiet bar.
Turns out she was a Virgin (she told me) and sex didn't last very long. At most 3-5mins. We had sex twice that night,and 4 times on the 10th April. I withdrew before cumming.
I have since left Cambodia and now in Thailand. Here is the new year,so lots of drinking,water fights (it's how the celebrate new year). And of course street food.
I have developed symptoms over the past few days.
•acute sore throat. (I have had a sore throat for over a year,just got very bad yesterday and today. Coughed up a lot of stuff).
•ingrowing hairs on my legs,turning into spots. (On my thighs,22 on side,12 on other. Hair not shaven,just foniniles become infected and ingrown? Are raised into spots)
•swollen glands (again,these have been swallow for a year on/off)
•tiny rash just under my armpits.
•intense ear ache on Rh ear. (Saw a doctor today,turns out to be an ear infection. Infected inner membrane)
•slight fever and keep sweating. (At doctors fever measured 37.7 under arm)
•diahorea on/off 4-5days.
Now I'm very worried. Because many of these are hiv symptoms. I looking at flying back to England maybe tomorrow,my anxiety is making me feel worse.
Need some advice? What's the likely hood of contracting hiv,and also advice on my symptoms? Thank you
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Im glad you got into care. Ear and throat infections often are connected; it's probably all the same infection. Otherwise I have no comment and this thread is close. These are not HIV issues, which is the only topic for this thread. Take care, safe travels, and stay safe.
Hi doc,
Just wanted to give you an update.
Fever-gone
Little rash-gone
Ingrowning hairs-pulled out and sorted.
Diahorea-gone 2days ago
Swallen glands-on/off
In your expert opinion you think my ear infection is related to my sore throat? This is quite possibly the wits sore throat I have had. Hurts to swallow,with yellow spots on the glands at back of throat. Also some ulcers have formed. As for the throat,it feels very sore and keep having to clear it.
My ear infection is still present. Getting a little bit better,not hurting as much so able to sleep. But also I'm finding myself quite sleepy,and sleep almost half the day. I'm Guessing this is the drugs???
The sore throat began about 13th. As I always have had a slight bad throat,this is when I noticed it getting worse.
(I need to see a ENT once back in England)
Tablets doctor gave me:-
Amoxicillin+clavulanate potassium (2/day)
Bromhexine (3/day)
Codeine,Glyceryl guaiacolate (3/day)
Paracetamol
Ear drops.
Doxycycline (malari)
Thank you again for you time.
Just wanted to give you an update.
Fever-gone
Little rash-gone
Ingrowning hairs-pulled out and sorted.
Diahorea-gone 2days ago
Swallen glands-on/off
In your expert opinion you think my ear infection is related to my sore throat? This is quite possibly the wits sore throat I have had. Hurts to swallow,with yellow spots on the glands at back of throat. Also some ulcers have formed. As for the throat,it feels very sore and keep having to clear it.
My ear infection is still present. Getting a little bit better,not hurting as much so able to sleep. But also I'm finding myself quite sleepy,and sleep almost half the day. I'm Guessing this is the drugs???
The sore throat began about 13th. As I always have had a slight bad throat,this is when I noticed it getting worse.
(I need to see a ENT once back in England)
Tablets doctor gave me:-
Amoxicillin+clavulanate potassium (2/day)
Bromhexine (3/day)
Codeine,Glyceryl guaiacolate (3/day)
Paracetamol
Ear drops.
Doxycycline (malari)
Thank you again for you time.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
No comment, except to note that an infection inside the ear is potentially serious; with "severe pain" you should see a doctor or clinic. Neither this nor infected hair follicles are STD or HIV symptoms.
Thank you for a fast reply.
I have been doing some research about Thailand during songkran festival and it seems ear infections,sore throats and eye infections are very common?
So I'm guessing my sore throat (bronchitis) and ear infection would be down to the dirty water here. I have never had an ear infection before. And this sore throat coughing/clearing alot of greeny gunk.
Last night I couldn't sleep as I was in so much pain with my ear infection. I guess the slight raise in temperature would be down to the ear infection?
I am however concerned about the infected hair fonicles on my legs? If not HIV,what would cause that?
Yes I understand about the use of a condom,and I shouldn't have done. I even went and bought some. In the future,I will be practising safer sex,as the anxiety is horrible. However I plan to see this Cambodian girl again,so it wasn't a 1-night thing. More of a beginning if something bigger.
Thank you for your time. I will get tested at 4weeks to calm my nerves.
I have been doing some research about Thailand during songkran festival and it seems ear infections,sore throats and eye infections are very common?
So I'm guessing my sore throat (bronchitis) and ear infection would be down to the dirty water here. I have never had an ear infection before. And this sore throat coughing/clearing alot of greeny gunk.
Last night I couldn't sleep as I was in so much pain with my ear infection. I guess the slight raise in temperature would be down to the ear infection?
I am however concerned about the infected hair fonicles on my legs? If not HIV,what would cause that?
Yes I understand about the use of a condom,and I shouldn't have done. I even went and bought some. In the future,I will be practising safer sex,as the anxiety is horrible. However I plan to see this Cambodian girl again,so it wasn't a 1-night thing. More of a beginning if something bigger.
Thank you for your time. I will get tested at 4weeks to calm my nerves.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum and thanks for your question.
If your partner really was a virgin, then obviously she could not have HIV. Even if that was a lie, the statistical chance she has HIV is very low. And when a woman has HIV, the average HIV transmission risk for a single episode of vaginal sex is somewhere around 1 in 2,000. So overall I would say the chance you caught HIV was zero for all practical purposes.
As for your symptoms, they don't matter. If you were to list the 20 or so symptoms that account for almost all human illnesses, most are associated with ARS. More important than the specific symptoms are their timing, pattern, and combination -- and by those criteria, yours aren't even close to suggesting HIV. And absence of fever, all by itself, is good evidence against HIV. (And 37.7 isn't fever; everybody's body temperature is that high from time to time. 37C is the average human temperature, not the maximum normal.)
So from a medical/risk standpoint, I wouldn't even recommend HIV testing. The only reason to consider it is for reassurance purposes: a negative test result probably will be more effective in calming your nerves than anything I can say. So it's up to you. If you decide to be tested, have a duo (antibody/antigen) test 4 weeks after the exposure. Excellent STD clinics exist in Thailand and duo testing should be readily available. While you're at it, have a urine gonorrhea/chlamydia test and a syphilis blood test.
Now comes the lecture. You may already be thinking that it was really dumb to not use a condom! Even though the chance you caught HIV is virtually zero, if your partner was not a virgin, there were real risks for other STDs. And probably your current fears would be a lot less if you had done so. If your partner really was a virgin, I can sort of understand your decision -- but even then, I would say you had a responsibility to teach her what to expect and require for future sex partners.
A final minor point: if you withdrew for ejaculation to reduce STD/HIV risk, it was pointless. I don't know where some men gained the belief that withdrawing before ejaculation reduces STD/HIV risk. It does not. Maybe a little less risk to vaginal or anal partner, but not much. For vaginal sex, contraception is the only reason to withdraw.
Bottom line: There is virtually no chance you have HIV, but feel free to be tested if it will help you move on without worry.
I hope these comments are helfpul. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
If your partner really was a virgin, then obviously she could not have HIV. Even if that was a lie, the statistical chance she has HIV is very low. And when a woman has HIV, the average HIV transmission risk for a single episode of vaginal sex is somewhere around 1 in 2,000. So overall I would say the chance you caught HIV was zero for all practical purposes.
As for your symptoms, they don't matter. If you were to list the 20 or so symptoms that account for almost all human illnesses, most are associated with ARS. More important than the specific symptoms are their timing, pattern, and combination -- and by those criteria, yours aren't even close to suggesting HIV. And absence of fever, all by itself, is good evidence against HIV. (And 37.7 isn't fever; everybody's body temperature is that high from time to time. 37C is the average human temperature, not the maximum normal.)
So from a medical/risk standpoint, I wouldn't even recommend HIV testing. The only reason to consider it is for reassurance purposes: a negative test result probably will be more effective in calming your nerves than anything I can say. So it's up to you. If you decide to be tested, have a duo (antibody/antigen) test 4 weeks after the exposure. Excellent STD clinics exist in Thailand and duo testing should be readily available. While you're at it, have a urine gonorrhea/chlamydia test and a syphilis blood test.
Now comes the lecture. You may already be thinking that it was really dumb to not use a condom! Even though the chance you caught HIV is virtually zero, if your partner was not a virgin, there were real risks for other STDs. And probably your current fears would be a lot less if you had done so. If your partner really was a virgin, I can sort of understand your decision -- but even then, I would say you had a responsibility to teach her what to expect and require for future sex partners.
A final minor point: if you withdrew for ejaculation to reduce STD/HIV risk, it was pointless. I don't know where some men gained the belief that withdrawing before ejaculation reduces STD/HIV risk. It does not. Maybe a little less risk to vaginal or anal partner, but not much. For vaginal sex, contraception is the only reason to withdraw.
Bottom line: There is virtually no chance you have HIV, but feel free to be tested if it will help you move on without worry.
I hope these comments are helfpul. Best wishes-- HHH, MD
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