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HIV from fingering and symptoms
Hi Dr. H.H - I was in a hotel in singapore and I had a encounter with a girl working there. I kissed her on the lips, nipples and fingered her. She ejaculated when my fingers were inside and they were covered with her cum. I had no cuts in my fingers. But my cuticles were completely damaged, and there was a 2-3 mm gap between my finger nails & and the skin. After fingering I washed my hands. I had a small cut on the other hand which I did not put inside the vagina. It was fresh juicy 2 - 3mm cut on the skin where the skin meets the nail cuticle. In the worst case it was 30 min old. I saw little bit of red blood, but mostly covered with white colour liquid. I have noted down all symptoms and uploaded some pictures for you information. I never had a noticeable fever, rash or dioharea up to now. Although I feel bit warm in my neck, have loose stools and dry mouth after the exposure.
Day 7(Week1) - Developed tiny blisters on my eyelids. Opthalmologist said they are MGD blepharatis. http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL580/13505830/24157958/403402219.jpg
Day 70 (Week 10) - I noticed a pimple like bump behind my ear few days back.
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL580/13505830/24157958/403402217.jpg
Day 77 (Week 11)- Same place was very swollon, and painful. when pressed I got bit of white color liquid & blood. I also developed a pain in my groin while walking and slightly swollen painful lymph nodes.
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL580/13505830/24157958/403402218.jpg
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL580/13505830/24157958/403402220.jpg
These are my questions to you?
1. What do you think my risk is? Do you advice me to test my self?
2. I know ARS symptoms occur after 2- 6 weeks. Can ARS symptoms occure on the 11th week. Or can the lymph nodes be due to serconversion. Have you ever seen such a case?
3. Are lymph nodes from ARS painful. Advisors in the non- Dr. forum says there are painless.Does my blisters on my eye lids is a symptom of ARS?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum.
I agree completely with the advice you had on the community forum. Nobody has ever been known to catch HIV by fingering, regardless of cuts or nicks on the fingers; and the large majority of CSWs in Singapore don't have HIV anyway. Your symptoms are not typical for HIV anyway, and an ophthalmologist has already examined you and given you a diagnosis unrelated to HIV. In any case, HIV test results always overrule symptoms and exposure history, so even if you had had a substantial exposure or typical symptoms, your negative test results prove you didn't catch HIV. Ten weeks is always sufficient time for reliable testing.
We don't examine posted photos on this forum. In our view, that comes too close to practicing medicine from a distance.
To your specific questions:
1) This event carried no risk for HIV.
2) ARS symptoms cannot start more than 2 weeks (maybe rarely 3 weeks) after exposure.
3) Localized inflamed lymph nodes, i.e. in only one area of the body, are never due to HIV. HIV related lymph node inflammation usually is painless, but there are exceptions. Your eye blisters do not suggest HIV.
So all is well and you shouldn't be at all worried about HIV. No further testing is necessary.
Regards-- HHH, MD
I agree completely with the advice you had on the community forum. Nobody has ever been known to catch HIV by fingering, regardless of cuts or nicks on the fingers; and the large majority of CSWs in Singapore don't have HIV anyway. Your symptoms are not typical for HIV anyway, and an ophthalmologist has already examined you and given you a diagnosis unrelated to HIV. In any case, HIV test results always overrule symptoms and exposure history, so even if you had had a substantial exposure or typical symptoms, your negative test results prove you didn't catch HIV. Ten weeks is always sufficient time for reliable testing.
We don't examine posted photos on this forum. In our view, that comes too close to practicing medicine from a distance.
To your specific questions:
1) This event carried no risk for HIV.
2) ARS symptoms cannot start more than 2 weeks (maybe rarely 3 weeks) after exposure.
3) Localized inflamed lymph nodes, i.e. in only one area of the body, are never due to HIV. HIV related lymph node inflammation usually is painless, but there are exceptions. Your eye blisters do not suggest HIV.
So all is well and you shouldn't be at all worried about HIV. No further testing is necessary.
Regards-- HHH, MD
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Sorry about my misunderstanding that you had been tested for HIV. I'm not sure where that came from; probably I had read someone else's question recently and confused that one with yours.
But the rest of my comments are valid, i.e. my responses to your three questions.
In any case, the answer to your concerns is obvious: stop trying to figure this out by indirect, soft, and more or less meaningless evidence. Just have an HIV test. Based on all you say, you can definitely expect a negative result.
And please do not tell me you haven't been tested because you are afraid of the result. I have no patience that. Research and clinical experience show that when people are afraid of testing, anxiety levels drop when the test is finally done, even when the result is positive. In other words, the worry about it is worse than even the bad news of a positive result. And as I said, almost certainly it will be negative.
I'll be happy to comment one final time if and when you have been tested and report the result. Other than that, this thread is over; I will delete any and all further comments except one with your HIV test result.
But the rest of my comments are valid, i.e. my responses to your three questions.
In any case, the answer to your concerns is obvious: stop trying to figure this out by indirect, soft, and more or less meaningless evidence. Just have an HIV test. Based on all you say, you can definitely expect a negative result.
And please do not tell me you haven't been tested because you are afraid of the result. I have no patience that. Research and clinical experience show that when people are afraid of testing, anxiety levels drop when the test is finally done, even when the result is positive. In other words, the worry about it is worse than even the bad news of a positive result. And as I said, almost certainly it will be negative.
I'll be happy to comment one final time if and when you have been tested and report the result. Other than that, this thread is over; I will delete any and all further comments except one with your HIV test result.
Addition to my above comment. The right chest pain is quite painful. I checked on the internet and it says liver problems can cause this. Since ARS/Serconversion affects the liver i thought this might be useful information for you. Thanks
Thank you for your reply. I think you misunderstood me. I did not have a test at 10 weeks. In fact I never got tested.
I visited my GP, He said I've got some swollen lymph nodes in my right groin, According to him the painful lump behind my ear is a cyst. It can very well be a misdiagnosed lymph node. I've also got a pain in my right chest and near my right kidney, which comes and disappears. Can it be from HIV affecting the Liver & Kidney? I've heard the liver is affected from ARS. These painful lymph nodes were detected on the 11th week.
Do you still think i had a zero risk and needs no testing? Can I have sex with my girlfriend without being worried?
I visited my GP, He said I've got some swollen lymph nodes in my right groin, According to him the painful lump behind my ear is a cyst. It can very well be a misdiagnosed lymph node. I've also got a pain in my right chest and near my right kidney, which comes and disappears. Can it be from HIV affecting the Liver & Kidney? I've heard the liver is affected from ARS. These painful lymph nodes were detected on the 11th week.
Do you still think i had a zero risk and needs no testing? Can I have sex with my girlfriend without being worried?
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